Review: The Cat, The Professor, And The Poison by Leann Sweeney

The second book in the "Cats In Trouble" series by Leann Sweeney finds our heroine and her kitties smack dab in the middle of another investigation!

The Cat, The Professor, And The Poison opens with Jillian Hart, cat-quilter extraordinaire, helping her local shelter to nurse some newborn kittens.  When her policewoman friend Candace gets a call that one of their neighbors has had a dairy cow stolen, Jillian goes along for the ride and finds much more than some missing milk!  There seem to be stray cats roaming all over the farm where the cow has disappeared from, so Jillian goes on a mission to find out where they're all coming from.

She stumbles upon a "laboratory" of some sort where there are dozens of cats being held in cages by a mad professor, who seems to be doing some kind of strange, secret experiment.  When the professor later turns up dead from strychnine poisoning, it becomes clear that there was much more than weird science going on.

With the help of her friends and "Cats In Trouble" regulars, Jillian, along with Candace, and newcomer Kara (Jillian's stepdaughter), try to get to the bottom of the mystery before any more cats are harmed, or any more humans turn up dead.

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The Cats In Trouble series is one of my favorite cozy series right now.  I was thrilled when a new one became available.

The first book, The Cat, The Quilt, And The Corpse introduced us to recently widowed Jillian Hart, lover of all things feline, and a quilter who makes it her business to create little quilts for the cats at her local shelter, and to sell at craft fairs.

I love Jillian's character.  She is down-to-earth and just seems like someone I would like to be friends with. 

The regulars in the "Cats In Trouble" series are all believable, likeable characters as well. 

I'll tell you a secret... sometimes when I'm reading a book and I really enjoy that series or novel, I can picture who I would want to play the parts of the characters, should that book/series become a movie or tv show.  (I know, I'm kinda weird that way).  But, I do have people pictured in my mind for the "Cats In Trouble" residents.  That's how I can tell I really like a book.... when I start thinking about who should play this one or that one.  If I don't have a picture in my mind of a character, it's very hard for me to get involved in the story.  (again, I know, I'm kinda weird that way!)

So that being said, it is very easy for me to put faces on the characters in Leann Sweeney's books.

I am also a kitty lover, so that part of the story appeals to me immensely.  Jillian really knows her feline friends, and I think anyone who is a cat fan would really find this series a hoot.  The cats are characters themselves, and the story wouldn't be complete without them.  And I love how the author weaves little tidbits about cat care and handling into the story.

BIG fan of this cat-based series and its classic cozy mystery premise.  No sex scenes or obscenities here.  Just good ole' whodunnit and feline fun!

*****this book was graciously sent to me by the author in return for an honest review.  I was not compensated in any way to write a positive review; all thoughts and opinions are solely my own.