tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450Wed, 20 Nov 2024 23:33:37 +0000book reviewErin the Literary CatAdventureMiddle grade fictioncatsFirefly pressMiddle Gradebook bloggerErin the Cat PrincessMysterySunday SelfieMagicAdult FictionFictionNosy CrowPuffin BooksWalker booksHarper CollinsLower Middle GradehumourInclusiveMMUSarah Todd TaylorThomas Taylorfeline humourrobin stevensClara VulliamyCosy MysteryfantasyfunAutismBeatriz CastroDiversityDominique ValenteEerie-on-seaEloise WilliamsErinFarragoHarper Collins Childrens BooksMandy MortonMollie HuntMurder MysteryMurder most unladylikeMystery. AdventureSarah WarburtonThe No.2 Feline Detective AgencywitchesAges 7-9Alice Eclair Spy ExtraordinaireBecka MoorBook BlogBook TourDebutElle McNicollErwinFestergrimmGargantisGeorge ErmosGrand Nautilus HotelHerbert LemonJo ClarkeJulian WorkerKnights OfKoboldLittle Tiger GroupLouise ForshawMaggie HorneMalamanderMiddle grade fiction.Mirador PublishingMrs HudsonNeurodiverseOrion PublishingOswinRebecca F. JohnRound Tablel BooksSharon GoslingShort storySimon & ScusterSinéad O'HartSkrimsliTeen/ YATerrie ChilversThe Shadow OrderThe Song that sings usTim BudgenUpper Much-MousingWafer the WhippetWillow MossWizardsYAcatdetectiveshumorkaren Owenmurderwizzards1800's6-8 YearsA J ClackA Kind of SparkA Recipe for TroubleA Storm of SistersA pinch of MagicADHDAbigail L. Dela CruzAddieAdrienAdultAlasdair Beckett-KingAlice Eclair Spy Extraordinaire A Dash of DaringAlice Eclair Spy Extraordinaire A Sprinkling of DangerAmari and the Midnight BrothersAnna FargherAnna GoodallAnna ShepetaAutistic heroineB Movie.BB ALSTONBarrington StokeBeetle BoyBen AaronovitchBlogHopBloomsbury Childrens BooksBonnier BooksBook LaunchBooksBrazilCJ HaslamCWACakeCall me LionCamilla ChesterCaringCat BloggerCat HouseCat SummerCat WinterCat amongst the pumpkinsCatherine DoyleCathy FaulknerCeltic MythologyChapterbookChloë HeuchChumley and Hudson Investigate the King Herod's AffairClaire PowellConradCoraCosima Unfortunate Steals a StarCrazy Cat Lady MysteryDavid MvKeanDiary of a Buddhist CatDigging for VictoryDog RacingDog StoryDog showDom ConlonEarly ReadersEco warrierElizabethan AdventureEmily KennyEmpowermentFamily friendly.Feline human relationshipsFit and TrimFlavia SorrentinoFreddie the catGangster styleGeoff SwiftGollanczGothic HorrorGrand Nautilus Hotel. Herbert LemonGuppy BooksHAS ANYONE SEEN ARCHIE EBBS?Hachette Childrens BooksHannah DurkanHannah PruttonHarry GoldhawkHazel Hill is Gonna Win this OneHeidi Oliva CannonHelen Crawford-WhiteHenriettaHerbie LemonHettie BagshotHoagyHonesty & LiesJackie MorrisJane CornwellJanet BlueJanine BeachamJess ButterworthJolly Foul PlayKenny McKendryKerryKerry BarberoL T ShearerLGBTQLaura NoakesLeon GarfieldLibby and the Highland HeistLibby and the Manhatten MysteryLie or DieM.G. LeonardMacmillans Childrens BooksMaggie BlueMajor and Mynah: Operation RavenMajor and Mynah:Tarantula TerrorMaria KuzniarMarshmallow PieMatilda Meets the UniverseMax the Detective CatMermedusaMichael the Amazing Mind-reading Sausage DogMichael the Amazing Super Sleuth Sausage DogMichelle HarrisonMiddle-grade fictionMontgomery Bonbon–Death at the LighthouseMoon WitchMrs HMyrnaMyrna Pearl SterlingMystery AdventureMythologyNICOLA DAVIESNathan CollinsNetFlixNicola Davies. Firefly PressNizrana FarookNoah Frye Gets CrushedORIJEN cat foodOne World PublicationsOrla and the Magpies KissOscarOur Cats in AmsterdamPTSDPamela ButchartPan MacMillanPenguin Random House Childrens BooksPerilPicture booksPiratesPiu DasguptaPolice Detective seriesPrize winnersRandom House ChildrensReality TVRivers of LondonRomanceRoslyn McFarlandRound Table Books.Round Tablel Books.SECRETS OF THE SNAKESTONESF SaidSadnessSam UsherSarah Ann JuckesScience based fiction adventureSelective MutismShadowghastSharna JacksonShow Us Who You AreSimon & SchusterSimon PackhamSmithSophia's InvitationSpectrumSri LankaStanley Big DogStarfell.Willow Moss and the Forgotten TaleThe Adventure ClubThe Boy Who Saved a BearThe Cat Who Caught A KillerThe Cat on My HeadThe Curio CollectorsThe DOG SQUAD - The RaceThe DOG. SQUAD; The NEWSHOUNDThe Dark and Dangerous Gifts of Delores MacKenzieThe Death of Downton TabbyThe Dog Squad- The ShowThe Doll TwinThe Extraordinary Adventures of Alice Tonks. AutismThe Fire Cats of LondonThe Forgotten GardenThe Good TurnThe Lost Girl KingThe Night AnimalsThe Silver RoadThe Travelling School MysteriesThomas FlinthamTiger in TroubleTigers.TillyTommy the Fieldmouse's Night-Time AdventuresUCLan PublishingUnicorn AcademyUnicornsVarjak PawVictorian LondonViolet ParmaWILDEWeight lossWhat Abigail did that summerWiddershinsWomens fictionWorld War 2Yvonne BanhamZeina Starborn and the Emerald Kingactionanimalsautistic representationbiologically appropriatecats Murder Most Unladylikedogsfriendshipgiveawaygothichumor.kirsti Beautymanmonstermuder most unladylikenon-binaryseasideselfiesexual harassmentspiritualsupporttalking catsthe Extraordinary adventures of Katy Willacottveronica carratelloErin the Literary Cat Princess on a mission to share fun and great books...http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)Blogger237125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-7963394395374938351Sun, 17 Nov 2024 06:54:00 +00002024-11-17T06:58:41.161+00:00AutismBecka Moorbook reviewChloë HeuchDiversityErin the Literary CatFirefly pressMiddle grade fictionNeurodiverseveronica carratelloA HISTORY OF MY WEIRD<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>Written by Chloë Heuch&nbsp;</span><span><span>&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2CIm4yehuTbLPN23xoppyvh9uuGhE0aphBzDcpJXEyRbM6PNbs4-NAAJz470MpaeAFiqQ8tPV0ohsEzRjHc4lQ6uSAVgKgYnVRzd3HZnAu5tLI0jEXtMhSWeALVf4PP2fRQHjjgXPDDm8zeHkWXnjC1rNeDbHK2Z0aYCYUDR2kM4bPFG8Vtg717MASA/s1060/Screenshot%202024-07-08%20at%2013.54.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small book cover image. This depicts the old asylum building and grounds in muted reds, yellows, and mauves. In front and centre, and demonstrating her gymnastic beam skills, the protagonist, Mo, is walking along a branch. To the right and behind, standing watching, is Carys, also known as Onyx. The title appears along the top of the cover, over a yellowing sky in bold lettering. Weird is in big purply red letters." border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2CIm4yehuTbLPN23xoppyvh9uuGhE0aphBzDcpJXEyRbM6PNbs4-NAAJz470MpaeAFiqQ8tPV0ohsEzRjHc4lQ6uSAVgKgYnVRzd3HZnAu5tLI0jEXtMhSWeALVf4PP2fRQHjjgXPDDm8zeHkWXnjC1rNeDbHK2Z0aYCYUDR2kM4bPFG8Vtg717MASA/w217-h320/Screenshot%202024-07-08%20at%2013.54.39.png" width="217" /></a></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: xx-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: xx-large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><!--wp:paragraph--> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When we were contacted and asked if we would like to review this, we took one look at the publicity details and said YES. Mrs H is autistic, and we love to see and support literature, especially for kids, that shines a positive and inclusive light on all aspects of autism. </span></p> <!--/wp:paragraph--> <!--wp:paragraph--> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let me tell you, we have not been disappointed. So, without further ado, let's dive into this extraordinary story.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2CIm4yehuTbLPN23xoppyvh9uuGhE0aphBzDcpJXEyRbM6PNbs4-NAAJz470MpaeAFiqQ8tPV0ohsEzRjHc4lQ6uSAVgKgYnVRzd3HZnAu5tLI0jEXtMhSWeALVf4PP2fRQHjjgXPDDm8zeHkWXnjC1rNeDbHK2Z0aYCYUDR2kM4bPFG8Vtg717MASA/s1060/Screenshot%202024-07-08%20at%2013.54.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Large book cover image. This depicts the old asylum building and grounds in muted reds, yellows, and mauves. In front and centre, and demonstrating her gymnastic beam skills, the protagonist, Mo, is walking along a branch. To the right and behind, standing watching, is Carys, also known as Onyx. The title appears along the top of the cover, over a yellowing sky in bold lettering. Weird is in big purply red letters." border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="718" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2CIm4yehuTbLPN23xoppyvh9uuGhE0aphBzDcpJXEyRbM6PNbs4-NAAJz470MpaeAFiqQ8tPV0ohsEzRjHc4lQ6uSAVgKgYnVRzd3HZnAu5tLI0jEXtMhSWeALVf4PP2fRQHjjgXPDDm8zeHkWXnjC1rNeDbHK2Z0aYCYUDR2kM4bPFG8Vtg717MASA/w434-h640/Screenshot%202024-07-08%20at%2013.54.39.png" width="434" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; CHLOË HEUCH</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by:&nbsp; VERONICA CARRATELLO</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover design:&nbsp; BECKA MOOR</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; FIREFLY PRESS</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 4 JULY 24, so OUT NOW<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978-191 5444 639</b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £7.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">KINDLE price: £3.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 250</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 9+&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? No, but some piranhas make an appearance!&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme and Firefly Press Publishers for asking if we would review this. Given the subject matter, how could we say no?</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This story unfolds from the start of the new school year in September and runs through in dated chapters until the end of term in December. New year 7 student, Mo, a talented young gymnast, has arrived at her new secondary school. Her junior school friends are now seemingly under pressure to be trendy. So much so that Mo is no longer acceptable, a freak; her little necessary actions, her stimming, and her need to correct her teacher are now embarrassing. It leaves her isolated and at the mercy of other kids and, surprisingly, teachers. Her factual nature, truthfulness, and following of the rules soon land her in detention for correcting a statement made by her teacher. Worse, when jostled by a onetime friend, who then stumbles, Mo gets blamed and is labelled a problem child and taken off the gymnastics team.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mo's time at home is split between her divorced parents and their respective partners. It is an arrangement that, whilst a bit chaotic, works. But finding a way to express herself is difficult. Issues with a new maths teacher, tantamount to bullying, discrimination and segregation, go unspoken and unnoticed.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One saving grace is a quiet girl called Carys, the only supportive classmate when Mo is sent out of class. But can Carys, considered an emo/goth by the other kids and thus also a freak, be a friend? She strangely wants to be called Onyx in private. It is another mystery that Mo's autistic mind needs to fathom.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When the Mo and Carys decide to go to the drama club, a tentative bond is formed. These things build, and Mo is invited back to eat with Carys' family. But&nbsp;Mo finds a change in Carys and her mum, tiptoeing around their father, a stickler for girls looking and acting the prim and subservient female stereotypes.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Mo naturally gives a truthful reply, the father leaves the table and asks for Mo to be taken home after eating.&nbsp;Again, alone, Mo is confused as to what she has done. Could Carys/Onyx's silence and absence from school have something to do with her?</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This becomes a turning point in the book. Carys' father drives a huge wedge in their friendship, to the point that the two mustn't even talk to each other at school. The penalty for Mo's continued 'bad' influence will be Carys' removal to a church school.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But where there is a will, there is a way. During history lessons, the class has been looking at Victorian asylums and who would be put in them. Sometimes, it was women who had the wrong lover or those with depression, grief, or learning disabilities such as autism.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With her special and consuming interest in gymnastics taken from her and lessons at school fraught, MoMo finds a new passion in researching their local asylum, in which she soon discovers her great uncle was incarcerated.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, between pursuing a forbidden friendship, being persuaded to audition for a role in the school play, and venturing to look at and then go into the old asylum, we have a recipe for everything else that happens; the good and the very bad.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A lot plays out from here on, so to avoid any significant spoilers, I feel it best to stop the review here. Suffice it to say, things come to a dramatic and painful head.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a very compelling and sincere read from a skilled writer.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even as recently as 2020, you'd be very hard-pressed to find secondary autistic and differently-abled characters in books for kids. Indeed, finding a lead character who also happened to be autistic was exceptionally rare. I can only think of one as I type.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That all changed in the mainstream press in June 2020 with the publication of A Kind of Spark, by Elle McNicoll. <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-kind-of-spark.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">See our review HERE</a>.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kids who are also autistic finally had a chance to see another autistic child in print being just themselves, capable, energetic, loveable and loving, and as mischievous as any other child—just slightly different but not less.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The struggles they and their parents face—be it from other kids or from those who were there to teach but saw the one child as needy or a nuisance they didn't have time for—are laid bare for all to see. In so doing, things can be talked about, and action can be taken.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What makes this book so different and readable is that the author chose to have her lead character look at the way patients were treated in asylums of old, like Bethlem. Mo's great-uncle was committed to one in the town she lives in. The once elegant facade of Victorian society's reluctance to face anything or anyone even remotely divergent from the norm and a burgeoning medical regimen bordering on barbarism is reduced by vandalism and arson to a burnt-out, brooding skeleton of some ghastly behemoth.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The secrets and tortures committed inside its walls in the name of medicine and family convenience have long since been lost to all. Only haunting images in sepia-stained photographs and fading entries in admittance logs remain. The relevance and connection to herself is not lost on Mo.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This theme steers much of the story, both in and out of school, and leads to a catalytic and calamitous life-changing event towards the end. But it isn't everything.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Running deftly alongside, we&nbsp;see our protagonist trying to gain and understand friendship. Onetime friends are now taunting enemies. Then there's the mystery of Carys? What drives this elusive young goth ally, who vanishes from school and would rather have a secret name? Is she actually a friend? There is also Mo&nbsp;dealing with puberty and other physical changes that are harder for those with sensory issues.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is also good to see that the story doesn't avoid adult issues and split families. Reality does bite and it is good to see a reflection of life, tempered for Middle Grade readers.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, in conclusion.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As important a book for youngsters on the autistic spectrum&nbsp;(and their family and teachers) as 'A Kind of Spark', by Elle McNicoll, was when published.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Truly inspired writing with a satisfyingly different theme covering more than just the now well-written-about aspects of and problems facing autistic children and families. Diverse and inclusive - writing at its very BEST. We started Friday morning and finished in the evening as we just had to know how it ended. We didn't once feel that the messages within were diluted or laboured.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All in all, there is something for everyone and enough of everything to make this a wholly satisfying and captivating read. A classroom must-read.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please avoid derelict buildings and head straight to your local independent bookshop. Or, order online. Most booksellers, large or small, will gladly get this for you.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Firefly Press web page <a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chloë Heuch's web page <a href="https://www.chloeheuch.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://www.chloeheuch.co.uk/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Veronica Carratello's web page <a href="https://www.veronicacarratello.com/ " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://www.veronicacarratello.com/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a Selfie of ME!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVb_ehAZ5gG9aAo5tR7tJegWzKfZVlrra1-LBfGikHsi5MBc34IJYFUfOrv-uBc7mZa2_jJ00VPl3D9uM5sLKN_c3sNY4ZWl1dyrLS5_RR-P6UQv1ChcLp7RPXZKpl5dj-8hjkPw3SqcWLf_NyM768JUG4pq89f_1Qh5GWM0mq3CUP5vKltRODVYVe_8/s2100/SS.%2017.11.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="2100" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVb_ehAZ5gG9aAo5tR7tJegWzKfZVlrra1-LBfGikHsi5MBc34IJYFUfOrv-uBc7mZa2_jJ00VPl3D9uM5sLKN_c3sNY4ZWl1dyrLS5_RR-P6UQv1ChcLp7RPXZKpl5dj-8hjkPw3SqcWLf_NyM768JUG4pq89f_1Qh5GWM0mq3CUP5vKltRODVYVe_8/w640-h480/SS.%2017.11.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/naughty-cat-returns/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">🙂 🙂</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315463" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-history-of-my-weird.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-3619802620762573179Sun, 03 Nov 2024 08:09:00 +00002024-11-03T08:14:01.911+00:00Sunday SelfieSunday Selfie time!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to a another weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week Mrs H and I have been preparing for the inevitable slew of firework displays that spoil the tranquility of the East Lambtonshire county area. Noise like the war has broken out again, along with flashes so bright that I was able to send old Ned out to do an extra 2 hours of gardening.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here in the village, we have quieter celebrations, revelling in winter fare consisting of hot toddies, and puddings rich in treacle, apples and cream. The telling of tales is allowed, but has to be done by candlelight in an aromatic setting, and by that I don't mean folks have catnip pipes, but nutmeg and cinamon, that sort of thing.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After a final glass is raised to friends old and new, by the light of the stars only, we all wend our way to our beds. Thankfully, this year we have not had to avoid tripping over any of farmer Clarksin's sheep. In previous years they have managed to break into the fresh silage supplies and have end up drunk and scattered liberally around the village, hooves up, and bleating out of tune!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So fully sober, well I am anyway, Mrs H I can not fully vouch for as her bun looks more tousled than normal and the knitting needles holding it together far more askew, lets get on with the selfies!</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7F8BGE11PVIAlnMNEyg-U0TxkRdGsFKR7tPIa-xhXBQqv6YPfOX8qN88S9bjdNbzc_SfVWOwTZqF4nPkr77z3cFqPcOkp3ge_3LH82rh2pE1skGG7ZGgc_3QT8UiwJho8vpL4jALnQdMl008VCpwWqOg2sB5vCiunF4TjJXjXFBCChAdGXHw3KHne_k/s4032/SS.%203.11.24.jpg"><img alt="Erin, thats me, lies part curled on my grey fleece bed cover. My body head and legs point to the right and my front left paw rests in part on a wooden handled metal comb. I am clearly enjoying the sun on my back from the window, which is making the fur on my back shine auburn." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7F8BGE11PVIAlnMNEyg-U0TxkRdGsFKR7tPIa-xhXBQqv6YPfOX8qN88S9bjdNbzc_SfVWOwTZqF4nPkr77z3cFqPcOkp3ge_3LH82rh2pE1skGG7ZGgc_3QT8UiwJho8vpL4jALnQdMl008VCpwWqOg2sB5vCiunF4TjJXjXFBCChAdGXHw3KHne_k/w480-h640/SS.%203.11.24.jpg" title="A rare sun puddle brings delight." width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/autumn-ginger-tabby/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315356" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script-->http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/11/sunday-selfie-time.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-7002214493801445495Sun, 20 Oct 2024 06:10:00 +00002024-10-20T07:20:14.724+01:00giveawayPrize winnersSunday SelfieGiveaway Winners and a Selfie<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello and welcome to our weekend selfie session.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But first, hot off the ironing board and narrowly avoiding being swallowed up by Mrs H's huge starched and dazzlingly white pantaloons, we can announce that the lucky winners of our giveaway from the last post are:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mudpie and the Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries &amp; Meows blog &amp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The J Cats Blog<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoAuPQjaR53MhS2H9Qmy2lhLHxKVRbdIoVlwH4-MqKStDhvl-q7xVmYRAVcb-_0uckkPWdP_G6e06F7QJK5oCBLAuEVm39SkOunZYUEqNRNCCmsF09CfMoHseET2ay1nSA0zgtSZKzT13oRGe3L4xZwk5vjlkKd_CNPbREB1Hbb9VL59-Ha93-6G33Pg/s2684/Paperback%20front%20cover%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2684" data-original-width="1745" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoAuPQjaR53MhS2H9Qmy2lhLHxKVRbdIoVlwH4-MqKStDhvl-q7xVmYRAVcb-_0uckkPWdP_G6e06F7QJK5oCBLAuEVm39SkOunZYUEqNRNCCmsF09CfMoHseET2ay1nSA0zgtSZKzT13oRGe3L4xZwk5vjlkKd_CNPbREB1Hbb9VL59-Ha93-6G33Pg/w260-h400/Paperback%20front%20cover%20copy.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Congratulations! Please both confirm your postal addresses (in a comment that we will delete after use) and Mrs H will make sure a copy of the book wings its way, one way or another, to your letterbox.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Should either NOT wish the prize of a copy of our newly released book, please just say and we will redraw another prize winner.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enough of the business side of things, here's a selfie of me on a cold autumnal morning, checking out the bed fleece COB comfort rating (that's Cat on Bed rating, MOL).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUabKiUFqqIQPEKAJ4AJksCr4JDr1lRjRKcoCMdRQvAtmdpDB_xkDrE6dPUQo0uGHKFGVcyTKqIB2z8cwov9FLg1i2RfYI91PjTu12-On6w6arUg7kglFMAR_u4VJyoSc0IvTdBpt-47CQSoM8Z50j1GUabd7TL9BPlS5QVsCAi_1LzsL3ygcCOXcqMM/s4032/SS%2020.10.24.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUabKiUFqqIQPEKAJ4AJksCr4JDr1lRjRKcoCMdRQvAtmdpDB_xkDrE6dPUQo0uGHKFGVcyTKqIB2z8cwov9FLg1i2RfYI91PjTu12-On6w6arUg7kglFMAR_u4VJyoSc0IvTdBpt-47CQSoM8Z50j1GUabd7TL9BPlS5QVsCAi_1LzsL3ygcCOXcqMM/w480-h640/SS%2020.10.24.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/tocktober-selfies-the-2024-edition/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315261" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/10/giveaway-winners-and-selfie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)38tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1289417716374066889Sun, 06 Oct 2024 06:33:00 +00002024-11-01T13:18:55.548+00:00actionBook LaunchcatsChumley and Hudson Investigate the King Herod's AffairdogsMiddle grade fictionMystery AdventureSunday Selfietalking catsThe ULTIMATE Book Review & GIVEAWAY<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, Everyone!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Today, we have a special announcement. This week, after a small series of technical hitches, Mrs H and I jointly pressed the key that sent our new and first book into publication, with the aid of a lodger who recently took our attic room at a most reasonable rent and ad-lib unspecified services rendered in the house, garden and around the grounds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yup, it has been a long, long journey, starting way back in 2018. It has been tinged with sadness, and also delight.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But let’s not dig into who got flour and butter on my new notepad. Or how old Ned, the gardener, not only got grass seed in the Manor's PC but managed to spill tea on it and got said seed to sprout. Then later, after trying to mow it, destroyed the keyboard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fear not, all things are possible when writing adventures, and all solutions available to the detective with a nose and whiskers for finding solutions to the most unusual of incidents that befall us in Upper Much-Mousing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here is a picture of the cover, so ably created by an outstanding artist in South Africa called Craig D Howarth. Craig spent many long hours, days and weeks toiling away, risking life and limb and several literature-starved lions, to create all the art, inside and out. Not once, but twice, as the book changed in editing.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1QW6nkyyDEvPr_2Ra273KlH4gCfbkF2HqZmu1UynNk4cfuG-zUgfqIaD7LV5MCMj2Ct0T9Uiz45prmry1s5yXsMLwPQU2uhO7qZjWPrwdWjCOeGiVyRuKBMxEmukvqVP10-I2NqkpE7eKIIj3XN_Cnv95gC4ck3kmLSgcNNSyLbf-Hm5spUpHW7ClH8/s3872/Mark%20Watson%20Cover%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The title is set in an art deco upright rectangle with three short fins on each side that taper downwards. The colours used are three shades of green with black writing. Erin the tuxedo cat sits in a bicycle's front basket while Mrs Hudson, Erin's housekeeper and governess, cycles from left to right, pursued by a happy golden coated retriever type dog. There is a two tone blue sky, and green foliage around the bottom half of the cover, dotted with pink rose blooms. The author is named in white." border="0" data-original-height="3470" data-original-width="3872" height="573" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1QW6nkyyDEvPr_2Ra273KlH4gCfbkF2HqZmu1UynNk4cfuG-zUgfqIaD7LV5MCMj2Ct0T9Uiz45prmry1s5yXsMLwPQU2uhO7qZjWPrwdWjCOeGiVyRuKBMxEmukvqVP10-I2NqkpE7eKIIj3XN_Cnv95gC4ck3kmLSgcNNSyLbf-Hm5spUpHW7ClH8/w640-h573/Mark%20Watson%20Cover%20copy.jpg" title="Book cover image." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Image copyright CD Howarth &amp; Erin the Cat Princess©</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mrs H and I are thrilled with how the artwork turned out. With the help of an independent publisher, Jane’s Studio Press, based in Scotland, to help set out the edited work, we have achieved an awesome result.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here is the lowdown on the adventure, as taken from our book:-</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>“Welcome to 1920s Britain, where cats and dogs have a voice and are treated as equals to humans. In the quaint village of Upper Much-Mousing, one lucky young cat named Erin Chumley inherits an old manor house and Estate. But with it comes responsibility and bills, and Erin must navigate her new life with the help of her housekeeper and tutor, Mrs. Hudson, a retired Army veteran with a mysterious past.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Together, Erin and Mrs. Hudson start a detective agency to earn funds and teach Erin about the world. But their first case takes them to the bustling city of London, to the famous King Herod’s Department store. Three kittens have gone missing, and it’s up to our dynamic duo to solve the case. But what starts as a simple investigation quickly turns into a dangerous race against time, as they must save the kittens from the clutches of the evil and lazy Anders, the store’s nighttime security guard. As they dig deeper, they uncover a sinister black-market gang stealing from the store, and must also help their feline seamstress friend, Jenifer Darcy, get the recognition she deserves for her work.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Join Erin and Mrs. Hudson on their witty and whimsical adventure, filled with action, fun, and heartwarming moments. Perfect for young middle-grade readers looking for a fun and exciting read.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">*****GIVEAWAY*****</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a special launch time (not lunchtime) gift, we are making a copy of the paperback available to two lucky Sunday Selfie bloggers who comment on this post between now and midnight next Saturday, 12th October BST. The winners must be willing and able to supply a postal address to allow an Amazon delivery. Mrs H or I will contact the winners by leaving a comment on the winners’ blogs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, so enough of the surprise news, here' is a special, book launch selfie of me spreading the news!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/super-meowdel-competition-heats-up/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwnLES2KgP3_Yl7nGy4wkFTM4-waaaxZbjDr448oBVJc-aTkSXg-97ND8Gf-NgPTfS3D1Cuyc8vgyL0UkTYKZFmCdv28NBX6LNDdwoEcPwxiAkDFQeH2pSL_XO7wvn8aw8d0L9Xgf0e90aWvILYjIdEK4lQDG3XR0wLnInPCHLYHhdn52glCO843rpMs/s3340/IMG_3739.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3340" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwnLES2KgP3_Yl7nGy4wkFTM4-waaaxZbjDr448oBVJc-aTkSXg-97ND8Gf-NgPTfS3D1Cuyc8vgyL0UkTYKZFmCdv28NBX6LNDdwoEcPwxiAkDFQeH2pSL_XO7wvn8aw8d0L9Xgf0e90aWvILYjIdEK4lQDG3XR0wLnInPCHLYHhdn52glCO843rpMs/w643-h582/IMG_3739.jpg" width="643" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin the Cat Princess©</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315171" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-ultimate-book-review-giveaway.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)40tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-8899783171747040772Sun, 29 Sep 2024 06:41:00 +00002024-09-29T07:44:03.995+01:00Sunday SelfieSunday Selfie and the UMMP<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to a another weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week, we, and that is the royal we, ie Mrs H and Ned the gardener, have been preparing for a major event to be held at the Manor House in the next few days. There will be guests from around the globe, as well as royalty and a president. Two canine pals of ours should be coming, too, and have promised only to bit the ankles of local politicians. But to be on the safe side, I have suggested the vicar wears his reinforced cassock. Trouble fun and delight will come in equal from three kittens, who, along with their mom, Esme, will be making a guest appearance. To find out more, watch out for a special mid-week post!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, so mysteries aside, Mrs H has been busy with her new internet connection. Yup, the string has been strung from the downstairs window and, thanks to the help of some bale twin and oddments of fence posts secured across fields and hedges by Ned, now reaches to Upper Much-Mousing Library. We now have, for a very reasonable fee, 24hr connection to as much data as Ms Brend Wormley (librarian and insomniac) can shout down the tin can at us. We have named this service The UMM-Pedia! We are hoping it catches on, as additional strings to Mrs Singh's International Emporium would mean we can do on-string shopping! Do you all have a version of the UMMP?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyways, enough of the frivolities, here's a selfie of me, hostess to the stars, trying out my casual 'this happens every day' kind of casual look.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/autumn-astrid-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikC6dOjfJ-8cTbwUUBT0gLNm-EYtqNKPZ9AlK6da59ZUqiFwsq4jGKXHEp5uB6rZ6695xc7OIBWlCA_o-XP5A9kePQmRPuZZ-7CZNdbn-5u8JinfJxkY__TsmJO6riwaRQxCetK-ZSyv8lYYOdiOfVl-UuXJJ7mdkgiij5Slic9FaxjQ05P_rRue6a8oA/s3148/SS%2029.9.24.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2683" data-original-width="3148" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikC6dOjfJ-8cTbwUUBT0gLNm-EYtqNKPZ9AlK6da59ZUqiFwsq4jGKXHEp5uB6rZ6695xc7OIBWlCA_o-XP5A9kePQmRPuZZ-7CZNdbn-5u8JinfJxkY__TsmJO6riwaRQxCetK-ZSyv8lYYOdiOfVl-UuXJJ7mdkgiij5Slic9FaxjQ05P_rRue6a8oA/w640-h546/SS%2029.9.24.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div> <!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315125" type="text/javascript" ></script><!-- end LinkyTools script --> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/09/sunday-selfie-and-ummp.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-6848382580841806635Sun, 15 Sep 2024 08:56:00 +00002024-09-29T06:56:57.013+01:00catsfunSunday SelfieSunday Selfiie<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to a weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mrs H and I have been dealing with the fallout of an internet supplier change this week, which has left certain of our tech confused.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Who knew that tech could be flummoxed! It has got to the point that I have had to instruct Mrs H to call in the advisers from our energy company who supplied the tech and see if they can fix it.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That was done this morning, after which I sent Mrs H out for a four mile cycle ride around the local reservoir to get her fit. That was on top of a two mile hike to the shops and back yesterday. The Dr said we both had to get fit, so I am determined that we do so. Now, if you think that the activities solely include Mrs H, then fear not, I get my steps in, too, as she insists on recounting every step and wheel turn of her adventures. Being chased by geese, and one overly friendly dog, seem to have been the highlights. The latter did have a plus as she was forced into a military quickstep to shake off the dog!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So on that note, and as I can see Mrs H struggling to get out of the tight lycra outfit and needs some advice, here's a selfie of me, doing my impression of running. Which is about as energetic as I intend too get on a Sunday before my breakfast, MOL.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/remembering-misty-may/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE-1lz1x9YZaAQUS5-n056_bA7KOc_f78gJ7MJVmpoAYsMaKGA3LcZOcYb3ihyphenhyphenieDtBrPJWyOg35AI-SGfHSLI4nL_F5-80AjR_FKANiXpKeitm8MBOqRHgUPRgKUqcSatlzWBAV8_Os7J6Ydgh-JfGylO7Epvh_2OEDvRmIyt3WDlruuvxMoEW0tClI/s1957/IMG_3788.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1690" data-original-width="1957" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE-1lz1x9YZaAQUS5-n056_bA7KOc_f78gJ7MJVmpoAYsMaKGA3LcZOcYb3ihyphenhyphenieDtBrPJWyOg35AI-SGfHSLI4nL_F5-80AjR_FKANiXpKeitm8MBOqRHgUPRgKUqcSatlzWBAV8_Os7J6Ydgh-JfGylO7Epvh_2OEDvRmIyt3WDlruuvxMoEW0tClI/w640-h552/IMG_3788.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315032" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/09/hello-and-welcome-to-weekend-selfie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-4340096234188945429Sun, 01 Sep 2024 07:04:00 +00002024-09-02T07:35:36.335+01:00Sunday SelfieA leaning Sunday Selfie.....<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to a weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Oh, what a couple of weeks. Since we last posted a selfie, Mrs H and I have been beavering away with sorting out some final edits from Kerry in America, and her husband, David. The final KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) doc arrived here last week, and Mrs H went into edit mode, meaning long hours at MY laptop spent trying to forget she'd read this story hundreds of times before. Fresh eyes, it seems, do come with a new pair of spectacles, which must be down to having a stronger prescription.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yup, you guessed it on the second re-read; most like the 501st in real time, she discovered a continuity error concerning a pair of boots with a minor 'walk-on' role. All her fault, I hasten to add. Further checks discovered several, if not lots, of other minor errors that had slipped through the writing and editorial net. I put this down to having way too much fun reading the story and that glass of sherry.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sadly for me, this has meant many days of ready meals only. Also, her moans and groans as she spots another issue have meant countless disturbed naps throughout the day.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If I had known five years ago that this would be the case, I'd have opted to write a picture book instead! 🙂</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyways, enough about book publishing pains, here is a selfie of yours truly settling down for some much-needed rest. Which isn't easy when the subsidence in the east wing bedroom, MOL</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. <a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/loafing-tabby-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this text to LINK to their Sunday Selfie site, and to enter.&nbsp;</a></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI6bkwsu6igRLrIgVPc07ZvKHIeGeRcbI_u1zooEfJW2sstQ9JxaPuZlaT8xgKPVW-4-sQRs9zj8ifwDcm3ctwNYUZcp99NM0sEMz7sq6dBbV-0yYcz6PUUv2yzUa3cDInP-2o8R5zL692tjFJ9ZKEoKAsB8mqyv_dRvLCruost8NLSInBCkE8uJp7EQ/s4032/IMG_3781.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI6bkwsu6igRLrIgVPc07ZvKHIeGeRcbI_u1zooEfJW2sstQ9JxaPuZlaT8xgKPVW-4-sQRs9zj8ifwDcm3ctwNYUZcp99NM0sEMz7sq6dBbV-0yYcz6PUUv2yzUa3cDInP-2o8R5zL692tjFJ9ZKEoKAsB8mqyv_dRvLCruost8NLSInBCkE8uJp7EQ/w480-h640/IMG_3781.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><br /></p> <!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314933" type="text/javascript" ></script><!-- end LinkyTools script --> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/09/a-leaning-sunday-selfie.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-8977769446490734960Sun, 18 Aug 2024 08:20:00 +00002024-10-05T19:02:36.221+01:00catsfunSunday SelfieUpper Much-MousingA Paint Free Selfie. Yippee!<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello and welcome to a weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week we have mainly been sorting out household things. No painting involved which also means no mess to clear up. That's a win for me as the paint is super smelly, and a win for Mrs H who is usually forced into multiple baths to remove stray emulsion droplets from her face and hair.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We certainly don't want a repeat of the last time when the vicar spread the rumour that we both had all come down with measles when it was in fact merely splashes from Mrs H's new spray gun which had exploded in a shower of metallic red paint when the hose got crimped!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Least said the better about who caused the crimp, save to say that in my defence I thought the red curly vibrating thing was a vicious and rare red cobra sneaking up on Mrs H in her motorcycle workshop!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyways, enough about paint, here is a selfie of yours truly without measly spots of any colour, taking a well earned Sunday rest.&nbsp;</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/calista-jos-stinky-eyed-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_peeEwyBJUCkKYRsEJ4FsYPe3phKEWdYMVdl2dLSi7bgbQZHNZ40aCAWO2FmB-u9PmzRtAkTi0XDua8qh-Jo2tyjNk0y3TsKb2FkdoNi33mzt-DKT67QbfUHI5AZtgU-qtsTvfYrljgV8jBWHoQAUhLXsOCzNlrtt1GLojZ5Z8MFaAoMs33sXmdu3Jo/s1954/IMG_3769.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1954" data-original-width="1692" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_peeEwyBJUCkKYRsEJ4FsYPe3phKEWdYMVdl2dLSi7bgbQZHNZ40aCAWO2FmB-u9PmzRtAkTi0XDua8qh-Jo2tyjNk0y3TsKb2FkdoNi33mzt-DKT67QbfUHI5AZtgU-qtsTvfYrljgV8jBWHoQAUhLXsOCzNlrtt1GLojZ5Z8MFaAoMs33sXmdu3Jo/w554-h640/IMG_3769.jpg" width="554" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span>&nbsp;</p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314836" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/08/a-paint-free-selfie-yippee.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-5281414297562757335Sun, 04 Aug 2024 06:26:00 +00002024-08-04T11:05:06.921+01:00Adult Fictionbook reviewCat WintercatsErin the Literary CatfantasyFictionMollie HuntspiritualCAT WINTER<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Written by MOLLIE HUNT.&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpFgcn48OXIili0bjCoZShhDaGavq8jesILrt0Z0WYtV7pUKVaVCj2q8mfTItT4Yl376csWZInJtt8bjqpStGDz5w5Q33JksHp5MP9hNEqNCxqXE5X8PRZT3jQbHB6OrHqfC7AkyCkKy5E2Q3xlTV6FLoT__wNiTc01676zk4if3O8nFYos8qV7Jcinw/s1054/Screenshot%202024-06-25%20at%2010.57.42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A black cat, sprinkled with some snow, occupies the bottom half and foreground of the cover. They sit in front of a snow covered woodland clearing with snow covered grey and black trunked trees behind. The title, Cat Winter, is written above in a chilly blue and white curly script. The authors name in capitals is along the bottom. To the left of the cat in the near foreground sits a Siamese-like cat. To the right of the black cat, and in the background sits another cat, possibly light tabby in colour. The cover has a very wintery feel due to the snow and black trees." border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="714" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpFgcn48OXIili0bjCoZShhDaGavq8jesILrt0Z0WYtV7pUKVaVCj2q8mfTItT4Yl376csWZInJtt8bjqpStGDz5w5Q33JksHp5MP9hNEqNCxqXE5X8PRZT3jQbHB6OrHqfC7AkyCkKy5E2Q3xlTV6FLoT__wNiTc01676zk4if3O8nFYos8qV7Jcinw/w217-h320/Screenshot%202024-06-25%20at%2010.57.42.png" width="217" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /></span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Adult Fiction from CWA member and prolific writer of cosy and less cosy mysteries and adventures, Mollie Hunt.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">No rambling intro this week, so let's dive straight in to a chilly adventure where things very soon HOT up. . . .&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpFgcn48OXIili0bjCoZShhDaGavq8jesILrt0Z0WYtV7pUKVaVCj2q8mfTItT4Yl376csWZInJtt8bjqpStGDz5w5Q33JksHp5MP9hNEqNCxqXE5X8PRZT3jQbHB6OrHqfC7AkyCkKy5E2Q3xlTV6FLoT__wNiTc01676zk4if3O8nFYos8qV7Jcinw/s1054/Screenshot%202024-06-25%20at%2010.57.42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A black cat, sprinkled with some snow, occupies the bottom half and foreground of the cover. They sit in front of a snow covered woodland clearing with snow covered grey and black trunked trees behind. The title, Cat Winter, is written above in a chilly blue and white curly script. The authors name in capitals is along the bottom. To the left of the cat in the near foreground sits a Siamese-like cat. To the right of the black cat, and in the background sits another cat, possibly light tabby in colour. The cover has a very wintery feel due to the snow and black trees." border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="714" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpFgcn48OXIili0bjCoZShhDaGavq8jesILrt0Z0WYtV7pUKVaVCj2q8mfTItT4Yl376csWZInJtt8bjqpStGDz5w5Q33JksHp5MP9hNEqNCxqXE5X8PRZT3jQbHB6OrHqfC7AkyCkKy5E2Q3xlTV6FLoT__wNiTc01676zk4if3O8nFYos8qV7Jcinw/w434-h640/Screenshot%202024-06-25%20at%2010.57.42.png" width="434" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; MOLLIE HUNT</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by:&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Roslyn McFarland</b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; Independently published</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 19/12/2020<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN: 198 406 2247&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £11.95 / $15</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle price: £4.73 / $5.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 365</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; Adult</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? As this is Mollie, there are lots and lots of cats, with some human companions/cohabiters</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I treated Mrs H to this as I was keen to see what happened next. So, unusually, it is Mrs H thanking me!&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our main protagonist is Slayter, an elegant and lithe black cat, who lives with another feline, Emma, in the home of their cohabiter human, Claire.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We also have Zaadkiel, an entity that had recently attained consciousness in the cosmic soup from which all life and planets began. In the beginning, we see how this entity changes over millennia, finally through curiosity reaching out across all of time and space to become informed.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is the eve of a new season, Spring, and snow is in the air and on the ground. But it is also a moment in time called the Winter Verus, a time when winter stops still, literally suspended, and things can no longer be measured in time as we recognise it. Snowflakes are frozen mid-air, and a deafening silence swallows all who tread this space. During this period, nine feline emissaries of the council can slip between the seconds to execute the Rectification of the Variants and put to right the human wrongs, at least those they can impact. In doing so, they reset existence for Earth and every creature hereon.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The two cats head off on a mission; two of the nine cats chosen by a feline council to correct the wrongs that have happened. It is a given the wrongs or incidents that need correcting all involve humans. Incidents that, though seemingly trivial, if not corrected and the humans sent the right way, will lead to tragedy and travesty on a scale dangerous to all species and the planet. Simple choices that, when corrected, would stop an individual man from committing a second murder, which would have led to starting a dangerous cult, causing widespread death and fear.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Each of the nine cats chosen for this year's Verus has a connection to the events and humans that cause the variants. Each cat has come from afar and wouldn't, under normal circumstances, have worked in a group. They meet up, and after introduction, the adventure begins, but not without tensions evolving into blows.&nbsp;It is more than a quest and potentially far more perilous.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Slayter's task differs from the others, things take a turn for the worse. He arrives in a place and amongst people, scientists and cosmologists, he does not know. It seems that all he had to do was awaken one of the astronomers from his sleep. In doing so, the man sees something in the night sky far away that otherwise he would have missed. But Slayter senses something terrible, a shadowy malevolence lurking beyond sight and mind. It is the same evil that Zaadkiel, the star-chameleon entity deep within its black hole, could feel, too. It was a poison in the new world he had so very recently discovered. The entity knew this disease must be cut out.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lost in a daydream about his strange task, Slayter catches up with the others to discover one of the cats has arrived at their scene to find the human they needed to help was dead. A husk that, on touching, disintegrated with a curdling scream into dust and a small ashen pellet.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is thought to be a freak coincidence, yet, in this suspended between-seconds world, there is only one true answer – a murderer is running amok.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fearful of what may have happened or will happen to Claire, Slayter and Emma rush home. It is from here on that Claire becomes involved. Slayter's fears over what is happening, the scientist, and the malevolence he feels cause him to reveal the cats' ability to speak, the task and the dangers. If anyone can help the cats, Slayter feels it is Claire, which, indeed, she can. Having contacted the scientist, the three head off to meet him.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, from here on in, things ramp up. The malevolence gets a name, in fact, two, the first being 'the Other'. It is intent on consuming all things on a galactic and dimensional scale. But he has found adoration among the tiny worthless inhabitants of one of the many planets he seeks to destroy. He will spare them as he is vain and loves the adoration. He loves to watch how, when he turns one of their number to dust, they praise him more. Yet, on the same planet, there is an irritation, a force that can harm him. The Other is aware of Zaadkiel, too, and seeks to destroy it, to suck out its energy.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Zaadkiel needs help to remove the evil, which they realise they can't do themselves. Reaching out across time and space faster than light, it finds, or rather senses, an ally on Earth in the form of a small sentient being known as Slayter.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And so Earth becomes the battleground for two mighty opposing forces. Primordial good and evil incarnate. It becomes a place where the fight to save everything from the moment of&nbsp;creation forward will transcend time, space, and even life itself. All actions have consequences, and Slayter and his newfound friends have only one chance to put right the biggest variant of all. They also have a whole new earth-bound enemy, too!</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was half expecting this to be an extension of the first-in-series and wasn't entirely sure what 'new' could be brought to a previous all-encompassing and seemingly complete story. And for a moment, in the opening chapters, it seemed I was right. I really needn't have worried, as soon enough, with obligatory character introductions and scene setting complete, we ventured where no reader has boldly gone before. The cast of felines, naturally enough, have more than an inkling as to what must be done. Thankfully, they, too, were unprepared.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Like the best, and I do mean the best, sci-fi movies, we were enthralled by diving ever deeper and ultimately into an almost maelstrom of physical and astral planes through which our protagonists must travel. The text is rich, evocative, and full of terms that had Mrs H reaching for her science dictionary and brought added credence (though not needed for us) to the plot.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We both, after trying to draw comparisons to works we already know, especially movies/TV, which many more will be familiar with than sci-fi fantasy books. We came up with four: Inception, Contact (by the late great Carl Sagan), Interstellar, and Quantum Leap.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is highly appealing that this book inhabits time and space, has earthy, earthly and unearthly characters, good and heinous, and has a spiritual flavour, something for everyone. And it does all that with so much aplomb.&nbsp;It became a seat-of-the-pants tale that was wholly satisfying.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fear not; this story isn't spaceships and warp-speed antics. Though those have their place, elsewhere, for those who need them. This tale found its feet for us when we ventured to an earlier and brutal human civilisation.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I always hope to do a book justice without giving too much away. I can give away the fact that I just didn't see the end coming and that the build-up was intense, a volcano erupting tense. As I said, this is real seat-of-the-pants stuff.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . .</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Molly has taken cat adventures to a whole new level, and our reading has never been more exciting or rewarding. It's an all-around delight and deliciously satisfyingly different. Onwards to book 3!&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You don't have to transform into a feline to get a copy. Lovely though that would be, there is nowhere to carry change or credit cards. Just get yourself down to your local independent bookshop. Or order online. However or from wherever you buy, you support an independent author, fellow cat carer and member of the Cat Writers Association.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mollie Hunt's web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/ten-years-of-selfies/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter" style="color: black;"></figure><p></p><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie of me doing a spot of light loitering for tickles in the doorway.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6apduxtTIezDdyGWQBxH5KlMroE0eqwe-8gHWWfScMlSeyON0iJ_gXFXIxJmsCsscuqYkVmLfttk7eq14_wmHN_ofYyDtqO3QdngPZrMlQEyrBxgkfBoo5e9GoS2tVain4Vs3V01rYaYgZ0xjKxWEc77rgr-aSYxKCHAjTuknoKALkjnL2njyvpqlnw/s2082/IMG_3695.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1588" data-original-width="2082" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6apduxtTIezDdyGWQBxH5KlMroE0eqwe-8gHWWfScMlSeyON0iJ_gXFXIxJmsCsscuqYkVmLfttk7eq14_wmHN_ofYyDtqO3QdngPZrMlQEyrBxgkfBoo5e9GoS2tVain4Vs3V01rYaYgZ0xjKxWEc77rgr-aSYxKCHAjTuknoKALkjnL2njyvpqlnw/w640-h488/IMG_3695.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">🙂 🙂</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314663" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/08/cat-winter.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-8125398353894343139Sun, 21 Jul 2024 04:43:00 +00002024-07-21T05:46:06.248+01:00Adult Fictionbook reviewErin the Cat PrincessErin the Literary CatFarragoHettie BagshotMandy MortonMurder MysteryThe Death of Downton TabbyThe No.2 Feline Detective AgencyUpper Much-MousingTHE DEATH OF DOWNTON TABBY<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>by MANDY MORTON;</span>&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Cover by Jason Anscomb</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYJ-C3cOGJtMse88KL8HZYIIVr0-rFtTz1K5xIM5_rL84hN9GNkAG0Wx3tb2c6n_h5EzxzjizoWYlYpr0V3OliTEcWbPXTALDPPso51CRNmofFCkFb8etEwS3qntRuyMwq3rDkcdIRXei3udEZnqOvvF07sKKzlfxUEqF6RvvaE76u7RhnDFlHDn-N4/s1054/Screenshot%202024-07-20%20at%2014.31.12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small Book cover image. With a pink/cerise background, we see in yellow the backdrop of the book festival; a big marquis and a camper van with the concertina roof partly raised. Three cats in relief appear on the front in a deep burgundy. One has it's paw resting on an open yellow covered book. The series name appears in white text along the top, with the word FELINE in capital yellow letters. A blue revolver appears either side of those words, pointing inwards. The words, The death of downton Tabby appear in white capitals in a 1920's ish font. A quoite from Laura Thompson appears to the right side. It says: 'Deliciously clever &amp; a true delight'. The authors name appears in white along the bottom of the page." border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="730" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYJ-C3cOGJtMse88KL8HZYIIVr0-rFtTz1K5xIM5_rL84hN9GNkAG0Wx3tb2c6n_h5EzxzjizoWYlYpr0V3OliTEcWbPXTALDPPso51CRNmofFCkFb8etEwS3qntRuyMwq3rDkcdIRXei3udEZnqOvvF07sKKzlfxUEqF6RvvaE76u7RhnDFlHDn-N4/w222-h320/Screenshot%202024-07-20%20at%2014.31.12.png" width="222" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /></span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in <strike>Middle Grade</strike>&nbsp;ADULT Fiction. Book 3 in the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency series.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Given it is the summer season, allegedly, I was thinking of hosting a literary festival here in Upper Much-Mousing. You know the thing, book reviews and readings, signings by all the big names that would rush to our small village.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then there would be the food, actually you'd find around here the cats and humans would dine first then read and listen. A moratorium on anything vaguely alcoholic being served during the day would be applied.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not because they are a rowdy lot, far from it, but because the local inn has a reputation for disturbing the peace with the shear volume of the patrons snoring. Talk about holding ones drink, that lot have to have straws and glasses stuck to the bar to save excess spillage when they drop off after the landlords extra potent weak ale; aptly called Old Snorer.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I said I was thinking about holding a festival, but then Mrs H and I read this fine work and decided against it.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">To find out what changed our minds, just read on. Rest assured you'll NOT be disappointed with this tale. Adult murder mysteries by cats done just how it ought. So without further ado lets discover who did it in . . .&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p><br /></p><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYJ-C3cOGJtMse88KL8HZYIIVr0-rFtTz1K5xIM5_rL84hN9GNkAG0Wx3tb2c6n_h5EzxzjizoWYlYpr0V3OliTEcWbPXTALDPPso51CRNmofFCkFb8etEwS3qntRuyMwq3rDkcdIRXei3udEZnqOvvF07sKKzlfxUEqF6RvvaE76u7RhnDFlHDn-N4/s1054/Screenshot%202024-07-20%20at%2014.31.12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Large Book cover image. With a pink/cerise background, we see in yellow the backdrop of the book festival; a big marquis and a camper van with the concertina roof partly raised. Three cats in relief appear on the front in a deep burgundy. One has it's paw resting on an open yellow covered book. The series name appears in white text along the top, with the word FELINE in capital yellow letters. A blue revolver appears either side of those words, pointing inwards. The words, The death of downton Tabby appear in white capitals in a 1920's ish font. A quoite from Laura Thompson appears to the right side. It says: 'Deliciously clever &amp; a true delight'. The authors name appears in white along the bottom of the page." border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="730" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYJ-C3cOGJtMse88KL8HZYIIVr0-rFtTz1K5xIM5_rL84hN9GNkAG0Wx3tb2c6n_h5EzxzjizoWYlYpr0V3OliTEcWbPXTALDPPso51CRNmofFCkFb8etEwS3qntRuyMwq3rDkcdIRXei3udEZnqOvvF07sKKzlfxUEqF6RvvaE76u7RhnDFlHDn-N4/w444-h640/Screenshot%202024-07-20%20at%2014.31.12.png" width="444" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; MANDY MORTON</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Latest Edition Cover art by: Jason Anscomb</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Farrago</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date latest edition Paperback: 9 May 2024</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN: 978 - 1788 424 660</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span face="&quot;Amazon Ember&quot;, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback: £9.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: £2.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Audible price: £13.00 or one credit</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 267</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range: Adult.</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any humans? No, just a delightfully eclectic character mix of Cats.</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</i></b></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am exceedingly grateful to Mrs H for stumping up the readies out of her pension so I can Read &amp; Review this awesome fun and incredibly clever series.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;<u><b>we select to read</b></u>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The town is proud to be holding its first literary festival, organised by the librarian Turner Page. It is held at Furcross House, the former care home which was closed and turned community centre after the murders featured in book one.&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">With free passes to the weekend event as a reward, anyone who is anyone in the town is getting involved in the running. Tilly has been enlisted by Turner to arrange the guest speakers and musical attractions, whilst our lead protagonist, Hettie Bagshot, as head of <i>The No.2 Feline Detective Agency</i>, has been hired somewhat begrudgingly, as Festival Security supremo.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Headlining the event is the writer of many a period romp, Sir Downton Tabby. Overly rich, a womaniser, and caring little for others – especially the Brontë Sisters, he has added to his wealth by recounting the tales of his aristocratic upbringing. It is a life where servants were five a penny, punished for eating crumbs their mistress may have dropped, and discarded into the workhouse and greater penury when too old to slave away. Despite the vulgarity and openness of his situation, and the controversy he courts, he draws the crowds hoping to lap up some of the 'charged atmospheres' he creates. So very much like humankind, right?