Synopsis:
After spending several months banged up in Sunny Banks rescue centre, Aubrey, a large tabby cat, has finally found his forever home with Molly and Jeremy Goodman and life is looking good.
However, all that changes when a serial killer begins to target elderly victims in the neighbourhood. Aubrey wasn’t particularly upset by the death of some of the previous victims, including Miss Jenkins whom Aubrey recalls as a vinegar-lipped bitch of an old woman who enjoyed throwing stones at cats, but Mr Telling was different. Mr Telling was a mate…
My Review:
I loved the premise of this book. The blurb caught my attention right away. What would a cat do when a serial killer targets their ‘friends’? It’s an interesting concept.
The cast of characters
So obviously the cats are the star characters here, however, you see the humans in the story from their point of view. I am a massive cat person, as such, I think they are a great judge of character. Molly and Jeremy are Aubrey’s owners. A kind hearted couple caught up in the mists of what is going on. They struck me as well rounded, balanced people which worked well for the story. As Aubrey lives with them this is where you get snippets of the unfolding events. Carlos is probably the other main player, a troubled teenager. He wants to do the right thing but is caught up in a series of events beyond his control.
The cats, oh my goodness. Alison is clearly a cat person. She captured the character of the cats perfectly, I can totally imagine them behaving the way they did. The main players are Aubrey, Vincent and Moses. Each with their own unique personality and quirks.
Aubrey has had a hard start in life, he’s finally found a loving home but still scopes out ‘potentials’ in case he needs to up and leave. Cats chose their owners not the other way around. In this set up he plays detective.
Vincent his mate, he seems to know everything that’s going on, has friends in high and low places. Together they try to put all the pieces together. Moses, a dim witted cat who is used as a messenger for the others. However, they all have a soft spot for him.
Finally I can’t not mention Rupert and Roger. Siamese brothers, think Ronnie and Reggie and you wont be far off. Genius.
The story
We are dealing with a serial killer here, who appears to be targeting the elderly. Now you would think that this would be a dark book. However due to the nature of the story being told through the cats, it has a gentle edge. This book doesn’t have the intensity of a standard crime novel. Having said that it does have a good pace. Plenty of clues are dropped along the way, leaving you trying to work out who’s responsible.
Final thoughts
I really enjoyed this book, it was a good read and I found myself fully invested in the life’s of those cats. If you own or love cats you are going to find yourself giggling at some of their antics. If you like reading crime novels but don’t like the tension filled, darker stories this is also for you. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this. I read it because of the novelty of being from the cats point of view, it is so much more than a novelty though. It is also a well written, well rounded story in which you become fully invested in the unfolding events.
I couldn’t not sneak in a quick pic of my two. Ollie on the left and Frankie on the right, brother and sister, they are 11 years old now. Ollie has leant on my arm the entire time I have been writing this review!
Many thanks to Rachel for inviting me to the blog tour and Alison for a copy of her book in exchange for an honest review
Purchase Links
UK – https://www.amazon.co.uk/Street-Cat-Blues-Alison-OLeary-ebook/dp/B07F1TDX2T
US – https://www.amazon.com/Street-Cat-Blues-Alison-OLeary-ebook/dp/B07F1TDX2T
Author Bio:
I was born in London and spent my teenaged years in Hertfordshire where I spent large amounts of time reading Agatha Christie novels and avoiding school. Failing to gain any qualifications in Science whatsoever, the dream of being a forensic scientist crashed and burned when a careers teacher suggested that I might like to work in a shop. Later studying Law, I decided to teach rather than go into practice and have spent many years working as a college lecturer teaching mainly Criminal Law to adults and young people.
I live on the south coast with my husband John and cat Archie. When not writing I enjoy crosswords, walking by the sea and drinking wine. Not necessarily in that order.
Social Media Links –
Facebook.com/Alison.oleary.1069
https://www.alisonoleary.co.uk/
I would love to hear your thoughts, please leave me a comment