Not bad for a new author; at 170 pages, more like a short story. The characters were likeable, and the plot was compelling. The only criticism I have is it sounded more like an 8th grader's oral book report than a novel. The author should learn the difference between setting a scene and telling a scene; in the book, characters and locations aren't described, they're dictated. As a result, there is little to connect the reader to the story. The character names (Marion and Gordon) made it sound like a 50s sitcom at times, and the romance moved too fast. Within 20 pages they went from having dinner to engaged.

I think if this book could use some more fleshing out of the plot and characters, and a little bit of editing it could shape up into a great cozy series.

Lighthearted, easy read, kind of Murder She Wrote meets Miss Marple. The plot had a lot of twists and turns, the setting was charming and the characters were cute. Really enjoyed reading it, and can't wait to start the second.

Quick, enjoyable read. I'll admit, it was predictable; I figured everything out before I was halfway through. It didn't stop me from finishing it, the characters and location are so charming that you find yourself irresistibly drawn in. This series is quickly becoming one of my favorites, and I look forward to then next in the series.

More like 3.5 stars. Cute short story, it was nice to read a story with such a quick pace. The location and characters need more dimension, you never actually meet the victim other than 2 sentences in the first chapter. Since it's such a short book, I supposed that's understandable. The mental conversations with the ghost were a bit much in some places; I kept thinking the MC stood there with a blank look on her face while people talked to her.

Overall, enjoyable and entertaining, if a bit light on character development. But I liked it, and will read the next in the series.

This series is fast becoming one of my favorites. Great characters, riveting plots and this one is the best of the bunch.

Not bad for the first in a new series. I liked the characters and setting, the plot was predictable but enjoyable. The only criticisms (if you can call it that)are

Spoiler

I thought the cats' role could've been more defined. Their vague behavior were meant to clue Katz in to what was going on, but she never seemed to get a clue. At least in The Cat Who books, Qwill would get the hint by the end of the book. But Katz isn't as perceptive, apparently. Also, who did the book belong to? I guess Vivian, but that wasn't quite clear.

Second, nitpicky, but in the first chapter, a character describes Erie as "Hicksville" which probably wouldn't mean much to most people, but on the other side of the state is Hicksville, OH, a small town east of Fort Wayne just over the Ohio state line. I thought it made it harder to set the scene, I had to keep reminding myself Indy, not Ohio.

Overall, a great start and I look forward to reading other books in the series.

Just as good as the first, a quick, easy read to pass a lazy Sunday afternoon. I gotta ask, though

Spoiler

Why did Katz get her panties in a twist that Mark didn't tell her about her great uncle being a bootlegger? She didn't know anything about her great aunt, what the hell difference did it make what her great uncle did? Incongruous plot line; I don't know if it's leading up to something but in terms of the series thus far, it was a plot line that stuck out like a sore thumb. So why include it?
And why do so many young characters have spouses that died? There's a mystery for the next book.

The Cats That borrows from The Cat Who series by Lillian Jackson Braun, but in a good way! They're light, fun reads, cute characters and creative plots. The Cats That Told A Fortune fleshed out a little more of the town with the covered bridge festival, and the characters are rounding out and evolving.

Katz is still kind of a Ditz though.

A great seasonal read, a murder, ghost hunters, a headless ghost, a devious cat and Chandra. Halloween in a nutshell!

It was difficult to rate this one, so I'll settle on 3.5 stars. This one was on par with the first book of the series, once I got into it, I couldn't put it down. Light and entertaining, there's just something irresistible with this series.

The plot wanders a bit in the middle or so, especially the secondary plot (which I guess isn't so secondary, since it takes most of the book.) The characters need a little more development, sometimes I forget who's who because they don't stand out in my mind.

Spoiler

I'm hoping this Levi romance doesn't devolve into a Fluke-ish never-ending tired plot device. Piss or get off the pot, kids. And how can everyone count on Bea to solve murders when she can't seem to grasp that Levi is blatantly hinting that he is FX O'Grady? Also, the plot with Chandra in the storeroom? Didn't make sense how she would be there just before Noreen was murdered and yet didn't seem to know who did it? And how come the ghost hunters never mentioned the "apparitions" they saw at the B&B?