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As far removed as one can get, the Brontë sisters have been hired by Tilly as a last-minute fill-in, on a hire-two-get-third sister thrown-in kind of basis. The sisters were brought up in Teethly, on the bleak moors of Porkshire; a place where gingerbeer-on-the-lung disease killed many an addicted cat due to a lack of a clean water supply. On discovering unfinished works by the old Brontës, the sisters are tasked by their father to find fame by finishing the works. Emmeline (a poet in her own right) is the author of the top-selling <i>Withering Sights</i>, which outstripped Charlene's <i>Jane Hair</i>. That left Ann's book, <i>The Tomcat of Wildfell Hall</i>, on the slush pile of their northern agent Penny Stone-Cragg.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is fair to say that when the sister's camper van arrives at the festival, fur flies and noses are bloodied, and chaos ensues. Things get worse as the sisters have it in for Downton Tabby, who has slated the sisters and their work, playing each off against the other.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some sanity comes in the form of musician Muddy Fryer, who performs her one-cat Arthurian cycle of songs. Doing costume changes and wielding props along the way. Poly Hodge and Nicolette Upstart, famed and popular crime writers, bring to the festival both maturity, professionalism and calmness.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Things start to seethe and boil inside when Sir Downton and the Brontë sisters trade insults during his interview session. If it wasn't murder for Hettie to keep a lid on tempers in the blazing heat of the day, it soon is when Sir Downton is found murdered later on. Decapitated, and no trace of his head, things are looking bad for Muddy, whose mighty Excalibur sword, used as a prop, vanishes!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, this is just the start. Hettie has to keep her invited guests safe, as well as not let on to the public that the star attraction has been most brutally slain. It would be the ruination of Turner who would lose everything. A sudden and severe storm and flooding set the scene for the meat of this tale, and we enter a spine-tingling series of events, punctuated with essential pie and cake stops and much-needed medicinal cups of tea from Delirium Treemint.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In fact, dear readers, in a very short space of time, it seems dear Delirium Treemint, she of the shaky spilling nature and much-broken crockery, is the only cat NOT on Hettie's suspect list.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Who did it, and that isn't a clue, and how Hettie goes about trying to save everyone else and the day, I will leave you to find out for yourselves.&nbsp;</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What a brilliant idea to bring together affectionate parodies of literary icons, both past and present, to create the cast of this jaw-dropping and deliciously crafted murder mystery. A mystery with a hefty heap of 'very well done' black humour. We have nods to felines of the human world, too, as well as references that the musically aware of the past decades will recognise immediately. I missed some and was pleased when the author pointed them out at the end of the book.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As the third book in the soon-to-be thirteen-and-counting, series, it is with much pleasure that the tale does not feel tired. We have settled into a comfortable familiarity with our protagonists, but not to the point where they lose any of their essential differences or edge. The wit and satire, tongue-in-cheek humour the characters, and the occasional sarcasm from Hettie, bring a refreshing twist to both cat stories and murder mysteries.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you would like to add an extra dimension and get the mind's eye working on overdrive visualising all the cats, the Audible version is a wonderful expressive expansion of this series. Well worth buying, as Mrs H has, and we have listened multiple times already.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sir Downton Tabby is a great example of bringing together a plethora of traits and historical attitudes into one love-to-hate victim. As to the other deaths you'll come across as the story goes along, which are no less gruesome, I shall let you decide whether they are deserved or not. I am sure there is many a moral to this story, karma, just desserts and all that, but reading for pleasure I tend to think of those at the end. It all makes for the truly strangest and most adventuresome and deadly Littertray Festival you will ever turn a page on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . .</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Addictive and whimsical, it is surreal yet delightfully real and charming.&nbsp;Buy a copy or borrow it</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;from your local library; I'm sure you won't be disappointed.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>&nbsp;</b>Now, if you will excuse us, we feel the need for some festival pies and ale of our own!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Alas, Littertray Festival T-shirts and Festival Ale aren't available to us, but if you head down to your local independent bookshop they should be able to supply you with something better, this book.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mandy Morton's</b>&nbsp;short author page at Farrago Books&nbsp;<a href="https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Farrago Book's</b>&nbsp;web page&nbsp;<a href="https://farragobooks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hettie Bagshot can be found on both Facebook and Twitter.&nbsp;</span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/celebration-day-times-two/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a lazy selfie. I entitled this "The paws have it".&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Incidentally, it has been the Manor House's election this week. Old Ned, our gardener offered to stand – or rather sit, against me to make up the numbers. It was a close run thing when Mrs H spoiled her vote. Yup, she'd accidentally used her ballot paper to line the cake tin. That's the last time I use greaseproof paper to ensure a transparent voting system!&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, after the cake had been baked and filled with judicious amount of jam and cream, and various slices and cups of tea consumed, her cross in my box was revealed, and I was duly elected. That's the sweetest way to end any election.</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBGuJmRsS5JFbB1UI38Me-WdzxPUzeMpgRv5dEWKbTN9VEeQU7uHNxhQddQsovK5oyo_O9wJbIbdqz_G0_FerTIX8YrAkTVAAbtLj_nPkvwXG7KCriv1trnAWpWXZwvA_r76x2u_Yrdeuxa2l3YTO3_vh-pEFsaGd0mK7zDy4ZlJiwKvKxsRBgYi1Az4/s1064/piZap-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1064" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBGuJmRsS5JFbB1UI38Me-WdzxPUzeMpgRv5dEWKbTN9VEeQU7uHNxhQddQsovK5oyo_O9wJbIbdqz_G0_FerTIX8YrAkTVAAbtLj_nPkvwXG7KCriv1trnAWpWXZwvA_r76x2u_Yrdeuxa2l3YTO3_vh-pEFsaGd0mK7zDy4ZlJiwKvKxsRBgYi1Az4/w640-h594/piZap-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div> <!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314547" type="text/javascript" ></script><!-- end LinkyTools script --> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-death-of-downton-tabby.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1699512259309534903Sun, 07 Jul 2024 06:54:00 +00002024-07-07T07:54:30.344+01:00AdventureAlice Eclair Spy Extraordinaire A Dash of DaringBeatriz Castrobook reviewcatErin the Literary CatMiddle grade fictionNosy CrowSarah Todd TaylorAlice Éclair Spy Extraordinaire. A Dash of Daring.<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Written by Sarah Todd-Taylor.&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I0S3PtUV7tLWPzXMDejB86LcMgwjvvucFSiKnmzOIIhCAuDkwsOnFQDDXb3BlmPZpP3YRWvnMkeojwUVO2OWW44b74g7c2ieqgIEA9O5tuoCHruZPTvVAXFZTSVV5I6wa6wSwmFMXH3WAMcv04lXhBff_ZkXIwFjCaz6S1t0aAArkU3t4qPOfKv0vfc/s1056/Screenshot%202024-07-02%20at%2014.33.29.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small book cover image. With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, Alice, in her trademark baker's outfit and cycling helmet, dashes through the Paris streets on a bicycle. Casper is dashing by her side. Alongside is a red, open-top sports car, and pieces of paper, documents maybe, fly through the air around them." border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I0S3PtUV7tLWPzXMDejB86LcMgwjvvucFSiKnmzOIIhCAuDkwsOnFQDDXb3BlmPZpP3YRWvnMkeojwUVO2OWW44b74g7c2ieqgIEA9O5tuoCHruZPTvVAXFZTSVV5I6wa6wSwmFMXH3WAMcv04lXhBff_ZkXIwFjCaz6S1t0aAArkU3t4qPOfKv0vfc/w218-h320/Screenshot%202024-07-02%20at%2014.33.29.png" width="218" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><span><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></div><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: verdana;">This is the finale of a wonderful series. So, without adding or taking away from this delicious book, let’s jump from the comparative calm of Alice’s kitchen into the frying pan that is the world of secret agents…..</span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I0S3PtUV7tLWPzXMDejB86LcMgwjvvucFSiKnmzOIIhCAuDkwsOnFQDDXb3BlmPZpP3YRWvnMkeojwUVO2OWW44b74g7c2ieqgIEA9O5tuoCHruZPTvVAXFZTSVV5I6wa6wSwmFMXH3WAMcv04lXhBff_ZkXIwFjCaz6S1t0aAArkU3t4qPOfKv0vfc/s1056/Screenshot%202024-07-02%20at%2014.33.29.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Large book cover image. With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, Alice, in her trademark baker's outfit and cycling helmet, dashes through the Paris streets on a bicycle. Casper is dashing by her side. Alongside is a red, open-top sports car, and pieces of paper, documents maybe, fly through the air around them." border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I0S3PtUV7tLWPzXMDejB86LcMgwjvvucFSiKnmzOIIhCAuDkwsOnFQDDXb3BlmPZpP3YRWvnMkeojwUVO2OWW44b74g7c2ieqgIEA9O5tuoCHruZPTvVAXFZTSVV5I6wa6wSwmFMXH3WAMcv04lXhBff_ZkXIwFjCaz6S1t0aAArkU3t4qPOfKv0vfc/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-07-02%20at%2014.33.29.png" width="436" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Sarah Todd-Taylor</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Artwork by:&nbsp; Beatriz Castro</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; Nosy Crow</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978 - 1 -781 839 - 887 - 9</b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £7.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 235</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 8+</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? Casper the cat takes to the skies, much like a rather talented pigeon.</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mrs H is to thank for buying this grand finale of an adventure. We loved the others from the first page, and this was a must-read for us both.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are only those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">Alice Éclair and her mother are found in the opening scene suspended in a cable car over the mountains—breathtaking scenery and a deadly plunge beneath. Thankfully, the villain isn't about to cut the wire! The mother-and-daughter chefs from Vive Comme L'Éclair have been invited to teach the finer points of their now-famous pastry creations to the chefs at the mountain-top Hotel Anise—a pleasant enough break from recent stresses in Paris.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is a hotel with many strange guests. Alice soon learns from her senior agent, who arrives after sending a coded message, that it isn't a hotel at all. The eclectic collection of people are secret agents who need to be 'kept on ice' away from others until the information they possess becomes out-of-date and worthless. And whilst Madam E'Clair tuts at the chefs using margarine in their pastries, Alice has, unknown to her, been given the task of observing the guests to see if anyone is acting strangely.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Claude advises Alice that a one-of-a-kind code-making machine, along with its creator and French agent, Jan Rejewski, has gone missing! All could be lost if France goes to war and the enemy has the machine.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Where Alice fits in is that Jan's daughter, Adele, is a highly talented cyclist who aims to&nbsp;compete for her country in the upcoming Olympics. When Adele started receiving threatening letters using the hotel's notepaper, it seemed there was a link to a double agent somewhere in the hotel.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Very soon after, Alice discovers her treacherous father and former French agent in the same hotel, clearly receiving information from a source. Alice gives chase, but in a breathtaking scene, he escapes capture by the skin of his teeth.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With a connection made between Adele, Jan, the missing cypher machine and Alice's uncle Robert, Alice is now assigned undercover to bake at the training ground of the hopeful French athletes. She can watch over Adele and her highly talented and wheelchair-bound brother, Hugo. All the time, she observes and looks for evidence.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With the scene now set in Paris but not confined to it, things really take off. More threatening notes arrive demanding Adele retire from training OR ELSE.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here, Alice discovers many new possible enemy agents amongst the cycling team and trainers and puts Hugo in the frame as a spy. With competition for the limited number of places in the Olympic team running high, there is more at stake than the missing machine. How far would a fellow competitor cyclist go to remove a threat?</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why is Hugo so keen to train his pigeon, Columba, to fly with messages? And why are some competitors and staff seen in the same shop as Uncle Robert?</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">You will discover everything, the good and the bad, before the end of this adventure, which is why I can't tell you any more. Suffice it to say it is a high-speed, downhill dash to the finishing line worthy of a Transporter movie or The Great Escape, with a delightfully unexpected 'come full-circle' twist.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Straight away I have to say Beatriz Castro has created another lovely cover. Full of life and fun.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Saying goodbye to such a fantasti</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">c series is so very difficult. However, Sarah has other recipes for adventure to work on and ideas like freshly kneaded dough gently rising to one side, which we know will be equally as tasty.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This adventure had so very much to live up to. Would the soufflé rise to the challenge or be a flop? Of course, with all the right ingredients, lavished with care and adventure, the essence of France and historical facts, this would always have to be the chef's most excellent work.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Which it is.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">A mouth watering layer cake of adventure with a Mission Impossible, Transporter, and Bond adventure all rolled into one filling.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Laced with delightful and mouth-watering animated creations that would challenge a 5-star Michelin chef and heaps of aeronautical antics and high-speed escapades, this felt like a Mission Impossible, Transporter, and Bond adventure all rolled into one. Nouvelle cuisine, eat your heart out! This is a full-blown banquet with a take-home bag full of exciting memories.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As to Casper the cat, well, nah, I'll let you discover for yourselves what he gets up to in his own inimitable feline way.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . .</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">This is one to buy for lovers of the series or just lovers of full-flavour kid's action and adventure featuring a strong lead and diverse characters.&nbsp;</span><b style="color: #0e101a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, avoiding mountainsides, perilous ski lifts, spies and high-speed chases, just head down to your local bookshop. Or, order on line. There are plenty out there (book shops, that is, and hopefully NOT spies), and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To see our review of book 1,&nbsp;<a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/07/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-recipe.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click this LINK.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To see our review of book 2,&nbsp;<a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/12/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click this LINK.&nbsp;&nbsp;</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To see our review of book 3, <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/08/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-in.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click this LINK.</a>&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sarah Todd Taylor's WEB page&nbsp;</span><a href="https://sarahtoddtaylor.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;or type this: https://sarahtoddtaylor.com/&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nosy Crow's web page&nbsp;<a href="https://nosycrow.com/product/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-a-sprinkling-of-danger/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">can be found HERE.</a>&nbsp;or type this: https://nosycrow.com/product/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-a-sprinkling-of-danger/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Beatriz Castro's web page</span><a href="https://beatrizcastroilustracion.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">&nbsp;can be found HERE.&nbsp;</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">or type this: https://beatrizcastroilustracion.com/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's it for now, I hope you enjoyed the review. I'm off to check out the cakes in our pantry, and to see if Mrs H can get Alice's phone number to order some supplies.....🙂 🙂</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/our-terrific-tiny-tortie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with an early July Selfie. More rain and wind around these parts, with no sign of summer anywhere . . . Ho hum, roll on Christmas!<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br />&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfFNzy2y6zZQY0dzWFSSuBrN-izRY8hGOixXvLoHdSetoG3FGVqYqkwWudd7Mf5ry8Z5JdILZhHuIpE-2h9rwb30aomvFyOj0bsTKqQQQb4BhTwZi2YcNKjOhtzzoWjYdOO1xlX9Px8N0jv6IthAHNVy5wTm8lvSbYGdNEcIgyslOJW6ycbk2_-c7Kv8/s1048/SS.%207.7.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfFNzy2y6zZQY0dzWFSSuBrN-izRY8hGOixXvLoHdSetoG3FGVqYqkwWudd7Mf5ry8Z5JdILZhHuIpE-2h9rwb30aomvFyOj0bsTKqQQQb4BhTwZi2YcNKjOhtzzoWjYdOO1xlX9Px8N0jv6IthAHNVy5wTm8lvSbYGdNEcIgyslOJW6ycbk2_-c7Kv8/w610-h640/SS.%207.7.24.jpg" width="610" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span>&nbsp;</p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314424" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/07/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-dash-of.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)33tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-4749443732010783028Sun, 23 Jun 2024 07:51:00 +00002024-06-23T08:51:28.577+01:00catsSunday SelfieSunday Sunny Selfie, Sans book review.<p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello and welcome to a weekend selfie.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, so there is no book review to trawl through, which I guess is a good thing when there are sun puddles to be checked out and validated for size and comfort.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At least that is what the Cat Weather Association (CWA) of Upper Much-Mousing says. And who am I to argue with them, especially as I am commander in chief of that esteemed organisation.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The book review is written, but Mrs H is currently knee-deep in paperwork. Well, in truth, more ankle-deep, but it seems way worse when you're a feline. And she is ankle-deep only because she toppled the filing cabinet over attempting to emulsion the ceiling in a delicate pale green shade to match the walls. Well, when I say to match the walls, I mean to match the walls now they are splattered with pale green paint from the spilt pot!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On the plus side, I get to visit you all a bit quicker and you likewise.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, without further ado, here is a Sunday Sunny Selfie Sans Book Review, which we have entitled "The 'Toes' have It!"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/astrid-sampys-8th-anniversary/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3g5biRynHFUX0JoY_aPvQ-ZqT2uC_f3TpuEcAyoqb3WAFOrOMG_26rjoYCHOkLVrBzpFfxrh6RZLUc57M4X9n5nGDS6gI1EYTc-JpJWTybQS_Nbbm_sp14CyetIjzmiVaP0CaZppKYCvHAsC2rYKOYvm_wYh3VlKvLM1e3vRobHllLPEUT_1vTERwvM/s1172/SS.%2023.6.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1172" data-original-width="878" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3g5biRynHFUX0JoY_aPvQ-ZqT2uC_f3TpuEcAyoqb3WAFOrOMG_26rjoYCHOkLVrBzpFfxrh6RZLUc57M4X9n5nGDS6gI1EYTc-JpJWTybQS_Nbbm_sp14CyetIjzmiVaP0CaZppKYCvHAsC2rYKOYvm_wYh3VlKvLM1e3vRobHllLPEUT_1vTERwvM/w480-h640/SS.%2023.6.24.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span>&nbsp;</p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314344" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script-->http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/06/sunday-sun-selfie-sans-book-review.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1846776917220005510Sun, 09 Jun 2024 05:57:00 +00002024-06-10T10:53:46.647+01:00Adventurebook reviewCaringClara VulliamyDiversityDog showErin the Literary CatHarper Collins Childrens BooksInclusiveLower Middle Gradenon-binaryThe Dog Squad- The ShowWafer the WhippetThe DOG SQUAD. THE SHOW<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Written and fully illustrated by Clara Vulliamy.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AIwyja3xczck-yDqu5uE8FgwO5NRk6iYSCtSf7WrJcXNB_Y2m83ISdyWvzOmHHE-XGR4uoTOI-d7HsK4gwzqi1uuyxyFVPk6_ZZ3NOUgGlhmZpzTtFuQy_Mb4L94d6dUsCdGrllL8at2WzfcrrK9KP0G5YFefxrL-uvft8RP71b56fMv-JWlVTCSlo/s1056/Screenshot%202024-06-08%20at%2017.44.33.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AIwyja3xczck-yDqu5uE8FgwO5NRk6iYSCtSf7WrJcXNB_Y2m83ISdyWvzOmHHE-XGR4uoTOI-d7HsK4gwzqi1uuyxyFVPk6_ZZ3NOUgGlhmZpzTtFuQy_Mb4L94d6dUsCdGrllL8at2WzfcrrK9KP0G5YFefxrL-uvft8RP71b56fMv-JWlVTCSlo/s320/Screenshot%202024-06-08%20at%2017.44.33.png" width="218" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Read and Review, featuring a PAWTASTIC adventure in Middle-Grade fiction.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week, we have Book 3 in the Dog Squad series by a hugely talented artist and writer. So please bring your paws together, wag tails, and give deep rumbling purrs for Clara Vulliamy!&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To read a review of <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-dog-squad-newshound.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Book 1, CLICK HERE</a>.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To read a review of <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-dog-squad-race.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Book 2, CLICK HERE</a>.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Without further ado, assuming everyone has been fed and had their walkies, let's start our review of THE SHOW.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AIwyja3xczck-yDqu5uE8FgwO5NRk6iYSCtSf7WrJcXNB_Y2m83ISdyWvzOmHHE-XGR4uoTOI-d7HsK4gwzqi1uuyxyFVPk6_ZZ3NOUgGlhmZpzTtFuQy_Mb4L94d6dUsCdGrllL8at2WzfcrrK9KP0G5YFefxrL-uvft8RP71b56fMv-JWlVTCSlo/s1056/Screenshot%202024-06-08%20at%2017.44.33.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AIwyja3xczck-yDqu5uE8FgwO5NRk6iYSCtSf7WrJcXNB_Y2m83ISdyWvzOmHHE-XGR4uoTOI-d7HsK4gwzqi1uuyxyFVPk6_ZZ3NOUgGlhmZpzTtFuQy_Mb4L94d6dUsCdGrllL8at2WzfcrrK9KP0G5YFefxrL-uvft8RP71b56fMv-JWlVTCSlo/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-06-08%20at%2017.44.33.png" width="436" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">AUTHOR &amp; ARTIST throughout:&nbsp;&nbsp;Clara Vulliamy</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Published by:&nbsp;&nbsp;Harper Collins Children's Books</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; OUT NOW</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978 - 000 -856 5473</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £6.99</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pages: 104</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Age range:&nbsp; 7 - 11</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Any dogs or cats? More dogs than you can throw a stick for, and, if you look carefully, you'll see a rather smart cat in there!</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">SPOILER ALERT</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes. Some as to plot direction and characters through images and text.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A MASSIVE thank you to Clara, who personally sent over the digital artwork pictures specifically so you all could enjoy them at their best and see how wonderful the book is.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Eva, along with Wafer, her whippet, and her two friends Ash and Simone, head off to deliver parcels of supplies to local residents who can't get out due to a storm and floods the previous day. It soon transpires that the storm ripped a hole in the roof of the local Happy Tails animal rescue centre. Even worse, as the shelter doesn't have the funds to repair the roof, they will have to close, and the animals will be homeless.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_46f1OSd9NnlNNtPMMXUmToYqJiAHkdCMmKfs72GVDfjB3R4AG9lDoCGe_yk6_BTSvao_OAEnWaybwcyD-DiDRC0wt5VJsUSyRlaaNhm4uxyvZKLI-pBVOCLjW9LohUpfYLvsWZZVoGfn9BzLvVfXgj0lYiC0_FjinxljDf4LJZR7MOzAi79N1tcKtR0/s6094/2627forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4677" data-original-width="6094" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_46f1OSd9NnlNNtPMMXUmToYqJiAHkdCMmKfs72GVDfjB3R4AG9lDoCGe_yk6_BTSvao_OAEnWaybwcyD-DiDRC0wt5VJsUSyRlaaNhm4uxyvZKLI-pBVOCLjW9LohUpfYLvsWZZVoGfn9BzLvVfXgj0lYiC0_FjinxljDf4LJZR7MOzAi79N1tcKtR0/w640-h493/2627forErin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Unhappy tails at the Sanctuary</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enter our team of young reporters and crime solvers, The Dog Squad. What if the trio could raise funds for the shelter? It's a great idea, one that their teacher thinks will work. Accordingly, he booked the school playground for the event a week hence. The fundraising event will be a Dog Show, and all that entails.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But if the team, Eva Ash and Simone, think they have this sorted, they have a rude awakening. After an initial keenness from their classmates&nbsp;to join in, there is nothing to show on the third day of planning save for two totalisers, some ruffled egos and empty chairs at the latest meeting.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUMh6ptZ-36raa7-dCDUjGr9J6Z5LMvlP3OISwElgsR-UC70NLDnE6LgSAtonzCfNn_CiHqCsLbwbWjsKu3023oVQwd0K5w48QYj8-VU8jaQaESxE78QjodSYRLq5HB92go6HVD-a6tJoyBjlQotdxWvOHX6N7YHXir47dB854tYtZaoLQGCV2kUI0tM/s4677/48forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4677" data-original-width="3047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUMh6ptZ-36raa7-dCDUjGr9J6Z5LMvlP3OISwElgsR-UC70NLDnE6LgSAtonzCfNn_CiHqCsLbwbWjsKu3023oVQwd0K5w48QYj8-VU8jaQaESxE78QjodSYRLq5HB92go6HVD-a6tJoyBjlQotdxWvOHX6N7YHXir47dB854tYtZaoLQGCV2kUI0tM/w416-h640/48forErin.jpg" width="416" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simone, Ash and Eva trying to plan. ©</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What have the team done wrong? More to the point, what can they do right to save the event and the shelter. With their teacher upset at losing his wedding ring, it seems nothing can go right.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To find out what the kids have done wrong and what they have to do to turn things around, you will have to buy an entry ticket to the Dog Show. I assure you, there is everything to play for, sticks included, and lessons and surprises cavort, yap, bark and howl all around.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We have never had so much fun looking at all the wonderful images that pack th</span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">is lovely story. Mrs H smiled from ear to ear at some of the antics. If we gave star ratings, this would be a galaxy.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Without a doubt, this is a superb third adventure. Clara's artwork leaps off the pages and into one's heart.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPhwNDxv5toGnGGk_aWFtygcUZja4sCOQShZKh0kAYLcikJblktsfJvm0JlmySFqHIYf882h1wZcxUuyvhaWdGVK_woLKFHHpwEN0Th8e5sPUhJbkJHOJsyvatt1dCOXpWzDMB5c9MOa8qvp1ZP7v8-N5pAm1oKNUUURrBOxpjlsoYV2J5lDkvNlcqwE/s4677/36forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4677" data-original-width="3047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPhwNDxv5toGnGGk_aWFtygcUZja4sCOQShZKh0kAYLcikJblktsfJvm0JlmySFqHIYf882h1wZcxUuyvhaWdGVK_woLKFHHpwEN0Th8e5sPUhJbkJHOJsyvatt1dCOXpWzDMB5c9MOa8qvp1ZP7v8-N5pAm1oKNUUURrBOxpjlsoYV2J5lDkvNlcqwE/w416-h640/36forErin.jpg" width="416" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wafer helping out with some artwork! ©</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The characters are so expressive. Big or small, as you see in this review, the images bring an extra and exciting dimension. The drama of the storm and its effect on people, property, and pets is palpable and immediately strikes a chord. Wafer is, of course, a central character, and he does lend a paw—to disastrous effect—but this particular story brings a bigger vista and adventure.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We loved every page of this perfect-length, expressive and delightful tale. I think all the younger readers will love it too.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFm4QuXDf3YRIAgkutL-PJSPopp_wiz5xwTaavEUtLwZOYOq8SCb87wK6Akga6yAjMybDPtSS1-YmgnRpZSBLYs50P4ZhrdeSWj3hJIaWAbFCO8NQpXSpXSYZPCFP-tUU5PnY20beIYVMkvI7HwhFu1x7tjhXkj4QXarmbSMitgRA2vO7l-OC8oVsXKHk/s6094/0203forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4677" data-original-width="6094" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFm4QuXDf3YRIAgkutL-PJSPopp_wiz5xwTaavEUtLwZOYOq8SCb87wK6Akga6yAjMybDPtSS1-YmgnRpZSBLYs50P4ZhrdeSWj3hJIaWAbFCO8NQpXSpXSYZPCFP-tUU5PnY20beIYVMkvI7HwhFu1x7tjhXkj4QXarmbSMitgRA2vO7l-OC8oVsXKHk/w640-h493/0203forErin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Fun and games for all at the Dog Show.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . . Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A must-have new read for parents and schools wishing to educate, enthuse and bring value to reading. It engenders responsibility and caring and promotes pausing to consider others when making decisions. This adventure focuses quite ably on team building and inclusivity of all sorts to deliver results. And it is done in the best way: naturally, without hammering home, and as a default setting. Many adults could learn a thing or two I can tell you.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh9tBXzJ7bJ8XBWoT2MChvsKiZwWSJbbvtAkX2-lR2Iimu-sKoJdDtYP-6n-8nPY62p7xCA3oAq0bujS6op-n_g1c8VkeLeIlZvmf8tVUf80rR1S1qub803lpIcvk4Xc8q2NFGHsdIrKEpcrwLk6vDk6KWtruy0BmPCOE5KwjnXVRNkvlxqYrQPXOPDc/s6094/7273forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3475" data-original-width="6094" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh9tBXzJ7bJ8XBWoT2MChvsKiZwWSJbbvtAkX2-lR2Iimu-sKoJdDtYP-6n-8nPY62p7xCA3oAq0bujS6op-n_g1c8VkeLeIlZvmf8tVUf80rR1S1qub803lpIcvk4Xc8q2NFGHsdIrKEpcrwLk6vDk6KWtruy0BmPCOE5KwjnXVRNkvlxqYrQPXOPDc/w640-h364/7273forErin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Everyone can help out</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a society seemingly bereft of social niceties and driven by money and must-have attitudes, this adventure is a ray of hope, one most parents will appreciate seeing.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please, do consider your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Clara Vulliamy's</b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://claras.me/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://claras.me/</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Harper Collins Children's Books&nbsp;</b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/explore/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/explore/</span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/audreys-fuzzy-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with an early June Selfie. And as I am a barometer for the weather, you can tell it isn't that nice out. Bed on a dreary day is the best place to be. . .&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k2HiUoFxbMhwg8v5rdEeAH5Ec1e0oGX6lbaMVXdFHAVcY-sIPHnKP7V7oLcqCmvniSlMZ8zKNNJgG80duE-y9WKroPzrkO-BDpHzBKNDTAlntrFUGDDQeOxsJvniJnaR42wCyLPNyfcYujrEPQuAIvbpIhvFET2_kvSMemmLc60Tppy46AXAp3TN6O4/s1172/SS%209.6.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k2HiUoFxbMhwg8v5rdEeAH5Ec1e0oGX6lbaMVXdFHAVcY-sIPHnKP7V7oLcqCmvniSlMZ8zKNNJgG80duE-y9WKroPzrkO-BDpHzBKNDTAlntrFUGDDQeOxsJvniJnaR42wCyLPNyfcYujrEPQuAIvbpIhvFET2_kvSMemmLc60Tppy46AXAp3TN6O4/w640-h480/SS%209.6.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span>&nbsp;</p></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314273" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-dog-squad-show.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-3215147022132057098Sun, 19 May 2024 05:58:00 +00002024-05-23T07:52:57.514+01:006-8 Yearsbook reviewErin the Cat PrincessFirefly pressLower Middle GradeMichael the Amazing Super Sleuth Sausage DogStanley Big DogTerrie ChilversTim BudgenMichael, the Incredible Super-Sleuth Sausage Dog.<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>by&nbsp; TERRIE CHILVERS,</span></span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Art by Tim Budgen&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s1038/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="708" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" width="218" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /> &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week a Doggy Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week, we are delighted to share book 2 in the series about Michael, a highly talented and arguably self-absorbed mind-reading sausage dog.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">But fair dues, he grasped the nettle, or stick, in his jaws and ran with the talent he had, and it came good. But mirroring life, things do not always go well, and lessons have to be learnt. So join Mrs. H and me now as we see what Michael and his sidekick, Stanley Big Dog are up to . . . .</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s1038/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="708" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" width="436" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Terrie Chilvers<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover &amp; Internal Art by:&nbsp; Tim Budgen&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Firefly Press</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 2 May 2024</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp;</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">978 - 1 915 444 516</b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £6.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: £3.49</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 168</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 6+</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? Just dogs</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><em><span style="font-family: verdana;">SPOILER ALERT</span></em></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><strong><em><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme at Firefly Publishers for agreeing to give us a copy of this fine adventure for our Read &amp; Review. We loved the first adventure, and this was a must-read for us both.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;<strong><u>we select to read</u></strong>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Michael the Sausage Dog has climbed the rungs of the Holywoof ladder, and after his success at the Canine Spectacular theatre show, he gets his own chat and mind-reading show – An Audience with Michael. He is the king of the hill. Well, he was. A new act in Tinsel Town has knocked back the ratings. Steve The Stunt Sausage Dog has caught everyone's attention. So much so that Michael can't get anyone to agree to come on. Nobody but Susan, the irritating Chocolate Labrador with a talent for balancing peanuts on her nose. Things really had sunk to a new low.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Things take a turn for the worse when Susan's star caravan is found empty, turned over and smelling very much of cheese. Susan has been DOGNAPPED!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Detective Wrinkles, a basset hound, declares the caravan a crime scene. After a bit of searching, they discover the ransom note on a seat under Stanley's bum. Quickly, they discover the signature calling card of notorious dog napper Dog X, a stinking wheel of exotic cheese.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The show must go on, but with no guests, our duo could be twiddling their paws. But, in a bizarre twist, Michael and Stanley Big Dog are to act in the ransom money drop! Detective Wrinkles, who really doesn't like Michael or believe in his talents, takes them to stay at the grotty Dog House Motel in a backwaters town called Three Paw Creek. The town's only claim to fame is that it houses the 'World's Biggest Stick' attraction. Naturally, Stanley just can't wait to take the lift to the top of this huge (and decidedly tree-like) stick!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Trapped in a seedy motel whilst Detective Wrinkles uses the rooms at the posh Bouncy Ball Hotel in the good end of town, it takes little time for Michael to feel hard done by. The chews supplied for breakfast were half-chewed, and their water bowl likely came from the puddle outside. The pair are also under strict instructions not to show their faces!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, as you can imagine, Michael, having a larger-than-life ego, and Stanley, being a dog of relatively little brain but full of life and a yen for seeing the BIGGEST stick in the world, soon break the rules. In fact, they are soon off investigating. Michael can see a ratings boost if he can be instrumental in saving Susan.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The ransom drop is due later that day, so what could be the harm in checking things out?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What indeed, and therein sits the root of the adventure that unfolds. If it can go wrong, it does. Which is why we have to close the review just there. If you want to learn more about Stanley and his big stick or whether Michael gets his interview and the star ratings that his super talents (and ego) deserve, you'll just have to get the book.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a brilliant, dog-centric adventure. It plays to each breed's strengths and polite stereotypes in a delightfully comic, tongue-in-cheek, and childishly innocent and cheeky fashion. There are jokes and naughty words such as 'bum', and an almost vaudeville/Laurel &amp; Hardy humour that I think kids will love, and adults will smile and maybe groan at. The light lessons Michael learns along the way will resonate with kids, parents, and teachers alike.&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s1038/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="708" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" width="218" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p>So . . . .</strong> <strong>Crunch time.&nbsp;</strong></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A fun and easygoing read, delightfully illustrated by Tim Budgen, that left us with a smile on our faces and chuckles and laughs resonating through the room. It is a book that's so easy to love, which is why we feel it is an excellent, safe buy.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, avoiding ransom gangs and stinky cheese, please head down to your local independent bookshop. Big sticks are optional. There are plenty out there (both book shops and sticks), and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Book one review can be found <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/06/michael-amazing-mind-reading-sausage-dog.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">by clicking this link HERE</a>.&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0NjNQ8XZH477B-BCV1CDZAepo7exny2vkXh_If8G1fz5tYQXX8BP60fjaVHQjEJWUrJ5tJ2h73EGzaBJUZvWVymz8FpcjroBIafD5BAroE_ugNkmn_GEOtcw6B3RtnP4Hx5MPhU3goa8chs_XODIgmQZa_bRyUKOrMpZT8KM-PFoe2zQjKBAedMX8v4k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="172" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0NjNQ8XZH477B-BCV1CDZAepo7exny2vkXh_If8G1fz5tYQXX8BP60fjaVHQjEJWUrJ5tJ2h73EGzaBJUZvWVymz8FpcjroBIafD5BAroE_ugNkmn_GEOtcw6B3RtnP4Hx5MPhU3goa8chs_XODIgmQZa_bRyUKOrMpZT8KM-PFoe2zQjKBAedMX8v4k=w211-h320" width="211" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Terrie Chilvers'</strong>&nbsp;web page&nbsp;<a href="https://www.terriechilvers.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://www.terriechilvers.com/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Tim Budgen's</strong>&nbsp;web page&nbsp;<a href="https://timbudgen.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://timbudgen.com/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Firefly Press'</strong>&nbsp;web page&nbsp;<a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the excellent Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/c-j-s-lap-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><br /></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter" style="font-family: Times;"></figure><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with NOT another Sofa Selfie. This time, and to prove I don't just sleep on the bed and or sofa, I can be seen monitoring the state of my driveway. Yup, it's a hard job (not least because of the hard surface, MOL), but one I am always up to, weather permitting. I also get to keep an eye out for many of the transient new felines in the area who seem to think my drive is some sort of free-to-use access way!&nbsp;</span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0egqQ_Ge6F_0tzD1fns2puBRqBXMWLJFDxfQ4MhP4pvH_28p3EiMpTdKcFQ_DVVd8l9QGTZNW-MuhOpJb4FWyOnUjaqGLe_yHlCivKw4NpdcoDDh3UCwJXpHkzB0TEfzinBmFM1EX9QW__yGyzhGAr1ta6hJcMWtfnc9lrd4AWn2_7mTgWBbQsoekc4k/s1172/piZap-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0egqQ_Ge6F_0tzD1fns2puBRqBXMWLJFDxfQ4MhP4pvH_28p3EiMpTdKcFQ_DVVd8l9QGTZNW-MuhOpJb4FWyOnUjaqGLe_yHlCivKw4NpdcoDDh3UCwJXpHkzB0TEfzinBmFM1EX9QW__yGyzhGAr1ta6hJcMWtfnc9lrd4AWn2_7mTgWBbQsoekc4k/w640-h480/piZap-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;</span></div><p style="font-family: Times;"></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">©Erin the Cat Princess</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314092" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/05/michael-incredible-super-sleuth-sausage.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-573822110173618425Sun, 05 May 2024 05:23:00 +00002024-05-06T06:45:22.377+01:001800'sbook reviewErin the Literary CatKenny McKendryLeon GarfieldMiddle GradeMiddle grade fictionPuffin BooksSmithSMITH <p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Leon Garfield;</span>&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Artiste: Kenny McKendry</span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s1010/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s320/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" width="215" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;<span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: x-large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review, featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">If you have ever wondered about what life was like in the 1800s London town, the rogues and villains, and those who really were trying just to survive, then this middle-grade book is very interesting and fun and a classic period tale. Leon Garfield, who is famed for his historical children's fiction, as well as a foray into adult literature, may well be familiar to you for works, such as Blackbeard, Jack Holburn, various adaptations of Shakespeare's works and for completing Dickens' unfinished novel – The Mystery of Edwin Drood. A truly talented, prizing winning, and much loved and lauded author on both sides of the Atlantic.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s1010/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="678" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/w430-h640/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" width="430" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image ©</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">AUTHOR:&nbsp;the late Leon Garfield (1921-1996)</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Cover art by noted artist: Kenny McKendry</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Published by: PUFFIN</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">This edition publication date Paperback: 3 July 2014</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp;978-0141355214</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Kindle UK price £4.99</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Pages: 277</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Age range: 9 - 11 and upwards</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Any dogs or cats? Not really, but lots of dodgy folks</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">SPOILER ALERT</span></em></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Thank you to... </span></em></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">This is one of those finds where the cover and title spoke volumes, and having read the back cover blurb, both Mrs H and I were hooked and went straight out and bought the book.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong><u><span data-preserver-spaces="true">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">Smith, arguably a bit of a hero, even though a pickpocket, is only twelve. But in the 1800's he can still be hanged for his crimes, being 'nubbed', as the downtrodden and lower order of people called it at that time. Life in a London so very unlike that which we see today, was hard. Highwaymen and footpads prey on travellers using roads across commons and through woods that have long since formed part of the modern London urban sprawl.&nbsp;The side streets of London are mazes and rabbit warrens and home to dangerous folk who would kill you for a penny or the silk handkerchief in your pocket should you stray and be gone before you hit the ground.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">Smith, Smut to his kin and those that know him well, is a swift of foot and finger pickpocket, in and out and away before anyone would know, let alone see his shadow. He lives below a very seedy public house, home to the worst kind. Their landlord would never give any of the villainous drinkers up to the law, leastways not for anything less than a shilling. Along with his seamstress sisters, Miss Bridget &amp; Miss Fanny, they eke out a living. The sisters are brought the clothes of the recently executed by the prison hangman. They mend and adjust them to suit a new and presently living body for a small fee.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">When Smut picks the pocket of an elderly gent seeking passage through streets he once knew, he gets more than he bargains for. Stopping to investigate the piece of paper he has picked, he sees the man stabbed to death for something he now doesn't have – the document. There is a third man, who walks with a wooden leg. He is the one wanting the document. What Smut doesn't know is that he was seen pickpocketing by a fourth person.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">Smith flees the scene and returns home. Speculating that the paper must be of worth to warrant the old gent's demise at the hands of two men in brown, he wants to find out what it contains. Alas, he, like most, can't read. But when his highwayman friend Lord Tom (all dressed in green robes) suggests taking it to another (and probably untrustworthy acquaintance) to decipher, he won't risk it, keeping it close to his chest, quite literally.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">The men in brown track Smut down, and a chase through the streets ensues. But lithe Smut is too sharp and soon runs the men ragged till they give up. But he has ended up in a posher part of London town. Not looking where he's going, knocks a gent to the ground. Mr Mansfield, the gent in question, is blind. He is also a Justice of the Peace, bad news for a thief, no matter the size. Smut offers to guide the man home. A deal is struck, and as Smut dares not return home, he gets to stop the night at the man's home. His daughter, Miss Mansfield, is none too happy at seeing Smut, not least because he is filthy. But she agrees to have him, for she loves her father, and the urchin has helped him.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">This is the central turning point in the story. What happens to Smut and his, or rather, the murdered man's, piece of paper starts to play out and have consequences from here on in. There are twists and turns, wheels and stories within each other, that affect everyone we have met thus far and a few we have not, which naturally is why I must stop the review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">What did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">We had never heard of the author. This is a crying shame, as the book is incredibly appealing and so very atmospheric that you can feel and smell the world you are very quickly drawn into. We could tell straight away this is a world and period the writer made his own and was most comfortable writing about, which, from what we can see, is where many of his tales are set.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">What we modern readers get isn't Oliver Twist the musical. We see this world from the gutter and on high in the eyes of the law and those that administered it, harsh as it was.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">The ever-present threats of ill health, the hangman's noose or ending in gaol for years on end and sometimes till death for being debtor, is our backdrop.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">It is a fair old and breathless chase, hindered yet emboldened and made urgent by the colourful characters, prize, risks, and the awful weather. The ending comes together quite nicely (though hardly blood, pain, or death-free) with lessons, perceptions, and understandings.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s1010/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s320/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" width="215" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">It is a wholly satisfying, authentically created middle-grade appropriate tale. More importantly, we believe it is an excellent classic tale for all to enjoy without being over the top. Watch this space for more reviews of adventures from Leon Garfield.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please find a safe route past pickpockets, gaol, and highwaymen to your own Ye Olde Local Book Shoppe. Each is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the excellent Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/heres-chippie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter" style="font-family: Times;"></figure><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with another Sofa Selfie. Gee, you'd have thought I do nothing but nap the day – and night – away!&nbsp; Rest assured I have been busy doing other managerial-like things, MOL.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IE3H1gyzsutAGdzo1y211BqcdsZFTFAq-FGl07BdcQaXlR4IIDV3kSD2j8sR0NVHbf9GKP6S2ARi75MNtse3zm_8Ig1QpI6FTAk6zptpfa3FS61Cn9sEHv_7KPHVB_EtWC_w37hUho6Uv_6lueCrGbeSQziVvykDitOFr1a05FxCKo_gl43rBGyjtyQ/s1170/SS.%205.5.24.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1170" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IE3H1gyzsutAGdzo1y211BqcdsZFTFAq-FGl07BdcQaXlR4IIDV3kSD2j8sR0NVHbf9GKP6S2ARi75MNtse3zm_8Ig1QpI6FTAk6zptpfa3FS61Cn9sEHv_7KPHVB_EtWC_w37hUho6Uv_6lueCrGbeSQziVvykDitOFr1a05FxCKo_gl43rBGyjtyQ/w640-h480/SS.%205.5.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image ©</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span><p style="font-family: Times;"></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">©Erin the Cat Princess</span></p></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314009" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </div>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/05/smith.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)32tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1113525375278525940Sun, 21 Apr 2024 07:51:00 +00002024-07-20T17:43:52.395+01:00Adult FictionBook Blogbook reviewCat amongst the pumpkinscatsCosy MysteryErin the Literary CatFarragoMandy MortonMurder MysteryThe No.2 Feline Detective AgencyCAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS<p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Mandy Morton;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Cover by Jason Anscomb&nbsp;</span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span> &nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/s1018/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The book cover is in royal blue. Two cats cavort amidst orange pumpkins with yellow eyes. Behind an orange landscape with spooky feeling multi-tier old house. The title and book series is in white, with only the word FELINE in yellow. The 'O' of among has a cobweb inside, whilst a spider hangs from a thread off the letter 'K' in pumpkins. Author s name in white along the bottom of cover." border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="692" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/w218-h320/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" width="218" /></a></div><br /></span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Adult Feline Fiction.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mrs H has been busy this week. OK, as busy as she ever is, with the added event of a surveyor calling at the Manor House. Five hours later, after much measuring, humming and harring, along with two cups of coffee and lots of dunkable chocolate biscuits, he finished. He seemed impressed with my mouse-free attic and spacious mole-free lawns. He was less impressed with Mrs H's cluttered bedroom but said it would do, just so long as she cleared out the laundry and her wardrobe.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Why, I hear you say? If you think I'm making room for lodgers or planning to extend my cat tree, I should advise that I have applied to adopt a lonely heat pump. Yes, it seems the UK government are asking residents to home one of these many now homeless pumps. They will even give us a hefty one-off payment of £7,500. In return, the pumps will heat the Manor House and provide hot water, which means we won't have a big gas bill or pollute the atmosphere. We, of course, must provide the electricity so they can work day and night. I did my research, and whilst it seems a bit of a raw deal to expect them to work 24/7 for 6 months of the year, they do get the summer months off.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">All in all, the minor modifications to Mrs H's bedroom to accommodate all their gear and a water tank will cost £500. It's a win-win situation: somewhere nice and warm for me to perch on outside and read the latest HOT new releases during the summer, and plenty of room for afternoon tea to be served on!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But enough of my exciting tech news, let's get on with some serious feline detective fun. This week, we bring you . . .&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/s1018/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The book cover is in royal blue. Two cats cavort amidst orange pumpkins with yellow eyes. Behind an orange landscape with spooky feeling multi-tier old house. The title and book series is in white, with only the word FELINE in yellow. The 'O' of among has a cobweb inside, whilst a spider hangs from a thread off the letter 'K' in pumpkins. Author s name in white along the bottom of cover." border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="692" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" width="436" /></a></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR: Mandy Morton</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: Jason Anscomb</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Farrago</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback: Latest edition October 2023</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN: 978-1788424653</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback: £9.99&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: £2.99&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 240</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range: Adult</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? All cats and no humans.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Some as to plot direction and characters. To read our review of Book One: <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-no2-feline-detective-agency.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><i>The No.2 Feline Detective Agency</i></b>, click this TEXT.<br /></a></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I am exceedingly grateful to Mrs H for the privilege of getting to Read &amp; Review this 2nd book in the series.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This week, we thought we'd give you a short list of The Characters.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Hettie Bagshot and Tilly Jenkins. Long-haired tabby cat investigators at the No.2 Feline Detective Agency, who live and work from a room behind the bakery.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Beryl and Betty. Level-headed, businesslike and charming motherly owners of the bakery and Hettie and Till's landladies.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The Dosh Family. Rogan, Pakora, Balti, etc., own and run the increasing Dosh Store empire.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Miss Irene Peggledrip. The town's resident Medium.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Delirium Treemint. Ever ready to serve refreshments with her trusty samovar. She is prone to breaking tea services at an alarming rate. She is also a trainee medium under Miss Peggledrip.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crimola. A huffy, sometimes obstinate, spirit guide that lives part-time in Miss Peggledrip's head.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Bruiser Venutious. A now elderly travelling cat, a fighter, scarred and not keen on four walls. He is a longtime friend of Hettie from her musician days on the road.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Jess. The proprietor of a charity shop where many of the townscats do business and where Tilly gets all her cardigans.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Milky Myers. Longtime past mass murder of his kin, and said to haunt the village and the house his family once lived in, now Miss Peggledrip's home.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mavis Spitforce. Our first but not last victim. Historian, family tree researcher, and resides opposite the local Dosh Store.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Marmite Sprat is a self-appointed historian and writer of what Hettie would call 'Penny Dreadful' tales under the title Strange but True, which are based more on speculation than fact.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Lavender Stamp. The jilted and curmudgeonly postmistress. Knitter of lifesize male cats for company.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Bugs Anderton. A sizeable Scottish ginger cat. President of the town's Friendship Club and a force to be reconned with, though well-meaning.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It is Halloween evening, and our two heroes and budding investigators are settling down for a night in and a scary movie as befits the season. The two start talking about Milky Myers, who lived 'longer ago than anyone can remember' and murdered his family. But on Halloween, he returns to haunt the area and his old house, now the home of Miss Peggledrip. Will he walk the town that night?