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peacefrog's review against another edition
2.0
Owning black cats the black cat premise intrigued me. The overall mystery was interesting. My challenge was with the main character. Her anxiety and over reaction was frustrating me as a reader. I had to stop reading the book several times. She came across as terse and made a lot of assumptions. Very closed minded yet she criticized the people who felt the black cat was bad luck. I suppose I prefer my main characters to have more self reflection. Will still give the series a second chance with book 2 - perhaps Sabrina will evolve with the series.
mercyblue's review against another edition
4.0
Star rating: 3.5 - 4 Stars
Moving to small town Lavender, Texas to help her aunt heal from a broken leg, Sabrina is working on her new mystery novel when a real life murder happens right at home. Now she's determined to find the real killer and keep her aunt from facing jail time for a murder she didn't commit.
Black Cat Crossing was a fun start to a brand new series by Kay Finch. I enjoyed the main character Sabrina and the supporting cast of characters Tyanne, Aunt Rowe and Glenda. Sabrina's desire to 'help' the neighborhood stray Hitchcock is really endearing and I found myself rooting for her as she tried to win over his affection. My biggest hitch with this story was the ending. The murderer was a bit too strange for me, it was almost as though Kay Finch wrote herself into a corner and upon realizing what she had done plucked a character at random to fill the murderers shoes. If the ending had been a bit more logical this would have been a five star novel for me. Even so, I really look forward to picking up the next book in this new series.
Moving to small town Lavender, Texas to help her aunt heal from a broken leg, Sabrina is working on her new mystery novel when a real life murder happens right at home. Now she's determined to find the real killer and keep her aunt from facing jail time for a murder she didn't commit.
Black Cat Crossing was a fun start to a brand new series by Kay Finch. I enjoyed the main character Sabrina and the supporting cast of characters Tyanne, Aunt Rowe and Glenda. Sabrina's desire to 'help' the neighborhood stray Hitchcock is really endearing and I found myself rooting for her as she tried to win over his affection. My biggest hitch with this story was the ending. The murderer was a bit too strange for me, it was almost as though Kay Finch wrote herself into a corner and upon realizing what she had done plucked a character at random to fill the murderers shoes. If the ending had been a bit more logical this would have been a five star novel for me. Even so, I really look forward to picking up the next book in this new series.
moggmogg's review against another edition
3.0
Sabrina moves to Lavender, Texas to help her aunt Rowe run her vacation rental business after she broke her leg. To kill two birds with one stone, Sabrina decides to take the opportunity to write a mystery novel. When aunt Rowe's awful cousin Bobby Flowers shows up with a bombshell and then turns up dead; aunt Rowe becomes suspect number one. Between writing her book, meeting with a famous editor, rescuing Hitchcock the bad luck cat and trying to solve a murder; Sabrina has her hands full. If you like cosy mysteries then this would be a good choice for you. With plenty of quirky characters and no gore, this is a fun read for sensitive readers. MS/HS/AD Mystery
dollycas's review against another edition
4.0
Dollycas’s Thoughts
Sabrina Tate, an aspiring author, comes to Lavender, Texas to help her Aunt Rowe take care of her rental cabins while her broken leg heals and to finally get the book out of head and down in print. She quickly learns about a Bad Luck Cat in the area. She is surprised when a black cat is right outside her cabin door, it has to be the same cat. She can’t help but follow the feline and wishes she hadn’t when he leads her right to a dead body. The body of Bobby Joe Flowers, her Aunt Rowe’s conniving cousin who had just come back to town. The body of a man her Aunt Rowe argued with earlier. She knows this is going to be bad, she knows her aunt his going to be the number one suspect. Since the cat led her to the body maybe he can lead her to the killer. How is she ever going to get her book written if she has to solve a murder case while the police have their sights set on Aunt Rowe?
I liked Sabrina right away. She does not believe there is any such thing as a Bad Luck Cat, in fact she is going to do everything she can to save him from the superstitious folks of Lavender. As a true cat lover I was totally rooting for the kitty she quickly names Hitchcock.
The author sets a very fast pace from the first page. Sabrina has her hands full – saving Hitchcock, writing her book, helping with the cabins, solving a murder and maybe an old murder too. Her friend even sets her up with a meeting with an agent when she barely has written 3 chapters let alone a whole book.
