Book Review: Downton Tabby by Sparkle Abbey (Pampered Pets Mysteries #7)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Light, fun story with fantastic characters

Cons: Mystery could be a little stronger

The Bottom Line:

Missing cat owner

Connected to a murder?

Pet friendly, fun book

Dead Body and a Tabby’s Missing Owner

I was definitely due for a visit to Laguna Beach.  Okay, so I could drive down there any time I wanted (and was willing to fight traffic), but I wanted to visit it via the world of the Pampered Pets Mysteries.  Over the previous six books, I’ve fallen under the spell of the characters, human and animal, in this series, so I was quite happy to dive into Downton Tabby.

Since this is book seven, we get to spend time with Caro Lamont, a successful pet therapist in the area.  She’s spending this morning in her office working on some paperwork, which is why, when Graham Cash asks her to watch his tabby cat, Toria, for a little while, she readily agrees.  Cash and his business partner, Jake, have rented an office for their very successful app making business in the building that Caro uses, and Caro has enjoyed getting to know them both.

When Cash doesn’t return in the agreed upon time, Caro begins to get worried.  After all, she has afternoon appointments.  She decides to take Toria to the house that the business partners share.  However, when she arrives, she finds no sign of Cash and Jake’s dead body floating in their pool.  What happened to Jake?  Is Cash okay?  Or is he the killer?

There is plenty going on in this book.  We’ve got Caro’s clients, her ex-husband showing up uninvited, the on-going feud with her cousin Mel (the star of the even numbered books in the series), and the mystery itself.  The result is a book that kept me turning pages since I was never bored.  I did feel some of these elements did distract from the mystery at times, but they were still fun.  The mystery itself takes some wild twists and turns before reaching the logical conclusion.

I already mentioned the characters, but let’s go back to them.  They are a hoot.  While Caro and some of the others are almost normal, others are pretty outrageous.  The worst of the bunch is Betty, Mel’s employee who has managed to work her way into Caro’s life as well.  Not that I’m complaining because Betty is always good for a laugh or two each time she shows up.  Other characters will also make you grin.  I do wish we’d see Caro’s neighbor, April Mae, again, since she is a hoot as well.  In fact, her and Betty in the same scene would be hilarious.

And that’s not counting the antics of the pets in the series.  Seriously, if you love animals, this book is right up your ally.  These pets will steal your heart when not making you smile and laugh at their antics.

Sadly, I am allergic to animals, so I don’t have any pets of my own, but if you do, there are a couple of cat treats at the end you can make for your own animals.

This series never fails to charm me, and Downton Tabby was no exception.  If you enjoy light, fun mysteries, you need to be reading this series.

Enjoy this one?  You'll definitely want to read more of the Pampered Pets Mysteries.