A Tale of Two Kitties by Sofie Kelly

“A Tale of Two Kitties” is the ninth installment in the charming and delightful “magical cats” series by Sofie Kelly. Librarian Kathleen Paulson is on the case yet again - this time solving the murder of Leo Janes, the grandfather of Mia, the high school student who works at the library. Leo has come to town to try to reconcile with his estranged twin brother, Victor, and is found dead a few days after his arrival. I love this series and have not read the last two books, so I’ve been away from Mayville Heights and it was a real treat to return. The supporting cast of characters (Roma the veterinarian; Mary, Abigail, and Susan, the library employees; and Rebecca and Everett) are all part of the story, and it felt like reconnecting with old friends. Kathleen and her policeman boyfriend Marcus are deepening their relationship, and I enjoyed seeing how they work together. And of course, Owen and Hercules, the magical cats of the title, are present in full force. Owen is able to vanish at will and Hercules can walk through walls. Both abilities come in handy when you have a human who likes to solve mysteries. Owen plays a larger role in this story than Hercules does, but Hercules still shows up to enjoy Barry Manilow music with Kathleen. Kathleen is also able to confirm her growing suspicion that Micah, a cat that Marcus adopted from the Wisteria Hill feral colony, has the ability to vanish at will just as Owen does. Now, she has to figure out how to tell Marcus. The mystery itself is very well crafted and has plenty of suspects and twists and turns. In addition, since the central mystery plot concerns a long-ago happening in Mayville Heights, we also get to learn more about some of the townspeople, including Harry Taylor and his father Harrison. All in all, this is a delightful return to a long-running series that feels as comfortable as putting on a much loved pair of slippers and curling up next to a fire with a cat on your lap - provided the cat doesn’t vanish and then reappear! Highly recommended for fans of this series. If you’re new to the series, this can be read as a stand-alone, but for maximum enjoyment, I recommend starting at the beginning.