Writing the first book in a series is hard because all the characters need to be introduced and they have to be fleshed out enough so the reader can engage with them. The author also has to give us a good credible mystery that we cozy readers can try to solve before the protagonist. Kay Finch does a good job with this, but at times is was just a little too much. Sabrina just had so much going on. At times I wanted to jump into the book and tell Sabrina’s friend, Tyanne, to slow down. Seriously I get Sabrina may need a nudge to get going on her book but after she found a body on her aunt’s property and her aunt being questioned by police it was time to back off and reschedule the meeting. I am surprised Sabrina held it all together, a normal person would have crumbled with all the weight upon their shoulders.
With that said the mystery was good and had great twists and was very entertaining. I was totally surprised by how things played out. Hitchcock and Sabrina make a great team and I am looking forward to seeing what drama they get themselves wrapped up in next.
moondance120's review against another edition
3.0
I laced my fingers, cracked my knuckles, and stared at the few words in my laptop screen.
Sabrina has moved to Lavender, Texas to help her Aunt Rowena with her vacation rentals. Aunt Rowe has recently fallen and broken her leg preventing her from maintaining her cottages. Sabrina is working on her first novel and her fond memories of the area seem to be the perfect place for her to work. The situation becomes tense when Rowe's cousin Bobby Joe appears making claims on the family money. When he turns up dead on Rowe's property, she is the prime suspect.
Sabrina catches glimpses of a black cat around town that some townspeople consider bad luck. She eventually lures him into her cottage and names him Hitchcock. He proves to be instrumental in catching the killer.
A decades old death becomes entwined with the current murder which creates danger for Sabrina.
This was a good introduction to the series. I always love a series with a cat! Some of Hitchcock's antics bring to mind Owen and Hercules from the Magical Cat series ([a:Sofie Kelly|4161210|Sofie Kelly|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1316180333p2/4161210.jpg]). The characters are well thought out and the mystery was good. I did not pick the killer until just before it was revealed to Sabrina.
I look forward to reading the next book.
Sabrina has moved to Lavender, Texas to help her Aunt Rowena with her vacation rentals. Aunt Rowe has recently fallen and broken her leg preventing her from maintaining her cottages. Sabrina is working on her first novel and her fond memories of the area seem to be the perfect place for her to work. The situation becomes tense when Rowe's cousin Bobby Joe appears making claims on the family money. When he turns up dead on Rowe's property, she is the prime suspect.
Sabrina catches glimpses of a black cat around town that some townspeople consider bad luck. She eventually lures him into her cottage and names him Hitchcock. He proves to be instrumental in catching the killer.
A decades old death becomes entwined with the current murder which creates danger for Sabrina.
This was a good introduction to the series. I always love a series with a cat! Some of Hitchcock's antics bring to mind Owen and Hercules from the Magical Cat series ([a:Sofie Kelly|4161210|Sofie Kelly|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1316180333p2/4161210.jpg]). The characters are well thought out and the mystery was good. I did not pick the killer until just before it was revealed to Sabrina.
I look forward to reading the next book.
rubyslippersreads's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars--the extra star is for an obscure Wizard of Oz reference and a mention of "Dark Shadows."
murderbydeath's review against another edition
3.0
"We have to help the police" is the first reason I didn't rate this book higher. The second reason: if you find a secret hidey-hole in your house with something in it, would you forget all about it just a few hours later? I wouldn't and I didn't when Sabrina found hers.
Wordier review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/1259295/blackcatcrossing
Wordier review: http://jenn.booklikes.com/post/1259295/blackcatcrossing
bookwyrmknits's review against another edition
4.0
Very amusing book. I liked the aspiring author drama more than some of the murder mystery drama, but I think that's because I understand that aspect better.
I will admit that the whodunnit reveal felt a bit out of left field. I'm glad that it wasn't blatant, but it also felt too distanced from the hints left in the story for its genre. Cozy mysteries usually at least give you a chance at guessing the killer. For this one, I don't think there was any chance.
Still, it was a fun read and the cat sounds like a perfect black cat. I'm glad my cat (not black) doesn't get into as much mischief as Hitchcock does, though.
I will admit that the whodunnit reveal felt a bit out of left field. I'm glad that it wasn't blatant, but it also felt too distanced from the hints left in the story for its genre. Cozy mysteries usually at least give you a chance at guessing the killer. For this one, I don't think there was any chance.
Still, it was a fun read and the cat sounds like a perfect black cat. I'm glad my cat (not black) doesn't get into as much mischief as Hitchcock does, though.
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