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The following morning dawns with the surprise arrival of Bruiser. The Butter sisters give him something to eat and Hettie and Tilly make room in the shed for him to lay his head. Loving motorbikes, Bruiser soon comes in handy to take our detectives on trips out in Miss Scarlet, their bright red motorcycle with sidecar.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Whilst Hettie is giving a lecture at the club, when the postlady, Teezle Makepeace, bursts in screaming MURDER!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Hettie goes to the house where Mavis Spitforce lives and discovers her dead, stabbed in the back, wearing a witch's hat, eye mask and draped in a pumpkin-coloured silk cloak. Halloween had taken a nasty turn in No. 19 Whisker Terrace.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What happens next reveals that Mavis is working on an accurate history of Milky Myers. With her mouth stuffed with pages from Marmite's book, one obvious cat is in the frame. The suspect list increases when Hettie discovers the primary beneficiary of the will is Irene Peggledrip, who bursts in on the scene and thinks Hettie has committed the murder. Realising this isn't the case, she suggests the detectives come to one of her sessions to speak to the spirits. But should Hettie and Tilly risk going with a potential murderer?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But the more our team digs, the broader and more confusing the investigation becomes. The disappearance of Teezle the following day brings more complications and creates another suspect. No matter how they look at it, the matter appears to be linked to the Milky Myers all the years before. To solve this latest murder and those that come, they need to solve the Milky Myers murders, too! But is that possible, given it happened farther back than anyone can recall?&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Joining the dots will take all the brainpower and help Hettie can get, be it spiritual or earthly, not forgetting all the cream cakes and pies they can muster to keep the energy up in the cold and strangely snowy weather. The thing is, will Hettie recognise and accept what she sees?&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Through all of this, we have a family feud between the senior and younger Dosh family, and an intercultural romance to deal with. With a far-from-healthy love of gruesome, bloody murder, is Balti Dosh to be trusted? And why is the advice from the vicar of Milky Myers' village seemingly so obtuse and evasive?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Not wishing to spoil this adventure for you, I must stop there. The best, I assure you, is still to come.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/s1018/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The book cover is in royal blue. Two cats cavort amidst orange pumpkins with yellow eyes. Behind an orange landscape with spooky feeling multi-tier old house. The title and book series is in white, with only the word FELINE in yellow. The 'O' of among has a cobweb inside, whilst a spider hangs from a thread off the letter 'K' in pumpkins. Author s name in white along the bottom of cover." border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="692" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/w273-h400/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" width="273" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What did we think?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Whether or not you're a cat lover, these adventures will draw you in. It could be the tongue-in-cheek names of locals, as seen above, or the names of villages and towns, like Much Purring on the Rug.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We have a cracking and twisty plot, better than many a cosy. Hetties, scepticism, sarcasm, frustration and even heartfelt loss and joy are palpable foils, honest reactions that we, too, may have to the quirky cast and the situations they end up in.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">There is a particular moment, a strange revelation, that we loved. It had us going back to see if there were clues we had missed. We had missed them all. Such a clever plot. Woven into this story are a few others. Good or bad, everything is presented just right.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Whether justice is served in Hettie's world remains for you, dear readers, to discover for yourselves. Let us just add that sometimes, like revenge, justice is served hot as well as cold.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">If book one whetted your appetite, this is a must-read. Yes, you could read any of the soon-to-be thirteen books and feel at home with the cast and situation of their world. But we think it's best to start at the beginning. We are keen observers of cosy and murder mysteries featuring felines, and this is one of the best. Buy and enjoy, then share with friends.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To get a copy, jump into your own sidecar and roar down to your local independent bookshop. If you have a Dosh Store of your own, you could even try there, but maybe best to steer clear of the contents of the large cooking pot. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/s1018/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The book cover is in royal blue. Two cats cavort amidst orange pumpkins with yellow eyes. Behind an orange landscape with spooky feeling multi-tier old house. The title and book series is in white, with only the word FELINE in yellow. The 'O' of among has a cobweb inside, whilst a spider hangs from a thread off the letter 'K' in pumpkins. Author s name in white along the bottom of cover." border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="692" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/w273-h400/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" width="273" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mandy Morton's</b> short author page at Farrago Books <a href="https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Farrago Book's</b> web page <a href="https://farragobooks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hettie Bagshot can be found on both Facebook and Twitter. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. <a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/ginger-tabby-boys-two-fur/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a&nbsp;</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1-nlYZUGHD7EMc-1JEj5O8tQ3PaSo-z740gRtGvwxGKNj8dKWjvr7UihmoBaSqQIxWtUxY3ziMvZVWZ_2s7xmQcxQVlLWQMkhzGYjvRqE1_-nUpD3bjJz13KMIGTfDmXJNNVKJML6BW0r1EkA2nOagU1SCFNSHTael3obaO8BSzbTWPEOjx8BlB14cA/s1172/SS.21.4.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="An image of me, Erin the cat, laying on a silver-grey sculptured rug. A half eaten meal sits in my bowl. The sun shines on the white of my hind legs." border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1-nlYZUGHD7EMc-1JEj5O8tQ3PaSo-z740gRtGvwxGKNj8dKWjvr7UihmoBaSqQIxWtUxY3ziMvZVWZ_2s7xmQcxQVlLWQMkhzGYjvRqE1_-nUpD3bjJz13KMIGTfDmXJNNVKJML6BW0r1EkA2nOagU1SCFNSHTael3obaO8BSzbTWPEOjx8BlB14cA/w640-h480/SS.21.4.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><br /> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313881" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/04/cat-amongst-pumpkins.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1849807697948997844Sun, 07 Apr 2024 07:27:00 +00002024-04-07T10:33:46.652+01:00Ages 7-9book reviewClara VulliamyDog RacingErin the Literary CatHarper Collins Childrens BooksMiddle grade fictionThe DOG SQUAD - The RaceWafer the WhippetThe Dog Squad: The Race<p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Written and fully illustrated by Clara Vulliamy.</span></span></span></span></p><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_E4eIuqfb0QMgRGVbFXdAynWgMTMdw-Sd89TN_zBZyAhAhj2S4Vs8JkyPL5F4zy3wIMcjwxOWq-4qdgDO6Pe-vylcvQZ_KoI4dEROivihBbhy2iytUlE1_yFfyvHfXqvhrLyfnd7PSGG_Ze7WCbfOMoxjTqALTXm_KcHZgqCJju2GRPIi6FE6v5wSD4/s1004/Screenshot%202024-04-04%20at%2018.28.45.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="686" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_E4eIuqfb0QMgRGVbFXdAynWgMTMdw-Sd89TN_zBZyAhAhj2S4Vs8JkyPL5F4zy3wIMcjwxOWq-4qdgDO6Pe-vylcvQZ_KoI4dEROivihBbhy2iytUlE1_yFfyvHfXqvhrLyfnd7PSGG_Ze7WCbfOMoxjTqALTXm_KcHZgqCJju2GRPIi6FE6v5wSD4/s320/Screenshot%202024-04-04%20at%2018.28.45.png" width="219" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">For our canine pals we have a wonderful new release from Clara. It's the second 7 to 11 year olds adventure featuring a whippet called Wafer, and his human child companions, Eva, Ash, and Simone. Together, they form the Dog Squad, up and coming school reporters at The News Hound paper, with an eye for the top story and are always up for adventure investigation and fun.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, without further ado, lets find out about their latest hot-off-the-press adventure!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_E4eIuqfb0QMgRGVbFXdAynWgMTMdw-Sd89TN_zBZyAhAhj2S4Vs8JkyPL5F4zy3wIMcjwxOWq-4qdgDO6Pe-vylcvQZ_KoI4dEROivihBbhy2iytUlE1_yFfyvHfXqvhrLyfnd7PSGG_Ze7WCbfOMoxjTqALTXm_KcHZgqCJju2GRPIi6FE6v5wSD4/s1004/Screenshot%202024-04-04%20at%2018.28.45.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="686" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_E4eIuqfb0QMgRGVbFXdAynWgMTMdw-Sd89TN_zBZyAhAhj2S4Vs8JkyPL5F4zy3wIMcjwxOWq-4qdgDO6Pe-vylcvQZ_KoI4dEROivihBbhy2iytUlE1_yFfyvHfXqvhrLyfnd7PSGG_Ze7WCbfOMoxjTqALTXm_KcHZgqCJju2GRPIi6FE6v5wSD4/w438-h640/Screenshot%202024-04-04%20at%2018.28.45.png" width="438" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; </span></b></span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Clara Vulliamy</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by:&nbsp; </span></b></span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Clara Vulliamy</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; </span></b></span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Harper Collins Children's Books</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; OUT NOW<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978-0-00-856539-8</span></b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £6.99</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 112</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 7 - 11<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters. </span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;<br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></i></b></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></i></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am exceedingly grateful to Clara who personally sent over the digital pictures specifically so you all could enjoy them in the best possible way (IE without Mrs H's marmalade covered fingers in the picture). And huge thanks for Mrs H spending her pension and cycling twenty miles in the pouring rain to the not so local bookshop so we could Read &amp; Review this awesome kids' publication. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those <u><b>we select to read</b></u>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MN37gLkjNzuAI9m6V-um8gz-RMqj2iXDjOPgTqPKjAE7rWgteEZjyClZWFsEevx-WG8Y34Tu-4xfxVKydRU83QJYD4aBdEig3QML794L9IjTGQ5zxxacNBFwx3PunPHkzlVSXO8sTtiWTbjEagu1VZ-jtfWQsMSsQlNPU1q3dX-KVPajQqVZEbgDnNk/s3047/83.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="3047" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MN37gLkjNzuAI9m6V-um8gz-RMqj2iXDjOPgTqPKjAE7rWgteEZjyClZWFsEevx-WG8Y34Tu-4xfxVKydRU83QJYD4aBdEig3QML794L9IjTGQ5zxxacNBFwx3PunPHkzlVSXO8sTtiWTbjEagu1VZ-jtfWQsMSsQlNPU1q3dX-KVPajQqVZEbgDnNk/w640-h493/83.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The plot</b><br /><br />Wafer is Eva’s pet whippet. She wants to help him make new pals. So, finding out there is a 'meet and greet' for shy dogs, down the local park the following Sunday, she decides to go. With her pals, Ash, who is non-binary, and Simone, they take Wafer for what they hope will be fun and a way to burn off some of Wafer’s heaps of energy. But it turns out to be a bit of a flop, as the dogs that turn up refuse to mix.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On the way home, they bump into Sam, from the Wags and Whiskers day care centre. He suggests taking Wafer to do some whippet racing.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfmpN8tZcTnD8ubt0I8XzNI-SxUHtbVun4__vC5bOs2OW8rZkGsFGxvqyz1FJOhlkdHmpOIPqQlPD8_dKNm_QFqziTIYuRj0um4Awbc1-izd4gYlaWzaEMhdWNeW3Gx464ygDosH9LYaFi9hUx-ilKvcogg0yG442MCoErWtbzGkIT0VEvC0sw5NBn6c/s6094/2627.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3210" data-original-width="6094" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfmpN8tZcTnD8ubt0I8XzNI-SxUHtbVun4__vC5bOs2OW8rZkGsFGxvqyz1FJOhlkdHmpOIPqQlPD8_dKNm_QFqziTIYuRj0um4Awbc1-izd4gYlaWzaEMhdWNeW3Gx464ygDosH9LYaFi9hUx-ilKvcogg0yG442MCoErWtbzGkIT0VEvC0sw5NBn6c/w640-h338/2627.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Which, having got Eva’s mum’s approval, is what the kids decide to do. But first, like the talented journalists they hope to be, they do some investigating. Armed with a training regimen for Wafer, which he takes to like a duck to water, they book him in to a local event.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, this is a short book, and so the remaining pages deal with events at and after the races Wafer has entered. Suffice it to say, it would not be an adventure for our Dog Squad Team of investigative reporters without something going on.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We get introduced to a few characters, as well as their whippets. And from here, the Dog Squad gets a whiff of foul play and potentially dangerous goings on for the dogs involved in the racing.<br /><br />Will Wafer win the races and get a rosette? What are the series of nasty events that threaten to overshadow the days racing? Will the bad guys go unpunished? These questions will be answered, but you’ll need to buy the book to see how.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />What did we think?</b><br /><br />Clara has a wonderful way of bringing her art into the very fabric of the story. This book is no exception. A simple but highly entertaining plot brings action, inclusion, and a theme that supports right and fitting behaviour for our youngsters. All brought to life in art on or across almost every page.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimyWr1ql5HICCncFq-S7Oom5HZyK094VwPFvvvc3w9NKCvth6QSWn-tDp86Sr_GXm0lMIxuN91v6oQ-ao910yw9DS9C6Bq2fc1YK0V44_d-6_5oui-HnsUqpU6S2UH6dxlHn5MJxwPImUrpHKIOdX6nylQZO9fETtpNTIT6XzEivd1y9ksQc8H1GszCY/s3047/54.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="3047" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimyWr1ql5HICCncFq-S7Oom5HZyK094VwPFvvvc3w9NKCvth6QSWn-tDp86Sr_GXm0lMIxuN91v6oQ-ao910yw9DS9C6Bq2fc1YK0V44_d-6_5oui-HnsUqpU6S2UH6dxlHn5MJxwPImUrpHKIOdX6nylQZO9fETtpNTIT6XzEivd1y9ksQc8H1GszCY/w400-h308/54.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /><b>So . . . Crunch time. </b><br /><br />This is a wonderful sequel. One that we just had to have. Adult books lose out for not generally having artwork, save for somewhat spurious or generic genre covers. For any younger readers, this book will be a real visual treat and well worth buying to encourage/develop their reading skills and sense of adventure.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A link to our review of the first book <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-dog-squad-newshound.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE.</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A link to our review of Clara's 'Marshmallow Pie Cat Superstar' adventure books <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/01/marshmallow-pie-cat-superstar-four-book.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE. <br /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />Want to buy a copy?</b><br /><br />To get a copy, please race down to your independent bookshop. There are plenty out there and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire. <i><b>You can't fail to win with this book! </b><br /></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGAOhGY3XMmOEdJFAsvJgKhbzS4UW5kFe-ShVjHQs95IhV2uJw92kJqPMuqiKQrOdqYBRIEw-_3VzxdRZEh9iYkx06R5yXWZ7ciw2r5os-kCjH0HkOj8li7hBoActv7QCPxlNpLd7HZxwMxDvc9UP4QlRtIIZBCma65csrJzUbtGQvQjWvJ3AXmOXzu4/s3199/78.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3199" data-original-width="3047" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGAOhGY3XMmOEdJFAsvJgKhbzS4UW5kFe-ShVjHQs95IhV2uJw92kJqPMuqiKQrOdqYBRIEw-_3VzxdRZEh9iYkx06R5yXWZ7ciw2r5os-kCjH0HkOj8li7hBoActv7QCPxlNpLd7HZxwMxDvc9UP4QlRtIIZBCma65csrJzUbtGQvQjWvJ3AXmOXzu4/w381-h400/78.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Clara Vulliamy's</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://claras.me/" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://claras.me/</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Harper Collins Children's Books&nbsp;</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/explore/" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/explore/</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. <a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/mr-grumpys-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with an early April morning selfie. And no, I do not use paw whitener, honest 😉<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0HbgIEdLOZYlfgaWPYAxXzSb0E0PmL5XOFQm6_HoJnAgYZtRhNQmfEHGaLOfHi0XBk5reje4pRlkw6uSoFy8Om3IFabDL19Pao3uiArIJ25iGXvaIBAz0hF2NxlGayMQpVrfV3tSVVPYslh_AO_XUQQiH4gqejb_ZSOsuT5fKUaAbVuq-xQhGcDPaBo/s1172/SS.%207.4.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0HbgIEdLOZYlfgaWPYAxXzSb0E0PmL5XOFQm6_HoJnAgYZtRhNQmfEHGaLOfHi0XBk5reje4pRlkw6uSoFy8Om3IFabDL19Pao3uiArIJ25iGXvaIBAz0hF2NxlGayMQpVrfV3tSVVPYslh_AO_XUQQiH4gqejb_ZSOsuT5fKUaAbVuq-xQhGcDPaBo/w640-h480/SS.%207.4.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313793" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-dog-squad-race.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-8934767608551447903Sun, 17 Mar 2024 09:12:00 +00002024-03-17T18:11:21.722+00:00Adult FictionBook Blogbook reviewcatsCosy MysteryErin the Literary CatFarragoMandy MortonMurder MysteryThe No.2 Feline Detective AgencyThe No.2 Feline Detective Agency<p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by MANDY MORTON;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLIShud_D8jSBfaKmg90i44KeeDb7L7eRVDk1_WVDEPr0nbO5wvmfva-eVf-mArRFKGQuOWquoICzLn-GvkoOaG0q4JHzmFwqHy_ihgh8LzAgMWDVnATDYrjspOyDhz3cB6VxT_wxPEHNVXTtL6qNW94m-mHrpzICwYp5xD1_etgP8xtAWJokT7rB95c/s4032/IMG_3380%202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLIShud_D8jSBfaKmg90i44KeeDb7L7eRVDk1_WVDEPr0nbO5wvmfva-eVf-mArRFKGQuOWquoICzLn-GvkoOaG0q4JHzmFwqHy_ihgh8LzAgMWDVnATDYrjspOyDhz3cB6VxT_wxPEHNVXTtL6qNW94m-mHrpzICwYp5xD1_etgP8xtAWJokT7rB95c/s320/IMG_3380%202.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Adult Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you're unfamiliar with Mandy Morton's works, you're in for a treat. We'll be reviewing the whole series of the No.2 Feline Detective Agency, which features two tabby furred feline detectives, Hettie Bagshot and her colleague and friend, Tilly Jenkins.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mandy was born in Suffolk, England, and, like Hettie, had a successful music career as a singer-songwriter. She also has 6 records to her name. Later, she joined the BBC as a presenter and producer of arts programs for local and national radio. The book's biography says that "Mandy lives with her partner, who is a fellow crime writer, in Cambridge and Cornwall, where there is always room for a longhaired tabby cat."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That the author is a cat lover and guardian is self-evident from the stories. And whilst the feline characters bring the magic that only cats can, it is the plot, settings, and sheer deftness and pace of the telling that, with our protagonist's natures, win the day. So, without further ado, let's dive right into . . . .</span><br /></p><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s1052/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="714" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/w434-h640/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" width="434" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Mandy Morton<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: Unknown<span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Farrago</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First publication date Paperback: 2014<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Current edition Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978 1788 424 431</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback: £9.99 </span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: £2.99</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Audiobook price: £13 (or one subscription voucher)<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 257</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; Adult</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any cats? Cats and no humans.<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters. </span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><em><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...<br /></span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />I am exceedingly grateful to Mrs H for the utter delight of getting to Read &amp; Review, AND listen to this excellent book. She’s bought the series!<br /><br />As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.<br /><br />Foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span><em><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />The plot<br /><br /></span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sitting in the Butter sisters’ one-time storeroom, now turned bedsit and office, waiting for the phone to ring, is bringing home the awkward truth to Hettie that a detective agency with nothing to detect wasn’t a good business model. Just as she was wondering where her assistant and co-sharer of the bedsit, Tilly, was, there was a strange sound. Hettie suddenly realises it’s the telephone. More importantly, it’s their first case. Marcia Woolcoat, matron and proprietor of the Furcross Home for Slightly Older Cats, has a job for them. A case of missing cats, dead cats that are now missing, stolen from their graves on the grounds of Furcross! Body snatching is alive and well, pardon the pun, in the town.<br /><br />Taking the case, Hettie sets about getting evidence. Onetime TV celebrity gardener and novel writer Digger Patch, now down on his luck and very grumpy, attended to the grave duties. Nurse Mogadon arranged and completed the Dignicat final acts for the cats, and Aurelia Claws did the makeup and nail varnish for the deceased. The cook for the home is Marley Toke, a black cat from Jamaica who buoys the residents’ spirits with her excellent Jamaican cooking—most of which has potent catnip in it!<br /><br />It all seems rather strange, but a case, and more importantly, an advance of their fee, is what matters. By discovering who took the bodies, where they are, and the goods they were buried with, they will earn their daily fee and a small bonus. <br /><br />But, before they can get started and get into too much planning, three bodies will turn up behind the Malkin and Sprinkles department store. Fearing the loss of her fee, which would help fund their food shopping and mean they can get a new TV, Hettie and old pal and Hettie’s ex-roadie, Poppa, race to the store to collect the bodies. What they discover when they do is that the cats are missing a lot of fur. In fact, the only fur left is on their faces.<br /><br />As Tilly points out, the case isn’t really solved. So Hettie and Tilly start digging around, metaphorically speaking, and visit Furcross. Whilst there, they find Nurse Mogadon dead with a note saying she has taken the easy way out and is sorry for letting the awful things happen to the three former residents.<br /><br />Now, things aren’t quite as solved or as easy as they first may seem. This is by far not the end of the case. In fact, it only picks up speed from here on in. Who stole the cats, their fur, and paid Nurse Mogadon to abet them? More importantly, and part of the fun of the plot, what will Beryl and Betty Butter’s pie-of-the-day be, and will there be any left come the end of the case! Oh, and if you are wondering about the TV, well, that plays an important part, too.<br /><br />I’d dearly love to tell you more, but I am teetering on the brink of revealing too much. Suffice it to say, the goings-on at Furcross have not ended. There is still an awful lot of investigating, chewing over facts, pies, and a few well-earned pipes of catnip tobacco being smoked.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><em><strong><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s1052/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="714" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" width="217" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;<br /><br />What did we think?<br /><br /></span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">With the plaudits from the likes of P D James and all-round praise from readers, Mrs H and I will do our best to give our own enthusiastic yet balanced review. <br /><br />When we first listened to this, book one in the series some years ago, we were enthralled by something quite unique. We had already started writing our own adventure series, and Mandy Morton’s book illustrated there was a market for good, feline-centric adventures that extended beyond cats being smart yet dumb sidekicks found in many cosy mysteries. In fact, there are no humans in the series, which instantly focuses the mind. <br /><br />The recent and highly articulate and clever books by L. T. Shearer, which feature Conrad, a talking and quite independent feline in a human world, provide a refreshing angle and opportunities for the cosy mystery-weary reader. Criminal investigation taken on from literally multiple levels and with characters with distinct skill sets makes for compelling reading.<br /><br />The same is true of Hettie, Tilly, and their world. Here, you will find an elegant mix of feline traits and human-style interaction in human settings without annoying humans. <br /><br />Just when you think you have this new world sussed, the characters do something that is wholly feline and out of place, yet on inspection, it is quite delightful, logical and well-placed. One thing you will notice is that there are no police in this book. The cats just get on with life in, so far as I can see, every other way.<br /><br />It is, however, best not to overthink things but just soak it all in. Cats are, after all, not beings to shy away from licking a plate or having a whisker face or ear groomed after a meal. And boy, do they love their food. All sounds very familiar and fun, too, as Hettie, Tilly, and friends plan meals, sweets and savouries around their investigations, murders and corpses.<br /><br />We loved Hettie. She is grumpy in the mornings, at least until she’s had the first cup of tea and a cheese triangle on toast for breakfast, and does not suffer fools, though she is not perfect. But she sometimes admits to being at a loss and is ready to give up the detecting game.<br /><br />But Hettie has a wonderful foil in Tilly, a much smaller, elder, and arguably wiser cat who once lived and almost died from hunger and cold on the streets. Tilly also adds extra humour by sometimes getting the wrong meaning or going off on a tangent.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Hettie is arguably our lead protagonist, but Tilly’s honest willingness to see good in all, her appreciation of being alive with a roof over her head, and her infectious positivity are way beyond what I have read elsewhere. Tilly is no Dr Watson. She has weaknesses. Her bout of cat flu almost killed her and left her susceptible. However, her passion for reading murder mysteries (which gave Hettie the idea for the detective agency) means she has a head start for solving crime, though her eagerness sometimes runs away with her. In our eyes, she is arguably an inseparable and joint lead character. <br /><br />The first story gradually reveals most of the backstories of all the characters. The location for their home and office, placed in a one-time store room behind Beryl and Betty Butter’s bakery, is just right. It is home, warm and cosy, and when needed, by tidying things away into the sideboard, an instant office. Storing their clothes in a filing cabinet and hiding the telephone in the sideboard struck me as supremely practical, especially if you didn’t wish to take a call.<br /><br />This first book's plot is original, twisty-turny, and highly entertaining. I know it is wrong to laugh out loud or chuckle at a murder mystery, and I don’t think I have with any other book. But this is one where you carried along, and there is so much to enjoy. There are plenty of such moments. PD James was not wrong in their appraisal.<br /><br />For an even more pleasing experience, we recommend getting this and the other stories on Audible. Jenny Funnel, the narrator, has set the perfect tone for the characters—so much so that if I heard anyone speak like the characters, I’d probably have a giggle fit. Did I mention the names? I guess I did already, but the book has characters whose names give away their profession, like the librarian Turner Page.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s1052/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="714" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" width="217" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><em><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />So . . . Crunch time. <br /><br /></span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">With fun, believable characters, chuckle-worthy names of cast and places, and amazing plots well suited to felines, this book is an all-around success on a par with, you guessed it, an 'Agatha Crispie' novel.</span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please sail or saunter down to your local independent bookshop. Of course, a feline on the shoulders is optional. There are plenty out there (both book shops and cats), and each shop is just waiting to serve whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mandy Morton's</b> short author page at Farrago Books <a href="https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Farrago Book's</b> web page <a href="https://farragobooks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hettie Bagshot can be found on both Facebook and Twitter.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. <a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/remembering-our-friend-jean-selfies-week-500/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=remembering-our-friend-jean-selfies-week-500" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a rare mid-March sun puddle on my new old duvet cover, refashioned and upcycled by the PA at the Bionic Basil blog. Do check out their latest stories on the Medium platform!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh2DCW7EgPKNdfqY-UExVIn9eLHkbQ0MSpt4gkpZI_-mMIxm-fAH6SfP8upkc2Y-SyNlwvlsXOyr1SOwA_dK6f2qHcOWTPxsBn-gdIfTMyFB01A1v3_fsxj9eTfptU0PxMhZwxfqtCffCO924qQjeAu0S_jgt2Y4tPHUe4DGEnpRFc-lmPBjFJjf4RhI/s1172/S.S%2017.3.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh2DCW7EgPKNdfqY-UExVIn9eLHkbQ0MSpt4gkpZI_-mMIxm-fAH6SfP8upkc2Y-SyNlwvlsXOyr1SOwA_dK6f2qHcOWTPxsBn-gdIfTMyFB01A1v3_fsxj9eTfptU0PxMhZwxfqtCffCO924qQjeAu0S_jgt2Y4tPHUe4DGEnpRFc-lmPBjFJjf4RhI/w400-h300/S.S%2017.3.24.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313660" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </div>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-no2-feline-detective-agency.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-6493306948053143716Sun, 03 Mar 2024 08:18:00 +00002024-03-03T16:04:08.395+00:00book reviewErin the Literary CatFictionFirefly pressLGBTQMaggie HorneNoah Frye Gets CrushedTeen/ YANOAH FRYE GETS CRUSHED<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>by Maggie Horne;</span>&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s944/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="624" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" width="212" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Middle Grade Adventure Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week marks the start of a short break for us. Well, maybe it should be entitled a short sprain cum crushed knee joint but not break, as Mrs H hurt her knee. Trying, of all things, to pull the horse carriage across the sodden lawn to hard standing so it didn't sink into the mud. Mud which has been caused by torrential rain here in the village. And not the sort of floods caused by our neighbour leaving his lawn sprinkler on overnight. I told Mrs H that we have a horse for pulling the cart, and he, even though aged, is well used to getting soggy and muddy in the paddock. Personally, I think Mrs H was trying to prove she still has 'it'. What 'it' is, I suspect we'll never quite understand. What she now has, is a crushed knee. Oh well, at least now she's housebound, I can get some room service 23 hours a day.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And talking of crushed, but of a different kind, not that I know about such things, let's get on to this week's FAB new read. The path to younger love never seems so fraught, or entertaining, as this. We hope you'll enjoy . . . </span></p> <p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s944/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="624" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/w424-h640/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" width="424" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Maggie Horne<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: TBA</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Firefly Press</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp;&nbsp; 28 May 2024<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN: 978-1915 444 530 </b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £7.99<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: N/A<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 297</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range: Young Adult<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats?&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...</i></b></span></span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme at Firefly Press Independant Publishers for the privilege of getting to Read &amp; Review this amazing follow up book from Maggie Horne book before publication.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;<u><b>we select to read</b></u>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s944/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="624" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Twelve-year-old Canadian, Noah Frye, has just returned from her summer camp. Things have, however, changed in her friends, Luna and Zoey, since she was gone; they have discovered boys. Noah, who only teamed up with a girl at the camp called Jessa, feels left behind. A friend, after all, is not the same as a boyfriend, especially when the others conversations now revolve around how nice the boy is and kissing, or at least the promises of. Even introducing Jesse, who recently moved to Noah's school after her family came to town, to her friendship circle seems to go awry, as Jessa seems more popular than her. Noah decides she needs a boyfriend to have her first kiss and cuddle and thus remain actively engaged with her friends.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, she tries, quite literally, through what she thinks are reasoned experiments to determine what is involved and if she can catch up. Picking on unsuspecting Archie, a boy from her school, she sets out to achieve results akin to those of her friends, and elder sister, Brighton. Archie's family have adopted Hank, a long-time resident dog from the shelter where Noah volunteers. Getting Archie involved seems the perfect way to get the data and, ultimately, the experience she needs and craves.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Noah has given herself a target to get her own boyfriend by. But her best-laid plans go awry when her PARENTS' home and garden renovating business starts to fail, caused by the arrival in the town of famous TV home makeover guru Brylee James and her Rural Makeover programme.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The resulting pinch on home finances means the open-door Halloween celebrations Noah's family holds yearly, a firm favourite of Luna and Zoey and all the other kids they know, won't be as glitzy as the other kids want. Noah fears her own popularity will suffer even more.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When, after a girls' sleepover at Noah's house, Jessa comes to the shelter with Noah, the whole dynamic of Noah's plan for Archie takes a tumble when, from inexperience in flirting, she insults him and hurts his feelings. So much so that the shelter's owner says that if she carries on, she will lose her job because of her bullying attitude. Jessa, quite reasonably, is confused by what she sees, mixed signals if you will, but ultimately tries to help Noah achieve her goal.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Now, because of all the ins and outs of this plot, the dynamics of Noah's family and the relationship between the friends, old and new and potential victims of Noah, I really can't say any more.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But as you might guess, things will need to, and do, go wrong so they can improve before we reach the end. You'll just have to read along to discover how things turn out for Noah, her family and friends.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, what did we think?&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We both loved how the young characters, friends and family interacted, the angst of figuring out life and the first steps to maturity, adulthood, friendship and, ultimately, love, irrespective of gender.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Noah recounts her progress in a diary-like style. Each chapter has a heading and, beneath, bullet points of related matters, for example, things Noah likes, dislikes or wants to achieve.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Written most sensitively and wittily (despite our protagonist's misguided and sometimes blunt tactics) and told in the first person, Noah tries her best to navigate the changes within, and in her long-time friendship circle friends, Zoey and Luna, as the others discover boys and how to interact.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What is quite clear for the reader, and I suspect deliberately so in a beautifully choreographed way, is a road map to understanding a broad range of emotions and oneself. Not everything in life is clear-cut. Friendships consist of more than just one thing. They can withstand many challenges if we take the time to understand our own feelings and those of the surrounding people. And why should these things be difficult, facts and advice obscured by others in an age of enlightenment?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The additional dynamics of a new girl, Jessa, Noah's parents' business problems, and Brylee James make this entire story so very compelling. For extra fun, Noah's parents rescue pugs, and have far too many around the house adding to the chaos of everyday life.<br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The twists and turns kept coming and kept us guessing, gasping and giggling. We were never entirely sure where we would end up with this read, which is why we&nbsp;</span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">loved</span></i></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;it so. The final chapters are telling and appreciative of the situations portrayed and life.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Writing at its very best, dealing with subjects for the young teenager in a form that is neither patronising nor slanted. Maggie Horne has created another go-to piece of literature for all ages that will help inform, entertain, and make a more tolerant society.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">An essential, balanced, unputdownable read and a rollercoaster ride of fun, tears, discovery, misunderstandings and friendship that is right here and now for younger readers and a recommendable read for all.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To get a copy, please sail or saunter down to your local independent bookshop and place a pre-order/ order.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maggie Horne's Author page at Firefly press <a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/authors/maggie-horne/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/authors/maggie-horne/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Firefly Press's web page <a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span></p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie entitled: Are you sure??? 🙂 🙂</span></p><p> <br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUavpeAVh4PDVZilJCaLqbn_MEYQG6Ax0e8SX6IHsJP6Muum3vhlvCk799kgfWJ2myWrUHf21FcZNMSfPknGIcmeXJ94gJsJgyBXDEuZaabVYHHR2fcNK7kquPzzIFKKixdzT6wmjCoZpty1TCAHDbSRlKbyJLIXT_51AsTbm-VNdBlBU-fOtCTD954r4/s1170/SS.%203.3.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="876" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUavpeAVh4PDVZilJCaLqbn_MEYQG6Ax0e8SX6IHsJP6Muum3vhlvCk799kgfWJ2myWrUHf21FcZNMSfPknGIcmeXJ94gJsJgyBXDEuZaabVYHHR2fcNK7kquPzzIFKKixdzT6wmjCoZpty1TCAHDbSRlKbyJLIXT_51AsTbm-VNdBlBU-fOtCTD954r4/w480-h640/SS.%203.3.24.jpg" width="480" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!<br /><br />ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313555" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script-->http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/03/noah-frye-gets-crushed.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-2540704916714073583Sun, 18 Feb 2024 08:28:00 +00002024-02-20T07:34:30.395+00:00book reviewErin the Cat PrincessFirefly pressGothic HorrorJanine BeachamMiddle grade fictionNathan CollinsThe Doll TwinTHE DOLL TWIN by Janine Beacham<p>&nbsp;</p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">illustrated by Nathan Collins. </span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugvs5Wpcm2p9QMaavC01Iw_8i4zHA44dpD8RXLfM7T4tCDDgTr2aKMk2EJMi_-nEmxJK4MmGyC7xGub8flrKas-3S6rWs66hkpDgINkd79CgRGlJmC9qdiHUdSagZCs27MGSW7vBP0H80DWPaxisi3QrW2wh-0t5GgGiPKL7Os6dSaXnxSftlcZ0TjBA/s1022/Screenshot%202024-02-12%20at%2013.15.12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="670" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugvs5Wpcm2p9QMaavC01Iw_8i4zHA44dpD8RXLfM7T4tCDDgTr2aKMk2EJMi_-nEmxJK4MmGyC7xGub8flrKas-3S6rWs66hkpDgINkd79CgRGlJmC9qdiHUdSagZCs27MGSW7vBP0H80DWPaxisi3QrW2wh-0t5GgGiPKL7Os6dSaXnxSftlcZ0TjBA/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-12%20at%2013.15.12.png" width="210" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week a Middle-Grade Gothic Horror Adventure.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><br /><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We have a delightful read for you today, one that came right out of the blue when Mrs H's book-to-be-read pile was perilously low. So without further ado, dim the lights, stoke the fire, and wrap up for an amazing read. </span></p> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4349" height="1022" src="https://erinthecatprincess.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/screenshot-2024-02-12-at-13.15.12.png?w=670" width="670" /></figure> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</b></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Janine Beacham</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Cover art by:&nbsp; Nathan Collins</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Published by: Firefly Press</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 4 April 2024</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978-1-915 444 479</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £7.99</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Kindle UK price:&nbsp; N/A</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Pages: 295 (in proof copy)</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Age range:&nbsp; 9 to 12</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>SPOILER ALERT</i></b></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Thank you to...&nbsp;</i></b></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme at Firefly Press Publishers for the delightful surprise package that gave us the chance to Read &amp; Review this very atmospheric eerie book before publication.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those <b>we select to read and review</b>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their families, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The plot<br /><br /></b>Cared for in the Home, which was run by a matron of strict sensibilities and dislike for any child that did not conform, Una is adrift. She longs to be back in the lighthouse her father and mother ran on Anglesea. The life of ‘Groundlings’ is not one she recognises or enjoys. She is a quick learner and loves all things to do with the sea. Mechanisms, too. She helped her father repair and run the big light that would save many ships and lives. He didn’t have to go to war, he was in a protected job, but he went to the war to end all wars, because of his passion for all things mechanical. Dieing in the trenches, he left his wife and daughter, Una, behind to tend the lighthouse. But when Una’s mother dies of influenza, she becomes homeless and an orphan.<br /><br />Una is a dab hand at repairing things as a result, tinkering and making things. So, when Mrs and Mr Smith turn up at the Home, they seem to have found the perfect child as both have a love of turning their hands to practical things. Mrs Smith repairs dolls, whilst Mr Smith is repairing a mechanical carousel, complete with candy-twist poles attached to ponies. And Una thinks she has found the perfect parents as their motivation is to adopt the child they always wanted and don’t seem stuffy at all.<br /><br />Mother and Father, as they prefer to be called, have everything Una could hope for short of a life at sea or in a lighthouse. But their recently acquired house, Copperlins, an aged large three-storey house above the village of Knifely Stifling, is close to the sea. And even though a boy at her orphanage had warned her about the house, she is determined to make it home. It may be outdated and cold, but Una has a room of her own and views. Good food abounds as Mother is always baking. Father enjoys tinkering here and there at his carousel and smoking a pipe. In fact, they are both very much the archetypal parents one might have seen in the magazines and adverts of the time.<br /><br />Una is enrolled in the local school. She has never been to a groundling school before, though she did have postal lessons while on the lighthouse. It is so very different. In fact, it is very inhospitable. The villagers don’t like strangers. Worse, they fear Copperlins and what was said to lurk within after the reclusive, elderly lady owner, a doll maker, died. They have horseshoes over their doors to ward off the evil. The adults, including Una’s teachers, and the local children, shy away from Una and mutter in closed, cold groups.<br /><br />But a girl called Mary soon makes friends, not least because of Una’s unusual and daring but practical short haircut. It is very movie-star-like, Mary says. Though Una has no knowledge of such things and prefers nature and her books.<br /><br />Whilst settling into her new home, Una hears strange noises coming from the second floor. Could they be mice? The scratching and bumping and creaking may not be unexpected in such an old building being exposed to frigid, buffeting winds.<br /><br />Mother and Father, such nice people and as good as perfect parents as she could ever hope for as an orphan, think there is nothing amiss. So Una, for fear of being sent back to the Home, steals herself, saying she is a Wexford and has endured far, far worse in the lighthouse.<br /><br />But little things start happening. And little things mount up and Una is soon aware of things being moved, or worse, going missing from her room. Then, when Mary comes for a sleepover but flees midway through the night without explanation and clearly terrified, Una starts to have doubts. Could what the locals fear about the house be true? Is it haunted by malevolent spirits? Mary goes so far as to extend a safe harbour at her house if Una is too scared.<br /><br />When the noises in the basement, and music from the carousel she and her father are repairing, rouse Una from her sleep, she is minded to investigate. But there is nobody in the room. Later, she ventures to investigate noises on the second floor. It is an area of shut-off rooms, closed curtains and cobwebs. When none of the rooms reveals the source of the sounds, she steals herself again to check within the last room, a broom cupboard. There she confronts the doll; child size and, if that wasn’t scary enough, it has Una’s face and hair and eyes. When telling Mother and Father, who neither heard the carousel music or other such strange sounds, Una can not find the doll to show them.....<br /><br />Now things take a turn around about here, and Una actually gets to meet the Doll Twin. Ani (short for animated curiosity) is the doll's name, and she seems to be out to copy Una completely. Is Ani bent on taking over Una's new life and parents? What happens next is both dramatic, scary and heartwarming.<br /><br />Put aside notions of scary demon dolls.<br /><br />This story is far more skilled and doesn’t need such adult-style nonsense. Arguably, it is far more human than that. What we have going forwards is a series of revelations, of journeys and discoveries sewn together with twists and turns both bold and powerful and yes, at times, as chilling as the storms Una and her once family faced as lighthouse keepers. Which is where we have to leave this review.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />So, what did we think?<br /><br /></b>A 1920s gothic horror-style feast of suspense, fear and automata, driven by a descriptive text that makes every page pulse and whir with life, and the senses tingle with anticipation from cover to cover.<br /><br />One of the book’s great strengths is its being set after the ‘Great War’. With many children left fatherless, and as with Una Wexford, later motherless in the influenza outbreak, the book becomes very thought-provoking and powerful from the off. I can imagine this being a key point for classroom discussion, too.<br /><br />There were no points where we weren’t immersed in the telling. Looking back, there were telltale clues that we just didn’t see or see clearly enough. Mrs H even peaked forwards, and with a gasp, carried on reading even quicker. She was still surprised by the final chapters; which were magnificently executed. We were raised up on a crest of hope, then sent to the depths of despair or shattered on the rocks with our characters.<br /><br />Because of the writing skill, ultimately the ending was immensely satisfying. I won’t say what that is, as I don’t want to give it away.<br /><b><br />So . . .<br />Crunch time.<br /><br /></b>A middle-grade ‘gothic’ horror, you’ll have to go a long, long way to find one better or more skillfully written. I dare say Mr King would be impressed if he were to read this. We were thoroughly entertained and devoured this in record time, and I think most other kids and parents will, too.<br /><br />Steeped in atmosphere, this is one adventure not to be missed, as it has it all.<br /><br /><b>Want to buy a copy?</b><br /><br />To get a copy, please do consider and support your local and independent bookshops and publishers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Janine Beacham's</b> web page at Hatchette UK <a data-id="https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/janine-beacham/" data-type="link" href="https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/janine-beacham/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> </a>or type this:&nbsp;https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/janine-beacham/</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Firefly Press</b>' web page <a data-id="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" data-type="link" href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> </a>or type this: <a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/">https://fireflypress.co.uk/</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nathan Collins</b>' Twitter feed <a data-id="https://twitter.com/NathanlCollins" data-type="link" href="https://twitter.com/NathanlCollins" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> </a>or type this:&nbsp; <a href="https://twitter.com/NathanlCollins">https://twitter.com/NathanlCollins</a></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, in America.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie entitled: Black and White on Paisley 🙂 🙂</span></p><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2i5biqFRElyx9aoNfLh84q8o2xtZezJ5hMIxZv8r9o7NFUQGFRlcz0mgiOE_ZuwuJcLLJBGNXrC6dsKi5AKkEY9toTa6LmVO69cwGmRE_7scDprym738lqdAMEg6HnavZtX6LZev9Wb1Ce3ca8BvMyvKAu9EJCpvE_CvMrqiy1apFbR6tTgz_Ggu1uRc/s1170/S.S.%20%2018.2.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1170" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2i5biqFRElyx9aoNfLh84q8o2xtZezJ5hMIxZv8r9o7NFUQGFRlcz0mgiOE_ZuwuJcLLJBGNXrC6dsKi5AKkEY9toTa6LmVO69cwGmRE_7scDprym738lqdAMEg6HnavZtX6LZev9Wb1Ce3ca8BvMyvKAu9EJCpvE_CvMrqiy1apFbR6tTgz_Ggu1uRc/w640-h480/S.S.%20%2018.2.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313459" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-doll-twin-by-janine-beacham.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)31tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-6094990029503218161Sun, 04 Feb 2024 06:23:00 +00002024-02-04T16:38:57.240+00:00book reviewErin the Literary CatHelen Crawford-WhiteMiddle-grade fictionNosy CrowPiu DasguptaSECRETS OF THE SNAKESTONESECRETS OF THE SNAKESTONE<p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>by Piu Dasgupta;</span> </span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvww0Nq1ycB4DCb7rAMYqqKv79SFrcCU3D0qRCB-xgBngC-vPWUyaFpZUkZdw8v2dHrY1wB8xEe7M5eJ0s1V7OIw9Mf5K9ZuydVaTstylXm1qc9asvkNOvdELUya8waMxheVUfl0vmv5tdgAy4je6DjWGI4uxbrvuHvUo-ScWdpVVnyHGk5ACcvmhI4/s1056/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvww0Nq1ycB4DCb7rAMYqqKv79SFrcCU3D0qRCB-xgBngC-vPWUyaFpZUkZdw8v2dHrY1wB8xEe7M5eJ0s1V7OIw9Mf5K9ZuydVaTstylXm1qc9asvkNOvdELUya8waMxheVUfl0vmv5tdgAy4je6DjWGI4uxbrvuHvUo-ScWdpVVnyHGk5ACcvmhI4/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" width="218" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /> </span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--wp:paragraph--> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week's book review really doesn't need any witty preamble from me. It stands tall and proud and captured our hearts from the very first intriguing page of the prologue. Mrs H was taken back (decades/centuries) to her youth and let out a big sigh of satisfaction and appreciation for a work well written when we finished the epilogue. This is one author we will be keeping a close eye on for future releases, for sure. </span></p><p><!--wp:paragraph--> <!--/wp:paragraph--> <!--wp:paragraph--> <!--/wp:paragraph--></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, all that said and done, join us now as we head to Paris in the 1890s. . .&nbsp;</span></p> <!--/wp:paragraph--></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvww0Nq1ycB4DCb7rAMYqqKv79SFrcCU3D0qRCB-xgBngC-vPWUyaFpZUkZdw8v2dHrY1wB8xEe7M5eJ0s1V7OIw9Mf5K9ZuydVaTstylXm1qc9asvkNOvdELUya8waMxheVUfl0vmv5tdgAy4je6DjWGI4uxbrvuHvUo-ScWdpVVnyHGk5ACcvmhI4/s1056/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="718" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvww0Nq1ycB4DCb7rAMYqqKv79SFrcCU3D0qRCB-xgBngC-vPWUyaFpZUkZdw8v2dHrY1wB8xEe7M5eJ0s1V7OIw9Mf5K9ZuydVaTstylXm1qc9asvkNOvdELUya8waMxheVUfl0vmv5tdgAy4je6DjWGI4uxbrvuHvUo-ScWdpVVnyHGk5ACcvmhI4/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" width="436" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Piu Dasgupta<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by:&nbsp; Helen Crawford-White</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Nosy Crow</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 14 March 2024</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; &nbsp;</b><span style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b>978-183 994 6318</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span><b style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">£7.99</b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price:&nbsp; £6.98</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages:&nbsp; 272</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 9-12 and upwards</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? No, but a sloth and a pigeon play exciting roles.&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">YES, some as to plot direction and characters. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</i></b></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Hannah Prutton at Nosy Crow Publishers and NetGalley for the delight of getting to Read &amp; Review this much-anticipated book before publication.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those <u><b>we select to read</b></u>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The plot</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The prologue sees a rat run deep under the city of Paris, into the sewers, ending near where a man and boy work clearing a blockage. The rat sees a small gold object winking bright in the mucky water but is driven away by the sense of something "deep and slow and older than the city or the earth upon which it was built." Evil. The boy, Jules, spots the item; it's like two haves of a walnut held together with a clasp. A locket engraved with indecipherable symbols. It twitched in his hand like a living thing and gave off a sickly yellow-green glow. Pocketing it, he notes under which street, and possibly which house, the effluent has come from. There may be a reward for him if he returns it to the owner . . . .</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Zélie Dutta has been sent by her father away from their home in the jungle south of Calcutta to live and work in Paris as a maid for Madame Malaise. She lives in an attic room shared with another maid called Blanche. The house was once the home of Doctor Malaise, discoverer of the cure for Blisterpox. The discovery had got the Doctor much fame and wealth, but he died a year later. He had been a member of a dark and decidedly dubious society called the Brotherhood of Blood. Readers will find out more about their dodgy dealings and wicked works later. Needless to say, it is not good.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Being a foreigner does not help Zélie, and the other staff are weary of her, more so as she has heterochromia – different coloured eyes. They attribute any accident in the grand house they live and work in on Rue Morgue to Zélie and call her a witch. Items being lost and stolen get blamed on her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, that is all rot, bigotry and covering up their own mistakes and shortcomings. Our protagonist doesn't understand why she had to travel abroad and come to this house to work. It could have something to do with her father having to borrow money and thus using her to repay the debt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Whatever the reason, she wants to get home. But as the lady of the house reads her letters to her father, she can not write about the dire conditions. When her father does not respond to her letters after a few months, Zélie becomes very worried, heightening her desire to escape the house and France.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One day, on the way out to get some mercury-based powder for Madame's make-up, she bumps into the same sewer boy, Jules. He is holding the locket and is intent on finding an owner.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Zélie immediately recognises the locket as the one that her father used to wear around his neck. He would never speak of what it was or how he came by it, but he would never have given it up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What I can and will say is that the locket used to house the Snakestone. The stone is cursed, like so many famous stones are reputed to be. And even though the stone brings long life, health and fortune to the possessor, it demands and exacts a terrible price – the loved ones of whoever holds the stone will die a horrible and unexplainable painful death. So why does Zélie's father have it, or at least have the locket? Could her mother have been killed by the curse?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Persuading Jules to take her to where he found it, she begins a search to understand why it is in Paris and what has happened to her Baba - her father.