Claw and Disorder by Eileen Watkins

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Cassie McGlone is faced with more than one mystery in Claw and Disorder, the fifth in the Cat Groomer series.  She’s asked to help with an intervention of sorts in the case of the Tillmans, an elderly couple who have ended up with too many cats.  They are also struggling with clutter from an overabundance of possessions with sentimental value.  They are a very sweet couple and Cassie hopes she will be able to help them.

On the other end of the scale is a new customer for Cassie’s Comfy Cats boarding and grooming services. Gillian Foster wants her purebred Himalaya cat Leya out of the way while she finishes renovations on her historic home. She’s doing period furnishings, wall paper, etc. in hopes to impress the local historical society, and to say that she is obsessed with the project is an understatement.  While Cassie appreciates the business, she finds Mrs. Foster to be a little too tightly wound—to put it kindly.

Then things begin to turn sour quickly.  Not only does an important guest at the Fosters’ party become ill after ingesting some food, but Mrs. Tillman is found dead of asphyxiation.  Suspicion falls on Mr. Tillman—or even the cats. 

There are going to be even more unhappy endings if Cassie can’t unravel these mysteries.

I have read all the books in this series to date, and I always appreciate how Watkins manages to incorporate real life problems into her narratives and to present both sides of the story. Previously she’s taken on TNR (Trap, Neuter, and Release) and the trade in exotic cats. This time she touches on animal hoarding and the plight of seniors struggling to remain in their own homes. This book takes on two mysteries and manages each storyline well.  One solution in particular was unexpected, but that didn’t detract from my enjoyment.

I do like the characters, although I have to say I find Cassie’s boyfriend to be a bit of a wet blanket.  You could do better, girl!

You don’t have to read the series in order, but if you are so inclined the titles are:

The Persian Always Meows Twice

The Bengal Identity

Feral Attraction

Gone, Kitty, Gone

Claw and Disorder

Night of the Were-Cat (2022)