I’ll start off on a good note by saying the covers of these Kitty Couture Mysteries are gold! The cute kitties and pink backgrounds lure me in—hook, line and sinker! If they’re trying to cater to their target audience (ME!), it’s working. 

The story, however, is less than dazzling. It’s formulaic with a capital “F,” with your “Mary Sue” protagonist, bossy mom and dreaded love triangle. I felt like the author was going overboard to make her MC, Lacy, likable. Some of her monologues about her love for New Orleans sounded like rehearsed politician speeches. She’s just a little too polished and poised for my liking. Oh, and don’t even get me started on the mother! She’s your cliched rich, stuffy socialite with control issues. Is she supposed to grow on me with her rare sentimental moments? If so, it’s not working. 

As for the mystery plot, here’s what went down: Lacy finds a dead body in a freezer while delivering hundreds of dreidel-shaped dog treats for a Saint Berdoodle’s bark-mitzvah. Seriously, these cozy authors love their designer dogs. ADOPT DON’T SHOP, PEOPLE! Lo and behold, her dear ol’ dad was the last one to see the murder victim, making him suspect No. 1. I’m no legal eagle, but this sounds a little circumstantial to me, no? Either way, she must investigate a whole slew of suspects, making my head spin with all the talking heads. We’ve got a bunch of “Cuddle Brigade” pet nannies, a sketchy thrift store worker, a bitter widoow, scandalous cheating women and more. The big reveal kind of came out of nowhere, but I’ll save you from spoilers. Yeesh. 

On the bright side, I will say that “Furry Godmother” is a fantastic name for a pet costume store! I would most certainly shop there because I’m a doggie stylist for the stars! And if I had a high-maintenance diva dog, I would love to hire a pet nanny from a “Cuddle Brigade” agency. 

I don’t know, y’all. This series isn’t my favorite, but maybe it’ll appeal to those who like extremely formulaic cozy mysteries with straight-laced protagonists. I just need a little more flair, and you’d think in a place like NOLA, there’d be more colorful characters.