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, dear reader, the book escalates by many notches. In the search for the truth, Zélie and Jules find new allies, are betrayed, and get entangled with the 'Brotherhood of Blood'. They, too, and their sinister leader, are interested in the stone and, it seems, have a connection to Mr Dutta. What of Madame Malaise? Is she just a grieving widow? Then there are the circus folk Zélie visits. Could they be possible friends? With lives other than their own lives at risk, the story enters one captivating grand finale, which — did you really think I'd give that away?&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ultimately, everything in this adventure is intertwined, but not everything or everyone is as they seem. You now have the great fun, as we did, of finding out for yourselves.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>What did we think?&nbsp;</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A beautiful literary jewel, filled with adventure and a plot worthy of grander, classical novels. Steeped in the very essence of 1890's Parisian life, above and below ground, that leaps from the pages. Captivating and compelling from the first enigmatic page through until the very last. Sheer genius and not to be missed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I haven't been hooked on a book so quickly or compelled to read on more than I was with this. That, indeed, is an excellent sign. What I found within was a delightful plot that entertained and provided oodles of character, adventure, suspense, heroines and villains, dark and sinister, spangly and exotic, all sewn deftly together with lyrical expertise and a hint of magic.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is very much of the same sort of magic Wilkie Collins infused into the classic, The Moonstone, which was written in the same era and has enthralled children and adults alike ever since.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Finally, we loved the quote from Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo, about the sewers under Paris. That sets a flavour, a tone, at the beginning of the book that lasts throughout.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please take the main roads, rather than rooftops or sewers, down to your local independent bookshop. A sloth around the shoulders is definitely not recommended.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Piu Dasgupta's agent's page <a href="https://www.theshawagency.co.uk/piu-dasgupta" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://www.theshawagency.co.uk/piu-dasgupta</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nosy Crow's web page <a href="https://nosycrow.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this:&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://nosycrow.com/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Helen Crawford-White's web page <a href="https://studiohelen.co.uk/ " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this:&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://studiohelen.co.uk/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, in America.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie entitled: Black and White on Grey 🙂 🙂</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUDuemi8CWiod4iv9Por_9eWIOrPeglBzXxUXYxU7k02zAWLdp1aDyqtwnACJBTBysDLbbve3d05ZNrcwysevmWUEe8Ntonmaxg6B7C3DucZLhyDL9QGs3kEdMCTY4pAPBz0Z87uBJKt1zAdcirIb5w3VS_Tjr_jdcPUCKhkzTl3nipPgWXf9dUCwL5s/s1170/SS.%204.2.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1170" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUDuemi8CWiod4iv9Por_9eWIOrPeglBzXxUXYxU7k02zAWLdp1aDyqtwnACJBTBysDLbbve3d05ZNrcwysevmWUEe8Ntonmaxg6B7C3DucZLhyDL9QGs3kEdMCTY4pAPBz0Z87uBJKt1zAdcirIb5w3VS_Tjr_jdcPUCKhkzTl3nipPgWXf9dUCwL5s/w640-h480/SS.%204.2.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313352" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/02/secrets-of-snakestone.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-3029841467790955360Sun, 21 Jan 2024 06:10:00 +00002024-01-21T17:15:39.395+00:00Ages 7-9book reviewErin the Literary CatFirefly presskaren OwenLouise ForshawMajor and Mynah:Tarantula TerrorMAJOR AND MYNAH – TARANTULA TERROR<p>&nbsp;<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by KAREN OWEN;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;Illustrated by Louise Forshaw&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglanKJgxLs_s0ARRJlhSrHI2Jsn9QXDFc93z8SQ8-UrMhFoQNhiRAF254hZZIc3AjieheJMlkmDIKKfBy4yRIPPXjOtxTRGJa4uB4adx6Mi_fL5TyztFBg1RiweDq5dNjY3HC__m65Ot23lnFR3DuGv6iBpTxK50wR05jIGT3MkTPort3GiFOWT1MOOTY/s804/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2012.58.00.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Book cover shows a three tone green backgroundradiating from the pivot of a swinging funfair sailing boat ride. Callie kneels on her left knee with her left hand touching the ground. Bo the Mynah bird rests on her right shoulder. Callie is searching for something on the ground. Grace stands to the right of the Callie. She too is looking for something, likely the spider. The title Major and Mynah is in blue text whilst the Tarantular Terror words are in a red." border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglanKJgxLs_s0ARRJlhSrHI2Jsn9QXDFc93z8SQ8-UrMhFoQNhiRAF254hZZIc3AjieheJMlkmDIKKfBy4yRIPPXjOtxTRGJa4uB4adx6Mi_fL5TyztFBg1RiweDq5dNjY3HC__m65Ot23lnFR3DuGv6iBpTxK50wR05jIGT3MkTPort3GiFOWT1MOOTY/w213-h320/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2012.58.00.png" title="Book cover ©" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mrs H has been busy chasing spiders this week. In fact, the warmer winter has meant that not only have the spiders not gone to sleep, they have been breading, too. Well, that's my excuse. In reality, they may have come indoors with me. But, I'm not telling Mrs H that on account of the fact she's been getting far more exercise chasing them and is wearing off all of the excess calories she put on in December.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thankfully, we haven't any as big as the spider in this week's book review. Also, none are as fierce and potentially as dangerous, at least for birds. We could do with a few of those to thin out the number of pigeons that wake me each morning at 10am by doing what pigeons do on the roof.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, without further ado, let's get on with our arachnid-tastic&nbsp;adventure!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglanKJgxLs_s0ARRJlhSrHI2Jsn9QXDFc93z8SQ8-UrMhFoQNhiRAF254hZZIc3AjieheJMlkmDIKKfBy4yRIPPXjOtxTRGJa4uB4adx6Mi_fL5TyztFBg1RiweDq5dNjY3HC__m65Ot23lnFR3DuGv6iBpTxK50wR05jIGT3MkTPort3GiFOWT1MOOTY/s804/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2012.58.00.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book cover shows a three tone green backgroundradiating from the pivot of a swinging funfair sailing boat ride. Callie kneels on her left knee with her left hand touching the ground. Bo the Mynah bird rests on her right shoulder. Callie is searching for something on the ground. Grace stands to the right of the Callie. She too is looking for something, likely the spider. The title Major and Mynah is in blue text whilst the Tarantular Terror words are in a red." border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglanKJgxLs_s0ARRJlhSrHI2Jsn9QXDFc93z8SQ8-UrMhFoQNhiRAF254hZZIc3AjieheJMlkmDIKKfBy4yRIPPXjOtxTRGJa4uB4adx6Mi_fL5TyztFBg1RiweDq5dNjY3HC__m65Ot23lnFR3DuGv6iBpTxK50wR05jIGT3MkTPort3GiFOWT1MOOTY/w426-h640/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2012.58.00.png" title="Book cover ©" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span></span></span></span><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR: KAREN OWEN</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: LOUISE FORSHAW&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: FIREFLY PRESS</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date: Paperback: 15 February 2024</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp;</span></b></span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><b>978 191 5444 431</b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover price for Paperback: £6.99</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages:&nbsp; 124</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range: 7 - 9</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? No, but B.O., the Mynah bird, has a crucial AND scary part!</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful once more to Firefly Press Publishers (and NetGalley) for giving us an advance copy of this to Read &amp; Review for you all across the world.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">This is book 3 in the series, and every bit as fun and adventuresome as the others, possibly more so.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">To recap, Callie is our main protagonist. She discovered that her new hearing aids allowed her to understand and speak to Bo, a Mynah bird they adopted in Book 1. Callie and her best pal, Grace, are the two 9-year-old girls in a detective team that includes Bo. They are collectively called S.P.U.D. (Super Perceptive Undercover Detectives).&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;is our main protagonist. She discovered that her new hearing aids allowed her to understand and speak to Bo, a Mynah bird they adopted in Book 1. Callie and her best pal, Grace, are the two 9-year-old girls in a detective team that includes Bo. They are collectively called S.P.U.D. (Super Perceptive Undercover Detectives).&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is the school holidays, and a funfair has come to the village, but the kids, including Callie's younger brother, Luke, aren't allowed to go until the weekend when Callie's older cousin comes with his family. That leaves a whole week of going out with their mum and dad, with whom Grace is staying, and doing boring adult things like going to the D.I.Y. store or buying car tyres. I think we can all relate to that in one way or another!</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, having their own airborne assistant/spy in the sky, the girls send Bo off to reconnoitre the fun fair and spot the best rides. But Bo is taking far too long, and the girls are getting worried. When the mynah bird finally returns, he is rather coy as to where and what he's been up to. He gets downright evasive as the week goes on, and he seems very sleepy and off his food, too.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Eventually, after being asked countless times by the kids if they can go to the fair and having to turn them down, they offer to take them somewhere else as a stopgap trip. The kids ultimately settle on going to a wildlife park. Callie's parents have a dislike for snakes and spiders, and they are not keen on going. But a promise is a promise.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the zoo, the girls learn about the tarantula, and Luke gets to see the snakes.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On leaving the spider presentation given by one of the keepers, the girls spot a giant spider, a tarantula, heading off into the hedge...</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, what happens next really brings the story into top gear. So, that is where I must leave it. If you want to know the answer to what happens to the fearsome female spider – a bird-eating tarantula at that – what Bo has been up to, and how all the subplots mesh and come to a spooky conclusion, you'll just have to get the book. I assure you the best, scariest and funniest is still to come!</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For a review of book 2, please use our link below:-</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/11/major-and-mynah-operation-raven.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Book 2: Major and Mynah – Operation Raven</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We loved every minute of this book. There was always something happening which made it a real page-turner. Karen has ably combined the anticipation and thrill of the fun fair with the excitement and tension of an escaped tarantula and the ensuing investigation, chase and capture. There is also a mystery to unravel about where Bo went and what he was doing. As I was saying, never a dull moment.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The parent's reactions are, as in real life, priceless. Couple this with the fact that fun and interesting facts about spiders are revealed along the way, and thoroughly engaging artwork makes this a sound, safe, responsible and enjoyable read for children of all ages.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . .</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, buy this as an excellent way to pass a rainy day, to read aloud or alone, or as part of a broader classroom activity.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, minus creepy crawly and slithery add-ons, take the quickest and least scary route down to your local independent bookshop. They are out there, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you young reader desire. Plus, you'll be helping small businesses stay alive and flourish.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">KAREN OWEN'S</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> web page&nbsp;</span><a href="https://karenowen.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp; https://karenowen.co.uk/</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FIREFLY PRESS</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> web page&nbsp;</span><a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">LOUISE FORSHAW</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> web page&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.munkeypants.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp;&nbsp; https://www.munkeypants.com/</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b>Next time</b></i> we'll be reviewing a real gem of a story: Secrets of the Snakestone. It's a Wilkie Collins Moonstone-like adventure, not to be missed!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXrtvKOzZVEs_kJ34uViXpK7VPayq2c_0D6aRC4dCI3kB4WHjCLcarA4vp5eaDGWyVlkXCecjb2uRWe9B-E4sdJa6wC9xSOhya3krO6VqC_2bjKl_6RmQolUKuJtrJ5tbgt35nlDko0dQISYmz6gBvdl-pZaIlRGsDp-IiEtnLR-iKIw6ymNrDai0LG4/s1056/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXrtvKOzZVEs_kJ34uViXpK7VPayq2c_0D6aRC4dCI3kB4WHjCLcarA4vp5eaDGWyVlkXCecjb2uRWe9B-E4sdJa6wC9xSOhya3krO6VqC_2bjKl_6RmQolUKuJtrJ5tbgt35nlDko0dQISYmz6gBvdl-pZaIlRGsDp-IiEtnLR-iKIw6ymNrDai0LG4/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" width="218" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, in America.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie. I am not sure my toothy grin counts as smiling, but could be one of the reasons I'm so popular with the mice&nbsp; 🙂 🙂</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-vAyIYZ3NbcthpVuPp9RipecD2NDXm3FtqMVyeEuzVFXpCBPv2S2ufzQH-7P8G07YKIC8wClY7W619m0RXneqCVBqoFj2o5FFGRYOMZ53zLDzDXCl8O74RqQisp-uPdCuX6ls5eUxd3ANkD73z6W8Tl0a3H7mIO1S6oIx4ym5k4hr8OWwY8dTIgq9rE/s4032/IMG_3180.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-vAyIYZ3NbcthpVuPp9RipecD2NDXm3FtqMVyeEuzVFXpCBPv2S2ufzQH-7P8G07YKIC8wClY7W619m0RXneqCVBqoFj2o5FFGRYOMZ53zLDzDXCl8O74RqQisp-uPdCuX6ls5eUxd3ANkD73z6W8Tl0a3H7mIO1S6oIx4ym5k4hr8OWwY8dTIgq9rE/w640-h480/IMG_3180.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div><br /> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313235" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script-->http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/01/major-and-mynah-tarantula-terror.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)20tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-9014132686943588576Sun, 07 Jan 2024 07:07:00 +00002024-01-08T16:30:06.528+00:00A J ClackAdultAdult Fictionbook reviewErin the Literary CatFirefly pressLie or DiemurderReality TVYALIE OR DIE<p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by A. J. CLACK;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKc4JWHVYvzWpzT_BLxXNtrzdkxTuevbLJYEfDs9DwzATMgzttCoR0fQV0RNEcz5QWszObYvp18EIpLteC7HaJH91TF61dBiIWfhkrhIK1zaBV64d81WJkyE7T-w31ZRbwD75xB2bOooV1nbldmqtm9CEN_XHJ7Y7CazdwXyi5cchZrHE8BRxQc0nvgM/s1052/Screenshot%202024-01-02%20at%2011.02.37.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKc4JWHVYvzWpzT_BLxXNtrzdkxTuevbLJYEfDs9DwzATMgzttCoR0fQV0RNEcz5QWszObYvp18EIpLteC7HaJH91TF61dBiIWfhkrhIK1zaBV64d81WJkyE7T-w31ZRbwD75xB2bOooV1nbldmqtm9CEN_XHJ7Y7CazdwXyi5cchZrHE8BRxQc0nvgM/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-02%20at%2011.02.37.png" width="235" /></a></div><br /></span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my first weekend Book Review of the year, featuring this week a YA/Adult Adventure in Fiction. (Scroll on down for the selfie &amp; bloghop.)<br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And my, this is a real winner. So, w</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ithout further ado, let's get on with the show. This is a story, one most clever and dark, where the game contestants are dying and lying to get the prize . . . .</span></div><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKc4JWHVYvzWpzT_BLxXNtrzdkxTuevbLJYEfDs9DwzATMgzttCoR0fQV0RNEcz5QWszObYvp18EIpLteC7HaJH91TF61dBiIWfhkrhIK1zaBV64d81WJkyE7T-w31ZRbwD75xB2bOooV1nbldmqtm9CEN_XHJ7Y7CazdwXyi5cchZrHE8BRxQc0nvgM/s1052/Screenshot%202024-01-02%20at%2011.02.37.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="774" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKc4JWHVYvzWpzT_BLxXNtrzdkxTuevbLJYEfDs9DwzATMgzttCoR0fQV0RNEcz5QWszObYvp18EIpLteC7HaJH91TF61dBiIWfhkrhIK1zaBV64d81WJkyE7T-w31ZRbwD75xB2bOooV1nbldmqtm9CEN_XHJ7Y7CazdwXyi5cchZrHE8BRxQc0nvgM/w470-h640/Screenshot%202024-01-02%20at%2011.02.37.png" width="470" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; A. J. Clack<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: N/A</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; Firefly Press<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp;&nbsp; 7th March 2024<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978-1915444417</span></b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £8.99</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 367</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; YA Thriller/Murder Mystery<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to early plot, direction and characters. </span><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We are exceedingly grateful to Firefly Press Publishers for reaching out to us to see if we would like to Read and Review this much-anticipated book before publication.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Having read the advance press release, we were only too pleased to read this. I do hope you will be, too, after the review.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A little preamble. In this book's scenario, Lie or Die is a new reality T.V. show based on the real-world social gathering/party game Mafia, or in some circles, it is known as Werewolf.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The game, usually played with 10 players, is that the assembled group is split into two sides - Mafia and Townspeople. The Mafia tries to bump off the Townspeople whilst the Townsfolk try to get shot of the Mafia. There is also a Detective and a Doctor in the mix. Their roles are pretty straightforward. The detective seeks to detect a Mafia member in each day and night cycle of the game, whilst the Doctor can save a Townsfolk member each cycle.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Each player is given a role to play. But, nobody knows who or what any other players are until they are eliminated.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Now, during the day period of the game, the players can nominate someone to eliminate from the game, to send to the electric chair if you will. The nominated person is then put on trial and, if found guilty, removed!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">During the Night segment of the game, the Mafia can eliminate a player. And so the game goes on.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In Lie or Die, the story focuses on three late teenage pals, our key protagonist, Kass, and her best mates, Lewis and Thea. Kass has fallen out with Thea after having kissed Thea's ex-boyfriend. It is a silly rift that seems to be splitting the girls apart, big time. When an audition is held for Lie or Die, Thea says that Kass going for it with Thea is the only way she can trust Kass once more. Kass wants to put the whole mess behind her, so she is pressured into doing it. It turns out Thea has already entered them both, and the interviews take place soon after.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When Kass fails to pass the test, she is secretly relieved. After all, she has shown she is supportive of Thea. But, when on accompanying Thea to the studios, one of the contestants is bizarrely poisoned with seafood (even though there is none in the building), and her EpiPen is nowhere to be found; Kass, being already on the ground, is enlisted into the game.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Her fellow players are an interesting mix of quiet, calm and outright play-to-win types that would do anything in the game to win the £50,000 prize and the social media stardom that could rocket their future careers. Everything goes, especially lying. In fact, daubed across all the studio walls is the phrase "Trust no one"!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kass is considered the 'Girl Next Door' type. Bland and boring and not the likely fav of the audience that the show is being streamed to. What Kass does have in her favour is the ability to spot if people are lying. Telltale signs or tics that will give away their role. Also, none of the other players know she and Thea are besties.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, with an immediate ally, things get off to a good start. But then, the rules change from the perceived norm. First, a manakin is spotted hanging from a tree in the set garden. In its leg, Kass spots the EpiPen of the now-gone contestant. When that evening/night, one of the players is carded and seemingly killed by an agent, there is surprise amongst the players as only one kill a night is expected (the manakin being the first). The acting looked so real, even down to the drool from the contestant's lips, and later on the finding of a poison bottle.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The players are, for want of a word, 'controlled' by an A.I. personality called Cohin. It appears hooded in a hologram projection unit where the players are forced to congregate when commanded. The projection actually morphs into various characters that have exited the game as it progresses. So, when Kass has her doubts, especially as none of the others are aware of the truth regarding the girl she has replaced, she is soon assuaged when the poisoned girl appears to speak to them via the hologram and puts the recent realistic poisoning down to epic acting.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I think by now, you can maybe see where this is going.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The action takes off from here as the players accuse and prosecute one of their housemates.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In the surprise outcome, which I won't spoil for you as it is a pivotal point, one player goes to the chair and, with a ghastly scream, exits the game and the house. Or do they???</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As the game progresses, the ante is upped, and the contestants become more stressed, sleepless and, dare I say it, paranoid. With loud sounds and flashing bright lights, who wouldn't be?&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">If you can take a breath, you should do so here before the book's second half. You won't want to leave this until the very last full stop.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, what did we think?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The reality Television Mrs H and I know of is some of the worst T.V. out there. Has beens and wannabes, shameful and shameless. At least, that is our view.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The book pulls apart from the inside what reality and reality T.V. is and means, and what it can do. But it also shows the fragility and underlying motivations of the players, some worthy, some not so.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I love that Lewis points out that it is a beast we create, and whilst we may outwardly reject it, there is something that draws folks in. Maybe it's the fact that it's not them on the receiving end – voyeurism.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The author has skilfully manipulated our protagonist, labelled 'as the girl next door' by the other competitors, into the ultimate detective. Fighting to support Thea and survive and escape a deadly sealed studio.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mrs H read this to the end, where I got so far and the tension and dread was so much that I have to admit to sneaking a look at the ending. But even then, I was surprised.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Let me tell you, this is one doozy of a read. Well paced and delightfully cast. Not only are there shock revelations but also extra double twists right down to the closing sentence.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The ultimate locked room mystery – twisted, deadly, dark and seriously addictive. Turning the banal T.V. genre into a must-read hit! Thank goodness this ISN'T on T.V.!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A must-read, and one Mrs H and I both feel far exceeded our expectations to become the brilliant and gripping read it was.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Would we watch reality T.V. now? Absolutely NOT.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</b></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please place advance orders with a local bookshop; that way, you're helping maintain local shops and economies.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">****** GIVEAWAY ******</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One lucky commenter on this blog will receive a copy of this book thanks to Mrs H dipping into her pension and sherry fund.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To be eligible, commenters on this post will need to be in an area covered by Amazon and be able to take receipt of a package from them with a suitable delivery address. They must also be willing to furnish Mrs H with their address if they win. This address will be deleted after the successful delivery of the package.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Given the nature of the book theme, Mrs H and I are limiting this giveaway to those we know are over 18.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comments must be made before midnight (GMT) on Saturday 13th January 2024. <br /></span></p> <p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b>A.J. CLACK's</b> Twitter/X page can be</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://twitter.com/alisonclack1?lang=en-GB" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://twitter.com/alisonclack1?lang=en-GB</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FIREFLY PRESS'S</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><u style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE.</span></u></a></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;or type this https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is as close to reality and prying cameras as we want to get . . . .<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSV401juCOxAfpKdG3w255EMhYXlKl8vD9kFfGa9OPHSJDPjAEyVNJ9kVb7QwZgkdFENj9KZxM5lY1-IjWorzny980MqOj3LxqLVpjH47tV8FJJiVPxZ-qq2gisQVMRJGHArYGJHk3n96kE7vRgGFQX8xtjCPoRVg4iD1ZhBK5CpStJgQ0iptUw2J7u_U/s1168/SS.%207.1.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="876" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSV401juCOxAfpKdG3w255EMhYXlKl8vD9kFfGa9OPHSJDPjAEyVNJ9kVb7QwZgkdFENj9KZxM5lY1-IjWorzny980MqOj3LxqLVpjH47tV8FJJiVPxZ-qq2gisQVMRJGHArYGJHk3n96kE7vRgGFQX8xtjCPoRVg4iD1ZhBK5CpStJgQ0iptUw2J7u_U/w480-h640/SS.%207.1.24.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin 💙</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313111" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script-->http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/01/lie-or-die.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)30tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-3835592334739208961Sun, 17 Dec 2023 08:36:00 +00002023-12-17T08:51:44.687+00:00Adult FictionAdventurebook reviewBooksCat SummerErin the Literary CatfantasyMollie HuntRoslyn McFarlandCAT SUMMER (Book one in The Cat Seasons tetralogy)<p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Mollie Hunt;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOSUFBIFGojB7sakbQP_yqAo7m3lmhYnEbVWxNtkLwmrjmqylcNBQR_tcKUyvBlPEFwH3QyH0fYwHL-nTqZ8uXbHULPlHUHj1HxXFI6ej8mhHhcb647lXiIbLEWse16fS5q3KGLum68QRlFirJnvF8M4CzOMG4ftdjZQpkXDMA0LTw7Rr2qFdHFXUN1k/s1060/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2013.33.18.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cat Summer book cover. It shows a lawned and hedged garden scene. Three lead catcharacters from the book apppear on the cover. Front and just right of centre is a large ginger tom with bright yellow eyes. Behind in the middle ground is a fluffy tuxedo cat, and sitting in the border under a hedge is a fluff silver gray feline. Cat Summer title appears in a salmon orange along the top, along with the Cat Writers Association Muse Winner Badge. Auhors name is in white upper &amp; lower text along the bottom." border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOSUFBIFGojB7sakbQP_yqAo7m3lmhYnEbVWxNtkLwmrjmqylcNBQR_tcKUyvBlPEFwH3QyH0fYwHL-nTqZ8uXbHULPlHUHj1HxXFI6ej8mhHhcb647lXiIbLEWse16fS5q3KGLum68QRlFirJnvF8M4CzOMG4ftdjZQpkXDMA0LTw7Rr2qFdHFXUN1k/w217-h320/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2013.33.18.png" title="Book cover image of Cat Summer." width="217" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Middle Grade Adventure Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week, as the year slowly draws to an end, I offer you our final review of 2023. We have an adult book to review, called Lie or Die, by Firefly Press. It's LONG. So, Mrs H has got a stash of mince pies in and a fresh bottle of sherry, and we'll be busy reading throughout the rest of December. Me, I have six boxes of cat food and some long-life cream and catnip and valerian cushions to while away the quiet hours between chapters.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, without further ado, here's the review!</span><br /><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOSUFBIFGojB7sakbQP_yqAo7m3lmhYnEbVWxNtkLwmrjmqylcNBQR_tcKUyvBlPEFwH3QyH0fYwHL-nTqZ8uXbHULPlHUHj1HxXFI6ej8mhHhcb647lXiIbLEWse16fS5q3KGLum68QRlFirJnvF8M4CzOMG4ftdjZQpkXDMA0LTw7Rr2qFdHFXUN1k/s1060/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2013.33.18.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cat Summer book cover. It shows a lawned and hedged garden scene. Three lead catcharacters from the book apppear on the cover. Front and just right of centre is a large ginger tom with bright yellow eyes. Behind in the middle ground is a fluffy tuxedo cat, and sitting in the border under a hedge is a fluff silver gray feline. Cat Summer title appears in a salmon orange along the top, along with the Cat Writers Association Muse Winner Badge. Auhors name is in white upper &amp; lower text along the bottom." border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOSUFBIFGojB7sakbQP_yqAo7m3lmhYnEbVWxNtkLwmrjmqylcNBQR_tcKUyvBlPEFwH3QyH0fYwHL-nTqZ8uXbHULPlHUHj1HxXFI6ej8mhHhcb647lXiIbLEWse16fS5q3KGLum68QRlFirJnvF8M4CzOMG4ftdjZQpkXDMA0LTw7Rr2qFdHFXUN1k/w434-h640/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2013.33.18.png" title="Book cover for Cat Summer" width="434" /></a></div><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR: Mollie Hunt<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: Roslyn McFarland<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Independent Published </span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback: This 2nd edition 7/2/2023<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; </span></b></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; display: inline; float: none; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">978-1984134844</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £11.77 </span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price:&nbsp; £4.99</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 353</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; ADULT <br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? Absolutely chocked full of cats, plus some interesting humans, too!<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters. </span><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I am incredibly grateful to Mrs H for buying me this for an early festive holiday present.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As always, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Our protagonist, Lise, awakes at night in her bed. It's hot, and she can't sleep. Forgoing dressing, she skips downstairs through the large, empty house. Her aged tuxedo cat, Percy, lies snuggled on the sofa. That is where the familiarity of the scene ends, for sitting on the floor is a large orange tabby. When she asked herself out loud who he was, he actually answered her. He is called Evermore Artair Eckx or plain Tom. The two cats discuss Lise's suitability to be 'She Who'. Tom thinks she is too big and clumsy to fit in their world. But time, it seems, is short, and their mission has to happen on Tri-Night, which is now. So, Lise is what they have to work with. But the cats head off, and Lise, for better or worse, follows. Still uncertain of what is really going on, but driven by curiosity and the guiding of the cats, she drops to all fours and dove whiskers first through the flap into the night beyond. Here marks the start of their journey and perilous mission.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The cats offer little in the way of information as to the task that must be done. But soon, it becomes clear there is a demonic-like force, an evil that has been driving and feeding off man's wickedness and destructive nature. The name of the beast is Seh. And if he isn't stopped now, they never will be able to.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In an old neighbourhood shed, they come across one of Seh's minions, and it's not pretty. The cats flee, and soon enough, Lise realises there are many cats out there to help in the fight to bring an end to Seh's powers. It will be too late if they leave it till the next Tri-Night. Tri-nights give all sentient beings, of which cats are one, the ability to do things they could not before, like talk to each other.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It is a mission that will bring them face to face with friends and foes, some feline, others creatures of this world but turned bad within. Lise is warned by a feline she meets en route to watch out for their eyes. If they are red, they are evil and in league with Seh. The journey also takes our heroes, for that is what the ultimate band of felines is, on a quest that will transcend realms, maybe dimensions, where they will take on different forms and face not only the devilish workings of Seh but also Seh itself in a tangible form.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Like the best stories, those like LOTR, the heroes will be tested to breaking point, maybe even death. In the Alter tier– the realms cats can visit beyond their bodies and beyond the mortal world– things are not what they seem, nor people or creatures.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So as not to spoil this adventure, I shall leave my review here. I have but covered the intro to the first half of this story, which moves forward briskly to not one, but two conclusions. To say more would ruin the drama that unfolds and who features.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, what did we think? Beware, Spoilers!!!!</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The story is divided and defined by both chapters and time. It is also very descriptive; the writer has taken great pains to create a solid and compelling ambience-filled setting for the feline and human characters and the grizzly baddies in all their forms, wherever they may be. There is a very credible and clever link between the science and the fiction, which gives the story a grounding, especially in the second half.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I have to say, Mrs H and I were taken aback when, halfway through, we reached the second part and jumped 100 years. But the transition to what are effectively new characters was handled well. You'll note I say 'effectively new'. That will become clear when you read the story. Suffice it to say, this is a story with twice the punch. The ultimate ending (though arguably, given there are more books to come, this isn't the ending) was gripping and heartfelt.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">There is as much a journey of discovery for Lise as there is action and adventure. A higher purpose to her life, maybe the lives of all humanity. Thought-provoking.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I loved the cats, which are studies in feline behaviour and mannerisms. Knowing how skilled a cat carer Mollie is, this should be no surprise to any of her readers. This is a standout example, within its genres, of how we feel an excellent feline book should be for those who have neither cats nor read feline-themed adventures.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For us, there are many ways of depicting cats in adventure stories. Over the years, they have been relegated in human-based detective stories to mere sidekicks or hooks to lure cat lovers and humanitarians. Don't get us wrong; any books featuring positive enforcement for fellow sentient creatures are to be applauded. More recently, I am pleased to see our favourite sentients, the cats, get a fair crack at the whip and move to speaking and action rolls.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I have reviewed LT Shearer's first two books, The Cat Who Caught a Killer and The Cat Who Solved Three Murders, and was pleased with the intelligent portrayal of Conrad, the talking feline co-protagonist. It is also pleasing to see children's/Middle-Grade books with all manner of other sentient creatures ably portrayed.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">There are what we consider 'adult' moments in this book, which, for me, would make this an adult-only read.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A story worthy of Ray Bradbury – Old School in the best way. Keenly written, a blend of spiritualism, fantasy and science fiction that is not overpowering yet deliciously on the edge, or rather, straddling a rift between earthly and alternate worlds.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Of the books and films we have read and seen, Mrs H thought it was like Madeleine L Engle (A Wrinkle in Time) meets Twilight Zone and Dr Who with undoubtedly a soupçon of Star Trek.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We both agreed that this book is very much a parable for humanity and a fragile, on-the-brink planet. Thought-provoking in the best way.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, loads to love and well worth dipping more than a toe or paw in for Christmas.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To get a copy, in whatever reality you may be in, please saunter, float or morph on down to your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there, realities and bookshops, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mollie Hunt's web page <a href="https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And here is my selfie. Mrs H said she wanted to get all of me in the frame, so I obligingly obliged with an early Sunday morning 'Breakfast Roll'. 🙂</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_GZXvgGSZHCOgM7GlBTnlQAGEH5ghQtACrNNGhklajDiArYoF6W4iBdjbUC5JggzPLFDvDfG0sUhdgqwToMNEz0W3czneytjrf8Ozgihpv2XYV7r0Q-ELHu1pX_VwhdtXM8xN6PkjVKg4zbHj33Ne_7HHGHGab-AG6SzYDXpm8w4fdpUvPnJYaStR3c/s3188/IMG_3152.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3188" data-original-width="2891" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_GZXvgGSZHCOgM7GlBTnlQAGEH5ghQtACrNNGhklajDiArYoF6W4iBdjbUC5JggzPLFDvDfG0sUhdgqwToMNEz0W3czneytjrf8Ozgihpv2XYV7r0Q-ELHu1pX_VwhdtXM8xN6PkjVKg4zbHj33Ne_7HHGHGab-AG6SzYDXpm8w4fdpUvPnJYaStR3c/s320/IMG_3152.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/12/cat-summer-book-one-in-cat-seasons.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-5843034794186319519Sun, 03 Dec 2023 08:14:00 +00002023-12-17T08:23:43.237+00:00Becka Moorbook reviewErin the Literary CatFirefly pressJo ClarkeLibby and the Manhatten MysteryLIBBY AND THE MANHATTAN MYSTERY<p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by </span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">JO CLARKE</span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">;</span>&nbsp; </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSR07mmsw09VN4qpEcjua-6Z8_-MAlgYW4Ca9I18ing9kJraPN5fV3lut7xJnNfA5w8v6jvuVzzpBQxOBc9b-JIO_51MLVAfxzkCB5VY5OsdcVcWqljdCUUSEOpt9k_23RQ0vALwTxUR_uOQ-QDOOgfJiK2jEERjgSd_fU0pxdTiahdc_WgLi_EBPIj8/s2048/IMG_0133.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSR07mmsw09VN4qpEcjua-6Z8_-MAlgYW4Ca9I18ing9kJraPN5fV3lut7xJnNfA5w8v6jvuVzzpBQxOBc9b-JIO_51MLVAfxzkCB5VY5OsdcVcWqljdCUUSEOpt9k_23RQ0vALwTxUR_uOQ-QDOOgfJiK2jEERjgSd_fU0pxdTiahdc_WgLi_EBPIj8/s320/IMG_0133.PNG" width="240" /></a><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFWqntnWi147EtcSqyp0UXvRYia9ugNe3qbT-7RS305jdg5K0zII9YjocmvRfGHBPoe18drU34WMOD6Us5qo9DAfC1FZhvagoJeuZ4ISg2i9hrCfmU0p1YcjlNzXlDRtmSIZaPETqNNNk-Dr4YdqyZecZdt0OKEmlXvOXWcotFDwQOFpluIicjWLSzXA/s1168/SS.%2026.11.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div></div><br />&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure </span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">in Middle Grade </span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fiction. PLUS a free selfie of me doing amazing hard . . . . nothings.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Before we get going I'd like to announce the winner of a copy of LT Shearer's first book, The Cat Who Caught a Killer, is Lynn, from the Precious blog. Lynn, if you'll leave Mrs H a separate comment with your postal address (we wont publish the address), we'll try to get your gift out to you ASAP. <br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">OK, so with out further ado, here's the review!</span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSR07mmsw09VN4qpEcjua-6Z8_-MAlgYW4Ca9I18ing9kJraPN5fV3lut7xJnNfA5w8v6jvuVzzpBQxOBc9b-JIO_51MLVAfxzkCB5VY5OsdcVcWqljdCUUSEOpt9k_23RQ0vALwTxUR_uOQ-QDOOgfJiK2jEERjgSd_fU0pxdTiahdc_WgLi_EBPIj8/s2048/IMG_0133.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSR07mmsw09VN4qpEcjua-6Z8_-MAlgYW4Ca9I18ing9kJraPN5fV3lut7xJnNfA5w8v6jvuVzzpBQxOBc9b-JIO_51MLVAfxzkCB5VY5OsdcVcWqljdCUUSEOpt9k_23RQ0vALwTxUR_uOQ-QDOOgfJiK2jEERjgSd_fU0pxdTiahdc_WgLi_EBPIj8/w480-h640/IMG_0133.PNG" width="480" /></a></div><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR: Jo Clarke<span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover and Interior art by: Becka Moor<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Firefly Press<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; <br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; </span></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">978 1 915 444 394&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">EBOOK ISBN: &nbsp; 978 1 915 444 400 </span></b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99 </span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 219</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp;&nbsp; 9 upwards<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">YES. Some as to plot direction and characters. </span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We are exceedingly grateful to FIREFLY PRESS Publishers for giving us advance viewing so we can Read &amp; Review this latest in series mystery adventure, just for you.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Here is a quick recap of the back story... Libby is a pupil at a rather unique school that visits a different country each term. Libby's aunt, Miss Agatha Mousedale, happens to be in charge of the school. The previous term had been spent in Edinburgh, and Libby and her best friend, Connie, had solved a fiendishly clever art crime under Connie's parent's very roof. That was quite a Christmas adventure, <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/10/libby-and-highland-heist.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">so do read our review of Libby and the Highland Heist, HERE</a>.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">With Christmas and winter out the way, Libby, Connie and Aunt Agatha arrive in New York for a new term. Leaving the airport, they are surprised when Connie's godmother and famed actress, Eloise, awaits in her chauffeur-driven limousine. Just as they pull away, Eloise picks up Count Alvarez, whose cab has been held up. They drop him off in a run-down area beside a blacked-out building. And despite having urgent business, he seems reluctant to go in. When Libby takes pictures of the buildings and area, she notices a blonde-haired lady in sunglasses watching them, but when she tries to get close, she drives off at speed.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Suspicions are kindled but put aside quickly as Libby and Connie settle into a new school building and bedroom on the top floor. Libby thinks only she and Connie are sharing, but they are soon joined by Anastasia, who is quite brash and seems boastful of having been to NY many times and knows all the best places. Libby is not amused and feels instantly pushed out as Connie and Anastasia bond instantly, and she is without a pal.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Another new face is Miss Khatun, a replacement teacher who seems very strict and stern and unusually keen on not letting Libby and her friends have fun on their own.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The students get to journey around NY in various arranged and escorted activities, and in so doing, also bump into Eloise and the Count. But something is wrong with the Count, who seems to mix up where he is from. Is it a mere mistake? And was the blonde-haired woman they see whilst in Central Park the same as the one before and following them or associated with the Count?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When Libby follows the Count to return his dropped handkerchief, he vanishes into the hotel basement. It turns out the hotel, the same one in which Eloise lives, is no longer his home, and the management is keen to speak to him about a specific matter.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">One thing leads to another, and coincidences and suspicions mount. Libby and Connie join forces, dodging Anastasia, and, along with the boys, investigate what the Count is up to. But they must still persuade Aunt Agatha to let them go places and then escape Miss Khatun. When the Count loses all the funds he has raised for a local charity, Eloise steps in to organise and host a charity auction featuring famous and very expensive jewellery.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">That, dear readers, is where I shall leave this review. I hope I have given you sufficient clues about what will come. Suffice it to say, things and people are not what or who they seem. And if you throw in an old adversary or two, and some surprise revelations about Libby's parents, you have a recipe for lots of fun and guessing.<br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, what did we think?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">****Spoiler alert**** Don't read on if you don't want to know more!&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In this third and definitely best adventure yet, we get embroiled in a plot that brings hints and flashes of adult adventure movies of past and present. With chases (through kitchens and train stations), heists, good guys and bad, and some scary underground shenanigans, there is a hearty Big Apple tang for the young mind to sink its teeth into and enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It is hard to show everything and every angle to life in NY in such a short and pacy story, but I loved the potted vibe and taste of NY that Jo achieved.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In many respects this seems like a concluding book, with many threads being drawn and tied together. But, here's the thing, in so doing, it opens out once </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">more and the next adventure is already on the cards. As to who will feature and where it will be set, I'll let the reader find out for themselves. It does promise a lot though...<br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This is a must-have for fans, who I firmly believe won't be disappointed. <br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I'll be there ready and waiting to review this for you. I have it earmarked with the publishers to get a copy ASAP.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To get a copy, and you don't have to be in NY to do so, take the Subway, tram, bus or plain walk to your local bookstore. There are plenty out there, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">JO CLARKE'S&nbsp;</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">WEB page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href=" https://jo-clarke.co.uk " style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;or type this: https://jo-clarke.co.uk&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FIREFLY PRESS'S</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><u style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE.</span></u></a></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;or type this https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">BECKA MOOR'S</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://beckamoor.com" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE.</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;or type this: https://beckamoor.com</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mrs H came in and wanted to lay down for a bit. Taking one look she proclaimed with a huff "Take the whole bed up, why don't you!" Which was a very kind offer, so I did. I did acquiesce in the end and off a slither to one side, legs hanging off the edge as well as the pillow space.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaA7IvhvLUB7M9rOJEMRn2U9jjDNabUjfA3u0befPPwCWkeUuodsUD5wRLSQ-JiGGZ6RkOojNrtB7p2QUW6h_dVSN6AjuyzSzNbRt0pXRXWpIstpYkWlfzYmSexMz8hKlVypfTMwOjsiGvrnpffDKEqjiWJZDscsMqC0j7d2DDO2yYhsGx71ujz4we2TY/s1234/SS.%203.12.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaA7IvhvLUB7M9rOJEMRn2U9jjDNabUjfA3u0befPPwCWkeUuodsUD5wRLSQ-JiGGZ6RkOojNrtB7p2QUW6h_dVSN6AjuyzSzNbRt0pXRXWpIstpYkWlfzYmSexMz8hKlVypfTMwOjsiGvrnpffDKEqjiWJZDscsMqC0j7d2DDO2yYhsGx71ujz4we2TY/w420-h640/SS.%203.12.23.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sometimes my generosity knows no bounds!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin </span></p><br /> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=312662" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/12/libby-and-manhattan-mystery.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)37
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<category>book review</category>
<category>Erin the Literary Cat</category>
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<category>Hannah Durkan</category>
<category>Hannah Prutton</category>
<category>Harry Goldhawk</category>
<category>Hazel Hill is Gonna Win this One</category>
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<category>Orla and the Magpies Kiss</category>
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<category>The Dark and Dangerous Gifts of Delores MacKenzie</category>
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<category>muder most unladylike</category>
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<category>the Extraordinary adventures of Katy Willacott</category>
<category>veronica carratello</category>
<title>Erin the Literary Cat </title>
<description>Princess on a mission to share fun and great books...</description>
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<pubDate>Sun, 17 Nov 2024 06:54:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-11-17T06:58:41.161+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Autism</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Becka Moor</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Chloë Heuch</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Diversity</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Firefly press</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Middle grade fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Neurodiverse</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">veronica carratello</category>
<title>A HISTORY OF MY WEIRD</title>
<description><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>Written by Chloë Heuch&nbsp;</span><span><span>&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2CIm4yehuTbLPN23xoppyvh9uuGhE0aphBzDcpJXEyRbM6PNbs4-NAAJz470MpaeAFiqQ8tPV0ohsEzRjHc4lQ6uSAVgKgYnVRzd3HZnAu5tLI0jEXtMhSWeALVf4PP2fRQHjjgXPDDm8zeHkWXnjC1rNeDbHK2Z0aYCYUDR2kM4bPFG8Vtg717MASA/s1060/Screenshot%202024-07-08%20at%2013.54.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small book cover image. This depicts the old asylum building and grounds in muted reds, yellows, and mauves. In front and centre, and demonstrating her gymnastic beam skills, the protagonist, Mo, is walking along a branch. To the right and behind, standing watching, is Carys, also known as Onyx. The title appears along the top of the cover, over a yellowing sky in bold lettering. Weird is in big purply red letters." border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2CIm4yehuTbLPN23xoppyvh9uuGhE0aphBzDcpJXEyRbM6PNbs4-NAAJz470MpaeAFiqQ8tPV0ohsEzRjHc4lQ6uSAVgKgYnVRzd3HZnAu5tLI0jEXtMhSWeALVf4PP2fRQHjjgXPDDm8zeHkWXnjC1rNeDbHK2Z0aYCYUDR2kM4bPFG8Vtg717MASA/w217-h320/Screenshot%202024-07-08%20at%2013.54.39.png" width="217" /></a></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: xx-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: xx-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: xx-large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><!--wp:paragraph--> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">When we were contacted and asked if we would like to review this, we took one look at the publicity details and said YES. Mrs H is autistic, and we love to see and support literature, especially for kids, that shines a positive and inclusive light on all aspects of autism. </span></p> <!--/wp:paragraph--> <!--wp:paragraph--> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Let me tell you, we have not been disappointed. So, without further ado, let's dive into this extraordinary story.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2CIm4yehuTbLPN23xoppyvh9uuGhE0aphBzDcpJXEyRbM6PNbs4-NAAJz470MpaeAFiqQ8tPV0ohsEzRjHc4lQ6uSAVgKgYnVRzd3HZnAu5tLI0jEXtMhSWeALVf4PP2fRQHjjgXPDDm8zeHkWXnjC1rNeDbHK2Z0aYCYUDR2kM4bPFG8Vtg717MASA/s1060/Screenshot%202024-07-08%20at%2013.54.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Large book cover image. This depicts the old asylum building and grounds in muted reds, yellows, and mauves. In front and centre, and demonstrating her gymnastic beam skills, the protagonist, Mo, is walking along a branch. To the right and behind, standing watching, is Carys, also known as Onyx. The title appears along the top of the cover, over a yellowing sky in bold lettering. Weird is in big purply red letters." border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="718" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2CIm4yehuTbLPN23xoppyvh9uuGhE0aphBzDcpJXEyRbM6PNbs4-NAAJz470MpaeAFiqQ8tPV0ohsEzRjHc4lQ6uSAVgKgYnVRzd3HZnAu5tLI0jEXtMhSWeALVf4PP2fRQHjjgXPDDm8zeHkWXnjC1rNeDbHK2Z0aYCYUDR2kM4bPFG8Vtg717MASA/w434-h640/Screenshot%202024-07-08%20at%2013.54.39.png" width="434" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; CHLOË HEUCH</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by:&nbsp; VERONICA CARRATELLO</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover design:&nbsp; BECKA MOOR</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; FIREFLY PRESS</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 4 JULY 24, so OUT NOW<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978-191 5444 639</b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £7.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">KINDLE price: £3.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 250</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 9+&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? No, but some piranhas make an appearance!&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme and Firefly Press Publishers for asking if we would review this. Given the subject matter, how could we say no?</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This story unfolds from the start of the new school year in September and runs through in dated chapters until the end of term in December. New year 7 student, Mo, a talented young gymnast, has arrived at her new secondary school. Her junior school friends are now seemingly under pressure to be trendy. So much so that Mo is no longer acceptable, a freak; her little necessary actions, her stimming, and her need to correct her teacher are now embarrassing. It leaves her isolated and at the mercy of other kids and, surprisingly, teachers. Her factual nature, truthfulness, and following of the rules soon land her in detention for correcting a statement made by her teacher. Worse, when jostled by a onetime friend, who then stumbles, Mo gets blamed and is labelled a problem child and taken off the gymnastics team.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mo's time at home is split between her divorced parents and their respective partners. It is an arrangement that, whilst a bit chaotic, works. But finding a way to express herself is difficult. Issues with a new maths teacher, tantamount to bullying, discrimination and segregation, go unspoken and unnoticed.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">One saving grace is a quiet girl called Carys, the only supportive classmate when Mo is sent out of class. But can Carys, considered an emo/goth by the other kids and thus also a freak, be a friend? She strangely wants to be called Onyx in private. It is another mystery that Mo's autistic mind needs to fathom.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When the Mo and Carys decide to go to the drama club, a tentative bond is formed. These things build, and Mo is invited back to eat with Carys' family. But&nbsp;Mo finds a change in Carys and her mum, tiptoeing around their father, a stickler for girls looking and acting the prim and subservient female stereotypes.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Mo naturally gives a truthful reply, the father leaves the table and asks for Mo to be taken home after eating.&nbsp;Again, alone, Mo is confused as to what she has done. Could Carys/Onyx's silence and absence from school have something to do with her?</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This becomes a turning point in the book. Carys' father drives a huge wedge in their friendship, to the point that the two mustn't even talk to each other at school. The penalty for Mo's continued 'bad' influence will be Carys' removal to a church school.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But where there is a will, there is a way. During history lessons, the class has been looking at Victorian asylums and who would be put in them. Sometimes, it was women who had the wrong lover or those with depression, grief, or learning disabilities such as autism.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With her special and consuming interest in gymnastics taken from her and lessons at school fraught, MoMo finds a new passion in researching their local asylum, in which she soon discovers her great uncle was incarcerated.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, between pursuing a forbidden friendship, being persuaded to audition for a role in the school play, and venturing to look at and then go into the old asylum, we have a recipe for everything else that happens; the good and the very bad.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A lot plays out from here on, so to avoid any significant spoilers, I feel it best to stop the review here. Suffice it to say, things come to a dramatic and painful head.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a very compelling and sincere read from a skilled writer.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Even as recently as 2020, you'd be very hard-pressed to find secondary autistic and differently-abled characters in books for kids. Indeed, finding a lead character who also happened to be autistic was exceptionally rare. I can only think of one as I type.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">That all changed in the mainstream press in June 2020 with the publication of A Kind of Spark, by Elle McNicoll. <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/01/a-kind-of-spark.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">See our review HERE</a>.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Kids who are also autistic finally had a chance to see another autistic child in print being just themselves, capable, energetic, loveable and loving, and as mischievous as any other child—just slightly different but not less.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The struggles they and their parents face—be it from other kids or from those who were there to teach but saw the one child as needy or a nuisance they didn't have time for—are laid bare for all to see. In so doing, things can be talked about, and action can be taken.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What makes this book so different and readable is that the author chose to have her lead character look at the way patients were treated in asylums of old, like Bethlem. Mo's great-uncle was committed to one in the town she lives in. The once elegant facade of Victorian society's reluctance to face anything or anyone even remotely divergent from the norm and a burgeoning medical regimen bordering on barbarism is reduced by vandalism and arson to a burnt-out, brooding skeleton of some ghastly behemoth.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The secrets and tortures committed inside its walls in the name of medicine and family convenience have long since been lost to all. Only haunting images in sepia-stained photographs and fading entries in admittance logs remain. The relevance and connection to herself is not lost on Mo.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This theme steers much of the story, both in and out of school, and leads to a catalytic and calamitous life-changing event towards the end. But it isn't everything.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Running deftly alongside, we&nbsp;see our protagonist trying to gain and understand friendship. Onetime friends are now taunting enemies. Then there's the mystery of Carys? What drives this elusive young goth ally, who vanishes from school and would rather have a secret name? Is she actually a friend? There is also Mo&nbsp;dealing with puberty and other physical changes that are harder for those with sensory issues.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is also good to see that the story doesn't avoid adult issues and split families. Reality does bite and it is good to see a reflection of life, tempered for Middle Grade readers.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, in conclusion.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As important a book for youngsters on the autistic spectrum&nbsp;(and their family and teachers) as 'A Kind of Spark', by Elle McNicoll, was when published.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Truly inspired writing with a satisfyingly different theme covering more than just the now well-written-about aspects of and problems facing autistic children and families. Diverse and inclusive - writing at its very BEST. We started Friday morning and finished in the evening as we just had to know how it ended. We didn't once feel that the messages within were diluted or laboured.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">All in all, there is something for everyone and enough of everything to make this a wholly satisfying and captivating read. A classroom must-read.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please avoid derelict buildings and head straight to your local independent bookshop. Or, order online. Most booksellers, large or small, will gladly get this for you.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Firefly Press web page <a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Chloë Heuch's web page <a href="https://www.chloeheuch.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://www.chloeheuch.co.uk/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Veronica Carratello's web page <a href="https://www.veronicacarratello.com/ " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://www.veronicacarratello.com/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a Selfie of ME!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVb_ehAZ5gG9aAo5tR7tJegWzKfZVlrra1-LBfGikHsi5MBc34IJYFUfOrv-uBc7mZa2_jJ00VPl3D9uM5sLKN_c3sNY4ZWl1dyrLS5_RR-P6UQv1ChcLp7RPXZKpl5dj-8hjkPw3SqcWLf_NyM768JUG4pq89f_1Qh5GWM0mq3CUP5vKltRODVYVe_8/s2100/SS.%2017.11.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1575" data-original-width="2100" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyVb_ehAZ5gG9aAo5tR7tJegWzKfZVlrra1-LBfGikHsi5MBc34IJYFUfOrv-uBc7mZa2_jJ00VPl3D9uM5sLKN_c3sNY4ZWl1dyrLS5_RR-P6UQv1ChcLp7RPXZKpl5dj-8hjkPw3SqcWLf_NyM768JUG4pq89f_1Qh5GWM0mq3CUP5vKltRODVYVe_8/w640-h480/SS.%2017.11.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/naughty-cat-returns/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">🙂 🙂</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315463" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/11/a-history-of-my-weird.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha2CIm4yehuTbLPN23xoppyvh9uuGhE0aphBzDcpJXEyRbM6PNbs4-NAAJz470MpaeAFiqQ8tPV0ohsEzRjHc4lQ6uSAVgKgYnVRzd3HZnAu5tLI0jEXtMhSWeALVf4PP2fRQHjjgXPDDm8zeHkWXnjC1rNeDbHK2Z0aYCYUDR2kM4bPFG8Vtg717MASA/s72-w217-h320-c/Screenshot%202024-07-08%20at%2013.54.39.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>15</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-3619802620762573179</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Nov 2024 08:09:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-11-03T08:14:01.911+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sunday Selfie</category>
