#FeatherandClawBook #DCCatMcKenzie @shandleyauthor @damppebbles #damppebblesblogtours
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Hi, everyone!
Today is my turn on the Feather and Claw Blog Tour. I am happy to share my Feature Post and Book Review for Susan Handley’s new mystery FEATHER AND CLAW (DC Cat McKenzie Mystery #2).
Below you will find a book blurb, my book review and the author’s bio and social media links. Enjoy!
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Book Blurb
They say choice not chance determines human destiny, but on foreign shores not everyone is what they seem and choices can be ill informed.
Mentally and physically exhausted after her last case, Cat McKenzie heads to the sunny shores of Southern Cyprus. When a fellow guest, an American business man, suddenly dies, Cat’s instincts scream foul play. Unable to step out of her skin as a detective, she can’t help but start to dig.
Drawn into a dark world inhabited by arsonists, bird-trappers and a cold-hearted killer, Cat is soon playing a dangerous game; one that has tragic consequences.
To get closer to the truth, Cat must get closer to the killer and allow the killer to get closer to her. But surrounded by strangers, each appearing to be as respectable as the other, she first needs to figure out which of them are feather and which of them are claw.
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My Book Review
RATING: 4 out of 5 Stars
FEATHER AND CLAW (DC Cat McKenzie Mystery #2) by Susan Handley is the second book in this series and it can easily be read as a standalone. The first in the series is your classic British police procedural, while this book is written as a mystery with Cat on vacation. She has no jurisdiction, but she can’t leave the case alone.
DC Cat McKenzie is on vacation on an island of Cypress with her friend Amy. She is supposed to be relaxing, but they witness the death of an American guest at their resort. At first it is thought to be a case of hypoglycemia leading to the gentleman’s death, but something does not feel right to Cat and being Cat, she cannot let it go. It may look like a natural death, but Cat believes it was murder.
As Cat learns more about the other guests and searches for clues, she also learns about the illegal bird pickling trade and a serial arsonist. She may be out of her jurisdiction, but she will not stop until she finds the killer, but at what cost?
I enjoyed this straight mystery plot. Cat’s character is always inquisitive and pulling on any loose thread. She just does not know how to relax. The plot was well written and kept my interest with several twists and red herrings that kept me on my toes and guessing. I also enjoyed reading about the island sun, heat and sand during my current winter weather.
Overall, an enjoyable mystery read.
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Author Bio
Susan Handley grew up in the Midlands and
despite a love of literature, and crime fiction in particular, she never dreamt
of being able to carve out a career as a published writer. But the desire to
write never left her and after years of writing by night she has at last been
able to share the results of her efforts.
Susan now lives in a small village in rural Kent
with her husband and three cats. When she’s not indulging in her love of
writing crime fiction she loves walking (the hillier the better), bike riding
(the flatter the better) and tending her veggie patch.
Susan has published two novels. A Confusion of
Crows is the first to feature DC Cat McKenzie, a one-time marine biologist
turned detective. In the second in the series, Feather and Claw, the death of a
fellow guest sees Cat put her holiday on hold and turn detective, only with no
team to rely on and outside of her jurisdiction, she learns the hard way that
trying to outwit a murderer is no game. A third Cat McKenzie mystery is due out
in 2020.
Susan has also produced a collection of short
stories, called Crime Bites Volume 1. Full of bite-size crime stories there’s
bound to be something to suit all tastes. A second volume is due to be
published later in 2019.
Social Media
Twitter: https://twitter.com/shandleyauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SusanHandleyAuthor/
Website: https://susanhandley.co.uk/
Purchase Links
Amazon UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B07L8DSF2V/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i2
Publishing Information
Published in paperback and ebook formats by Sunningdale Books in January 2019.
Thanks so much, Avonna x