Book Review: The Dead Cat Bounce by Sarah Graves (Home Repair is Homicide #1)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Great characters and strong narration

Cons: Plot takes time getting going

The Bottom Line:

Well written novel

Mystery is slow to start

Overall it's good

No Cats Were Harmed in the Making of This Book

Former stock broker extraordinaire Jacobia "Jake" Tiptree has traded her life of high pressure trades for the peaceful quite of Eastport, Maine, a quiet town on an island almost as far east as you can go. She's bought an antique home in need of great repair and fills her days trying to fix all the problems, from squeaky doors to leaking plumbing and rotten floors.

One day, Jake goes to her storeroom and finds a man dead, lying on the floor. As if it weren't shocking enough to have a stranger dying in her house, her best friend, Ellie White, immediately confesses to the murder.

The victim turns out to be Threnody McIlwaine, a local boy turned corporate raider billionaire. Even given his worldwide fame, Ellie did have a motive. Threnody had just tricked her family out of a fortune, leaving them bankrupt. With the prosecutors ready to act on the case to keep the media happy, Jake realizes that Ellie is going to be railroaded into a long prison term.

There's just one problem, however. Ellie is too quiet to commit murder. Convinced her friend is innocent, Jake sets out to figure out who really killed the man. Even in a town as small as Eastport, the list of suspects is rather long. It will take all of Jake's abilities to sort through the clues to find the truth.

This is the debut of what has become a highly successful mystery series, and it's easy to see why. Jake is a likeable and capable heroine. This is someone who could easily become a friend in real life, and spending time with her is fun. While Ellie isn't in much of the book, she is a likeable character as well. I look forward to getting to know her better in future books in the series. The other towns people we get to know were nice assets to the plot and created a feeling of community I loved.

The only strike against the book is the plot. It seems to meander a bit at the beginning, taking it's own sweet time getting started. Once it does, however, it tells an exciting story with some nice twists that kept me confused until the very end. The title of the book refers to some stock market jargon. Not only is this a reference to Jake's previous job, but it also has an impact on the case.

Even when the plot is slow, the writing style keeps you pulled into the story with its vivid descriptions and laid-back story telling. It fits a story taking place in a small, cozy town and I wouldn't change it for anything.

The setting itself is great. The small town is warm and inviting, even in the middle of the bad storm they face over the course of the book.

Even in The Dead Cat Bounce, it's easy to see why this series has won the hearts of so many readers. I look forward to visiting Jake Tiptree and Eastport, Maine, again real soon.