<title>Sunday Selfie time!</title>
<description><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to a another weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week Mrs H and I have been preparing for the inevitable slew of firework displays that spoil the tranquility of the East Lambtonshire county area. Noise like the war has broken out again, along with flashes so bright that I was able to send old Ned out to do an extra 2 hours of gardening.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here in the village, we have quieter celebrations, revelling in winter fare consisting of hot toddies, and puddings rich in treacle, apples and cream. The telling of tales is allowed, but has to be done by candlelight in an aromatic setting, and by that I don't mean folks have catnip pipes, but nutmeg and cinamon, that sort of thing.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">After a final glass is raised to friends old and new, by the light of the stars only, we all wend our way to our beds. Thankfully, this year we have not had to avoid tripping over any of farmer Clarksin's sheep. In previous years they have managed to break into the fresh silage supplies and have end up drunk and scattered liberally around the village, hooves up, and bleating out of tune!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So fully sober, well I am anyway, Mrs H I can not fully vouch for as her bun looks more tousled than normal and the knitting needles holding it together far more askew, lets get on with the selfies!</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7F8BGE11PVIAlnMNEyg-U0TxkRdGsFKR7tPIa-xhXBQqv6YPfOX8qN88S9bjdNbzc_SfVWOwTZqF4nPkr77z3cFqPcOkp3ge_3LH82rh2pE1skGG7ZGgc_3QT8UiwJho8vpL4jALnQdMl008VCpwWqOg2sB5vCiunF4TjJXjXFBCChAdGXHw3KHne_k/s4032/SS.%203.11.24.jpg"><img alt="Erin, thats me, lies part curled on my grey fleece bed cover. My body head and legs point to the right and my front left paw rests in part on a wooden handled metal comb. I am clearly enjoying the sun on my back from the window, which is making the fur on my back shine auburn." border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7F8BGE11PVIAlnMNEyg-U0TxkRdGsFKR7tPIa-xhXBQqv6YPfOX8qN88S9bjdNbzc_SfVWOwTZqF4nPkr77z3cFqPcOkp3ge_3LH82rh2pE1skGG7ZGgc_3QT8UiwJho8vpL4jALnQdMl008VCpwWqOg2sB5vCiunF4TjJXjXFBCChAdGXHw3KHne_k/w480-h640/SS.%203.11.24.jpg" title="A rare sun puddle brings delight." width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/autumn-ginger-tabby/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315356" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--></description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/11/sunday-selfie-time.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEit7F8BGE11PVIAlnMNEyg-U0TxkRdGsFKR7tPIa-xhXBQqv6YPfOX8qN88S9bjdNbzc_SfVWOwTZqF4nPkr77z3cFqPcOkp3ge_3LH82rh2pE1skGG7ZGgc_3QT8UiwJho8vpL4jALnQdMl008VCpwWqOg2sB5vCiunF4TjJXjXFBCChAdGXHw3KHne_k/s72-w480-h640-c/SS.%203.11.24.jpg" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>18</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-7002214493801445495</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 20 Oct 2024 06:10:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-10-20T07:20:14.724+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">giveaway</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Prize winners</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sunday Selfie</category>
<title>Giveaway Winners and a Selfie</title>
<description><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello and welcome to our weekend selfie session.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But first, hot off the ironing board and narrowly avoiding being swallowed up by Mrs H's huge starched and dazzlingly white pantaloons, we can announce that the lucky winners of our giveaway from the last post are:</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mudpie and the Melissa's Mochas, Mysteries &amp; Meows blog &amp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The J Cats Blog<br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoAuPQjaR53MhS2H9Qmy2lhLHxKVRbdIoVlwH4-MqKStDhvl-q7xVmYRAVcb-_0uckkPWdP_G6e06F7QJK5oCBLAuEVm39SkOunZYUEqNRNCCmsF09CfMoHseET2ay1nSA0zgtSZKzT13oRGe3L4xZwk5vjlkKd_CNPbREB1Hbb9VL59-Ha93-6G33Pg/s2684/Paperback%20front%20cover%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2684" data-original-width="1745" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoAuPQjaR53MhS2H9Qmy2lhLHxKVRbdIoVlwH4-MqKStDhvl-q7xVmYRAVcb-_0uckkPWdP_G6e06F7QJK5oCBLAuEVm39SkOunZYUEqNRNCCmsF09CfMoHseET2ay1nSA0zgtSZKzT13oRGe3L4xZwk5vjlkKd_CNPbREB1Hbb9VL59-Ha93-6G33Pg/w260-h400/Paperback%20front%20cover%20copy.jpg" width="260" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Congratulations! Please both confirm your postal addresses (in a comment that we will delete after use) and Mrs H will make sure a copy of the book wings its way, one way or another, to your letterbox.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Should either NOT wish the prize of a copy of our newly released book, please just say and we will redraw another prize winner.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enough of the business side of things, here's a selfie of me on a cold autumnal morning, checking out the bed fleece COB comfort rating (that's Cat on Bed rating, MOL).</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUabKiUFqqIQPEKAJ4AJksCr4JDr1lRjRKcoCMdRQvAtmdpDB_xkDrE6dPUQo0uGHKFGVcyTKqIB2z8cwov9FLg1i2RfYI91PjTu12-On6w6arUg7kglFMAR_u4VJyoSc0IvTdBpt-47CQSoM8Z50j1GUabd7TL9BPlS5QVsCAi_1LzsL3ygcCOXcqMM/s4032/SS%2020.10.24.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRUabKiUFqqIQPEKAJ4AJksCr4JDr1lRjRKcoCMdRQvAtmdpDB_xkDrE6dPUQo0uGHKFGVcyTKqIB2z8cwov9FLg1i2RfYI91PjTu12-On6w6arUg7kglFMAR_u4VJyoSc0IvTdBpt-47CQSoM8Z50j1GUabd7TL9BPlS5QVsCAi_1LzsL3ygcCOXcqMM/w480-h640/SS%2020.10.24.jpeg" width="480" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/tocktober-selfies-the-2024-edition/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315261" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/10/giveaway-winners-and-selfie.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWoAuPQjaR53MhS2H9Qmy2lhLHxKVRbdIoVlwH4-MqKStDhvl-q7xVmYRAVcb-_0uckkPWdP_G6e06F7QJK5oCBLAuEVm39SkOunZYUEqNRNCCmsF09CfMoHseET2ay1nSA0zgtSZKzT13oRGe3L4xZwk5vjlkKd_CNPbREB1Hbb9VL59-Ha93-6G33Pg/s72-w260-h400-c/Paperback%20front%20cover%20copy.jpg" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>38</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1289417716374066889</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Oct 2024 06:33:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-11-01T13:18:55.548+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">action</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Book Launch</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cats</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Chumley and Hudson Investigate the King Herod's Affair</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">dogs</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Middle grade fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mystery Adventure</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sunday Selfie</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">talking cats</category>
<title>The ULTIMATE Book Review & GIVEAWAY</title>
<description><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, Everyone!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Today, we have a special announcement. This week, after a small series of technical hitches, Mrs H and I jointly pressed the key that sent our new and first book into publication, with the aid of a lodger who recently took our attic room at a most reasonable rent and ad-lib unspecified services rendered in the house, garden and around the grounds.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yup, it has been a long, long journey, starting way back in 2018. It has been tinged with sadness, and also delight.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">But let’s not dig into who got flour and butter on my new notepad. Or how old Ned, the gardener, not only got grass seed in the Manor's PC but managed to spill tea on it and got said seed to sprout. Then later, after trying to mow it, destroyed the keyboard.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fear not, all things are possible when writing adventures, and all solutions available to the detective with a nose and whiskers for finding solutions to the most unusual of incidents that befall us in Upper Much-Mousing.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here is a picture of the cover, so ably created by an outstanding artist in South Africa called Craig D Howarth. Craig spent many long hours, days and weeks toiling away, risking life and limb and several literature-starved lions, to create all the art, inside and out. Not once, but twice, as the book changed in editing.</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1QW6nkyyDEvPr_2Ra273KlH4gCfbkF2HqZmu1UynNk4cfuG-zUgfqIaD7LV5MCMj2Ct0T9Uiz45prmry1s5yXsMLwPQU2uhO7qZjWPrwdWjCOeGiVyRuKBMxEmukvqVP10-I2NqkpE7eKIIj3XN_Cnv95gC4ck3kmLSgcNNSyLbf-Hm5spUpHW7ClH8/s3872/Mark%20Watson%20Cover%20copy.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="The title is set in an art deco upright rectangle with three short fins on each side that taper downwards. The colours used are three shades of green with black writing. Erin the tuxedo cat sits in a bicycle's front basket while Mrs Hudson, Erin's housekeeper and governess, cycles from left to right, pursued by a happy golden coated retriever type dog. There is a two tone blue sky, and green foliage around the bottom half of the cover, dotted with pink rose blooms. The author is named in white." border="0" data-original-height="3470" data-original-width="3872" height="573" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1QW6nkyyDEvPr_2Ra273KlH4gCfbkF2HqZmu1UynNk4cfuG-zUgfqIaD7LV5MCMj2Ct0T9Uiz45prmry1s5yXsMLwPQU2uhO7qZjWPrwdWjCOeGiVyRuKBMxEmukvqVP10-I2NqkpE7eKIIj3XN_Cnv95gC4ck3kmLSgcNNSyLbf-Hm5spUpHW7ClH8/w640-h573/Mark%20Watson%20Cover%20copy.jpg" title="Book cover image." width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Image copyright CD Howarth &amp; Erin the Cat Princess©</td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mrs H and I are thrilled with how the artwork turned out. With the help of an independent publisher, Jane’s Studio Press, based in Scotland, to help set out the edited work, we have achieved an awesome result.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here is the lowdown on the adventure, as taken from our book:-</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>“Welcome to 1920s Britain, where cats and dogs have a voice and are treated as equals to humans. In the quaint village of Upper Much-Mousing, one lucky young cat named Erin Chumley inherits an old manor house and Estate. But with it comes responsibility and bills, and Erin must navigate her new life with the help of her housekeeper and tutor, Mrs. Hudson, a retired Army veteran with a mysterious past.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Together, Erin and Mrs. Hudson start a detective agency to earn funds and teach Erin about the world. But their first case takes them to the bustling city of London, to the famous King Herod’s Department store. Three kittens have gone missing, and it’s up to our dynamic duo to solve the case. But what starts as a simple investigation quickly turns into a dangerous race against time, as they must save the kittens from the clutches of the evil and lazy Anders, the store’s nighttime security guard. As they dig deeper, they uncover a sinister black-market gang stealing from the store, and must also help their feline seamstress friend, Jenifer Darcy, get the recognition she deserves for her work.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Join Erin and Mrs. Hudson on their witty and whimsical adventure, filled with action, fun, and heartwarming moments. Perfect for young middle-grade readers looking for a fun and exciting read.”</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">*****GIVEAWAY*****</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As a special launch time (not lunchtime) gift, we are making a copy of the paperback available to two lucky Sunday Selfie bloggers who comment on this post between now and midnight next Saturday, 12th October BST. The winners must be willing and able to supply a postal address to allow an Amazon delivery. Mrs H or I will contact the winners by leaving a comment on the winners’ blogs.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, so enough of the surprise news, here' is a special, book launch selfie of me spreading the news!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/super-meowdel-competition-heats-up/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwnLES2KgP3_Yl7nGy4wkFTM4-waaaxZbjDr448oBVJc-aTkSXg-97ND8Gf-NgPTfS3D1Cuyc8vgyL0UkTYKZFmCdv28NBX6LNDdwoEcPwxiAkDFQeH2pSL_XO7wvn8aw8d0L9Xgf0e90aWvILYjIdEK4lQDG3XR0wLnInPCHLYHhdn52glCO843rpMs/s3340/IMG_3739.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3340" height="582" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYwnLES2KgP3_Yl7nGy4wkFTM4-waaaxZbjDr448oBVJc-aTkSXg-97ND8Gf-NgPTfS3D1Cuyc8vgyL0UkTYKZFmCdv28NBX6LNDdwoEcPwxiAkDFQeH2pSL_XO7wvn8aw8d0L9Xgf0e90aWvILYjIdEK4lQDG3XR0wLnInPCHLYHhdn52glCO843rpMs/w643-h582/IMG_3739.jpg" width="643" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Erin the Cat Princess©</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315171" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/10/the-ultimate-book-review-giveaway.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH1QW6nkyyDEvPr_2Ra273KlH4gCfbkF2HqZmu1UynNk4cfuG-zUgfqIaD7LV5MCMj2Ct0T9Uiz45prmry1s5yXsMLwPQU2uhO7qZjWPrwdWjCOeGiVyRuKBMxEmukvqVP10-I2NqkpE7eKIIj3XN_Cnv95gC4ck3kmLSgcNNSyLbf-Hm5spUpHW7ClH8/s72-w640-h573-c/Mark%20Watson%20Cover%20copy.jpg" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>40</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-8899783171747040772</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 29 Sep 2024 06:41:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-09-29T07:44:03.995+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sunday Selfie</category>
<title>Sunday Selfie and the UMMP</title>
<description><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to a another weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week, we, and that is the royal we, ie Mrs H and Ned the gardener, have been preparing for a major event to be held at the Manor House in the next few days. There will be guests from around the globe, as well as royalty and a president. Two canine pals of ours should be coming, too, and have promised only to bit the ankles of local politicians. But to be on the safe side, I have suggested the vicar wears his reinforced cassock. Trouble fun and delight will come in equal from three kittens, who, along with their mom, Esme, will be making a guest appearance. To find out more, watch out for a special mid-week post!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, so mysteries aside, Mrs H has been busy with her new internet connection. Yup, the string has been strung from the downstairs window and, thanks to the help of some bale twin and oddments of fence posts secured across fields and hedges by Ned, now reaches to Upper Much-Mousing Library. We now have, for a very reasonable fee, 24hr connection to as much data as Ms Brend Wormley (librarian and insomniac) can shout down the tin can at us. We have named this service The UMM-Pedia! We are hoping it catches on, as additional strings to Mrs Singh's International Emporium would mean we can do on-string shopping! Do you all have a version of the UMMP?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyways, enough of the frivolities, here's a selfie of me, hostess to the stars, trying out my casual 'this happens every day' kind of casual look.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/autumn-astrid-2/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikC6dOjfJ-8cTbwUUBT0gLNm-EYtqNKPZ9AlK6da59ZUqiFwsq4jGKXHEp5uB6rZ6695xc7OIBWlCA_o-XP5A9kePQmRPuZZ-7CZNdbn-5u8JinfJxkY__TsmJO6riwaRQxCetK-ZSyv8lYYOdiOfVl-UuXJJ7mdkgiij5Slic9FaxjQ05P_rRue6a8oA/s3148/SS%2029.9.24.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2683" data-original-width="3148" height="546" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikC6dOjfJ-8cTbwUUBT0gLNm-EYtqNKPZ9AlK6da59ZUqiFwsq4jGKXHEp5uB6rZ6695xc7OIBWlCA_o-XP5A9kePQmRPuZZ-7CZNdbn-5u8JinfJxkY__TsmJO6riwaRQxCetK-ZSyv8lYYOdiOfVl-UuXJJ7mdkgiij5Slic9FaxjQ05P_rRue6a8oA/w640-h546/SS%2029.9.24.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div> <!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315125" type="text/javascript" ></script><!-- end LinkyTools script --> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/09/sunday-selfie-and-ummp.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s72-w200-h200-c/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>16</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-6848382580841806635</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 15 Sep 2024 08:56:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-09-29T06:56:57.013+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cats</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fun</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sunday Selfie</category>
<title>Sunday Selfiie</title>
<description><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to a weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mrs H and I have been dealing with the fallout of an internet supplier change this week, which has left certain of our tech confused.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Who knew that tech could be flummoxed! It has got to the point that I have had to instruct Mrs H to call in the advisers from our energy company who supplied the tech and see if they can fix it.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That was done this morning, after which I sent Mrs H out for a four mile cycle ride around the local reservoir to get her fit. That was on top of a two mile hike to the shops and back yesterday. The Dr said we both had to get fit, so I am determined that we do so. Now, if you think that the activities solely include Mrs H, then fear not, I get my steps in, too, as she insists on recounting every step and wheel turn of her adventures. Being chased by geese, and one overly friendly dog, seem to have been the highlights. The latter did have a plus as she was forced into a military quickstep to shake off the dog!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So on that note, and as I can see Mrs H struggling to get out of the tight lycra outfit and needs some advice, here's a selfie of me, doing my impression of running. Which is about as energetic as I intend too get on a Sunday before my breakfast, MOL.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<u><i><a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/remembering-misty-may/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this sentence to visit Janet Blue's site.</a></i></u></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE-1lz1x9YZaAQUS5-n056_bA7KOc_f78gJ7MJVmpoAYsMaKGA3LcZOcYb3ihyphenhyphenieDtBrPJWyOg35AI-SGfHSLI4nL_F5-80AjR_FKANiXpKeitm8MBOqRHgUPRgKUqcSatlzWBAV8_Os7J6Ydgh-JfGylO7Epvh_2OEDvRmIyt3WDlruuvxMoEW0tClI/s1957/IMG_3788.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1690" data-original-width="1957" height="552" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaE-1lz1x9YZaAQUS5-n056_bA7KOc_f78gJ7MJVmpoAYsMaKGA3LcZOcYb3ihyphenhyphenieDtBrPJWyOg35AI-SGfHSLI4nL_F5-80AjR_FKANiXpKeitm8MBOqRHgUPRgKUqcSatlzWBAV8_Os7J6Ydgh-JfGylO7Epvh_2OEDvRmIyt3WDlruuvxMoEW0tClI/w640-h552/IMG_3788.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=315032" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/09/hello-and-welcome-to-weekend-selfie.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s72-w200-h200-c/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>15</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-4340096234188945429</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 01 Sep 2024 07:04:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-09-02T07:35:36.335+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sunday Selfie</category>
<title>A leaning Sunday Selfie.....</title>
<description><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to a weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Oh, what a couple of weeks. Since we last posted a selfie, Mrs H and I have been beavering away with sorting out some final edits from Kerry in America, and her husband, David. The final KDP (Kindle Direct Publishing) doc arrived here last week, and Mrs H went into edit mode, meaning long hours at MY laptop spent trying to forget she'd read this story hundreds of times before. Fresh eyes, it seems, do come with a new pair of spectacles, which must be down to having a stronger prescription.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yup, you guessed it on the second re-read; most like the 501st in real time, she discovered a continuity error concerning a pair of boots with a minor 'walk-on' role. All her fault, I hasten to add. Further checks discovered several, if not lots, of other minor errors that had slipped through the writing and editorial net. I put this down to having way too much fun reading the story and that glass of sherry.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sadly for me, this has meant many days of ready meals only. Also, her moans and groans as she spots another issue have meant countless disturbed naps throughout the day.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If I had known five years ago that this would be the case, I'd have opted to write a picture book instead! 🙂</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyways, enough about book publishing pains, here is a selfie of yours truly settling down for some much-needed rest. Which isn't easy when the subsidence in the east wing bedroom, MOL</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. <a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/loafing-tabby-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this text to LINK to their Sunday Selfie site, and to enter.&nbsp;</a></span></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><p></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI6bkwsu6igRLrIgVPc07ZvKHIeGeRcbI_u1zooEfJW2sstQ9JxaPuZlaT8xgKPVW-4-sQRs9zj8ifwDcm3ctwNYUZcp99NM0sEMz7sq6dBbV-0yYcz6PUUv2yzUa3cDInP-2o8R5zL692tjFJ9ZKEoKAsB8mqyv_dRvLCruost8NLSInBCkE8uJp7EQ/s4032/IMG_3781.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiI6bkwsu6igRLrIgVPc07ZvKHIeGeRcbI_u1zooEfJW2sstQ9JxaPuZlaT8xgKPVW-4-sQRs9zj8ifwDcm3ctwNYUZcp99NM0sEMz7sq6dBbV-0yYcz6PUUv2yzUa3cDInP-2o8R5zL692tjFJ9ZKEoKAsB8mqyv_dRvLCruost8NLSInBCkE8uJp7EQ/w480-h640/IMG_3781.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p></p><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><br /></p> <!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314933" type="text/javascript" ></script><!-- end LinkyTools script --> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/09/a-leaning-sunday-selfie.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s72-w200-h200-c/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>19</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-8977769446490734960</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 18 Aug 2024 08:20:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-10-05T19:02:36.221+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cats</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fun</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sunday Selfie</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Upper Much-Mousing</category>
<title>A Paint Free Selfie. Yippee!</title>
<description><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello and welcome to a weekend selfie.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week we have mainly been sorting out household things. No painting involved which also means no mess to clear up. That's a win for me as the paint is super smelly, and a win for Mrs H who is usually forced into multiple baths to remove stray emulsion droplets from her face and hair.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We certainly don't want a repeat of the last time when the vicar spread the rumour that we both had all come down with measles when it was in fact merely splashes from Mrs H's new spray gun which had exploded in a shower of metallic red paint when the hose got crimped!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Least said the better about who caused the crimp, save to say that in my defence I thought the red curly vibrating thing was a vicious and rare red cobra sneaking up on Mrs H in her motorcycle workshop!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Anyways, enough about paint, here is a selfie of yours truly without measly spots of any colour, taking a well earned Sunday rest.&nbsp;</span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/calista-jos-stinky-eyed-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_peeEwyBJUCkKYRsEJ4FsYPe3phKEWdYMVdl2dLSi7bgbQZHNZ40aCAWO2FmB-u9PmzRtAkTi0XDua8qh-Jo2tyjNk0y3TsKb2FkdoNi33mzt-DKT67QbfUHI5AZtgU-qtsTvfYrljgV8jBWHoQAUhLXsOCzNlrtt1GLojZ5Z8MFaAoMs33sXmdu3Jo/s1954/IMG_3769.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1954" data-original-width="1692" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW_peeEwyBJUCkKYRsEJ4FsYPe3phKEWdYMVdl2dLSi7bgbQZHNZ40aCAWO2FmB-u9PmzRtAkTi0XDua8qh-Jo2tyjNk0y3TsKb2FkdoNi33mzt-DKT67QbfUHI5AZtgU-qtsTvfYrljgV8jBWHoQAUhLXsOCzNlrtt1GLojZ5Z8MFaAoMs33sXmdu3Jo/w554-h640/IMG_3769.jpg" width="554" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span>&nbsp;</p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314836" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/08/a-paint-free-selfie-yippee.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s72-w200-h200-c/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>17</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-5281414297562757335</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 04 Aug 2024 06:26:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-08-04T11:05:06.921+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adult Fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cat Winter</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cats</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fantasy</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mollie Hunt</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">spiritual</category>
<title>CAT WINTER</title>
<description><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Written by MOLLIE HUNT.&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpFgcn48OXIili0bjCoZShhDaGavq8jesILrt0Z0WYtV7pUKVaVCj2q8mfTItT4Yl376csWZInJtt8bjqpStGDz5w5Q33JksHp5MP9hNEqNCxqXE5X8PRZT3jQbHB6OrHqfC7AkyCkKy5E2Q3xlTV6FLoT__wNiTc01676zk4if3O8nFYos8qV7Jcinw/s1054/Screenshot%202024-06-25%20at%2010.57.42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A black cat, sprinkled with some snow, occupies the bottom half and foreground of the cover. They sit in front of a snow covered woodland clearing with snow covered grey and black trunked trees behind. The title, Cat Winter, is written above in a chilly blue and white curly script. The authors name in capitals is along the bottom. To the left of the cat in the near foreground sits a Siamese-like cat. To the right of the black cat, and in the background sits another cat, possibly light tabby in colour. The cover has a very wintery feel due to the snow and black trees." border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="714" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpFgcn48OXIili0bjCoZShhDaGavq8jesILrt0Z0WYtV7pUKVaVCj2q8mfTItT4Yl376csWZInJtt8bjqpStGDz5w5Q33JksHp5MP9hNEqNCxqXE5X8PRZT3jQbHB6OrHqfC7AkyCkKy5E2Q3xlTV6FLoT__wNiTc01676zk4if3O8nFYos8qV7Jcinw/w217-h320/Screenshot%202024-06-25%20at%2010.57.42.png" width="217" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /></span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Adult Fiction from CWA member and prolific writer of cosy and less cosy mysteries and adventures, Mollie Hunt.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">No rambling intro this week, so let's dive straight in to a chilly adventure where things very soon HOT up. . . .&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpFgcn48OXIili0bjCoZShhDaGavq8jesILrt0Z0WYtV7pUKVaVCj2q8mfTItT4Yl376csWZInJtt8bjqpStGDz5w5Q33JksHp5MP9hNEqNCxqXE5X8PRZT3jQbHB6OrHqfC7AkyCkKy5E2Q3xlTV6FLoT__wNiTc01676zk4if3O8nFYos8qV7Jcinw/s1054/Screenshot%202024-06-25%20at%2010.57.42.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="A black cat, sprinkled with some snow, occupies the bottom half and foreground of the cover. They sit in front of a snow covered woodland clearing with snow covered grey and black trunked trees behind. The title, Cat Winter, is written above in a chilly blue and white curly script. The authors name in capitals is along the bottom. To the left of the cat in the near foreground sits a Siamese-like cat. To the right of the black cat, and in the background sits another cat, possibly light tabby in colour. The cover has a very wintery feel due to the snow and black trees." border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="714" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpFgcn48OXIili0bjCoZShhDaGavq8jesILrt0Z0WYtV7pUKVaVCj2q8mfTItT4Yl376csWZInJtt8bjqpStGDz5w5Q33JksHp5MP9hNEqNCxqXE5X8PRZT3jQbHB6OrHqfC7AkyCkKy5E2Q3xlTV6FLoT__wNiTc01676zk4if3O8nFYos8qV7Jcinw/w434-h640/Screenshot%202024-06-25%20at%2010.57.42.png" width="434" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; MOLLIE HUNT</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by:&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Roslyn McFarland</b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; Independently published</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 19/12/2020<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN: 198 406 2247&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £11.95 / $15</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle price: £4.73 / $5.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 365</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; Adult</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? As this is Mollie, there are lots and lots of cats, with some human companions/cohabiters</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I treated Mrs H to this as I was keen to see what happened next. So, unusually, it is Mrs H thanking me!&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Our main protagonist is Slayter, an elegant and lithe black cat, who lives with another feline, Emma, in the home of their cohabiter human, Claire.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We also have Zaadkiel, an entity that had recently attained consciousness in the cosmic soup from which all life and planets began. In the beginning, we see how this entity changes over millennia, finally through curiosity reaching out across all of time and space to become informed.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is the eve of a new season, Spring, and snow is in the air and on the ground. But it is also a moment in time called the Winter Verus, a time when winter stops still, literally suspended, and things can no longer be measured in time as we recognise it. Snowflakes are frozen mid-air, and a deafening silence swallows all who tread this space. During this period, nine feline emissaries of the council can slip between the seconds to execute the Rectification of the Variants and put to right the human wrongs, at least those they can impact. In doing so, they reset existence for Earth and every creature hereon.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The two cats head off on a mission; two of the nine cats chosen by a feline council to correct the wrongs that have happened. It is a given the wrongs or incidents that need correcting all involve humans. Incidents that, though seemingly trivial, if not corrected and the humans sent the right way, will lead to tragedy and travesty on a scale dangerous to all species and the planet. Simple choices that, when corrected, would stop an individual man from committing a second murder, which would have led to starting a dangerous cult, causing widespread death and fear.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Each of the nine cats chosen for this year's Verus has a connection to the events and humans that cause the variants. Each cat has come from afar and wouldn't, under normal circumstances, have worked in a group. They meet up, and after introduction, the adventure begins, but not without tensions evolving into blows.&nbsp;It is more than a quest and potentially far more perilous.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">When Slayter's task differs from the others, things take a turn for the worse. He arrives in a place and amongst people, scientists and cosmologists, he does not know. It seems that all he had to do was awaken one of the astronomers from his sleep. In doing so, the man sees something in the night sky far away that otherwise he would have missed. But Slayter senses something terrible, a shadowy malevolence lurking beyond sight and mind. It is the same evil that Zaadkiel, the star-chameleon entity deep within its black hole, could feel, too. It was a poison in the new world he had so very recently discovered. The entity knew this disease must be cut out.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Lost in a daydream about his strange task, Slayter catches up with the others to discover one of the cats has arrived at their scene to find the human they needed to help was dead. A husk that, on touching, disintegrated with a curdling scream into dust and a small ashen pellet.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is thought to be a freak coincidence, yet, in this suspended between-seconds world, there is only one true answer – a murderer is running amok.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fearful of what may have happened or will happen to Claire, Slayter and Emma rush home. It is from here on that Claire becomes involved. Slayter's fears over what is happening, the scientist, and the malevolence he feels cause him to reveal the cats' ability to speak, the task and the dangers. If anyone can help the cats, Slayter feels it is Claire, which, indeed, she can. Having contacted the scientist, the three head off to meet him.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, from here on in, things ramp up. The malevolence gets a name, in fact, two, the first being 'the Other'. It is intent on consuming all things on a galactic and dimensional scale. But he has found adoration among the tiny worthless inhabitants of one of the many planets he seeks to destroy. He will spare them as he is vain and loves the adoration. He loves to watch how, when he turns one of their number to dust, they praise him more. Yet, on the same planet, there is an irritation, a force that can harm him. The Other is aware of Zaadkiel, too, and seeks to destroy it, to suck out its energy.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Zaadkiel needs help to remove the evil, which they realise they can't do themselves. Reaching out across time and space faster than light, it finds, or rather senses, an ally on Earth in the form of a small sentient being known as Slayter.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And so Earth becomes the battleground for two mighty opposing forces. Primordial good and evil incarnate. It becomes a place where the fight to save everything from the moment of&nbsp;creation forward will transcend time, space, and even life itself. All actions have consequences, and Slayter and his newfound friends have only one chance to put right the biggest variant of all. They also have a whole new earth-bound enemy, too!</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I was half expecting this to be an extension of the first-in-series and wasn't entirely sure what 'new' could be brought to a previous all-encompassing and seemingly complete story. And for a moment, in the opening chapters, it seemed I was right. I really needn't have worried, as soon enough, with obligatory character introductions and scene setting complete, we ventured where no reader has boldly gone before. The cast of felines, naturally enough, have more than an inkling as to what must be done. Thankfully, they, too, were unprepared.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Like the best, and I do mean the best, sci-fi movies, we were enthralled by diving ever deeper and ultimately into an almost maelstrom of physical and astral planes through which our protagonists must travel. The text is rich, evocative, and full of terms that had Mrs H reaching for her science dictionary and brought added credence (though not needed for us) to the plot.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We both, after trying to draw comparisons to works we already know, especially movies/TV, which many more will be familiar with than sci-fi fantasy books. We came up with four: Inception, Contact (by the late great Carl Sagan), Interstellar, and Quantum Leap.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is highly appealing that this book inhabits time and space, has earthy, earthly and unearthly characters, good and heinous, and has a spiritual flavour, something for everyone. And it does all that with so much aplomb.&nbsp;It became a seat-of-the-pants tale that was wholly satisfying.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fear not; this story isn't spaceships and warp-speed antics. Though those have their place, elsewhere, for those who need them. This tale found its feet for us when we ventured to an earlier and brutal human civilisation.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I always hope to do a book justice without giving too much away. I can give away the fact that I just didn't see the end coming and that the build-up was intense, a volcano erupting tense. As I said, this is real seat-of-the-pants stuff.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . .</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Molly has taken cat adventures to a whole new level, and our reading has never been more exciting or rewarding. It's an all-around delight and deliciously satisfyingly different. Onwards to book 3!&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">You don't have to transform into a feline to get a copy. Lovely though that would be, there is nowhere to carry change or credit cards. Just get yourself down to your local independent bookshop. Or order online. However or from wherever you buy, you support an independent author, fellow cat carer and member of the Cat Writers Association.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mollie Hunt's web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/ten-years-of-selfies/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter" style="color: black;"></figure><p></p><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></div><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie of me doing a spot of light loitering for tickles in the doorway.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6apduxtTIezDdyGWQBxH5KlMroE0eqwe-8gHWWfScMlSeyON0iJ_gXFXIxJmsCsscuqYkVmLfttk7eq14_wmHN_ofYyDtqO3QdngPZrMlQEyrBxgkfBoo5e9GoS2tVain4Vs3V01rYaYgZ0xjKxWEc77rgr-aSYxKCHAjTuknoKALkjnL2njyvpqlnw/s2082/IMG_3695.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1588" data-original-width="2082" height="488" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEih6apduxtTIezDdyGWQBxH5KlMroE0eqwe-8gHWWfScMlSeyON0iJ_gXFXIxJmsCsscuqYkVmLfttk7eq14_wmHN_ofYyDtqO3QdngPZrMlQEyrBxgkfBoo5e9GoS2tVain4Vs3V01rYaYgZ0xjKxWEc77rgr-aSYxKCHAjTuknoKALkjnL2njyvpqlnw/w640-h488/IMG_3695.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">🙂 🙂</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314663" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/08/cat-winter.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBpFgcn48OXIili0bjCoZShhDaGavq8jesILrt0Z0WYtV7pUKVaVCj2q8mfTItT4Yl376csWZInJtt8bjqpStGDz5w5Q33JksHp5MP9hNEqNCxqXE5X8PRZT3jQbHB6OrHqfC7AkyCkKy5E2Q3xlTV6FLoT__wNiTc01676zk4if3O8nFYos8qV7Jcinw/s72-w217-h320-c/Screenshot%202024-06-25%20at%2010.57.42.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>24</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-8125398353894343139</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 21 Jul 2024 04:43:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-07-21T05:46:06.248+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adult Fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Cat Princess</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Farrago</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Hettie Bagshot</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mandy Morton</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Murder Mystery</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The Death of Downton Tabby</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The No.2 Feline Detective Agency</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Upper Much-Mousing</category>
<title>THE DEATH OF DOWNTON TABBY</title>
<description><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>by MANDY MORTON;</span>&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Cover by Jason Anscomb</span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYJ-C3cOGJtMse88KL8HZYIIVr0-rFtTz1K5xIM5_rL84hN9GNkAG0Wx3tb2c6n_h5EzxzjizoWYlYpr0V3OliTEcWbPXTALDPPso51CRNmofFCkFb8etEwS3qntRuyMwq3rDkcdIRXei3udEZnqOvvF07sKKzlfxUEqF6RvvaE76u7RhnDFlHDn-N4/s1054/Screenshot%202024-07-20%20at%2014.31.12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small Book cover image. With a pink/cerise background, we see in yellow the backdrop of the book festival; a big marquis and a camper van with the concertina roof partly raised. Three cats in relief appear on the front in a deep burgundy. One has it's paw resting on an open yellow covered book. The series name appears in white text along the top, with the word FELINE in capital yellow letters. A blue revolver appears either side of those words, pointing inwards. The words, The death of downton Tabby appear in white capitals in a 1920's ish font. A quoite from Laura Thompson appears to the right side. It says: 'Deliciously clever &amp; a true delight'. The authors name appears in white along the bottom of the page." border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="730" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYJ-C3cOGJtMse88KL8HZYIIVr0-rFtTz1K5xIM5_rL84hN9GNkAG0Wx3tb2c6n_h5EzxzjizoWYlYpr0V3OliTEcWbPXTALDPPso51CRNmofFCkFb8etEwS3qntRuyMwq3rDkcdIRXei3udEZnqOvvF07sKKzlfxUEqF6RvvaE76u7RhnDFlHDn-N4/w222-h320/Screenshot%202024-07-20%20at%2014.31.12.png" width="222" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /></span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in <strike>Middle Grade</strike>&nbsp;ADULT Fiction. Book 3 in the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency series.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Given it is the summer season, allegedly, I was thinking of hosting a literary festival here in Upper Much-Mousing. You know the thing, book reviews and readings, signings by all the big names that would rush to our small village.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Then there would be the food, actually you'd find around here the cats and humans would dine first then read and listen. A moratorium on anything vaguely alcoholic being served during the day would be applied.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Not because they are a rowdy lot, far from it, but because the local inn has a reputation for disturbing the peace with the shear volume of the patrons snoring. Talk about holding ones drink, that lot have to have straws and glasses stuck to the bar to save excess spillage when they drop off after the landlords extra potent weak ale; aptly called Old Snorer.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">I said I was thinking about holding a festival, but then Mrs H and I read this fine work and decided against it.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">To find out what changed our minds, just read on. Rest assured you'll NOT be disappointed with this tale. Adult murder mysteries by cats done just how it ought. So without further ado lets discover who did it in . . .&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p><br /></p><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYJ-C3cOGJtMse88KL8HZYIIVr0-rFtTz1K5xIM5_rL84hN9GNkAG0Wx3tb2c6n_h5EzxzjizoWYlYpr0V3OliTEcWbPXTALDPPso51CRNmofFCkFb8etEwS3qntRuyMwq3rDkcdIRXei3udEZnqOvvF07sKKzlfxUEqF6RvvaE76u7RhnDFlHDn-N4/s1054/Screenshot%202024-07-20%20at%2014.31.12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Large Book cover image. With a pink/cerise background, we see in yellow the backdrop of the book festival; a big marquis and a camper van with the concertina roof partly raised. Three cats in relief appear on the front in a deep burgundy. One has it's paw resting on an open yellow covered book. The series name appears in white text along the top, with the word FELINE in capital yellow letters. A blue revolver appears either side of those words, pointing inwards. The words, The death of downton Tabby appear in white capitals in a 1920's ish font. A quoite from Laura Thompson appears to the right side. It says: 'Deliciously clever &amp; a true delight'. The authors name appears in white along the bottom of the page." border="0" data-original-height="1054" data-original-width="730" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYJ-C3cOGJtMse88KL8HZYIIVr0-rFtTz1K5xIM5_rL84hN9GNkAG0Wx3tb2c6n_h5EzxzjizoWYlYpr0V3OliTEcWbPXTALDPPso51CRNmofFCkFb8etEwS3qntRuyMwq3rDkcdIRXei3udEZnqOvvF07sKKzlfxUEqF6RvvaE76u7RhnDFlHDn-N4/w444-h640/Screenshot%202024-07-20%20at%2014.31.12.png" width="444" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; MANDY MORTON</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Latest Edition Cover art by: Jason Anscomb</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Farrago</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date latest edition Paperback: 9 May 2024</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN: 978 - 1788 424 660</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span face="&quot;Amazon Ember&quot;, Arial, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; font-size: 12px; font-weight: 700; text-align: center;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback: £9.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: £2.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Audible price: £13.00 or one credit</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 267</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range: Adult.</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any humans? No, just a delightfully eclectic character mix of Cats.</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</i></b></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am exceedingly grateful to Mrs H for stumping up the readies out of her pension so I can Read &amp; Review this awesome fun and incredibly clever series.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;<u><b>we select to read</b></u>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The town is proud to be holding its first literary festival, organised by the librarian Turner Page. It is held at Furcross House, the former care home which was closed and turned community centre after the murders featured in book one.&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">With free passes to the weekend event as a reward, anyone who is anyone in the town is getting involved in the running. Tilly has been enlisted by Turner to arrange the guest speakers and musical attractions, whilst our lead protagonist, Hettie Bagshot, as head of <i>The No.2 Feline Detective Agency</i>, has been hired somewhat begrudgingly, as Festival Security supremo.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Headlining the event is the writer of many a period romp, Sir Downton Tabby. Overly rich, a womaniser, and caring little for others – especially the Brontë Sisters, he has added to his wealth by recounting the tales of his aristocratic upbringing. It is a life where servants were five a penny, punished for eating crumbs their mistress may have dropped, and discarded into the workhouse and greater penury when too old to slave away. Despite the vulgarity and openness of his situation, and the controversy he courts, he draws the crowds hoping to lap up some of the 'charged atmospheres' he creates. So very much like humankind, right?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As far removed as one can get, the Brontë sisters have been hired by Tilly as a last-minute fill-in, on a hire-two-get-third sister thrown-in kind of basis. The sisters were brought up in Teethly, on the bleak moors of Porkshire; a place where gingerbeer-on-the-lung disease killed many an addicted cat due to a lack of a clean water supply. On discovering unfinished works by the old Brontës, the sisters are tasked by their father to find fame by finishing the works. Emmeline (a poet in her own right) is the author of the top-selling <i>Withering Sights</i>, which outstripped Charlene's <i>Jane Hair</i>. That left Ann's book, <i>The Tomcat of Wildfell Hall</i>, on the slush pile of their northern agent Penny Stone-Cragg.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is fair to say that when the sister's camper van arrives at the festival, fur flies and noses are bloodied, and chaos ensues. Things get worse as the sisters have it in for Downton Tabby, who has slated the sisters and their work, playing each off against the other.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some sanity comes in the form of musician Muddy Fryer, who performs her one-cat Arthurian cycle of songs. Doing costume changes and wielding props along the way. Poly Hodge and Nicolette Upstart, famed and popular crime writers, bring to the festival both maturity, professionalism and calmness.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Things start to seethe and boil inside when Sir Downton and the Brontë sisters trade insults during his interview session. If it wasn't murder for Hettie to keep a lid on tempers in the blazing heat of the day, it soon is when Sir Downton is found murdered later on. Decapitated, and no trace of his head, things are looking bad for Muddy, whose mighty Excalibur sword, used as a prop, vanishes!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, this is just the start. Hettie has to keep her invited guests safe, as well as not let on to the public that the star attraction has been most brutally slain. It would be the ruination of Turner who would lose everything. A sudden and severe storm and flooding set the scene for the meat of this tale, and we enter a spine-tingling series of events, punctuated with essential pie and cake stops and much-needed medicinal cups of tea from Delirium Treemint.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">In fact, dear readers, in a very short space of time, it seems dear Delirium Treemint, she of the shaky spilling nature and much-broken crockery, is the only cat NOT on Hettie's suspect list.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Who did it, and that isn't a clue, and how Hettie goes about trying to save everyone else and the day, I will leave you to find out for yourselves.&nbsp;</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What a brilliant idea to bring together affectionate parodies of literary icons, both past and present, to create the cast of this jaw-dropping and deliciously crafted murder mystery. A mystery with a hefty heap of 'very well done' black humour. We have nods to felines of the human world, too, as well as references that the musically aware of the past decades will recognise immediately. I missed some and was pleased when the author pointed them out at the end of the book.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As the third book in the soon-to-be thirteen-and-counting, series, it is with much pleasure that the tale does not feel tired. We have settled into a comfortable familiarity with our protagonists, but not to the point where they lose any of their essential differences or edge. The wit and satire, tongue-in-cheek humour the characters, and the occasional sarcasm from Hettie, bring a refreshing twist to both cat stories and murder mysteries.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you would like to add an extra dimension and get the mind's eye working on overdrive visualising all the cats, the Audible version is a wonderful expressive expansion of this series. Well worth buying, as Mrs H has, and we have listened multiple times already.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sir Downton Tabby is a great example of bringing together a plethora of traits and historical attitudes into one love-to-hate victim. As to the other deaths you'll come across as the story goes along, which are no less gruesome, I shall let you decide whether they are deserved or not. I am sure there is many a moral to this story, karma, just desserts and all that, but reading for pleasure I tend to think of those at the end. It all makes for the truly strangest and most adventuresome and deadly Littertray Festival you will ever turn a page on.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . .</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Addictive and whimsical, it is surreal yet delightfully real and charming.&nbsp;Buy a copy or borrow it</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;from your local library; I'm sure you won't be disappointed.</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>&nbsp;</b>Now, if you will excuse us, we feel the need for some festival pies and ale of our own!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Alas, Littertray Festival T-shirts and Festival Ale aren't available to us, but if you head down to your local independent bookshop they should be able to supply you with something better, this book.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mandy Morton's</b>&nbsp;short author page at Farrago Books&nbsp;<a href="https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Farrago Book's</b>&nbsp;web page&nbsp;<a href="https://farragobooks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hettie Bagshot can be found on both Facebook and Twitter.&nbsp;</span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/celebration-day-times-two/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a lazy selfie. I entitled this "The paws have it".&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Incidentally, it has been the Manor House's election this week. Old Ned, our gardener offered to stand – or rather sit, against me to make up the numbers. It was a close run thing when Mrs H spoiled her vote. Yup, she'd accidentally used her ballot paper to line the cake tin. That's the last time I use greaseproof paper to ensure a transparent voting system!&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">However, after the cake had been baked and filled with judicious amount of jam and cream, and various slices and cups of tea consumed, her cross in my box was revealed, and I was duly elected. That's the sweetest way to end any election.</span></p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBGuJmRsS5JFbB1UI38Me-WdzxPUzeMpgRv5dEWKbTN9VEeQU7uHNxhQddQsovK5oyo_O9wJbIbdqz_G0_FerTIX8YrAkTVAAbtLj_nPkvwXG7KCriv1trnAWpWXZwvA_r76x2u_Yrdeuxa2l3YTO3_vh-pEFsaGd0mK7zDy4ZlJiwKvKxsRBgYi1Az4/s1064/piZap-4.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="986" data-original-width="1064" height="594" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGBGuJmRsS5JFbB1UI38Me-WdzxPUzeMpgRv5dEWKbTN9VEeQU7uHNxhQddQsovK5oyo_O9wJbIbdqz_G0_FerTIX8YrAkTVAAbtLj_nPkvwXG7KCriv1trnAWpWXZwvA_r76x2u_Yrdeuxa2l3YTO3_vh-pEFsaGd0mK7zDy4ZlJiwKvKxsRBgYi1Az4/w640-h594/piZap-4.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div> <!-- start LinkyTools script --><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314547" type="text/javascript" ></script><!-- end LinkyTools script --> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/07/the-death-of-downton-tabby.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZwYJ-C3cOGJtMse88KL8HZYIIVr0-rFtTz1K5xIM5_rL84hN9GNkAG0Wx3tb2c6n_h5EzxzjizoWYlYpr0V3OliTEcWbPXTALDPPso51CRNmofFCkFb8etEwS3qntRuyMwq3rDkcdIRXei3udEZnqOvvF07sKKzlfxUEqF6RvvaE76u7RhnDFlHDn-N4/s72-w222-h320-c/Screenshot%202024-07-20%20at%2014.31.12.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>24</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1699512259309534903</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Jul 2024 06:54:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-07-07T07:54:30.344+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adventure</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Alice Eclair Spy Extraordinaire A Dash of Daring</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Beatriz Castro</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Middle grade fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Nosy Crow</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sarah Todd Taylor</category>
<title>Alice Éclair Spy Extraordinaire. A Dash of Daring.</title>
<description><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Written by Sarah Todd-Taylor.&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><span>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I0S3PtUV7tLWPzXMDejB86LcMgwjvvucFSiKnmzOIIhCAuDkwsOnFQDDXb3BlmPZpP3YRWvnMkeojwUVO2OWW44b74g7c2ieqgIEA9O5tuoCHruZPTvVAXFZTSVV5I6wa6wSwmFMXH3WAMcv04lXhBff_ZkXIwFjCaz6S1t0aAArkU3t4qPOfKv0vfc/s1056/Screenshot%202024-07-02%20at%2014.33.29.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small book cover image. With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, Alice, in her trademark baker's outfit and cycling helmet, dashes through the Paris streets on a bicycle. Casper is dashing by her side. Alongside is a red, open-top sports car, and pieces of paper, documents maybe, fly through the air around them." border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I0S3PtUV7tLWPzXMDejB86LcMgwjvvucFSiKnmzOIIhCAuDkwsOnFQDDXb3BlmPZpP3YRWvnMkeojwUVO2OWW44b74g7c2ieqgIEA9O5tuoCHruZPTvVAXFZTSVV5I6wa6wSwmFMXH3WAMcv04lXhBff_ZkXIwFjCaz6S1t0aAArkU3t4qPOfKv0vfc/w218-h320/Screenshot%202024-07-02%20at%2014.33.29.png" width="218" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><span><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span><br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></div><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: verdana;">This is the finale of a wonderful series. So, without adding or taking away from this delicious book, let’s jump from the comparative calm of Alice’s kitchen into the frying pan that is the world of secret agents…..</span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I0S3PtUV7tLWPzXMDejB86LcMgwjvvucFSiKnmzOIIhCAuDkwsOnFQDDXb3BlmPZpP3YRWvnMkeojwUVO2OWW44b74g7c2ieqgIEA9O5tuoCHruZPTvVAXFZTSVV5I6wa6wSwmFMXH3WAMcv04lXhBff_ZkXIwFjCaz6S1t0aAArkU3t4qPOfKv0vfc/s1056/Screenshot%202024-07-02%20at%2014.33.29.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Large book cover image. With the Eiffel Tower as a backdrop, Alice, in her trademark baker's outfit and cycling helmet, dashes through the Paris streets on a bicycle. Casper is dashing by her side. Alongside is a red, open-top sports car, and pieces of paper, documents maybe, fly through the air around them." border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I0S3PtUV7tLWPzXMDejB86LcMgwjvvucFSiKnmzOIIhCAuDkwsOnFQDDXb3BlmPZpP3YRWvnMkeojwUVO2OWW44b74g7c2ieqgIEA9O5tuoCHruZPTvVAXFZTSVV5I6wa6wSwmFMXH3WAMcv04lXhBff_ZkXIwFjCaz6S1t0aAArkU3t4qPOfKv0vfc/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-07-02%20at%2014.33.29.png" width="436" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Sarah Todd-Taylor</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Artwork by:&nbsp; Beatriz Castro</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; Nosy Crow</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978 - 1 -781 839 - 887 - 9</b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £7.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 235</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 8+</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? Casper the cat takes to the skies, much like a rather talented pigeon.</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mrs H is to thank for buying this grand finale of an adventure. We loved the others from the first page, and this was a must-read for us both.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are only those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">Alice Éclair and her mother are found in the opening scene suspended in a cable car over the mountains—breathtaking scenery and a deadly plunge beneath. Thankfully, the villain isn't about to cut the wire! The mother-and-daughter chefs from Vive Comme L'Éclair have been invited to teach the finer points of their now-famous pastry creations to the chefs at the mountain-top Hotel Anise—a pleasant enough break from recent stresses in Paris.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is a hotel with many strange guests. Alice soon learns from her senior agent, who arrives after sending a coded message, that it isn't a hotel at all. The eclectic collection of people are secret agents who need to be 'kept on ice' away from others until the information they possess becomes out-of-date and worthless. And whilst Madam E'Clair tuts at the chefs using margarine in their pastries, Alice has, unknown to her, been given the task of observing the guests to see if anyone is acting strangely.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Claude advises Alice that a one-of-a-kind code-making machine, along with its creator and French agent, Jan Rejewski, has gone missing! All could be lost if France goes to war and the enemy has the machine.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Where Alice fits in is that Jan's daughter, Adele, is a highly talented cyclist who aims to&nbsp;compete for her country in the upcoming Olympics. When Adele started receiving threatening letters using the hotel's notepaper, it seemed there was a link to a double agent somewhere in the hotel.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Very soon after, Alice discovers her treacherous father and former French agent in the same hotel, clearly receiving information from a source. Alice gives chase, but in a breathtaking scene, he escapes capture by the skin of his teeth.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With a connection made between Adele, Jan, the missing cypher machine and Alice's uncle Robert, Alice is now assigned undercover to bake at the training ground of the hopeful French athletes. She can watch over Adele and her highly talented and wheelchair-bound brother, Hugo. All the time, she observes and looks for evidence.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">With the scene now set in Paris but not confined to it, things really take off. More threatening notes arrive demanding Adele retire from training OR ELSE.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Here, Alice discovers many new possible enemy agents amongst the cycling team and trainers and puts Hugo in the frame as a spy. With competition for the limited number of places in the Olympic team running high, there is more at stake than the missing machine. How far would a fellow competitor cyclist go to remove a threat?</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Why is Hugo so keen to train his pigeon, Columba, to fly with messages? And why are some competitors and staff seen in the same shop as Uncle Robert?</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">You will discover everything, the good and the bad, before the end of this adventure, which is why I can't tell you any more. Suffice it to say it is a high-speed, downhill dash to the finishing line worthy of a Transporter movie or The Great Escape, with a delightfully unexpected 'come full-circle' twist.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Straight away I have to say Beatriz Castro has created another lovely cover. Full of life and fun.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Saying goodbye to such a fantasti</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">c series is so very difficult. However, Sarah has other recipes for adventure to work on and ideas like freshly kneaded dough gently rising to one side, which we know will be equally as tasty.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This adventure had so very much to live up to. Would the soufflé rise to the challenge or be a flop? Of course, with all the right ingredients, lavished with care and adventure, the essence of France and historical facts, this would always have to be the chef's most excellent work.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Which it is.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">A mouth watering layer cake of adventure with a Mission Impossible, Transporter, and Bond adventure all rolled into one filling.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Laced with delightful and mouth-watering animated creations that would challenge a 5-star Michelin chef and heaps of aeronautical antics and high-speed escapades, this felt like a Mission Impossible, Transporter, and Bond adventure all rolled into one. Nouvelle cuisine, eat your heart out! This is a full-blown banquet with a take-home bag full of exciting memories.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As to Casper the cat, well, nah, I'll let you discover for yourselves what he gets up to in his own inimitable feline way.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . .</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">This is one to buy for lovers of the series or just lovers of full-flavour kid's action and adventure featuring a strong lead and diverse characters.&nbsp;</span><b style="color: #0e101a;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0);"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, avoiding mountainsides, perilous ski lifts, spies and high-speed chases, just head down to your local bookshop. Or, order on line. There are plenty out there (book shops, that is, and hopefully NOT spies), and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To see our review of book 1,&nbsp;<a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/07/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-recipe.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click this LINK.</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To see our review of book 2,&nbsp;<a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/12/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click this LINK.&nbsp;&nbsp;</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To see our review of book 3, <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/08/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-in.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">click this LINK.</a>&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sarah Todd Taylor's WEB page&nbsp;</span><a href="https://sarahtoddtaylor.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;or type this: https://sarahtoddtaylor.com/&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nosy Crow's web page&nbsp;<a href="https://nosycrow.com/product/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-a-sprinkling-of-danger/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">can be found HERE.</a>&nbsp;or type this: https://nosycrow.com/product/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-a-sprinkling-of-danger/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Beatriz Castro's web page</span><a href="https://beatrizcastroilustracion.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener" style="font-family: verdana;" target="_blank">&nbsp;can be found HERE.&nbsp;</a><span style="font-family: verdana;">or type this: https://beatrizcastroilustracion.com/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That's it for now, I hope you enjoyed the review. I'm off to check out the cakes in our pantry, and to see if Mrs H can get Alice's phone number to order some supplies.....🙂 🙂</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/our-terrific-tiny-tortie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with an early July Selfie. More rain and wind around these parts, with no sign of summer anywhere . . . Ho hum, roll on Christmas!<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br />&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfFNzy2y6zZQY0dzWFSSuBrN-izRY8hGOixXvLoHdSetoG3FGVqYqkwWudd7Mf5ry8Z5JdILZhHuIpE-2h9rwb30aomvFyOj0bsTKqQQQb4BhTwZi2YcNKjOhtzzoWjYdOO1xlX9Px8N0jv6IthAHNVy5wTm8lvSbYGdNEcIgyslOJW6ycbk2_-c7Kv8/s1048/SS.%207.7.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1048" data-original-width="1000" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFfFNzy2y6zZQY0dzWFSSuBrN-izRY8hGOixXvLoHdSetoG3FGVqYqkwWudd7Mf5ry8Z5JdILZhHuIpE-2h9rwb30aomvFyOj0bsTKqQQQb4BhTwZi2YcNKjOhtzzoWjYdOO1xlX9Px8N0jv6IthAHNVy5wTm8lvSbYGdNEcIgyslOJW6ycbk2_-c7Kv8/w610-h640/SS.%207.7.24.jpg" width="610" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span>&nbsp;</p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314424" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/07/alice-eclair-spy-extraordinaire-dash-of.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8I0S3PtUV7tLWPzXMDejB86LcMgwjvvucFSiKnmzOIIhCAuDkwsOnFQDDXb3BlmPZpP3YRWvnMkeojwUVO2OWW44b74g7c2ieqgIEA9O5tuoCHruZPTvVAXFZTSVV5I6wa6wSwmFMXH3WAMcv04lXhBff_ZkXIwFjCaz6S1t0aAArkU3t4qPOfKv0vfc/s72-w218-h320-c/Screenshot%202024-07-02%20at%2014.33.29.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>33</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-4749443732010783028</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 23 Jun 2024 07:51:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-06-23T08:51:28.577+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cats</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Sunday Selfie</category>
<title>Sunday Sunny Selfie, Sans book review.</title>
<description><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello and welcome to a weekend selfie.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, so there is no book review to trawl through, which I guess is a good thing when there are sun puddles to be checked out and validated for size and comfort.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">At least that is what the Cat Weather Association (CWA) of Upper Much-Mousing says. And who am I to argue with them, especially as I am commander in chief of that esteemed organisation.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The book review is written, but Mrs H is currently knee-deep in paperwork. Well, in truth, more ankle-deep, but it seems way worse when you're a feline. And she is ankle-deep only because she toppled the filing cabinet over attempting to emulsion the ceiling in a delicate pale green shade to match the walls. Well, when I say to match the walls, I mean to match the walls now they are splattered with pale green paint from the spilt pot!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On the plus side, I get to visit you all a bit quicker and you likewise.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, without further ado, here is a Sunday Sunny Selfie Sans Book Review, which we have entitled "The 'Toes' have It!"</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/astrid-sampys-8th-anniversary/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3g5biRynHFUX0JoY_aPvQ-ZqT2uC_f3TpuEcAyoqb3WAFOrOMG_26rjoYCHOkLVrBzpFfxrh6RZLUc57M4X9n5nGDS6gI1EYTc-JpJWTybQS_Nbbm_sp14CyetIjzmiVaP0CaZppKYCvHAsC2rYKOYvm_wYh3VlKvLM1e3vRobHllLPEUT_1vTERwvM/s1172/SS.%2023.6.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1172" data-original-width="878" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3g5biRynHFUX0JoY_aPvQ-ZqT2uC_f3TpuEcAyoqb3WAFOrOMG_26rjoYCHOkLVrBzpFfxrh6RZLUc57M4X9n5nGDS6gI1EYTc-JpJWTybQS_Nbbm_sp14CyetIjzmiVaP0CaZppKYCvHAsC2rYKOYvm_wYh3VlKvLM1e3vRobHllLPEUT_1vTERwvM/w480-h640/SS.%2023.6.24.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span>&nbsp;</p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314344" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--></description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/06/sunday-sun-selfie-sans-book-review.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
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<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1846776917220005510</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 09 Jun 2024 05:57:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-06-10T10:53:46.647+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adventure</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Caring</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Clara Vulliamy</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Diversity</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Dog show</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Harper Collins Childrens Books</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Inclusive</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Lower Middle Grade</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">non-binary</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The Dog Squad- The Show</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Wafer the Whippet</category>
<title>The DOG SQUAD. THE SHOW</title>
<description><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Written and fully illustrated by Clara Vulliamy.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AIwyja3xczck-yDqu5uE8FgwO5NRk6iYSCtSf7WrJcXNB_Y2m83ISdyWvzOmHHE-XGR4uoTOI-d7HsK4gwzqi1uuyxyFVPk6_ZZ3NOUgGlhmZpzTtFuQy_Mb4L94d6dUsCdGrllL8at2WzfcrrK9KP0G5YFefxrL-uvft8RP71b56fMv-JWlVTCSlo/s1056/Screenshot%202024-06-08%20at%2017.44.33.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AIwyja3xczck-yDqu5uE8FgwO5NRk6iYSCtSf7WrJcXNB_Y2m83ISdyWvzOmHHE-XGR4uoTOI-d7HsK4gwzqi1uuyxyFVPk6_ZZ3NOUgGlhmZpzTtFuQy_Mb4L94d6dUsCdGrllL8at2WzfcrrK9KP0G5YFefxrL-uvft8RP71b56fMv-JWlVTCSlo/s320/Screenshot%202024-06-08%20at%2017.44.33.png" width="218" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span><div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Read and Review, featuring a PAWTASTIC adventure in Middle-Grade fiction.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week, we have Book 3 in the Dog Squad series by a hugely talented artist and writer. So please bring your paws together, wag tails, and give deep rumbling purrs for Clara Vulliamy!&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To read a review of <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-dog-squad-newshound.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Book 1, CLICK HERE</a>.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To read a review of <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-dog-squad-race.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Book 2, CLICK HERE</a>.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Without further ado, assuming everyone has been fed and had their walkies, let's start our review of THE SHOW.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AIwyja3xczck-yDqu5uE8FgwO5NRk6iYSCtSf7WrJcXNB_Y2m83ISdyWvzOmHHE-XGR4uoTOI-d7HsK4gwzqi1uuyxyFVPk6_ZZ3NOUgGlhmZpzTtFuQy_Mb4L94d6dUsCdGrllL8at2WzfcrrK9KP0G5YFefxrL-uvft8RP71b56fMv-JWlVTCSlo/s1056/Screenshot%202024-06-08%20at%2017.44.33.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AIwyja3xczck-yDqu5uE8FgwO5NRk6iYSCtSf7WrJcXNB_Y2m83ISdyWvzOmHHE-XGR4uoTOI-d7HsK4gwzqi1uuyxyFVPk6_ZZ3NOUgGlhmZpzTtFuQy_Mb4L94d6dUsCdGrllL8at2WzfcrrK9KP0G5YFefxrL-uvft8RP71b56fMv-JWlVTCSlo/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-06-08%20at%2017.44.33.png" width="436" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">AUTHOR &amp; ARTIST throughout:&nbsp;&nbsp;Clara Vulliamy</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Published by:&nbsp;&nbsp;Harper Collins Children's Books</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; OUT NOW</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978 - 000 -856 5473</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £6.99</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Pages: 104</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Age range:&nbsp; 7 - 11</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Any dogs or cats? More dogs than you can throw a stick for, and, if you look carefully, you'll see a rather smart cat in there!</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">SPOILER ALERT</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes. Some as to plot direction and characters through images and text.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A MASSIVE thank you to Clara, who personally sent over the digital artwork pictures specifically so you all could enjoy them at their best and see how wonderful the book is.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Eva, along with Wafer, her whippet, and her two friends Ash and Simone, head off to deliver parcels of supplies to local residents who can't get out due to a storm and floods the previous day. It soon transpires that the storm ripped a hole in the roof of the local Happy Tails animal rescue centre. Even worse, as the shelter doesn't have the funds to repair the roof, they will have to close, and the animals will be homeless.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_46f1OSd9NnlNNtPMMXUmToYqJiAHkdCMmKfs72GVDfjB3R4AG9lDoCGe_yk6_BTSvao_OAEnWaybwcyD-DiDRC0wt5VJsUSyRlaaNhm4uxyvZKLI-pBVOCLjW9LohUpfYLvsWZZVoGfn9BzLvVfXgj0lYiC0_FjinxljDf4LJZR7MOzAi79N1tcKtR0/s6094/2627forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4677" data-original-width="6094" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_46f1OSd9NnlNNtPMMXUmToYqJiAHkdCMmKfs72GVDfjB3R4AG9lDoCGe_yk6_BTSvao_OAEnWaybwcyD-DiDRC0wt5VJsUSyRlaaNhm4uxyvZKLI-pBVOCLjW9LohUpfYLvsWZZVoGfn9BzLvVfXgj0lYiC0_FjinxljDf4LJZR7MOzAi79N1tcKtR0/w640-h493/2627forErin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Unhappy tails at the Sanctuary</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Enter our team of young reporters and crime solvers, The Dog Squad. What if the trio could raise funds for the shelter? It's a great idea, one that their teacher thinks will work. Accordingly, he booked the school playground for the event a week hence. The fundraising event will be a Dog Show, and all that entails.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">But if the team, Eva Ash and Simone, think they have this sorted, they have a rude awakening. After an initial keenness from their classmates&nbsp;to join in, there is nothing to show on the third day of planning save for two totalisers, some ruffled egos and empty chairs at the latest meeting.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUMh6ptZ-36raa7-dCDUjGr9J6Z5LMvlP3OISwElgsR-UC70NLDnE6LgSAtonzCfNn_CiHqCsLbwbWjsKu3023oVQwd0K5w48QYj8-VU8jaQaESxE78QjodSYRLq5HB92go6HVD-a6tJoyBjlQotdxWvOHX6N7YHXir47dB854tYtZaoLQGCV2kUI0tM/s4677/48forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4677" data-original-width="3047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguUMh6ptZ-36raa7-dCDUjGr9J6Z5LMvlP3OISwElgsR-UC70NLDnE6LgSAtonzCfNn_CiHqCsLbwbWjsKu3023oVQwd0K5w48QYj8-VU8jaQaESxE78QjodSYRLq5HB92go6HVD-a6tJoyBjlQotdxWvOHX6N7YHXir47dB854tYtZaoLQGCV2kUI0tM/w416-h640/48forErin.jpg" width="416" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Simone, Ash and Eva trying to plan. ©</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">What have the team done wrong? More to the point, what can they do right to save the event and the shelter. With their teacher upset at losing his wedding ring, it seems nothing can go right.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To find out what the kids have done wrong and what they have to do to turn things around, you will have to buy an entry ticket to the Dog Show. I assure you, there is everything to play for, sticks included, and lessons and surprises cavort, yap, bark and howl all around.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We have never had so much fun looking at all the wonderful images that pack th</span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">is lovely story. Mrs H smiled from ear to ear at some of the antics. If we gave star ratings, this would be a galaxy.&nbsp;</span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Without a doubt, this is a superb third adventure. Clara's artwork leaps off the pages and into one's heart.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPhwNDxv5toGnGGk_aWFtygcUZja4sCOQShZKh0kAYLcikJblktsfJvm0JlmySFqHIYf882h1wZcxUuyvhaWdGVK_woLKFHHpwEN0Th8e5sPUhJbkJHOJsyvatt1dCOXpWzDMB5c9MOa8qvp1ZP7v8-N5pAm1oKNUUURrBOxpjlsoYV2J5lDkvNlcqwE/s4677/36forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4677" data-original-width="3047" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghPhwNDxv5toGnGGk_aWFtygcUZja4sCOQShZKh0kAYLcikJblktsfJvm0JlmySFqHIYf882h1wZcxUuyvhaWdGVK_woLKFHHpwEN0Th8e5sPUhJbkJHOJsyvatt1dCOXpWzDMB5c9MOa8qvp1ZP7v8-N5pAm1oKNUUURrBOxpjlsoYV2J5lDkvNlcqwE/w416-h640/36forErin.jpg" width="416" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wafer helping out with some artwork! ©</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The characters are so expressive. Big or small, as you see in this review, the images bring an extra and exciting dimension. The drama of the storm and its effect on people, property, and pets is palpable and immediately strikes a chord. Wafer is, of course, a central character, and he does lend a paw—to disastrous effect—but this particular story brings a bigger vista and adventure.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We loved every page of this perfect-length, expressive and delightful tale. I think all the younger readers will love it too.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFm4QuXDf3YRIAgkutL-PJSPopp_wiz5xwTaavEUtLwZOYOq8SCb87wK6Akga6yAjMybDPtSS1-YmgnRpZSBLYs50P4ZhrdeSWj3hJIaWAbFCO8NQpXSpXSYZPCFP-tUU5PnY20beIYVMkvI7HwhFu1x7tjhXkj4QXarmbSMitgRA2vO7l-OC8oVsXKHk/s6094/0203forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4677" data-original-width="6094" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFm4QuXDf3YRIAgkutL-PJSPopp_wiz5xwTaavEUtLwZOYOq8SCb87wK6Akga6yAjMybDPtSS1-YmgnRpZSBLYs50P4ZhrdeSWj3hJIaWAbFCO8NQpXSpXSYZPCFP-tUU5PnY20beIYVMkvI7HwhFu1x7tjhXkj4QXarmbSMitgRA2vO7l-OC8oVsXKHk/w640-h493/0203forErin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Fun and games for all at the Dog Show.</td></tr></tbody></table><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . . Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">A must-have new read for parents and schools wishing to educate, enthuse and bring value to reading. It engenders responsibility and caring and promotes pausing to consider others when making decisions. This adventure focuses quite ably on team building and inclusivity of all sorts to deliver results. And it is done in the best way: naturally, without hammering home, and as a default setting. Many adults could learn a thing or two I can tell you.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh9tBXzJ7bJ8XBWoT2MChvsKiZwWSJbbvtAkX2-lR2Iimu-sKoJdDtYP-6n-8nPY62p7xCA3oAq0bujS6op-n_g1c8VkeLeIlZvmf8tVUf80rR1S1qub803lpIcvk4Xc8q2NFGHsdIrKEpcrwLk6vDk6KWtruy0BmPCOE5KwjnXVRNkvlxqYrQPXOPDc/s6094/7273forErin.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3475" data-original-width="6094" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDh9tBXzJ7bJ8XBWoT2MChvsKiZwWSJbbvtAkX2-lR2Iimu-sKoJdDtYP-6n-8nPY62p7xCA3oAq0bujS6op-n_g1c8VkeLeIlZvmf8tVUf80rR1S1qub803lpIcvk4Xc8q2NFGHsdIrKEpcrwLk6vDk6KWtruy0BmPCOE5KwjnXVRNkvlxqYrQPXOPDc/w640-h364/7273forErin.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">© Everyone can help out</td></tr></tbody></table><p></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">In a society seemingly bereft of social niceties and driven by money and must-have attitudes, this adventure is a ray of hope, one most parents will appreciate seeing.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><strong style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></strong></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please, do consider your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Clara Vulliamy's</b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://claras.me/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://claras.me/</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Harper Collins Children's Books&nbsp;</b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/explore/" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/explore/</span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/audreys-fuzzy-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with an early June Selfie. And as I am a barometer for the weather, you can tell it isn't that nice out. Bed on a dreary day is the best place to be. . .&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k2HiUoFxbMhwg8v5rdEeAH5Ec1e0oGX6lbaMVXdFHAVcY-sIPHnKP7V7oLcqCmvniSlMZ8zKNNJgG80duE-y9WKroPzrkO-BDpHzBKNDTAlntrFUGDDQeOxsJvniJnaR42wCyLPNyfcYujrEPQuAIvbpIhvFET2_kvSMemmLc60Tppy46AXAp3TN6O4/s1172/SS%209.6.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2k2HiUoFxbMhwg8v5rdEeAH5Ec1e0oGX6lbaMVXdFHAVcY-sIPHnKP7V7oLcqCmvniSlMZ8zKNNJgG80duE-y9WKroPzrkO-BDpHzBKNDTAlntrFUGDDQeOxsJvniJnaR42wCyLPNyfcYujrEPQuAIvbpIhvFET2_kvSMemmLc60Tppy46AXAp3TN6O4/w640-h480/SS%209.6.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;<span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;">&nbsp;</span></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span>&nbsp;</p></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314273" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/06/the-dog-squad-show.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD1AIwyja3xczck-yDqu5uE8FgwO5NRk6iYSCtSf7WrJcXNB_Y2m83ISdyWvzOmHHE-XGR4uoTOI-d7HsK4gwzqi1uuyxyFVPk6_ZZ3NOUgGlhmZpzTtFuQy_Mb4L94d6dUsCdGrllL8at2WzfcrrK9KP0G5YFefxrL-uvft8RP71b56fMv-JWlVTCSlo/s72-c/Screenshot%202024-06-08%20at%2017.44.33.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>31</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-3215147022132057098</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 19 May 2024 05:58:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-05-23T07:52:57.514+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">6-8 Years</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Cat Princess</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Firefly press</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Lower Middle Grade</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Michael the Amazing Super Sleuth Sausage Dog</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Stanley Big Dog</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Terrie Chilvers</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Tim Budgen</category>
<title>Michael, the Incredible Super-Sleuth Sausage Dog.</title>
<description><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>by&nbsp; TERRIE CHILVERS,</span></span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Art by Tim Budgen&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s1038/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="708" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" width="218" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /> &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week a Doggy Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week, we are delighted to share book 2 in the series about Michael, a highly talented and arguably self-absorbed mind-reading sausage dog.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">But fair dues, he grasped the nettle, or stick, in his jaws and ran with the talent he had, and it came good. But mirroring life, things do not always go well, and lessons have to be learnt. So join Mrs. H and me now as we see what Michael and his sidekick, Stanley Big Dog are up to . . . .</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s1038/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="708" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" width="436" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Terrie Chilvers<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover &amp; Internal Art by:&nbsp; Tim Budgen&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Firefly Press</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 2 May 2024</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp;</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">978 - 1 915 444 516</b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £6.99</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: £3.49</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 168</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 6+</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? Just dogs</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><strong><em><span style="font-family: verdana;">SPOILER ALERT</span></em></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><strong><em><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme at Firefly Publishers for agreeing to give us a copy of this fine adventure for our Read &amp; Review. We loved the first adventure, and this was a must-read for us both.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;<strong><u>we select to read</u></strong>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Michael the Sausage Dog has climbed the rungs of the Holywoof ladder, and after his success at the Canine Spectacular theatre show, he gets his own chat and mind-reading show – An Audience with Michael. He is the king of the hill. Well, he was. A new act in Tinsel Town has knocked back the ratings. Steve The Stunt Sausage Dog has caught everyone's attention. So much so that Michael can't get anyone to agree to come on. Nobody but Susan, the irritating Chocolate Labrador with a talent for balancing peanuts on her nose. Things really had sunk to a new low.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Things take a turn for the worse when Susan's star caravan is found empty, turned over and smelling very much of cheese. Susan has been DOGNAPPED!!!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Detective Wrinkles, a basset hound, declares the caravan a crime scene. After a bit of searching, they discover the ransom note on a seat under Stanley's bum. Quickly, they discover the signature calling card of notorious dog napper Dog X, a stinking wheel of exotic cheese.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The show must go on, but with no guests, our duo could be twiddling their paws. But, in a bizarre twist, Michael and Stanley Big Dog are to act in the ransom money drop! Detective Wrinkles, who really doesn't like Michael or believe in his talents, takes them to stay at the grotty Dog House Motel in a backwaters town called Three Paw Creek. The town's only claim to fame is that it houses the 'World's Biggest Stick' attraction. Naturally, Stanley just can't wait to take the lift to the top of this huge (and decidedly tree-like) stick!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Trapped in a seedy motel whilst Detective Wrinkles uses the rooms at the posh Bouncy Ball Hotel in the good end of town, it takes little time for Michael to feel hard done by. The chews supplied for breakfast were half-chewed, and their water bowl likely came from the puddle outside. The pair are also under strict instructions not to show their faces!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, as you can imagine, Michael, having a larger-than-life ego, and Stanley, being a dog of relatively little brain but full of life and a yen for seeing the BIGGEST stick in the world, soon break the rules. In fact, they are soon off investigating. Michael can see a ratings boost if he can be instrumental in saving Susan.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The ransom drop is due later that day, so what could be the harm in checking things out?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What indeed, and therein sits the root of the adventure that unfolds. If it can go wrong, it does. Which is why we have to close the review just there. If you want to learn more about Stanley and his big stick or whether Michael gets his interview and the star ratings that his super talents (and ego) deserve, you'll just have to get the book.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is a brilliant, dog-centric adventure. It plays to each breed's strengths and polite stereotypes in a delightfully comic, tongue-in-cheek, and childishly innocent and cheeky fashion. There are jokes and naughty words such as 'bum', and an almost vaudeville/Laurel &amp; Hardy humour that I think kids will love, and adults will smile and maybe groan at. The light lessons Michael learns along the way will resonate with kids, parents, and teachers alike.&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s1038/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1038" data-original-width="708" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFAoVdAU9cMVZPSsmhqvG1iKtiUmgQBKDfl56ySk_KRebbixjJyweEg_8XtkLufBKzPZRASqJ3cJwBDRfzUqSBkCD3f1UzSZ2H_wLUOWIuJWPEJCY6hDgmFjz9xCsh1LnTfKUzSJML0PSVKDNBa5h9cDkDeir0_mPqyLzi_N3FaC_mfifTa_LSdd3rbnQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-05-19%20at%2006.22.17.png" width="218" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p>So . . . .</strong> <strong>Crunch time.&nbsp;</strong></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A fun and easygoing read, delightfully illustrated by Tim Budgen, that left us with a smile on our faces and chuckles and laughs resonating through the room. It is a book that's so easy to love, which is why we feel it is an excellent, safe buy.</span></p><p><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, avoiding ransom gangs and stinky cheese, please head down to your local independent bookshop. Big sticks are optional. There are plenty out there (both book shops and sticks), and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Book one review can be found <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/06/michael-amazing-mind-reading-sausage-dog.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">by clicking this link HERE</a>.&nbsp;</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0NjNQ8XZH477B-BCV1CDZAepo7exny2vkXh_If8G1fz5tYQXX8BP60fjaVHQjEJWUrJ5tJ2h73EGzaBJUZvWVymz8FpcjroBIafD5BAroE_ugNkmn_GEOtcw6B3RtnP4Hx5MPhU3goa8chs_XODIgmQZa_bRyUKOrMpZT8KM-PFoe2zQjKBAedMX8v4k" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="262" data-original-width="172" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0NjNQ8XZH477B-BCV1CDZAepo7exny2vkXh_If8G1fz5tYQXX8BP60fjaVHQjEJWUrJ5tJ2h73EGzaBJUZvWVymz8FpcjroBIafD5BAroE_ugNkmn_GEOtcw6B3RtnP4Hx5MPhU3goa8chs_XODIgmQZa_bRyUKOrMpZT8KM-PFoe2zQjKBAedMX8v4k=w211-h320" width="211" /></a></div><br /><br /><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Terrie Chilvers'</strong>&nbsp;web page&nbsp;<a href="https://www.terriechilvers.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://www.terriechilvers.com/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Tim Budgen's</strong>&nbsp;web page&nbsp;<a href="https://timbudgen.com/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://timbudgen.com/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><br /></strong></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong>Firefly Press'</strong>&nbsp;web page&nbsp;<a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" rel="noreferrer noopener nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the excellent Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/c-j-s-lap-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="cursor: move;" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><br /></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter" style="font-family: Times;"></figure><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with NOT another Sofa Selfie. This time, and to prove I don't just sleep on the bed and or sofa, I can be seen monitoring the state of my driveway. Yup, it's a hard job (not least because of the hard surface, MOL), but one I am always up to, weather permitting. I also get to keep an eye out for many of the transient new felines in the area who seem to think my drive is some sort of free-to-use access way!&nbsp;</span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0egqQ_Ge6F_0tzD1fns2puBRqBXMWLJFDxfQ4MhP4pvH_28p3EiMpTdKcFQ_DVVd8l9QGTZNW-MuhOpJb4FWyOnUjaqGLe_yHlCivKw4NpdcoDDh3UCwJXpHkzB0TEfzinBmFM1EX9QW__yGyzhGAr1ta6hJcMWtfnc9lrd4AWn2_7mTgWBbQsoekc4k/s1172/piZap-3.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0egqQ_Ge6F_0tzD1fns2puBRqBXMWLJFDxfQ4MhP4pvH_28p3EiMpTdKcFQ_DVVd8l9QGTZNW-MuhOpJb4FWyOnUjaqGLe_yHlCivKw4NpdcoDDh3UCwJXpHkzB0TEfzinBmFM1EX9QW__yGyzhGAr1ta6hJcMWtfnc9lrd4AWn2_7mTgWBbQsoekc4k/w640-h480/piZap-3.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;</span></div><p style="font-family: Times;"></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: Times; font-size: medium; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">©Erin the Cat Princess</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314092" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/05/michael-incredible-super-sleuth-sausage.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
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<thr:total>27</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-573822110173618425</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 05 May 2024 05:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-05-06T06:45:22.377+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">1800's</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Kenny McKendry</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Leon Garfield</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Middle Grade</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Middle grade fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Puffin Books</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Smith</category>
<title>SMITH </title>
<description><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Leon Garfield;</span>&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Artiste: Kenny McKendry</span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s1010/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s320/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" width="215" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;<span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></span><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: x-large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-size: large;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review, featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">If you have ever wondered about what life was like in the 1800s London town, the rogues and villains, and those who really were trying just to survive, then this middle-grade book is very interesting and fun and a classic period tale. Leon Garfield, who is famed for his historical children's fiction, as well as a foray into adult literature, may well be familiar to you for works, such as Blackbeard, Jack Holburn, various adaptations of Shakespeare's works and for completing Dickens' unfinished novel – The Mystery of Edwin Drood. A truly talented, prizing winning, and much loved and lauded author on both sides of the Atlantic.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s1010/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="678" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/w430-h640/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" width="430" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image ©</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">AUTHOR:&nbsp;the late Leon Garfield (1921-1996)</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Cover art by noted artist: Kenny McKendry</span></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">.</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Published by: PUFFIN</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">This edition publication date Paperback: 3 July 2014</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp;978-0141355214</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Kindle UK price £4.99</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Pages: 277</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Age range: 9 - 11 and upwards</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Any dogs or cats? Not really, but lots of dodgy folks</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">SPOILER ALERT</span></em></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><em><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Thank you to... </span></em></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">This is one of those finds where the cover and title spoke volumes, and having read the back cover blurb, both Mrs H and I were hooked and went straight out and bought the book.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong><u><span data-preserver-spaces="true">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">Smith, arguably a bit of a hero, even though a pickpocket, is only twelve. But in the 1800's he can still be hanged for his crimes, being 'nubbed', as the downtrodden and lower order of people called it at that time. Life in a London so very unlike that which we see today, was hard. Highwaymen and footpads prey on travellers using roads across commons and through woods that have long since formed part of the modern London urban sprawl.&nbsp;The side streets of London are mazes and rabbit warrens and home to dangerous folk who would kill you for a penny or the silk handkerchief in your pocket should you stray and be gone before you hit the ground.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">Smith, Smut to his kin and those that know him well, is a swift of foot and finger pickpocket, in and out and away before anyone would know, let alone see his shadow. He lives below a very seedy public house, home to the worst kind. Their landlord would never give any of the villainous drinkers up to the law, leastways not for anything less than a shilling. Along with his seamstress sisters, Miss Bridget &amp; Miss Fanny, they eke out a living. The sisters are brought the clothes of the recently executed by the prison hangman. They mend and adjust them to suit a new and presently living body for a small fee.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">When Smut picks the pocket of an elderly gent seeking passage through streets he once knew, he gets more than he bargains for. Stopping to investigate the piece of paper he has picked, he sees the man stabbed to death for something he now doesn't have – the document. There is a third man, who walks with a wooden leg. He is the one wanting the document. What Smut doesn't know is that he was seen pickpocketing by a fourth person.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">Smith flees the scene and returns home. Speculating that the paper must be of worth to warrant the old gent's demise at the hands of two men in brown, he wants to find out what it contains. Alas, he, like most, can't read. But when his highwayman friend Lord Tom (all dressed in green robes) suggests taking it to another (and probably untrustworthy acquaintance) to decipher, he won't risk it, keeping it close to his chest, quite literally.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">The men in brown track Smut down, and a chase through the streets ensues. But lithe Smut is too sharp and soon runs the men ragged till they give up. But he has ended up in a posher part of London town. Not looking where he's going, knocks a gent to the ground. Mr Mansfield, the gent in question, is blind. He is also a Justice of the Peace, bad news for a thief, no matter the size. Smut offers to guide the man home. A deal is struck, and as Smut dares not return home, he gets to stop the night at the man's home. His daughter, Miss Mansfield, is none too happy at seeing Smut, not least because he is filthy. But she agrees to have him, for she loves her father, and the urchin has helped him.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">This is the central turning point in the story. What happens to Smut and his, or rather, the murdered man's, piece of paper starts to play out and have consequences from here on in. There are twists and turns, wheels and stories within each other, that affect everyone we have met thus far and a few we have not, which naturally is why I must stop the review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">What did we think?</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">We had never heard of the author. This is a crying shame, as the book is incredibly appealing and so very atmospheric that you can feel and smell the world you are very quickly drawn into. We could tell straight away this is a world and period the writer made his own and was most comfortable writing about, which, from what we can see, is where many of his tales are set.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">What we modern readers get isn't Oliver Twist the musical. We see this world from the gutter and on high in the eyes of the law and those that administered it, harsh as it was.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">The ever-present threats of ill health, the hangman's noose or ending in gaol for years on end and sometimes till death for being debtor, is our backdrop.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">It is a fair old and breathless chase, hindered yet emboldened and made urgent by the colourful characters, prize, risks, and the awful weather. The ending comes together quite nicely (though hardly blood, pain, or death-free) with lessons, perceptions, and understandings.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s1010/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1010" data-original-width="678" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s320/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" width="215" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">It is a wholly satisfying, authentically created middle-grade appropriate tale. More importantly, we believe it is an excellent classic tale for all to enjoy without being over the top. Watch this space for more reviews of adventures from Leon Garfield.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please find a safe route past pickpockets, gaol, and highwaymen to your own Ye Olde Local Book Shoppe. Each is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the excellent Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.&nbsp;<a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/heres-chippie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter" style="font-family: Times;"></figure><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with another Sofa Selfie. Gee, you'd have thought I do nothing but nap the day – and night – away!&nbsp; Rest assured I have been busy doing other managerial-like things, MOL.</span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IE3H1gyzsutAGdzo1y211BqcdsZFTFAq-FGl07BdcQaXlR4IIDV3kSD2j8sR0NVHbf9GKP6S2ARi75MNtse3zm_8Ig1QpI6FTAk6zptpfa3FS61Cn9sEHv_7KPHVB_EtWC_w37hUho6Uv_6lueCrGbeSQziVvykDitOFr1a05FxCKo_gl43rBGyjtyQ/s1170/SS.%205.5.24.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1170" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6IE3H1gyzsutAGdzo1y211BqcdsZFTFAq-FGl07BdcQaXlR4IIDV3kSD2j8sR0NVHbf9GKP6S2ARi75MNtse3zm_8Ig1QpI6FTAk6zptpfa3FS61Cn9sEHv_7KPHVB_EtWC_w37hUho6Uv_6lueCrGbeSQziVvykDitOFr1a05FxCKo_gl43rBGyjtyQ/w640-h480/SS.%205.5.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Image ©</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-family: Times; text-align: center;"><br /></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span><p style="font-family: Times;"></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p style="font-family: Times;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">©Erin the Cat Princess</span></p></div> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=314009" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </div></description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/05/smith.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho9lOngXUn52Hn75JSAyOJ5RYsA-EiYLSl2O46BgfLS3cR6MpPy06Aa-ca3-jeSl-HGB8DY_D0h5DfOgZniNluSoCGrdNE9jH0DLPpMsbnVoMbqPMBKDMjhD2pm0fXwvssNF9uH42XAkAtzWm4TbMXEHJPt7ou5MtmVkUX5OqB_XsXxFs2WN00IlSHVEg/s72-c/Screenshot%202024-04-29%20at%2008.05.39.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>32</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1113525375278525940</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 21 Apr 2024 07:51:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-07-20T17:43:52.395+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adult Fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Book Blog</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cat amongst the pumpkins</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cats</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cosy Mystery</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Farrago</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mandy Morton</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Murder Mystery</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The No.2 Feline Detective Agency</category>
<title>CAT AMONG THE PUMPKINS</title>
<description><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Mandy Morton;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span><span><span style="font-family: verdana; font-size: large;">Cover by Jason Anscomb&nbsp;</span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span> &nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/s1018/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The book cover is in royal blue. Two cats cavort amidst orange pumpkins with yellow eyes. Behind an orange landscape with spooky feeling multi-tier old house. The title and book series is in white, with only the word FELINE in yellow. The 'O' of among has a cobweb inside, whilst a spider hangs from a thread off the letter 'K' in pumpkins. Author s name in white along the bottom of cover." border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="692" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/w218-h320/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" width="218" /></a></div><br /></span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Adult Feline Fiction.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mrs H has been busy this week. OK, as busy as she ever is, with the added event of a surveyor calling at the Manor House. Five hours later, after much measuring, humming and harring, along with two cups of coffee and lots of dunkable chocolate biscuits, he finished. He seemed impressed with my mouse-free attic and spacious mole-free lawns. He was less impressed with Mrs H's cluttered bedroom but said it would do, just so long as she cleared out the laundry and her wardrobe.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Why, I hear you say? If you think I'm making room for lodgers or planning to extend my cat tree, I should advise that I have applied to adopt a lonely heat pump. Yes, it seems the UK government are asking residents to home one of these many now homeless pumps. They will even give us a hefty one-off payment of £7,500. In return, the pumps will heat the Manor House and provide hot water, which means we won't have a big gas bill or pollute the atmosphere. We, of course, must provide the electricity so they can work day and night. I did my research, and whilst it seems a bit of a raw deal to expect them to work 24/7 for 6 months of the year, they do get the summer months off.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">All in all, the minor modifications to Mrs H's bedroom to accommodate all their gear and a water tank will cost £500. It's a win-win situation: somewhere nice and warm for me to perch on outside and read the latest HOT new releases during the summer, and plenty of room for afternoon tea to be served on!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But enough of my exciting tech news, let's get on with some serious feline detective fun. This week, we bring you . . .&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/s1018/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The book cover is in royal blue. Two cats cavort amidst orange pumpkins with yellow eyes. Behind an orange landscape with spooky feeling multi-tier old house. The title and book series is in white, with only the word FELINE in yellow. The 'O' of among has a cobweb inside, whilst a spider hangs from a thread off the letter 'K' in pumpkins. Author s name in white along the bottom of cover." border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="692" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" width="436" /></a></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR: Mandy Morton</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: Jason Anscomb</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Farrago</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback: Latest edition October 2023</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN: 978-1788424653</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback: £9.99&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: £2.99&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 240</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range: Adult</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? All cats and no humans.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Some as to plot direction and characters. To read our review of Book One: <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-no2-feline-detective-agency.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><b><i>The No.2 Feline Detective Agency</i></b>, click this TEXT.<br /></a></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I am exceedingly grateful to Mrs H for the privilege of getting to Read &amp; Review this 2nd book in the series.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This week, we thought we'd give you a short list of The Characters.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Hettie Bagshot and Tilly Jenkins. Long-haired tabby cat investigators at the No.2 Feline Detective Agency, who live and work from a room behind the bakery.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Beryl and Betty. Level-headed, businesslike and charming motherly owners of the bakery and Hettie and Till's landladies.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The Dosh Family. Rogan, Pakora, Balti, etc., own and run the increasing Dosh Store empire.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Miss Irene Peggledrip. The town's resident Medium.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Delirium Treemint. Ever ready to serve refreshments with her trusty samovar. She is prone to breaking tea services at an alarming rate. She is also a trainee medium under Miss Peggledrip.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crimola. A huffy, sometimes obstinate, spirit guide that lives part-time in Miss Peggledrip's head.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Bruiser Venutious. A now elderly travelling cat, a fighter, scarred and not keen on four walls. He is a longtime friend of Hettie from her musician days on the road.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Jess. The proprietor of a charity shop where many of the townscats do business and where Tilly gets all her cardigans.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Milky Myers. Longtime past mass murder of his kin, and said to haunt the village and the house his family once lived in, now Miss Peggledrip's home.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mavis Spitforce. Our first but not last victim. Historian, family tree researcher, and resides opposite the local Dosh Store.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Marmite Sprat is a self-appointed historian and writer of what Hettie would call 'Penny Dreadful' tales under the title Strange but True, which are based more on speculation than fact.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Lavender Stamp. The jilted and curmudgeonly postmistress. Knitter of lifesize male cats for company.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Bugs Anderton. A sizeable Scottish ginger cat. President of the town's Friendship Club and a force to be reconned with, though well-meaning.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It is Halloween evening, and our two heroes and budding investigators are settling down for a night in and a scary movie as befits the season. The two start talking about Milky Myers, who lived 'longer ago than anyone can remember' and murdered his family. But on Halloween, he returns to haunt the area and his old house, now the home of Miss Peggledrip. Will he walk the town that night?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The following morning dawns with the surprise arrival of Bruiser. The Butter sisters give him something to eat and Hettie and Tilly make room in the shed for him to lay his head. Loving motorbikes, Bruiser soon comes in handy to take our detectives on trips out in Miss Scarlet, their bright red motorcycle with sidecar.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Whilst Hettie is giving a lecture at the club, when the postlady, Teezle Makepeace, bursts in screaming MURDER!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Hettie goes to the house where Mavis Spitforce lives and discovers her dead, stabbed in the back, wearing a witch's hat, eye mask and draped in a pumpkin-coloured silk cloak. Halloween had taken a nasty turn in No. 19 Whisker Terrace.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What happens next reveals that Mavis is working on an accurate history of Milky Myers. With her mouth stuffed with pages from Marmite's book, one obvious cat is in the frame. The suspect list increases when Hettie discovers the primary beneficiary of the will is Irene Peggledrip, who bursts in on the scene and thinks Hettie has committed the murder. Realising this isn't the case, she suggests the detectives come to one of her sessions to speak to the spirits. But should Hettie and Tilly risk going with a potential murderer?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But the more our team digs, the broader and more confusing the investigation becomes. The disappearance of Teezle the following day brings more complications and creates another suspect. No matter how they look at it, the matter appears to be linked to the Milky Myers all the years before. To solve this latest murder and those that come, they need to solve the Milky Myers murders, too! But is that possible, given it happened farther back than anyone can recall?&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Joining the dots will take all the brainpower and help Hettie can get, be it spiritual or earthly, not forgetting all the cream cakes and pies they can muster to keep the energy up in the cold and strangely snowy weather. The thing is, will Hettie recognise and accept what she sees?&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Through all of this, we have a family feud between the senior and younger Dosh family, and an intercultural romance to deal with. With a far-from-healthy love of gruesome, bloody murder, is Balti Dosh to be trusted? And why is the advice from the vicar of Milky Myers' village seemingly so obtuse and evasive?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Not wishing to spoil this adventure for you, I must stop there. The best, I assure you, is still to come.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/s1018/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The book cover is in royal blue. Two cats cavort amidst orange pumpkins with yellow eyes. Behind an orange landscape with spooky feeling multi-tier old house. The title and book series is in white, with only the word FELINE in yellow. The 'O' of among has a cobweb inside, whilst a spider hangs from a thread off the letter 'K' in pumpkins. Author s name in white along the bottom of cover." border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="692" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/w273-h400/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" width="273" /></a></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What did we think?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Whether or not you're a cat lover, these adventures will draw you in. It could be the tongue-in-cheek names of locals, as seen above, or the names of villages and towns, like Much Purring on the Rug.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We have a cracking and twisty plot, better than many a cosy. Hetties, scepticism, sarcasm, frustration and even heartfelt loss and joy are palpable foils, honest reactions that we, too, may have to the quirky cast and the situations they end up in.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">There is a particular moment, a strange revelation, that we loved. It had us going back to see if there were clues we had missed. We had missed them all. Such a clever plot. Woven into this story are a few others. Good or bad, everything is presented just right.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Whether justice is served in Hettie's world remains for you, dear readers, to discover for yourselves. Let us just add that sometimes, like revenge, justice is served hot as well as cold.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">If book one whetted your appetite, this is a must-read. Yes, you could read any of the soon-to-be thirteen books and feel at home with the cast and situation of their world. But we think it's best to start at the beginning. We are keen observers of cosy and murder mysteries featuring felines, and this is one of the best. Buy and enjoy, then share with friends.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To get a copy, jump into your own sidecar and roar down to your local independent bookshop. If you have a Dosh Store of your own, you could even try there, but maybe best to steer clear of the contents of the large cooking pot. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/s1018/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="The book cover is in royal blue. Two cats cavort amidst orange pumpkins with yellow eyes. Behind an orange landscape with spooky feeling multi-tier old house. The title and book series is in white, with only the word FELINE in yellow. The 'O' of among has a cobweb inside, whilst a spider hangs from a thread off the letter 'K' in pumpkins. Author s name in white along the bottom of cover." border="0" data-original-height="1018" data-original-width="692" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/w273-h400/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" width="273" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mandy Morton's</b> short author page at Farrago Books <a href="https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Farrago Book's</b> web page <a href="https://farragobooks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hettie Bagshot can be found on both Facebook and Twitter. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. <a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/ginger-tabby-boys-two-fur/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a&nbsp;</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1-nlYZUGHD7EMc-1JEj5O8tQ3PaSo-z740gRtGvwxGKNj8dKWjvr7UihmoBaSqQIxWtUxY3ziMvZVWZ_2s7xmQcxQVlLWQMkhzGYjvRqE1_-nUpD3bjJz13KMIGTfDmXJNNVKJML6BW0r1EkA2nOagU1SCFNSHTael3obaO8BSzbTWPEOjx8BlB14cA/s1172/SS.21.4.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="An image of me, Erin the cat, laying on a silver-grey sculptured rug. A half eaten meal sits in my bowl. The sun shines on the white of my hind legs." border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1-nlYZUGHD7EMc-1JEj5O8tQ3PaSo-z740gRtGvwxGKNj8dKWjvr7UihmoBaSqQIxWtUxY3ziMvZVWZ_2s7xmQcxQVlLWQMkhzGYjvRqE1_-nUpD3bjJz13KMIGTfDmXJNNVKJML6BW0r1EkA2nOagU1SCFNSHTael3obaO8BSzbTWPEOjx8BlB14cA/w640-h480/SS.21.4.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till Laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><br /> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313881" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/04/cat-amongst-pumpkins.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgDbFmbE0v5ZxHvBBLgFXFY_Yi2_NyTLF9dr0-RHtIaUXB7U2eoDsRfEf6i5aYl_eseWA2R78Z37IGmpSs7wLbiMeGWOs372ECLFOaBcgofAP8oQk3dDyFeutjazE62TyN7lkssEDpqK_mg3RcgR2nzGLthdZ2xHHw4tlruPl-OoYucU727pCwKO26bts/s72-w218-h320-c/Screenshot%202024-04-21%20at%2008.33.46.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>23</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-1849807697948997844</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Apr 2024 07:27:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-04-07T10:33:46.652+01:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Ages 7-9</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Clara Vulliamy</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Dog Racing</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Harper Collins Childrens Books</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Middle grade fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The DOG SQUAD - The Race</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Wafer the Whippet</category>
<title>The Dog Squad: The Race</title>
<description><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">Written and fully illustrated by Clara Vulliamy.</span></span></span></span></p><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_E4eIuqfb0QMgRGVbFXdAynWgMTMdw-Sd89TN_zBZyAhAhj2S4Vs8JkyPL5F4zy3wIMcjwxOWq-4qdgDO6Pe-vylcvQZ_KoI4dEROivihBbhy2iytUlE1_yFfyvHfXqvhrLyfnd7PSGG_Ze7WCbfOMoxjTqALTXm_KcHZgqCJju2GRPIi6FE6v5wSD4/s1004/Screenshot%202024-04-04%20at%2018.28.45.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="686" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_E4eIuqfb0QMgRGVbFXdAynWgMTMdw-Sd89TN_zBZyAhAhj2S4Vs8JkyPL5F4zy3wIMcjwxOWq-4qdgDO6Pe-vylcvQZ_KoI4dEROivihBbhy2iytUlE1_yFfyvHfXqvhrLyfnd7PSGG_Ze7WCbfOMoxjTqALTXm_KcHZgqCJju2GRPIi6FE6v5wSD4/s320/Screenshot%202024-04-04%20at%2018.28.45.png" width="219" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Middle Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">For our canine pals we have a wonderful new release from Clara. It's the second 7 to 11 year olds adventure featuring a whippet called Wafer, and his human child companions, Eva, Ash, and Simone. Together, they form the Dog Squad, up and coming school reporters at The News Hound paper, with an eye for the top story and are always up for adventure investigation and fun.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, without further ado, lets find out about their latest hot-off-the-press adventure!</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_E4eIuqfb0QMgRGVbFXdAynWgMTMdw-Sd89TN_zBZyAhAhj2S4Vs8JkyPL5F4zy3wIMcjwxOWq-4qdgDO6Pe-vylcvQZ_KoI4dEROivihBbhy2iytUlE1_yFfyvHfXqvhrLyfnd7PSGG_Ze7WCbfOMoxjTqALTXm_KcHZgqCJju2GRPIi6FE6v5wSD4/s1004/Screenshot%202024-04-04%20at%2018.28.45.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1004" data-original-width="686" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_E4eIuqfb0QMgRGVbFXdAynWgMTMdw-Sd89TN_zBZyAhAhj2S4Vs8JkyPL5F4zy3wIMcjwxOWq-4qdgDO6Pe-vylcvQZ_KoI4dEROivihBbhy2iytUlE1_yFfyvHfXqvhrLyfnd7PSGG_Ze7WCbfOMoxjTqALTXm_KcHZgqCJju2GRPIi6FE6v5wSD4/w438-h640/Screenshot%202024-04-04%20at%2018.28.45.png" width="438" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; </span></b></span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Clara Vulliamy</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by:&nbsp; </span></b></span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Clara Vulliamy</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; </span></b></span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Harper Collins Children's Books</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; OUT NOW<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978-0-00-856539-8</span></b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £6.99</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 112</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 7 - 11<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters. </span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;<br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></i></b></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></i></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I am exceedingly grateful to Clara who personally sent over the digital pictures specifically so you all could enjoy them in the best possible way (IE without Mrs H's marmalade covered fingers in the picture). And huge thanks for Mrs H spending her pension and cycling twenty miles in the pouring rain to the not so local bookshop so we could Read &amp; Review this awesome kids' publication. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. </span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those <u><b>we select to read</b></u>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MN37gLkjNzuAI9m6V-um8gz-RMqj2iXDjOPgTqPKjAE7rWgteEZjyClZWFsEevx-WG8Y34Tu-4xfxVKydRU83QJYD4aBdEig3QML794L9IjTGQ5zxxacNBFwx3PunPHkzlVSXO8sTtiWTbjEagu1VZ-jtfWQsMSsQlNPU1q3dX-KVPajQqVZEbgDnNk/s3047/83.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="3047" height="493" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1MN37gLkjNzuAI9m6V-um8gz-RMqj2iXDjOPgTqPKjAE7rWgteEZjyClZWFsEevx-WG8Y34Tu-4xfxVKydRU83QJYD4aBdEig3QML794L9IjTGQ5zxxacNBFwx3PunPHkzlVSXO8sTtiWTbjEagu1VZ-jtfWQsMSsQlNPU1q3dX-KVPajQqVZEbgDnNk/w640-h493/83.jpg" width="640" /></a></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The plot</b><br /><br />Wafer is Eva’s pet whippet. She wants to help him make new pals. So, finding out there is a 'meet and greet' for shy dogs, down the local park the following Sunday, she decides to go. With her pals, Ash, who is non-binary, and Simone, they take Wafer for what they hope will be fun and a way to burn off some of Wafer’s heaps of energy. But it turns out to be a bit of a flop, as the dogs that turn up refuse to mix.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">On the way home, they bump into Sam, from the Wags and Whiskers day care centre. He suggests taking Wafer to do some whippet racing.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfmpN8tZcTnD8ubt0I8XzNI-SxUHtbVun4__vC5bOs2OW8rZkGsFGxvqyz1FJOhlkdHmpOIPqQlPD8_dKNm_QFqziTIYuRj0um4Awbc1-izd4gYlaWzaEMhdWNeW3Gx464ygDosH9LYaFi9hUx-ilKvcogg0yG442MCoErWtbzGkIT0VEvC0sw5NBn6c/s6094/2627.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3210" data-original-width="6094" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvfmpN8tZcTnD8ubt0I8XzNI-SxUHtbVun4__vC5bOs2OW8rZkGsFGxvqyz1FJOhlkdHmpOIPqQlPD8_dKNm_QFqziTIYuRj0um4Awbc1-izd4gYlaWzaEMhdWNeW3Gx464ygDosH9LYaFi9hUx-ilKvcogg0yG442MCoErWtbzGkIT0VEvC0sw5NBn6c/w640-h338/2627.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />Which, having got Eva’s mum’s approval, is what the kids decide to do. But first, like the talented journalists they hope to be, they do some investigating. Armed with a training regimen for Wafer, which he takes to like a duck to water, they book him in to a local event.</span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, this is a short book, and so the remaining pages deal with events at and after the races Wafer has entered. Suffice it to say, it would not be an adventure for our Dog Squad Team of investigative reporters without something going on.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We get introduced to a few characters, as well as their whippets. And from here, the Dog Squad gets a whiff of foul play and potentially dangerous goings on for the dogs involved in the racing.<br /><br />Will Wafer win the races and get a rosette? What are the series of nasty events that threaten to overshadow the days racing? Will the bad guys go unpunished? These questions will be answered, but you’ll need to buy the book to see how.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />What did we think?</b><br /><br />Clara has a wonderful way of bringing her art into the very fabric of the story. This book is no exception. A simple but highly entertaining plot brings action, inclusion, and a theme that supports right and fitting behaviour for our youngsters. All brought to life in art on or across almost every page.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimyWr1ql5HICCncFq-S7Oom5HZyK094VwPFvvvc3w9NKCvth6QSWn-tDp86Sr_GXm0lMIxuN91v6oQ-ao910yw9DS9C6Bq2fc1YK0V44_d-6_5oui-HnsUqpU6S2UH6dxlHn5MJxwPImUrpHKIOdX6nylQZO9fETtpNTIT6XzEivd1y9ksQc8H1GszCY/s3047/54.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2339" data-original-width="3047" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhimyWr1ql5HICCncFq-S7Oom5HZyK094VwPFvvvc3w9NKCvth6QSWn-tDp86Sr_GXm0lMIxuN91v6oQ-ao910yw9DS9C6Bq2fc1YK0V44_d-6_5oui-HnsUqpU6S2UH6dxlHn5MJxwPImUrpHKIOdX6nylQZO9fETtpNTIT6XzEivd1y9ksQc8H1GszCY/w400-h308/54.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /><b>So . . . Crunch time. </b><br /><br />This is a wonderful sequel. One that we just had to have. Adult books lose out for not generally having artwork, save for somewhat spurious or generic genre covers. For any younger readers, this book will be a real visual treat and well worth buying to encourage/develop their reading skills and sense of adventure.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A link to our review of the first book <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/08/the-dog-squad-newshound.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE.</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A link to our review of Clara's 'Marshmallow Pie Cat Superstar' adventure books <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/01/marshmallow-pie-cat-superstar-four-book.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE. <br /></a></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />Want to buy a copy?</b><br /><br />To get a copy, please race down to your independent bookshop. There are plenty out there and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire. <i><b>You can't fail to win with this book! </b><br /></i></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGAOhGY3XMmOEdJFAsvJgKhbzS4UW5kFe-ShVjHQs95IhV2uJw92kJqPMuqiKQrOdqYBRIEw-_3VzxdRZEh9iYkx06R5yXWZ7ciw2r5os-kCjH0HkOj8li7hBoActv7QCPxlNpLd7HZxwMxDvc9UP4QlRtIIZBCma65csrJzUbtGQvQjWvJ3AXmOXzu4/s3199/78.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3199" data-original-width="3047" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqGAOhGY3XMmOEdJFAsvJgKhbzS4UW5kFe-ShVjHQs95IhV2uJw92kJqPMuqiKQrOdqYBRIEw-_3VzxdRZEh9iYkx06R5yXWZ7ciw2r5os-kCjH0HkOj8li7hBoActv7QCPxlNpLd7HZxwMxDvc9UP4QlRtIIZBCma65csrJzUbtGQvQjWvJ3AXmOXzu4/w381-h400/78.jpg" width="381" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Clara Vulliamy's</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://claras.me/" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://claras.me/</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Harper Collins Children's Books&nbsp;</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/explore/" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://harpercollinschildrensbooks.co.uk/explore/</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><br /><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. <a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/mr-grumpys-selfie/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with an early April morning selfie. And no, I do not use paw whitener, honest 😉<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0HbgIEdLOZYlfgaWPYAxXzSb0E0PmL5XOFQm6_HoJnAgYZtRhNQmfEHGaLOfHi0XBk5reje4pRlkw6uSoFy8Om3IFabDL19Pao3uiArIJ25iGXvaIBAz0hF2NxlGayMQpVrfV3tSVVPYslh_AO_XUQQiH4gqejb_ZSOsuT5fKUaAbVuq-xQhGcDPaBo/s1172/SS.%207.4.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw0HbgIEdLOZYlfgaWPYAxXzSb0E0PmL5XOFQm6_HoJnAgYZtRhNQmfEHGaLOfHi0XBk5reje4pRlkw6uSoFy8Om3IFabDL19Pao3uiArIJ25iGXvaIBAz0hF2NxlGayMQpVrfV3tSVVPYslh_AO_XUQQiH4gqejb_ZSOsuT5fKUaAbVuq-xQhGcDPaBo/w640-h480/SS.%207.4.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313793" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/04/the-dog-squad-race.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS_E4eIuqfb0QMgRGVbFXdAynWgMTMdw-Sd89TN_zBZyAhAhj2S4Vs8JkyPL5F4zy3wIMcjwxOWq-4qdgDO6Pe-vylcvQZ_KoI4dEROivihBbhy2iytUlE1_yFfyvHfXqvhrLyfnd7PSGG_Ze7WCbfOMoxjTqALTXm_KcHZgqCJju2GRPIi6FE6v5wSD4/s72-c/Screenshot%202024-04-04%20at%2018.28.45.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>22</thr:total>
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<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-8934767608551447903</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Mar 2024 09:12:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-03-17T18:11:21.722+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adult Fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Book Blog</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">cats</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cosy Mystery</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Farrago</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mandy Morton</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Murder Mystery</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The No.2 Feline Detective Agency</category>
<title>The No.2 Feline Detective Agency</title>
<description><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by MANDY MORTON;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLIShud_D8jSBfaKmg90i44KeeDb7L7eRVDk1_WVDEPr0nbO5wvmfva-eVf-mArRFKGQuOWquoICzLn-GvkoOaG0q4JHzmFwqHy_ihgh8LzAgMWDVnATDYrjspOyDhz3cB6VxT_wxPEHNVXTtL6qNW94m-mHrpzICwYp5xD1_etgP8xtAWJokT7rB95c/s4032/IMG_3380%202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLIShud_D8jSBfaKmg90i44KeeDb7L7eRVDk1_WVDEPr0nbO5wvmfva-eVf-mArRFKGQuOWquoICzLn-GvkoOaG0q4JHzmFwqHy_ihgh8LzAgMWDVnATDYrjspOyDhz3cB6VxT_wxPEHNVXTtL6qNW94m-mHrpzICwYp5xD1_etgP8xtAWJokT7rB95c/s320/IMG_3380%202.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br /><br />&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure in Adult Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">If you're unfamiliar with Mandy Morton's works, you're in for a treat. We'll be reviewing the whole series of the No.2 Feline Detective Agency, which features two tabby furred feline detectives, Hettie Bagshot and her colleague and friend, Tilly Jenkins.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mandy was born in Suffolk, England, and, like Hettie, had a successful music career as a singer-songwriter. She also has 6 records to her name. Later, she joined the BBC as a presenter and producer of arts programs for local and national radio. The book's biography says that "Mandy lives with her partner, who is a fellow crime writer, in Cambridge and Cornwall, where there is always room for a longhaired tabby cat."</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">That the author is a cat lover and guardian is self-evident from the stories. And whilst the feline characters bring the magic that only cats can, it is the plot, settings, and sheer deftness and pace of the telling that, with our protagonist's natures, win the day. So, without further ado, let's dive right into . . . .</span><br /></p><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s1052/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="714" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/w434-h640/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" width="434" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Mandy Morton<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: Unknown<span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Farrago</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First publication date Paperback: 2014<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Current edition Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978 1788 424 431</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback: £9.99 </span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: £2.99</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Audiobook price: £13 (or one subscription voucher)<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 257</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; Adult</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any cats? Cats and no humans.<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters. </span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><em><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...<br /></span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />I am exceedingly grateful to Mrs H for the utter delight of getting to Read &amp; Review, AND listen to this excellent book. She’s bought the series!<br /><br />As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, received as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.<br /><br />Foremost, the books we review are those we select to read, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span><em><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br />The plot<br /><br /></span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sitting in the Butter sisters’ one-time storeroom, now turned bedsit and office, waiting for the phone to ring, is bringing home the awkward truth to Hettie that a detective agency with nothing to detect wasn’t a good business model. Just as she was wondering where her assistant and co-sharer of the bedsit, Tilly, was, there was a strange sound. Hettie suddenly realises it’s the telephone. More importantly, it’s their first case. Marcia Woolcoat, matron and proprietor of the Furcross Home for Slightly Older Cats, has a job for them. A case of missing cats, dead cats that are now missing, stolen from their graves on the grounds of Furcross! Body snatching is alive and well, pardon the pun, in the town.<br /><br />Taking the case, Hettie sets about getting evidence. Onetime TV celebrity gardener and novel writer Digger Patch, now down on his luck and very grumpy, attended to the grave duties. Nurse Mogadon arranged and completed the Dignicat final acts for the cats, and Aurelia Claws did the makeup and nail varnish for the deceased. The cook for the home is Marley Toke, a black cat from Jamaica who buoys the residents’ spirits with her excellent Jamaican cooking—most of which has potent catnip in it!<br /><br />It all seems rather strange, but a case, and more importantly, an advance of their fee, is what matters. By discovering who took the bodies, where they are, and the goods they were buried with, they will earn their daily fee and a small bonus. <br /><br />But, before they can get started and get into too much planning, three bodies will turn up behind the Malkin and Sprinkles department store. Fearing the loss of her fee, which would help fund their food shopping and mean they can get a new TV, Hettie and old pal and Hettie’s ex-roadie, Poppa, race to the store to collect the bodies. What they discover when they do is that the cats are missing a lot of fur. In fact, the only fur left is on their faces.<br /><br />As Tilly points out, the case isn’t really solved. So Hettie and Tilly start digging around, metaphorically speaking, and visit Furcross. Whilst there, they find Nurse Mogadon dead with a note saying she has taken the easy way out and is sorry for letting the awful things happen to the three former residents.<br /><br />Now, things aren’t quite as solved or as easy as they first may seem. This is by far not the end of the case. In fact, it only picks up speed from here on in. Who stole the cats, their fur, and paid Nurse Mogadon to abet them? More importantly, and part of the fun of the plot, what will Beryl and Betty Butter’s pie-of-the-day be, and will there be any left come the end of the case! Oh, and if you are wondering about the TV, well, that plays an important part, too.<br /><br />I’d dearly love to tell you more, but I am teetering on the brink of revealing too much. Suffice it to say, the goings-on at Furcross have not ended. There is still an awful lot of investigating, chewing over facts, pies, and a few well-earned pipes of catnip tobacco being smoked.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span><em><strong><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s1052/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="714" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" width="217" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;<br /><br />What did we think?<br /><br /></span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">With the plaudits from the likes of P D James and all-round praise from readers, Mrs H and I will do our best to give our own enthusiastic yet balanced review. <br /><br />When we first listened to this, book one in the series some years ago, we were enthralled by something quite unique. We had already started writing our own adventure series, and Mandy Morton’s book illustrated there was a market for good, feline-centric adventures that extended beyond cats being smart yet dumb sidekicks found in many cosy mysteries. In fact, there are no humans in the series, which instantly focuses the mind. <br /><br />The recent and highly articulate and clever books by L. T. Shearer, which feature Conrad, a talking and quite independent feline in a human world, provide a refreshing angle and opportunities for the cosy mystery-weary reader. Criminal investigation taken on from literally multiple levels and with characters with distinct skill sets makes for compelling reading.<br /><br />The same is true of Hettie, Tilly, and their world. Here, you will find an elegant mix of feline traits and human-style interaction in human settings without annoying humans. <br /><br />Just when you think you have this new world sussed, the characters do something that is wholly feline and out of place, yet on inspection, it is quite delightful, logical and well-placed. One thing you will notice is that there are no police in this book. The cats just get on with life in, so far as I can see, every other way.<br /><br />It is, however, best not to overthink things but just soak it all in. Cats are, after all, not beings to shy away from licking a plate or having a whisker face or ear groomed after a meal. And boy, do they love their food. All sounds very familiar and fun, too, as Hettie, Tilly, and friends plan meals, sweets and savouries around their investigations, murders and corpses.<br /><br />We loved Hettie. She is grumpy in the mornings, at least until she’s had the first cup of tea and a cheese triangle on toast for breakfast, and does not suffer fools, though she is not perfect. But she sometimes admits to being at a loss and is ready to give up the detecting game.<br /><br />But Hettie has a wonderful foil in Tilly, a much smaller, elder, and arguably wiser cat who once lived and almost died from hunger and cold on the streets. Tilly also adds extra humour by sometimes getting the wrong meaning or going off on a tangent.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />Hettie is arguably our lead protagonist, but Tilly’s honest willingness to see good in all, her appreciation of being alive with a roof over her head, and her infectious positivity are way beyond what I have read elsewhere. Tilly is no Dr Watson. She has weaknesses. Her bout of cat flu almost killed her and left her susceptible. However, her passion for reading murder mysteries (which gave Hettie the idea for the detective agency) means she has a head start for solving crime, though her eagerness sometimes runs away with her. In our eyes, she is arguably an inseparable and joint lead character. <br /><br />The first story gradually reveals most of the backstories of all the characters. The location for their home and office, placed in a one-time store room behind Beryl and Betty Butter’s bakery, is just right. It is home, warm and cosy, and when needed, by tidying things away into the sideboard, an instant office. Storing their clothes in a filing cabinet and hiding the telephone in the sideboard struck me as supremely practical, especially if you didn’t wish to take a call.<br /><br />This first book's plot is original, twisty-turny, and highly entertaining. I know it is wrong to laugh out loud or chuckle at a murder mystery, and I don’t think I have with any other book. But this is one where you carried along, and there is so much to enjoy. There are plenty of such moments. PD James was not wrong in their appraisal.<br /><br />For an even more pleasing experience, we recommend getting this and the other stories on Audible. Jenny Funnel, the narrator, has set the perfect tone for the characters—so much so that if I heard anyone speak like the characters, I’d probably have a giggle fit. Did I mention the names? I guess I did already, but the book has characters whose names give away their profession, like the librarian Turner Page.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s1052/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="714" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS84HiuLTqcZGOTUIO1BgBuSaUIU4UntyJRgIIjxkcmSouxrfX4f3fiZQH1eeenLDac5ZuV071hs488Z06FfLPxCBvAS9pPcOGJ-Skl-9514gLqkBtFzNEmtapV94tafHzxzg_yHf-szjeWleYH8oRrjiaPzeyGI81i4yOuZPrCq30GqqXgxPzGGlpoBQ/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-17%20at%2007.54.46.png" width="217" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><em><strong><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />So . . . Crunch time. <br /><br /></span></strong></em><span style="font-family: verdana;">With fun, believable characters, chuckle-worthy names of cast and places, and amazing plots well suited to felines, this book is an all-around success on a par with, you guessed it, an 'Agatha Crispie' novel.</span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please sail or saunter down to your local independent bookshop. Of course, a feline on the shoulders is optional. There are plenty out there (both book shops and cats), and each shop is just waiting to serve whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Mandy Morton's</b> short author page at Farrago Books <a href="https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/fb-author/mandy-morton/</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Farrago Book's</b> web page <a href="https://farragobooks.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://farragobooks.com/<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hettie Bagshot can be found on both Facebook and Twitter.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America. <a href="https://thecatonmyhead.com/remembering-our-friend-jean-selfies-week-500/?utm_source=rss&amp;utm_medium=rss&amp;utm_campaign=remembering-our-friend-jean-selfies-week-500" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Click this link to see Janet Blue's selfie page.</a></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a rare mid-March sun puddle on my new old duvet cover, refashioned and upcycled by the PA at the Bionic Basil blog. Do check out their latest stories on the Medium platform!</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh2DCW7EgPKNdfqY-UExVIn9eLHkbQ0MSpt4gkpZI_-mMIxm-fAH6SfP8upkc2Y-SyNlwvlsXOyr1SOwA_dK6f2qHcOWTPxsBn-gdIfTMyFB01A1v3_fsxj9eTfptU0PxMhZwxfqtCffCO924qQjeAu0S_jgt2Y4tPHUe4DGEnpRFc-lmPBjFJjf4RhI/s1172/S.S%2017.3.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="878" data-original-width="1172" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPh2DCW7EgPKNdfqY-UExVIn9eLHkbQ0MSpt4gkpZI_-mMIxm-fAH6SfP8upkc2Y-SyNlwvlsXOyr1SOwA_dK6f2qHcOWTPxsBn-gdIfTMyFB01A1v3_fsxj9eTfptU0PxMhZwxfqtCffCO924qQjeAu0S_jgt2Y4tPHUe4DGEnpRFc-lmPBjFJjf4RhI/w400-h300/S.S%2017.3.24.jpg" width="400" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br /> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313660" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </div></description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/03/the-no2-feline-detective-agency.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrLIShud_D8jSBfaKmg90i44KeeDb7L7eRVDk1_WVDEPr0nbO5wvmfva-eVf-mArRFKGQuOWquoICzLn-GvkoOaG0q4JHzmFwqHy_ihgh8LzAgMWDVnATDYrjspOyDhz3cB6VxT_wxPEHNVXTtL6qNW94m-mHrpzICwYp5xD1_etgP8xtAWJokT7rB95c/s72-c/IMG_3380%202.JPG" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>25</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-6493306948053143716</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Mar 2024 08:18:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-03-03T16:04:08.395+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Firefly press</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">LGBTQ</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Maggie Horne</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Noah Frye Gets Crushed</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Teen/ YA</category>
<title>NOAH FRYE GETS CRUSHED</title>
<description><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>by Maggie Horne;</span>&nbsp;</span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s944/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="624" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" width="212" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /></span></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Middle Grade Adventure Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><p> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week marks the start of a short break for us. Well, maybe it should be entitled a short sprain cum crushed knee joint but not break, as Mrs H hurt her knee. Trying, of all things, to pull the horse carriage across the sodden lawn to hard standing so it didn't sink into the mud. Mud which has been caused by torrential rain here in the village. And not the sort of floods caused by our neighbour leaving his lawn sprinkler on overnight. I told Mrs H that we have a horse for pulling the cart, and he, even though aged, is well used to getting soggy and muddy in the paddock. Personally, I think Mrs H was trying to prove she still has 'it'. What 'it' is, I suspect we'll never quite understand. What she now has, is a crushed knee. Oh well, at least now she's housebound, I can get some room service 23 hours a day.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And talking of crushed, but of a different kind, not that I know about such things, let's get on to this week's FAB new read. The path to younger love never seems so fraught, or entertaining, as this. We hope you'll enjoy . . . </span></p> <p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s944/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="624" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/w424-h640/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" width="424" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Maggie Horne<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: TBA</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Firefly Press</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp;&nbsp; 28 May 2024<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN: 978-1915 444 530 </b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £7.99<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price: N/A<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 297</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range: Young Adult<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats?&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...</i></b></span></span><br /><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme at Firefly Press Independant Publishers for the privilege of getting to Read &amp; Review this amazing follow up book from Maggie Horne book before publication.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;<u><b>we select to read</b></u>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s944/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="944" data-original-width="624" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s320/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" width="212" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Twelve-year-old Canadian, Noah Frye, has just returned from her summer camp. Things have, however, changed in her friends, Luna and Zoey, since she was gone; they have discovered boys. Noah, who only teamed up with a girl at the camp called Jessa, feels left behind. A friend, after all, is not the same as a boyfriend, especially when the others conversations now revolve around how nice the boy is and kissing, or at least the promises of. Even introducing Jesse, who recently moved to Noah's school after her family came to town, to her friendship circle seems to go awry, as Jessa seems more popular than her. Noah decides she needs a boyfriend to have her first kiss and cuddle and thus remain actively engaged with her friends.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, she tries, quite literally, through what she thinks are reasoned experiments to determine what is involved and if she can catch up. Picking on unsuspecting Archie, a boy from her school, she sets out to achieve results akin to those of her friends, and elder sister, Brighton. Archie's family have adopted Hank, a long-time resident dog from the shelter where Noah volunteers. Getting Archie involved seems the perfect way to get the data and, ultimately, the experience she needs and craves.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Noah has given herself a target to get her own boyfriend by. But her best-laid plans go awry when her PARENTS' home and garden renovating business starts to fail, caused by the arrival in the town of famous TV home makeover guru Brylee James and her Rural Makeover programme.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The resulting pinch on home finances means the open-door Halloween celebrations Noah's family holds yearly, a firm favourite of Luna and Zoey and all the other kids they know, won't be as glitzy as the other kids want. Noah fears her own popularity will suffer even more.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When, after a girls' sleepover at Noah's house, Jessa comes to the shelter with Noah, the whole dynamic of Noah's plan for Archie takes a tumble when, from inexperience in flirting, she insults him and hurts his feelings. So much so that the shelter's owner says that if she carries on, she will lose her job because of her bullying attitude. Jessa, quite reasonably, is confused by what she sees, mixed signals if you will, but ultimately tries to help Noah achieve her goal.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Now, because of all the ins and outs of this plot, the dynamics of Noah's family and the relationship between the friends, old and new and potential victims of Noah, I really can't say any more.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">But as you might guess, things will need to, and do, go wrong so they can improve before we reach the end. You'll just have to read along to discover how things turn out for Noah, her family and friends.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, what did we think?&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We both loved how the young characters, friends and family interacted, the angst of figuring out life and the first steps to maturity, adulthood, friendship and, ultimately, love, irrespective of gender.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Noah recounts her progress in a diary-like style. Each chapter has a heading and, beneath, bullet points of related matters, for example, things Noah likes, dislikes or wants to achieve.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Written most sensitively and wittily (despite our protagonist's misguided and sometimes blunt tactics) and told in the first person, Noah tries her best to navigate the changes within, and in her long-time friendship circle friends, Zoey and Luna, as the others discover boys and how to interact.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">What is quite clear for the reader, and I suspect deliberately so in a beautifully choreographed way, is a road map to understanding a broad range of emotions and oneself. Not everything in life is clear-cut. Friendships consist of more than just one thing. They can withstand many challenges if we take the time to understand our own feelings and those of the surrounding people. And why should these things be difficult, facts and advice obscured by others in an age of enlightenment?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The additional dynamics of a new girl, Jessa, Noah's parents' business problems, and Brylee James make this entire story so very compelling. For extra fun, Noah's parents rescue pugs, and have far too many around the house adding to the chaos of everyday life.<br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The twists and turns kept coming and kept us guessing, gasping and giggling. We were never entirely sure where we would end up with this read, which is why we&nbsp;</span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">loved</span></i></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;it so. The final chapters are telling and appreciative of the situations portrayed and life.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Writing at its very best, dealing with subjects for the young teenager in a form that is neither patronising nor slanted. Maggie Horne has created another go-to piece of literature for all ages that will help inform, entertain, and make a more tolerant society.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">An essential, balanced, unputdownable read and a rollercoaster ride of fun, tears, discovery, misunderstandings and friendship that is right here and now for younger readers and a recommendable read for all.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To get a copy, please sail or saunter down to your local independent bookshop and place a pre-order/ order.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Maggie Horne's Author page at Firefly press <a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/authors/maggie-horne/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/authors/maggie-horne/</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Firefly Press's web page <a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 ">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, from the Cat on My Head blog in America.</span></p> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" /></a></div><figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter"></figure> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie entitled: Are you sure??? 🙂 🙂</span></p><p> <br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUavpeAVh4PDVZilJCaLqbn_MEYQG6Ax0e8SX6IHsJP6Muum3vhlvCk799kgfWJ2myWrUHf21FcZNMSfPknGIcmeXJ94gJsJgyBXDEuZaabVYHHR2fcNK7kquPzzIFKKixdzT6wmjCoZpty1TCAHDbSRlKbyJLIXT_51AsTbm-VNdBlBU-fOtCTD954r4/s1170/SS.%203.3.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1170" data-original-width="876" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUavpeAVh4PDVZilJCaLqbn_MEYQG6Ax0e8SX6IHsJP6Muum3vhlvCk799kgfWJ2myWrUHf21FcZNMSfPknGIcmeXJ94gJsJgyBXDEuZaabVYHHR2fcNK7kquPzzIFKKixdzT6wmjCoZpty1TCAHDbSRlKbyJLIXT_51AsTbm-VNdBlBU-fOtCTD954r4/w480-h640/SS.%203.3.24.jpg" width="480" />&nbsp;</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">&nbsp;</div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!<br /><br />ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313555" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--></description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/03/noah-frye-gets-crushed.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoLN670f180-z0K39yXmnbT6iLbTWdsz3XH9NzaQXV9jDPJU8aW6wIgpvSvBLJDfkVvcGxiIwS2w1gTIU4GDxRWahTgvE-kIhImLu5nWCOZqXS6oncdeARMryUB4z_HPC3D3VOwZVnyl7GxD5NOme9KycloPmOLJ-EfkDSoMX2J7XZ6YY_bBQjmovQqKk/s72-c/Screenshot%202024-03-03%20at%2007.49.53.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>12</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-2540704916714073583</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 18 Feb 2024 08:28:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-02-20T07:34:30.395+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Cat Princess</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Firefly press</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Gothic Horror</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Janine Beacham</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Middle grade fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Nathan Collins</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">The Doll Twin</category>
<title>THE DOLL TWIN by Janine Beacham</title>
<description><p>&nbsp;</p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">illustrated by Nathan Collins. </span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <br /></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugvs5Wpcm2p9QMaavC01Iw_8i4zHA44dpD8RXLfM7T4tCDDgTr2aKMk2EJMi_-nEmxJK4MmGyC7xGub8flrKas-3S6rWs66hkpDgINkd79CgRGlJmC9qdiHUdSagZCs27MGSW7vBP0H80DWPaxisi3QrW2wh-0t5GgGiPKL7Os6dSaXnxSftlcZ0TjBA/s1022/Screenshot%202024-02-12%20at%2013.15.12.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1022" data-original-width="670" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugvs5Wpcm2p9QMaavC01Iw_8i4zHA44dpD8RXLfM7T4tCDDgTr2aKMk2EJMi_-nEmxJK4MmGyC7xGub8flrKas-3S6rWs66hkpDgINkd79CgRGlJmC9qdiHUdSagZCs27MGSW7vBP0H80DWPaxisi3QrW2wh-0t5GgGiPKL7Os6dSaXnxSftlcZ0TjBA/s320/Screenshot%202024-02-12%20at%2013.15.12.png" width="210" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week a Middle-Grade Gothic Horror Adventure.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><br /><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We have a delightful read for you today, one that came right out of the blue when Mrs H's book-to-be-read pile was perilously low. So without further ado, dim the lights, stoke the fire, and wrap up for an amazing read. </span></p> <figure class="wp-block-image aligncenter size-large"><img alt="" class="wp-image-4349" height="1022" src="https://erinthecatprincess.files.wordpress.com/2024/02/screenshot-2024-02-12-at-13.15.12.png?w=670" width="670" /></figure> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</b></p><p><b style="font-family: verdana;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Janine Beacham</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Cover art by:&nbsp; Nathan Collins</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Published by: Firefly Press</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 4 April 2024</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978-1-915 444 479</b><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £7.99</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Kindle UK price:&nbsp; N/A</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Pages: 295 (in proof copy)</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Age range:&nbsp; 9 to 12</b></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>SPOILER ALERT</i></b></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, some as to plot direction and characters.</span></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;"><i>Thank you to...&nbsp;</i></b></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Graeme at Firefly Press Publishers for the delightful surprise package that gave us the chance to Read &amp; Review this very atmospheric eerie book before publication.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those <b>we select to read and review</b>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their families, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The plot<br /><br /></b>Cared for in the Home, which was run by a matron of strict sensibilities and dislike for any child that did not conform, Una is adrift. She longs to be back in the lighthouse her father and mother ran on Anglesea. The life of ‘Groundlings’ is not one she recognises or enjoys. She is a quick learner and loves all things to do with the sea. Mechanisms, too. She helped her father repair and run the big light that would save many ships and lives. He didn’t have to go to war, he was in a protected job, but he went to the war to end all wars, because of his passion for all things mechanical. Dieing in the trenches, he left his wife and daughter, Una, behind to tend the lighthouse. But when Una’s mother dies of influenza, she becomes homeless and an orphan.<br /><br />Una is a dab hand at repairing things as a result, tinkering and making things. So, when Mrs and Mr Smith turn up at the Home, they seem to have found the perfect child as both have a love of turning their hands to practical things. Mrs Smith repairs dolls, whilst Mr Smith is repairing a mechanical carousel, complete with candy-twist poles attached to ponies. And Una thinks she has found the perfect parents as their motivation is to adopt the child they always wanted and don’t seem stuffy at all.<br /><br />Mother and Father, as they prefer to be called, have everything Una could hope for short of a life at sea or in a lighthouse. But their recently acquired house, Copperlins, an aged large three-storey house above the village of Knifely Stifling, is close to the sea. And even though a boy at her orphanage had warned her about the house, she is determined to make it home. It may be outdated and cold, but Una has a room of her own and views. Good food abounds as Mother is always baking. Father enjoys tinkering here and there at his carousel and smoking a pipe. In fact, they are both very much the archetypal parents one might have seen in the magazines and adverts of the time.<br /><br />Una is enrolled in the local school. She has never been to a groundling school before, though she did have postal lessons while on the lighthouse. It is so very different. In fact, it is very inhospitable. The villagers don’t like strangers. Worse, they fear Copperlins and what was said to lurk within after the reclusive, elderly lady owner, a doll maker, died. They have horseshoes over their doors to ward off the evil. The adults, including Una’s teachers, and the local children, shy away from Una and mutter in closed, cold groups.<br /><br />But a girl called Mary soon makes friends, not least because of Una’s unusual and daring but practical short haircut. It is very movie-star-like, Mary says. Though Una has no knowledge of such things and prefers nature and her books.<br /><br />Whilst settling into her new home, Una hears strange noises coming from the second floor. Could they be mice? The scratching and bumping and creaking may not be unexpected in such an old building being exposed to frigid, buffeting winds.<br /><br />Mother and Father, such nice people and as good as perfect parents as she could ever hope for as an orphan, think there is nothing amiss. So Una, for fear of being sent back to the Home, steals herself, saying she is a Wexford and has endured far, far worse in the lighthouse.<br /><br />But little things start happening. And little things mount up and Una is soon aware of things being moved, or worse, going missing from her room. Then, when Mary comes for a sleepover but flees midway through the night without explanation and clearly terrified, Una starts to have doubts. Could what the locals fear about the house be true? Is it haunted by malevolent spirits? Mary goes so far as to extend a safe harbour at her house if Una is too scared.<br /><br />When the noises in the basement, and music from the carousel she and her father are repairing, rouse Una from her sleep, she is minded to investigate. But there is nobody in the room. Later, she ventures to investigate noises on the second floor. It is an area of shut-off rooms, closed curtains and cobwebs. When none of the rooms reveals the source of the sounds, she steals herself again to check within the last room, a broom cupboard. There she confronts the doll; child size and, if that wasn’t scary enough, it has Una’s face and hair and eyes. When telling Mother and Father, who neither heard the carousel music or other such strange sounds, Una can not find the doll to show them.....<br /><br />Now things take a turn around about here, and Una actually gets to meet the Doll Twin. Ani (short for animated curiosity) is the doll's name, and she seems to be out to copy Una completely. Is Ani bent on taking over Una's new life and parents? What happens next is both dramatic, scary and heartwarming.<br /><br />Put aside notions of scary demon dolls.<br /><br />This story is far more skilled and doesn’t need such adult-style nonsense. Arguably, it is far more human than that. What we have going forwards is a series of revelations, of journeys and discoveries sewn together with twists and turns both bold and powerful and yes, at times, as chilling as the storms Una and her once family faced as lighthouse keepers. Which is where we have to leave this review.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br />So, what did we think?<br /><br /></b>A 1920s gothic horror-style feast of suspense, fear and automata, driven by a descriptive text that makes every page pulse and whir with life, and the senses tingle with anticipation from cover to cover.<br /><br />One of the book’s great strengths is its being set after the ‘Great War’. With many children left fatherless, and as with Una Wexford, later motherless in the influenza outbreak, the book becomes very thought-provoking and powerful from the off. I can imagine this being a key point for classroom discussion, too.<br /><br />There were no points where we weren’t immersed in the telling. Looking back, there were telltale clues that we just didn’t see or see clearly enough. Mrs H even peaked forwards, and with a gasp, carried on reading even quicker. She was still surprised by the final chapters; which were magnificently executed. We were raised up on a crest of hope, then sent to the depths of despair or shattered on the rocks with our characters.<br /><br />Because of the writing skill, ultimately the ending was immensely satisfying. I won’t say what that is, as I don’t want to give it away.<br /><b><br />So . . .<br />Crunch time.<br /><br /></b>A middle-grade ‘gothic’ horror, you’ll have to go a long, long way to find one better or more skillfully written. I dare say Mr King would be impressed if he were to read this. We were thoroughly entertained and devoured this in record time, and I think most other kids and parents will, too.<br /><br />Steeped in atmosphere, this is one adventure not to be missed, as it has it all.<br /><br /><b>Want to buy a copy?</b><br /><br />To get a copy, please do consider and support your local and independent bookshops and publishers.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Janine Beacham's</b> web page at Hatchette UK <a data-id="https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/janine-beacham/" data-type="link" href="https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/janine-beacham/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> </a>or type this:&nbsp;https://www.hachette.co.uk/contributor/janine-beacham/</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Firefly Press</b>' web page <a data-id="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" data-type="link" href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> </a>or type this: <a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/">https://fireflypress.co.uk/</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>Nathan Collins</b>' Twitter feed <a data-id="https://twitter.com/NathanlCollins" data-type="link" href="https://twitter.com/NathanlCollins" rel="noreferrer noopener" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/#"> </a>or type this:&nbsp; <a href="https://twitter.com/NathanlCollins">https://twitter.com/NathanlCollins</a></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, in America.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie entitled: Black and White on Paisley 🙂 🙂</span></p><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2i5biqFRElyx9aoNfLh84q8o2xtZezJ5hMIxZv8r9o7NFUQGFRlcz0mgiOE_ZuwuJcLLJBGNXrC6dsKi5AKkEY9toTa6LmVO69cwGmRE_7scDprym738lqdAMEg6HnavZtX6LZev9Wb1Ce3ca8BvMyvKAu9EJCpvE_CvMrqiy1apFbR6tTgz_Ggu1uRc/s1170/S.S.%20%2018.2.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1170" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2i5biqFRElyx9aoNfLh84q8o2xtZezJ5hMIxZv8r9o7NFUQGFRlcz0mgiOE_ZuwuJcLLJBGNXrC6dsKi5AKkEY9toTa6LmVO69cwGmRE_7scDprym738lqdAMEg6HnavZtX6LZev9Wb1Ce3ca8BvMyvKAu9EJCpvE_CvMrqiy1apFbR6tTgz_Ggu1uRc/w640-h480/S.S.%20%2018.2.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313459" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/02/the-doll-twin-by-janine-beacham.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjugvs5Wpcm2p9QMaavC01Iw_8i4zHA44dpD8RXLfM7T4tCDDgTr2aKMk2EJMi_-nEmxJK4MmGyC7xGub8flrKas-3S6rWs66hkpDgINkd79CgRGlJmC9qdiHUdSagZCs27MGSW7vBP0H80DWPaxisi3QrW2wh-0t5GgGiPKL7Os6dSaXnxSftlcZ0TjBA/s72-c/Screenshot%202024-02-12%20at%2013.15.12.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>31</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-6094990029503218161</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 04 Feb 2024 06:23:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-02-04T16:38:57.240+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Helen Crawford-White</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Middle-grade fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Nosy Crow</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Piu Dasgupta</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">SECRETS OF THE SNAKESTONE</category>
<title>SECRETS OF THE SNAKESTONE</title>
<description><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>by Piu Dasgupta;</span> </span><span><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvww0Nq1ycB4DCb7rAMYqqKv79SFrcCU3D0qRCB-xgBngC-vPWUyaFpZUkZdw8v2dHrY1wB8xEe7M5eJ0s1V7OIw9Mf5K9ZuydVaTstylXm1qc9asvkNOvdELUya8waMxheVUfl0vmv5tdgAy4je6DjWGI4uxbrvuHvUo-ScWdpVVnyHGk5ACcvmhI4/s1056/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvww0Nq1ycB4DCb7rAMYqqKv79SFrcCU3D0qRCB-xgBngC-vPWUyaFpZUkZdw8v2dHrY1wB8xEe7M5eJ0s1V7OIw9Mf5K9ZuydVaTstylXm1qc9asvkNOvdELUya8waMxheVUfl0vmv5tdgAy4je6DjWGI4uxbrvuHvUo-ScWdpVVnyHGk5ACcvmhI4/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" width="218" /></a></span></span></span></span></span></div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span><br /> </span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p></p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><!--wp:paragraph--> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week's book review really doesn't need any witty preamble from me. It stands tall and proud and captured our hearts from the very first intriguing page of the prologue. Mrs H was taken back (decades/centuries) to her youth and let out a big sigh of satisfaction and appreciation for a work well written when we finished the epilogue. This is one author we will be keeping a close eye on for future releases, for sure. </span></p><p><!--wp:paragraph--> <!--/wp:paragraph--> <!--wp:paragraph--> <!--/wp:paragraph--></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, all that said and done, join us now as we head to Paris in the 1890s. . .&nbsp;</span></p> <!--/wp:paragraph--></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvww0Nq1ycB4DCb7rAMYqqKv79SFrcCU3D0qRCB-xgBngC-vPWUyaFpZUkZdw8v2dHrY1wB8xEe7M5eJ0s1V7OIw9Mf5K9ZuydVaTstylXm1qc9asvkNOvdELUya8waMxheVUfl0vmv5tdgAy4je6DjWGI4uxbrvuHvUo-ScWdpVVnyHGk5ACcvmhI4/s1056/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="718" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvww0Nq1ycB4DCb7rAMYqqKv79SFrcCU3D0qRCB-xgBngC-vPWUyaFpZUkZdw8v2dHrY1wB8xEe7M5eJ0s1V7OIw9Mf5K9ZuydVaTstylXm1qc9asvkNOvdELUya8waMxheVUfl0vmv5tdgAy4je6DjWGI4uxbrvuHvUo-ScWdpVVnyHGk5ACcvmhI4/w436-h640/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" width="436" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; Piu Dasgupta<br /></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by:&nbsp; Helen Crawford-White</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Nosy Crow</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; 14 March 2024</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; &nbsp;</b><span style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b>978-183 994 6318</b></span><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp;&nbsp;</b></span><b style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">£7.99</b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><b style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price:&nbsp; £6.98</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages:&nbsp; 272</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; 9-12 and upwards</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? No, but a sloth and a pigeon play exciting roles.&nbsp;</b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-size-adjust: auto; widows: auto;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">YES, some as to plot direction and characters. </span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</i></b></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</i></b></span></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful to Hannah Prutton at Nosy Crow Publishers and NetGalley for the delight of getting to Read &amp; Review this much-anticipated book before publication.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">First and foremost, the books we review are those <u><b>we select to read</b></u>, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>The plot</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">The prologue sees a rat run deep under the city of Paris, into the sewers, ending near where a man and boy work clearing a blockage. The rat sees a small gold object winking bright in the mucky water but is driven away by the sense of something "deep and slow and older than the city or the earth upon which it was built." Evil. The boy, Jules, spots the item; it's like two haves of a walnut held together with a clasp. A locket engraved with indecipherable symbols. It twitched in his hand like a living thing and gave off a sickly yellow-green glow. Pocketing it, he notes under which street, and possibly which house, the effluent has come from. There may be a reward for him if he returns it to the owner . . . .</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Zélie Dutta has been sent by her father away from their home in the jungle south of Calcutta to live and work in Paris as a maid for Madame Malaise. She lives in an attic room shared with another maid called Blanche. The house was once the home of Doctor Malaise, discoverer of the cure for Blisterpox. The discovery had got the Doctor much fame and wealth, but he died a year later. He had been a member of a dark and decidedly dubious society called the Brotherhood of Blood. Readers will find out more about their dodgy dealings and wicked works later. Needless to say, it is not good.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Being a foreigner does not help Zélie, and the other staff are weary of her, more so as she has heterochromia – different coloured eyes. They attribute any accident in the grand house they live and work in on Rue Morgue to Zélie and call her a witch. Items being lost and stolen get blamed on her.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Of course, that is all rot, bigotry and covering up their own mistakes and shortcomings. Our protagonist doesn't understand why she had to travel abroad and come to this house to work. It could have something to do with her father having to borrow money and thus using her to repay the debt.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Whatever the reason, she wants to get home. But as the lady of the house reads her letters to her father, she can not write about the dire conditions. When her father does not respond to her letters after a few months, Zélie becomes very worried, heightening her desire to escape the house and France.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One day, on the way out to get some mercury-based powder for Madame's make-up, she bumps into the same sewer boy, Jules. He is holding the locket and is intent on finding an owner.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Zélie immediately recognises the locket as the one that her father used to wear around his neck. He would never speak of what it was or how he came by it, but he would never have given it up.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">What I can and will say is that the locket used to house the Snakestone. The stone is cursed, like so many famous stones are reputed to be. And even though the stone brings long life, health and fortune to the possessor, it demands and exacts a terrible price – the loved ones of whoever holds the stone will die a horrible and unexplainable painful death. So why does Zélie's father have it, or at least have the locket? Could her mother have been killed by the curse?</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Persuading Jules to take her to where he found it, she begins a search to understand why it is in Paris and what has happened to her Baba - her father.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Now, dear reader, the book escalates by many notches. In the search for the truth, Zélie and Jules find new allies, are betrayed, and get entangled with the 'Brotherhood of Blood'. They, too, and their sinister leader, are interested in the stone and, it seems, have a connection to Mr Dutta. What of Madame Malaise? Is she just a grieving widow? Then there are the circus folk Zélie visits. Could they be possible friends? With lives other than their own lives at risk, the story enters one captivating grand finale, which — did you really think I'd give that away?&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Ultimately, everything in this adventure is intertwined, but not everything or everyone is as they seem. You now have the great fun, as we did, of finding out for yourselves.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b><br /></b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b>What did we think?&nbsp;</b></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">A beautiful literary jewel, filled with adventure and a plot worthy of grander, classical novels. Steeped in the very essence of 1890's Parisian life, above and below ground, that leaps from the pages. Captivating and compelling from the first enigmatic page through until the very last. Sheer genius and not to be missed.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I haven't been hooked on a book so quickly or compelled to read on more than I was with this. That, indeed, is an excellent sign. What I found within was a delightful plot that entertained and provided oodles of character, adventure, suspense, heroines and villains, dark and sinister, spangly and exotic, all sewn deftly together with lyrical expertise and a hint of magic.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is very much of the same sort of magic Wilkie Collins infused into the classic, The Moonstone, which was written in the same era and has enthralled children and adults alike ever since.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Finally, we loved the quote from Les Misérables, by Victor Hugo, about the sewers under Paris. That sets a flavour, a tone, at the beginning of the book that lasts throughout.</span></p><p><br /></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please take the main roads, rather than rooftops or sewers, down to your local independent bookshop. A sloth around the shoulders is definitely not recommended.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Piu Dasgupta's agent's page <a href="https://www.theshawagency.co.uk/piu-dasgupta" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this:&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://www.theshawagency.co.uk/piu-dasgupta</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Nosy Crow's web page <a href="https://nosycrow.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this:&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://nosycrow.com/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Helen Crawford-White's web page <a href="https://studiohelen.co.uk/ " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this:&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">https://studiohelen.co.uk/</span><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, in America.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie entitled: Black and White on Grey 🙂 🙂</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUDuemi8CWiod4iv9Por_9eWIOrPeglBzXxUXYxU7k02zAWLdp1aDyqtwnACJBTBysDLbbve3d05ZNrcwysevmWUEe8Ntonmaxg6B7C3DucZLhyDL9QGs3kEdMCTY4pAPBz0Z87uBJKt1zAdcirIb5w3VS_Tjr_jdcPUCKhkzTl3nipPgWXf9dUCwL5s/s1170/SS.%204.2.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="876" data-original-width="1170" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEUDuemi8CWiod4iv9Por_9eWIOrPeglBzXxUXYxU7k02zAWLdp1aDyqtwnACJBTBysDLbbve3d05ZNrcwysevmWUEe8Ntonmaxg6B7C3DucZLhyDL9QGs3kEdMCTY4pAPBz0Z87uBJKt1zAdcirIb5w3VS_Tjr_jdcPUCKhkzTl3nipPgWXf9dUCwL5s/w640-h480/SS.%204.2.24.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p> <span style="font-family: verdana;"></span> </p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313352" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/02/secrets-of-snakestone.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNhvww0Nq1ycB4DCb7rAMYqqKv79SFrcCU3D0qRCB-xgBngC-vPWUyaFpZUkZdw8v2dHrY1wB8xEe7M5eJ0s1V7OIw9Mf5K9ZuydVaTstylXm1qc9asvkNOvdELUya8waMxheVUfl0vmv5tdgAy4je6DjWGI4uxbrvuHvUo-ScWdpVVnyHGk5ACcvmhI4/s72-c/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>26</thr:total>
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<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-3029841467790955360</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 21 Jan 2024 06:10:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-01-21T17:15:39.395+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Ages 7-9</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Firefly press</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">karen Owen</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Louise Forshaw</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Major and Mynah:Tarantula Terror</category>
<title>MAJOR AND MYNAH – TARANTULA TERROR</title>
<description><p>&nbsp;<span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by KAREN OWEN;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;Illustrated by Louise Forshaw&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglanKJgxLs_s0ARRJlhSrHI2Jsn9QXDFc93z8SQ8-UrMhFoQNhiRAF254hZZIc3AjieheJMlkmDIKKfBy4yRIPPXjOtxTRGJa4uB4adx6Mi_fL5TyztFBg1RiweDq5dNjY3HC__m65Ot23lnFR3DuGv6iBpTxK50wR05jIGT3MkTPort3GiFOWT1MOOTY/s804/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2012.58.00.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="Book cover shows a three tone green backgroundradiating from the pivot of a swinging funfair sailing boat ride. Callie kneels on her left knee with her left hand touching the ground. Bo the Mynah bird rests on her right shoulder. Callie is searching for something on the ground. Grace stands to the right of the Callie. She too is looking for something, likely the spider. The title Major and Mynah is in blue text whilst the Tarantular Terror words are in a red." border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="534" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglanKJgxLs_s0ARRJlhSrHI2Jsn9QXDFc93z8SQ8-UrMhFoQNhiRAF254hZZIc3AjieheJMlkmDIKKfBy4yRIPPXjOtxTRGJa4uB4adx6Mi_fL5TyztFBg1RiweDq5dNjY3HC__m65Ot23lnFR3DuGv6iBpTxK50wR05jIGT3MkTPort3GiFOWT1MOOTY/w213-h320/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2012.58.00.png" title="Book cover ©" width="213" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></span></span></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring Adventures in Middle-Grade Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Mrs H has been busy chasing spiders this week. In fact, the warmer winter has meant that not only have the spiders not gone to sleep, they have been breading, too. Well, that's my excuse. In reality, they may have come indoors with me. But, I'm not telling Mrs H that on account of the fact she's been getting far more exercise chasing them and is wearing off all of the excess calories she put on in December.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">Thankfully, we haven't any as big as the spider in this week's book review. Also, none are as fierce and potentially as dangerous, at least for birds. We could do with a few of those to thin out the number of pigeons that wake me each morning at 10am by doing what pigeons do on the roof.&nbsp;</span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; font-size: medium;">So, without further ado, let's get on with our arachnid-tastic&nbsp;adventure!</span></div></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglanKJgxLs_s0ARRJlhSrHI2Jsn9QXDFc93z8SQ8-UrMhFoQNhiRAF254hZZIc3AjieheJMlkmDIKKfBy4yRIPPXjOtxTRGJa4uB4adx6Mi_fL5TyztFBg1RiweDq5dNjY3HC__m65Ot23lnFR3DuGv6iBpTxK50wR05jIGT3MkTPort3GiFOWT1MOOTY/s804/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2012.58.00.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Book cover shows a three tone green backgroundradiating from the pivot of a swinging funfair sailing boat ride. Callie kneels on her left knee with her left hand touching the ground. Bo the Mynah bird rests on her right shoulder. Callie is searching for something on the ground. Grace stands to the right of the Callie. She too is looking for something, likely the spider. The title Major and Mynah is in blue text whilst the Tarantular Terror words are in a red." border="0" data-original-height="804" data-original-width="534" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglanKJgxLs_s0ARRJlhSrHI2Jsn9QXDFc93z8SQ8-UrMhFoQNhiRAF254hZZIc3AjieheJMlkmDIKKfBy4yRIPPXjOtxTRGJa4uB4adx6Mi_fL5TyztFBg1RiweDq5dNjY3HC__m65Ot23lnFR3DuGv6iBpTxK50wR05jIGT3MkTPort3GiFOWT1MOOTY/w426-h640/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2012.58.00.png" title="Book cover ©" width="426" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></span></span></span></span><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR: KAREN OWEN</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: LOUISE FORSHAW&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: FIREFLY PRESS</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date: Paperback: 15 February 2024</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp;</span></b></span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><b>978 191 5444 431</b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover price for Paperback: £6.99</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages:&nbsp; 124</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range: 7 - 9</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? No, but B.O., the Mynah bird, has a crucial AND scary part!</span></b></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are exceedingly grateful once more to Firefly Press Publishers (and NetGalley) for giving us an advance copy of this to Read &amp; Review for you all across the world.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">This is book 3 in the series, and every bit as fun and adventuresome as the others, possibly more so.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">To recap, Callie is our main protagonist. She discovered that her new hearing aids allowed her to understand and speak to Bo, a Mynah bird they adopted in Book 1. Callie and her best pal, Grace, are the two 9-year-old girls in a detective team that includes Bo. They are collectively called S.P.U.D. (Super Perceptive Undercover Detectives).&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;is our main protagonist. She discovered that her new hearing aids allowed her to understand and speak to Bo, a Mynah bird they adopted in Book 1. Callie and her best pal, Grace, are the two 9-year-old girls in a detective team that includes Bo. They are collectively called S.P.U.D. (Super Perceptive Undercover Detectives).&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">It is the school holidays, and a funfair has come to the village, but the kids, including Callie's younger brother, Luke, aren't allowed to go until the weekend when Callie's older cousin comes with his family. That leaves a whole week of going out with their mum and dad, with whom Grace is staying, and doing boring adult things like going to the D.I.Y. store or buying car tyres. I think we can all relate to that in one way or another!</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, having their own airborne assistant/spy in the sky, the girls send Bo off to reconnoitre the fun fair and spot the best rides. But Bo is taking far too long, and the girls are getting worried. When the mynah bird finally returns, he is rather coy as to where and what he's been up to. He gets downright evasive as the week goes on, and he seems very sleepy and off his food, too.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Eventually, after being asked countless times by the kids if they can go to the fair and having to turn them down, they offer to take them somewhere else as a stopgap trip. The kids ultimately settle on going to a wildlife park. Callie's parents have a dislike for snakes and spiders, and they are not keen on going. But a promise is a promise.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">At the zoo, the girls learn about the tarantula, and Luke gets to see the snakes.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">On leaving the spider presentation given by one of the keepers, the girls spot a giant spider, a tarantula, heading off into the hedge...</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">OK, what happens next really brings the story into top gear. So, that is where I must leave it. If you want to know the answer to what happens to the fearsome female spider – a bird-eating tarantula at that – what Bo has been up to, and how all the subplots mesh and come to a spooky conclusion, you'll just have to get the book. I assure you the best, scariest and funniest is still to come!</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, what did we think?</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">For a review of book 2, please use our link below:-</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/11/major-and-mynah-operation-raven.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Book 2: Major and Mynah – Operation Raven</a>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We loved every minute of this book. There was always something happening which made it a real page-turner. Karen has ably combined the anticipation and thrill of the fun fair with the excitement and tension of an escaped tarantula and the ensuing investigation, chase and capture. There is also a mystery to unravel about where Bo went and what he was doing. As I was saying, never a dull moment.&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">The parent's reactions are, as in real life, priceless. Couple this with the fact that fun and interesting facts about spiders are revealed along the way, and thoroughly engaging artwork makes this a sound, safe, responsible and enjoyable read for children of all ages.</span></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">So . . . .</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></b></p><p style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: none; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Yes, buy this as an excellent way to pass a rainy day, to read aloud or alone, or as part of a broader classroom activity.</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><b><span style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, minus creepy crawly and slithery add-ons, take the quickest and least scary route down to your local independent bookshop. They are out there, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you young reader desire. Plus, you'll be helping small businesses stay alive and flourish.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">KAREN OWEN'S</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> web page&nbsp;</span><a href="https://karenowen.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp; https://karenowen.co.uk/</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FIREFLY PRESS</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> web page&nbsp;</span><a href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>or type this: https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">LOUISE FORSHAW</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"> web page&nbsp;</span><a href="https://www.munkeypants.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 " rel="nofollow" target="_blank">&nbsp;</a>or type this:&nbsp;&nbsp; https://www.munkeypants.com/</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><i><b>Next time</b></i> we'll be reviewing a real gem of a story: Secrets of the Snakestone. It's a Wilkie Collins Moonstone-like adventure, not to be missed!</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXrtvKOzZVEs_kJ34uViXpK7VPayq2c_0D6aRC4dCI3kB4WHjCLcarA4vp5eaDGWyVlkXCecjb2uRWe9B-E4sdJa6wC9xSOhya3krO6VqC_2bjKl_6RmQolUKuJtrJ5tbgt35nlDko0dQISYmz6gBvdl-pZaIlRGsDp-IiEtnLR-iKIw6ymNrDai0LG4/s1056/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1056" data-original-width="718" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOXrtvKOzZVEs_kJ34uViXpK7VPayq2c_0D6aRC4dCI3kB4WHjCLcarA4vp5eaDGWyVlkXCecjb2uRWe9B-E4sdJa6wC9xSOhya3krO6VqC_2bjKl_6RmQolUKuJtrJ5tbgt35nlDko0dQISYmz6gBvdl-pZaIlRGsDp-IiEtnLR-iKIw6ymNrDai0LG4/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-18%20at%2012.41.02.png" width="218" /></a></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br />&nbsp;</span><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue, in America.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">I shall leave you with a selfie. I am not sure my toothy grin counts as smiling, but could be one of the reasons I'm so popular with the mice&nbsp; 🙂 🙂</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-vAyIYZ3NbcthpVuPp9RipecD2NDXm3FtqMVyeEuzVFXpCBPv2S2ufzQH-7P8G07YKIC8wClY7W619m0RXneqCVBqoFj2o5FFGRYOMZ53zLDzDXCl8O74RqQisp-uPdCuX6ls5eUxd3ANkD73z6W8Tl0a3H7mIO1S6oIx4ym5k4hr8OWwY8dTIgq9rE/s4032/IMG_3180.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7-vAyIYZ3NbcthpVuPp9RipecD2NDXm3FtqMVyeEuzVFXpCBPv2S2ufzQH-7P8G07YKIC8wClY7W619m0RXneqCVBqoFj2o5FFGRYOMZ53zLDzDXCl8O74RqQisp-uPdCuX6ls5eUxd3ANkD73z6W8Tl0a3H7mIO1S6oIx4ym5k4hr8OWwY8dTIgq9rE/w640-h480/IMG_3180.jpg" width="640" /></a></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div><br /> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313235" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--></description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/01/major-and-mynah-tarantula-terror.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglanKJgxLs_s0ARRJlhSrHI2Jsn9QXDFc93z8SQ8-UrMhFoQNhiRAF254hZZIc3AjieheJMlkmDIKKfBy4yRIPPXjOtxTRGJa4uB4adx6Mi_fL5TyztFBg1RiweDq5dNjY3HC__m65Ot23lnFR3DuGv6iBpTxK50wR05jIGT3MkTPort3GiFOWT1MOOTY/s72-w213-h320-c/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20at%2012.58.00.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>20</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-9014132686943588576</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 07 Jan 2024 07:07:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2024-01-08T16:30:06.528+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">A J Clack</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adult</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adult Fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Firefly press</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Lie or Die</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">murder</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Reality TV</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">YA</category>
<title>LIE OR DIE</title>
<description><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by A. J. CLACK;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKc4JWHVYvzWpzT_BLxXNtrzdkxTuevbLJYEfDs9DwzATMgzttCoR0fQV0RNEcz5QWszObYvp18EIpLteC7HaJH91TF61dBiIWfhkrhIK1zaBV64d81WJkyE7T-w31ZRbwD75xB2bOooV1nbldmqtm9CEN_XHJ7Y7CazdwXyi5cchZrHE8BRxQc0nvgM/s1052/Screenshot%202024-01-02%20at%2011.02.37.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="774" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKc4JWHVYvzWpzT_BLxXNtrzdkxTuevbLJYEfDs9DwzATMgzttCoR0fQV0RNEcz5QWszObYvp18EIpLteC7HaJH91TF61dBiIWfhkrhIK1zaBV64d81WJkyE7T-w31ZRbwD75xB2bOooV1nbldmqtm9CEN_XHJ7Y7CazdwXyi5cchZrHE8BRxQc0nvgM/s320/Screenshot%202024-01-02%20at%2011.02.37.png" width="235" /></a></div><br /></span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my first weekend Book Review of the year, featuring this week a YA/Adult Adventure in Fiction. (Scroll on down for the selfie &amp; bloghop.)<br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">And my, this is a real winner. So, w</span></span></span></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">ithout further ado, let's get on with the show. This is a story, one most clever and dark, where the game contestants are dying and lying to get the prize . . . .</span></div><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKc4JWHVYvzWpzT_BLxXNtrzdkxTuevbLJYEfDs9DwzATMgzttCoR0fQV0RNEcz5QWszObYvp18EIpLteC7HaJH91TF61dBiIWfhkrhIK1zaBV64d81WJkyE7T-w31ZRbwD75xB2bOooV1nbldmqtm9CEN_XHJ7Y7CazdwXyi5cchZrHE8BRxQc0nvgM/s1052/Screenshot%202024-01-02%20at%2011.02.37.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1052" data-original-width="774" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKc4JWHVYvzWpzT_BLxXNtrzdkxTuevbLJYEfDs9DwzATMgzttCoR0fQV0RNEcz5QWszObYvp18EIpLteC7HaJH91TF61dBiIWfhkrhIK1zaBV64d81WJkyE7T-w31ZRbwD75xB2bOooV1nbldmqtm9CEN_XHJ7Y7CazdwXyi5cchZrHE8BRxQc0nvgM/w470-h640/Screenshot%202024-01-02%20at%2011.02.37.png" width="470" /></a></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space"><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR:&nbsp; A. J. Clack<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: N/A</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by:&nbsp; Firefly Press<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp;&nbsp; 7th March 2024<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; 978-1915444417</span></b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £8.99</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 367</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; YA Thriller/Murder Mystery<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to early plot, direction and characters. </span><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We are exceedingly grateful to Firefly Press Publishers for reaching out to us to see if we would like to Read and Review this much-anticipated book before publication.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Having read the advance press release, we were only too pleased to read this. I do hope you will be, too, after the review.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A little preamble. In this book's scenario, Lie or Die is a new reality T.V. show based on the real-world social gathering/party game Mafia, or in some circles, it is known as Werewolf.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The game, usually played with 10 players, is that the assembled group is split into two sides - Mafia and Townspeople. The Mafia tries to bump off the Townspeople whilst the Townsfolk try to get shot of the Mafia. There is also a Detective and a Doctor in the mix. Their roles are pretty straightforward. The detective seeks to detect a Mafia member in each day and night cycle of the game, whilst the Doctor can save a Townsfolk member each cycle.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Each player is given a role to play. But, nobody knows who or what any other players are until they are eliminated.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Now, during the day period of the game, the players can nominate someone to eliminate from the game, to send to the electric chair if you will. The nominated person is then put on trial and, if found guilty, removed!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">During the Night segment of the game, the Mafia can eliminate a player. And so the game goes on.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In Lie or Die, the story focuses on three late teenage pals, our key protagonist, Kass, and her best mates, Lewis and Thea. Kass has fallen out with Thea after having kissed Thea's ex-boyfriend. It is a silly rift that seems to be splitting the girls apart, big time. When an audition is held for Lie or Die, Thea says that Kass going for it with Thea is the only way she can trust Kass once more. Kass wants to put the whole mess behind her, so she is pressured into doing it. It turns out Thea has already entered them both, and the interviews take place soon after.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When Kass fails to pass the test, she is secretly relieved. After all, she has shown she is supportive of Thea. But, when on accompanying Thea to the studios, one of the contestants is bizarrely poisoned with seafood (even though there is none in the building), and her EpiPen is nowhere to be found; Kass, being already on the ground, is enlisted into the game.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Her fellow players are an interesting mix of quiet, calm and outright play-to-win types that would do anything in the game to win the £50,000 prize and the social media stardom that could rocket their future careers. Everything goes, especially lying. In fact, daubed across all the studio walls is the phrase "Trust no one"!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kass is considered the 'Girl Next Door' type. Bland and boring and not the likely fav of the audience that the show is being streamed to. What Kass does have in her favour is the ability to spot if people are lying. Telltale signs or tics that will give away their role. Also, none of the other players know she and Thea are besties.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, with an immediate ally, things get off to a good start. But then, the rules change from the perceived norm. First, a manakin is spotted hanging from a tree in the set garden. In its leg, Kass spots the EpiPen of the now-gone contestant. When that evening/night, one of the players is carded and seemingly killed by an agent, there is surprise amongst the players as only one kill a night is expected (the manakin being the first). The acting looked so real, even down to the drool from the contestant's lips, and later on the finding of a poison bottle.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The players are, for want of a word, 'controlled' by an A.I. personality called Cohin. It appears hooded in a hologram projection unit where the players are forced to congregate when commanded. The projection actually morphs into various characters that have exited the game as it progresses. So, when Kass has her doubts, especially as none of the others are aware of the truth regarding the girl she has replaced, she is soon assuaged when the poisoned girl appears to speak to them via the hologram and puts the recent realistic poisoning down to epic acting.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I think by now, you can maybe see where this is going.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The action takes off from here as the players accuse and prosecute one of their housemates.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In the surprise outcome, which I won't spoil for you as it is a pivotal point, one player goes to the chair and, with a ghastly scream, exits the game and the house. Or do they???</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As the game progresses, the ante is upped, and the contestants become more stressed, sleepless and, dare I say it, paranoid. With loud sounds and flashing bright lights, who wouldn't be?&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">If you can take a breath, you should do so here before the book's second half. You won't want to leave this until the very last full stop.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, what did we think?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The reality Television Mrs H and I know of is some of the worst T.V. out there. Has beens and wannabes, shameful and shameless. At least, that is our view.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The book pulls apart from the inside what reality and reality T.V. is and means, and what it can do. But it also shows the fragility and underlying motivations of the players, some worthy, some not so.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I love that Lewis points out that it is a beast we create, and whilst we may outwardly reject it, there is something that draws folks in. Maybe it's the fact that it's not them on the receiving end – voyeurism.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The author has skilfully manipulated our protagonist, labelled 'as the girl next door' by the other competitors, into the ultimate detective. Fighting to support Thea and survive and escape a deadly sealed studio.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Mrs H read this to the end, where I got so far and the tension and dread was so much that I have to admit to sneaking a look at the ending. But even then, I was surprised.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Let me tell you, this is one doozy of a read. Well paced and delightfully cast. Not only are there shock revelations but also extra double twists right down to the closing sentence.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The ultimate locked room mystery – twisted, deadly, dark and seriously addictive. Turning the banal T.V. genre into a must-read hit! Thank goodness this ISN'T on T.V.!</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A must-read, and one Mrs H and I both feel far exceeded our expectations to become the brilliant and gripping read it was.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Would we watch reality T.V. now? Absolutely NOT.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p> <p><b style="font-family: verdana;">Want to buy a copy?</b></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To get a copy, please place advance orders with a local bookshop; that way, you're helping maintain local shops and economies.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">****** GIVEAWAY ******</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">One lucky commenter on this blog will receive a copy of this book thanks to Mrs H dipping into her pension and sherry fund.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">To be eligible, commenters on this post will need to be in an area covered by Amazon and be able to take receipt of a package from them with a suitable delivery address. They must also be willing to furnish Mrs H with their address if they win. This address will be deleted after the successful delivery of the package.&nbsp;</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Given the nature of the book theme, Mrs H and I are limiting this giveaway to those we know are over 18.</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Comments must be made before midnight (GMT) on Saturday 13th January 2024. <br /></span></p> <p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><b>A.J. CLACK's</b> Twitter/X page can be</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://twitter.com/alisonclack1?lang=en-GB" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;found HERE&nbsp;</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">or type this: https://twitter.com/alisonclack1?lang=en-GB</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FIREFLY PRESS'S</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><u style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE.</span></u></a></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;or type this https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">This is as close to reality and prying cameras as we want to get . . . .<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSV401juCOxAfpKdG3w255EMhYXlKl8vD9kFfGa9OPHSJDPjAEyVNJ9kVb7QwZgkdFENj9KZxM5lY1-IjWorzny980MqOj3LxqLVpjH47tV8FJJiVPxZ-qq2gisQVMRJGHArYGJHk3n96kE7vRgGFQX8xtjCPoRVg4iD1ZhBK5CpStJgQ0iptUw2J7u_U/s1168/SS.%207.1.24.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1168" data-original-width="876" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSV401juCOxAfpKdG3w255EMhYXlKl8vD9kFfGa9OPHSJDPjAEyVNJ9kVb7QwZgkdFENj9KZxM5lY1-IjWorzny980MqOj3LxqLVpjH47tV8FJJiVPxZ-qq2gisQVMRJGHArYGJHk3n96kE7vRgGFQX8xtjCPoRVg4iD1ZhBK5CpStJgQ0iptUw2J7u_U/w480-h640/SS.%207.1.24.jpg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin 💙</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=313111" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--></description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2024/01/lie-or-die.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXKc4JWHVYvzWpzT_BLxXNtrzdkxTuevbLJYEfDs9DwzATMgzttCoR0fQV0RNEcz5QWszObYvp18EIpLteC7HaJH91TF61dBiIWfhkrhIK1zaBV64d81WJkyE7T-w31ZRbwD75xB2bOooV1nbldmqtm9CEN_XHJ7Y7CazdwXyi5cchZrHE8BRxQc0nvgM/s72-c/Screenshot%202024-01-02%20at%2011.02.37.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>30</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-3835592334739208961</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 17 Dec 2023 08:36:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2023-12-17T08:51:44.687+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adult Fiction</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Adventure</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Books</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Cat Summer</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">fantasy</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Mollie Hunt</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Roslyn McFarland</category>
<title>CAT SUMMER (Book one in The Cat Seasons tetralogy)</title>
<description><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by Mollie Hunt;</span> </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOSUFBIFGojB7sakbQP_yqAo7m3lmhYnEbVWxNtkLwmrjmqylcNBQR_tcKUyvBlPEFwH3QyH0fYwHL-nTqZ8uXbHULPlHUHj1HxXFI6ej8mhHhcb647lXiIbLEWse16fS5q3KGLum68QRlFirJnvF8M4CzOMG4ftdjZQpkXDMA0LTw7Rr2qFdHFXUN1k/s1060/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2013.33.18.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cat Summer book cover. It shows a lawned and hedged garden scene. Three lead catcharacters from the book apppear on the cover. Front and just right of centre is a large ginger tom with bright yellow eyes. Behind in the middle ground is a fluffy tuxedo cat, and sitting in the border under a hedge is a fluff silver gray feline. Cat Summer title appears in a salmon orange along the top, along with the Cat Writers Association Muse Winner Badge. Auhors name is in white upper &amp; lower text along the bottom." border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOSUFBIFGojB7sakbQP_yqAo7m3lmhYnEbVWxNtkLwmrjmqylcNBQR_tcKUyvBlPEFwH3QyH0fYwHL-nTqZ8uXbHULPlHUHj1HxXFI6ej8mhHhcb647lXiIbLEWse16fS5q3KGLum68QRlFirJnvF8M4CzOMG4ftdjZQpkXDMA0LTw7Rr2qFdHFXUN1k/w217-h320/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2013.33.18.png" title="Book cover image of Cat Summer." width="217" /></a></div><br />&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Middle Grade Adventure Fiction.</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><span style="font-family: verdana;">This week, as the year slowly draws to an end, I offer you our final review of 2023. We have an adult book to review, called Lie or Die, by Firefly Press. It's LONG. So, Mrs H has got a stash of mince pies in and a fresh bottle of sherry, and we'll be busy reading throughout the rest of December. Me, I have six boxes of cat food and some long-life cream and catnip and valerian cushions to while away the quiet hours between chapters.</span><div><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: verdana;">So, without further ado, here's the review!</span><br /><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOSUFBIFGojB7sakbQP_yqAo7m3lmhYnEbVWxNtkLwmrjmqylcNBQR_tcKUyvBlPEFwH3QyH0fYwHL-nTqZ8uXbHULPlHUHj1HxXFI6ej8mhHhcb647lXiIbLEWse16fS5q3KGLum68QRlFirJnvF8M4CzOMG4ftdjZQpkXDMA0LTw7Rr2qFdHFXUN1k/s1060/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2013.33.18.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Cat Summer book cover. It shows a lawned and hedged garden scene. Three lead catcharacters from the book apppear on the cover. Front and just right of centre is a large ginger tom with bright yellow eyes. Behind in the middle ground is a fluffy tuxedo cat, and sitting in the border under a hedge is a fluff silver gray feline. Cat Summer title appears in a salmon orange along the top, along with the Cat Writers Association Muse Winner Badge. Auhors name is in white upper &amp; lower text along the bottom." border="0" data-original-height="1060" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOSUFBIFGojB7sakbQP_yqAo7m3lmhYnEbVWxNtkLwmrjmqylcNBQR_tcKUyvBlPEFwH3QyH0fYwHL-nTqZ8uXbHULPlHUHj1HxXFI6ej8mhHhcb647lXiIbLEWse16fS5q3KGLum68QRlFirJnvF8M4CzOMG4ftdjZQpkXDMA0LTw7Rr2qFdHFXUN1k/w434-h640/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2013.33.18.png" title="Book cover for Cat Summer" width="434" /></a></div><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR: Mollie Hunt<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover art by: Roslyn McFarland<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Independent Published </span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback: This 2nd edition 7/2/2023<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; </span></b></span><span style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(15, 17, 17); color: #0f1111; display: inline; float: none; font-family: verdana; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 700; letter-spacing: normal; text-align: center; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;">978-1984134844</span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover price for Paperback:&nbsp; £11.77 </span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Kindle UK price:&nbsp; £4.99</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 353</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp; ADULT <br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Any dogs or cats? Absolutely chocked full of cats, plus some interesting humans, too!<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: verdana;">Some as to plot direction and characters. </span><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><em style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></em></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I am incredibly grateful to Mrs H for buying me this for an early festive holiday present.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As always, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></strong><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Our protagonist, Lise, awakes at night in her bed. It's hot, and she can't sleep. Forgoing dressing, she skips downstairs through the large, empty house. Her aged tuxedo cat, Percy, lies snuggled on the sofa. That is where the familiarity of the scene ends, for sitting on the floor is a large orange tabby. When she asked herself out loud who he was, he actually answered her. He is called Evermore Artair Eckx or plain Tom. The two cats discuss Lise's suitability to be 'She Who'. Tom thinks she is too big and clumsy to fit in their world. But time, it seems, is short, and their mission has to happen on Tri-Night, which is now. So, Lise is what they have to work with. But the cats head off, and Lise, for better or worse, follows. Still uncertain of what is really going on, but driven by curiosity and the guiding of the cats, she drops to all fours and dove whiskers first through the flap into the night beyond. Here marks the start of their journey and perilous mission.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The cats offer little in the way of information as to the task that must be done. But soon, it becomes clear there is a demonic-like force, an evil that has been driving and feeding off man's wickedness and destructive nature. The name of the beast is Seh. And if he isn't stopped now, they never will be able to.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In an old neighbourhood shed, they come across one of Seh's minions, and it's not pretty. The cats flee, and soon enough, Lise realises there are many cats out there to help in the fight to bring an end to Seh's powers. It will be too late if they leave it till the next Tri-Night. Tri-nights give all sentient beings, of which cats are one, the ability to do things they could not before, like talk to each other.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It is a mission that will bring them face to face with friends and foes, some feline, others creatures of this world but turned bad within. Lise is warned by a feline she meets en route to watch out for their eyes. If they are red, they are evil and in league with Seh. The journey also takes our heroes, for that is what the ultimate band of felines is, on a quest that will transcend realms, maybe dimensions, where they will take on different forms and face not only the devilish workings of Seh but also Seh itself in a tangible form.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Like the best stories, those like LOTR, the heroes will be tested to breaking point, maybe even death. In the Alter tier– the realms cats can visit beyond their bodies and beyond the mortal world– things are not what they seem, nor people or creatures.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So as not to spoil this adventure, I shall leave my review here. I have but covered the intro to the first half of this story, which moves forward briskly to not one, but two conclusions. To say more would ruin the drama that unfolds and who features.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, what did we think? Beware, Spoilers!!!!</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The story is divided and defined by both chapters and time. It is also very descriptive; the writer has taken great pains to create a solid and compelling ambience-filled setting for the feline and human characters and the grizzly baddies in all their forms, wherever they may be. There is a very credible and clever link between the science and the fiction, which gives the story a grounding, especially in the second half.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I have to say, Mrs H and I were taken aback when, halfway through, we reached the second part and jumped 100 years. But the transition to what are effectively new characters was handled well. You'll note I say 'effectively new'. That will become clear when you read the story. Suffice it to say, this is a story with twice the punch. The ultimate ending (though arguably, given there are more books to come, this isn't the ending) was gripping and heartfelt.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">There is as much a journey of discovery for Lise as there is action and adventure. A higher purpose to her life, maybe the lives of all humanity. Thought-provoking.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I loved the cats, which are studies in feline behaviour and mannerisms. Knowing how skilled a cat carer Mollie is, this should be no surprise to any of her readers. This is a standout example, within its genres, of how we feel an excellent feline book should be for those who have neither cats nor read feline-themed adventures.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">For us, there are many ways of depicting cats in adventure stories. Over the years, they have been relegated in human-based detective stories to mere sidekicks or hooks to lure cat lovers and humanitarians. Don't get us wrong; any books featuring positive enforcement for fellow sentient creatures are to be applauded. More recently, I am pleased to see our favourite sentients, the cats, get a fair crack at the whip and move to speaking and action rolls.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I have reviewed LT Shearer's first two books, The Cat Who Caught a Killer and The Cat Who Solved Three Murders, and was pleased with the intelligent portrayal of Conrad, the talking feline co-protagonist. It is also pleasing to see children's/Middle-Grade books with all manner of other sentient creatures ably portrayed.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">There are what we consider 'adult' moments in this book, which, for me, would make this an adult-only read.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">A story worthy of Ray Bradbury – Old School in the best way. Keenly written, a blend of spiritualism, fantasy and science fiction that is not overpowering yet deliciously on the edge, or rather, straddling a rift between earthly and alternate worlds.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Of the books and films we have read and seen, Mrs H thought it was like Madeleine L Engle (A Wrinkle in Time) meets Twilight Zone and Dr Who with undoubtedly a soupçon of Star Trek.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We both agreed that this book is very much a parable for humanity and a fragile, on-the-brink planet. Thought-provoking in the best way.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, loads to love and well worth dipping more than a toe or paw in for Christmas.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><strong style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Want to buy a copy?</span></strong></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To get a copy, in whatever reality you may be in, please saunter, float or morph on down to your local independent bookshop. There are plenty out there, realities and bookshops, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mollie Hunt's web page <a href="https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">can be found HERE</a><a href="https://www.panmacmillan.com/authors/l-t-shearer/44065 "> </a>or type this: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America.<br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p><br /></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">And here is my selfie. Mrs H said she wanted to get all of me in the frame, so I obligingly obliged with an early Sunday morning 'Breakfast Roll'. 🙂</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_GZXvgGSZHCOgM7GlBTnlQAGEH5ghQtACrNNGhklajDiArYoF6W4iBdjbUC5JggzPLFDvDfG0sUhdgqwToMNEz0W3czneytjrf8Ozgihpv2XYV7r0Q-ELHu1pX_VwhdtXM8xN6PkjVKg4zbHj33Ne_7HHGHGab-AG6SzYDXpm8w4fdpUvPnJYaStR3c/s3188/IMG_3152.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3188" data-original-width="2891" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU_GZXvgGSZHCOgM7GlBTnlQAGEH5ghQtACrNNGhklajDiArYoF6W4iBdjbUC5JggzPLFDvDfG0sUhdgqwToMNEz0W3czneytjrf8Ozgihpv2XYV7r0Q-ELHu1pX_VwhdtXM8xN6PkjVKg4zbHj33Ne_7HHGHGab-AG6SzYDXpm8w4fdpUvPnJYaStR3c/s320/IMG_3152.jpg" width="290" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin</span></p></div></description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/12/cat-summer-book-one-in-cat-seasons.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
<media:thumbnail xmlns:media="http://search.yahoo.com/mrss/" url="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAOSUFBIFGojB7sakbQP_yqAo7m3lmhYnEbVWxNtkLwmrjmqylcNBQR_tcKUyvBlPEFwH3QyH0fYwHL-nTqZ8uXbHULPlHUHj1HxXFI6ej8mhHhcb647lXiIbLEWse16fS5q3KGLum68QRlFirJnvF8M4CzOMG4ftdjZQpkXDMA0LTw7Rr2qFdHFXUN1k/s72-w217-h320-c/Screenshot%202023-12-11%20at%2013.33.18.png" height="72" width="72"/>
<thr:total>23</thr:total>
</item>
<item>
<guid isPermaLink="false">tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3218864112573271450.post-5843034794186319519</guid>
<pubDate>Sun, 03 Dec 2023 08:14:00 +0000</pubDate>
<atom:updated>2023-12-17T08:23:43.237+00:00</atom:updated>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Becka Moor</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">book review</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Erin the Literary Cat</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Firefly press</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Jo Clarke</category>
<category domain="http://www.blogger.com/atom/ns#">Libby and the Manhatten Mystery</category>
<title>LIBBY AND THE MANHATTAN MYSTERY</title>
<description><p>&nbsp;</p><p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">by </span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">JO CLARKE</span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span style="font-weight: normal;">;</span>&nbsp; </span><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span></span></span></span></p><p></p><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSR07mmsw09VN4qpEcjua-6Z8_-MAlgYW4Ca9I18ing9kJraPN5fV3lut7xJnNfA5w8v6jvuVzzpBQxOBc9b-JIO_51MLVAfxzkCB5VY5OsdcVcWqljdCUUSEOpt9k_23RQ0vALwTxUR_uOQ-QDOOgfJiK2jEERjgSd_fU0pxdTiahdc_WgLi_EBPIj8/s2048/IMG_0133.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSR07mmsw09VN4qpEcjua-6Z8_-MAlgYW4Ca9I18ing9kJraPN5fV3lut7xJnNfA5w8v6jvuVzzpBQxOBc9b-JIO_51MLVAfxzkCB5VY5OsdcVcWqljdCUUSEOpt9k_23RQ0vALwTxUR_uOQ-QDOOgfJiK2jEERjgSd_fU0pxdTiahdc_WgLi_EBPIj8/s320/IMG_0133.PNG" width="240" /></a><div class="separator"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpFWqntnWi147EtcSqyp0UXvRYia9ugNe3qbT-7RS305jdg5K0zII9YjocmvRfGHBPoe18drU34WMOD6Us5qo9DAfC1FZhvagoJeuZ4ISg2i9hrCfmU0p1YcjlNzXlDRtmSIZaPETqNNNk-Dr4YdqyZecZdt0OKEmlXvOXWcotFDwQOFpluIicjWLSzXA/s1168/SS.%2026.11.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a></div></div><br />&nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; </span><br /></span></span></span></span><br /><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: large;">An Adventure Book Review by Erin the Literary Cat©, International Book Reviewer.<br /></span></span></span></span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Hello, and welcome to my weekend Book Review featuring this week an Adventure </span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">in Middle Grade </span></span></span></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Fiction. PLUS a free selfie of me doing amazing hard . . . . nothings.&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Before we get going I'd like to announce the winner of a copy of LT Shearer's first book, The Cat Who Caught a Killer, is Lynn, from the Precious blog. Lynn, if you'll leave Mrs H a separate comment with your postal address (we wont publish the address), we'll try to get your gift out to you ASAP. <br /></span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span style="font-size: medium;">OK, so with out further ado, here's the review!</span></span></div><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-moz-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-size: 15px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: 0.5px; margin: 0px 0px 12px; padding: 0px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span class="s-0" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><span class="Apple-converted-space">&nbsp;<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSR07mmsw09VN4qpEcjua-6Z8_-MAlgYW4Ca9I18ing9kJraPN5fV3lut7xJnNfA5w8v6jvuVzzpBQxOBc9b-JIO_51MLVAfxzkCB5VY5OsdcVcWqljdCUUSEOpt9k_23RQ0vALwTxUR_uOQ-QDOOgfJiK2jEERjgSd_fU0pxdTiahdc_WgLi_EBPIj8/s2048/IMG_0133.PNG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihSR07mmsw09VN4qpEcjua-6Z8_-MAlgYW4Ca9I18ing9kJraPN5fV3lut7xJnNfA5w8v6jvuVzzpBQxOBc9b-JIO_51MLVAfxzkCB5VY5OsdcVcWqljdCUUSEOpt9k_23RQ0vALwTxUR_uOQ-QDOOgfJiK2jEERjgSd_fU0pxdTiahdc_WgLi_EBPIj8/w480-h640/IMG_0133.PNG" width="480" /></a></div><br /></span></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">AUTHOR: Jo Clarke<span>&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</span><br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Cover and Interior art by: Becka Moor<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Published by: Firefly Press<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Publication date Paperback:&nbsp; <br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Paperback ISBN:&nbsp; </span></b></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">978 1 915 444 394&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">EBOOK ISBN: &nbsp; 978 1 915 444 400 </span></b></span><br /><br /></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">UK Cover price for Paperback: £7.99 </span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Pages: 219</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Age range:&nbsp;&nbsp; 9 upwards<br /></span></b></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-size-adjust: auto; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background-color: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">SPOILER ALERT</span></i></b></span></span></p><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">YES. Some as to plot direction and characters. </span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Thank you to...&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><i style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></i></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">We are exceedingly grateful to FIREFLY PRESS Publishers for giving us advance viewing so we can Read &amp; Review this latest in series mystery adventure, just for you.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">As ever, our views are our own, and we only share reviews of books we have bought, been given as gifts, or received in exchange for an impartial review.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">First and foremost, the books we review are those&nbsp;</span><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><u style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">we select to read</span></u></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">, like, and feel our global readers deserve to know about and that we hope they, their family, friends and students will enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The plot</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Here is a quick recap of the back story... Libby is a pupil at a rather unique school that visits a different country each term. Libby's aunt, Miss Agatha Mousedale, happens to be in charge of the school. The previous term had been spent in Edinburgh, and Libby and her best friend, Connie, had solved a fiendishly clever art crime under Connie's parent's very roof. That was quite a Christmas adventure, <a href="https://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2022/10/libby-and-highland-heist.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">so do read our review of Libby and the Highland Heist, HERE</a>.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">With Christmas and winter out the way, Libby, Connie and Aunt Agatha arrive in New York for a new term. Leaving the airport, they are surprised when Connie's godmother and famed actress, Eloise, awaits in her chauffeur-driven limousine. Just as they pull away, Eloise picks up Count Alvarez, whose cab has been held up. They drop him off in a run-down area beside a blacked-out building. And despite having urgent business, he seems reluctant to go in. When Libby takes pictures of the buildings and area, she notices a blonde-haired lady in sunglasses watching them, but when she tries to get close, she drives off at speed.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Suspicions are kindled but put aside quickly as Libby and Connie settle into a new school building and bedroom on the top floor. Libby thinks only she and Connie are sharing, but they are soon joined by Anastasia, who is quite brash and seems boastful of having been to NY many times and knows all the best places. Libby is not amused and feels instantly pushed out as Connie and Anastasia bond instantly, and she is without a pal.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Another new face is Miss Khatun, a replacement teacher who seems very strict and stern and unusually keen on not letting Libby and her friends have fun on their own.&nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">The students get to journey around NY in various arranged and escorted activities, and in so doing, also bump into Eloise and the Count. But something is wrong with the Count, who seems to mix up where he is from. Is it a mere mistake? And was the blonde-haired woman they see whilst in Central Park the same as the one before and following them or associated with the Count?</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">When Libby follows the Count to return his dropped handkerchief, he vanishes into the hotel basement. It turns out the hotel, the same one in which Eloise lives, is no longer his home, and the management is keen to speak to him about a specific matter.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">One thing leads to another, and coincidences and suspicions mount. Libby and Connie join forces, dodging Anastasia, and, along with the boys, investigate what the Count is up to. But they must still persuade Aunt Agatha to let them go places and then escape Miss Khatun. When the Count loses all the funds he has raised for a local charity, Eloise steps in to organise and host a charity auction featuring famous and very expensive jewellery.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">That, dear readers, is where I shall leave this review. I hope I have given you sufficient clues about what will come. Suffice it to say, things and people are not what or who they seem. And if you throw in an old adversary or two, and some surprise revelations about Libby's parents, you have a recipe for lots of fun and guessing.<br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So, what did we think?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">****Spoiler alert**** Don't read on if you don't want to know more!&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In this third and definitely best adventure yet, we get embroiled in a plot that brings hints and flashes of adult adventure movies of past and present. With chases (through kitchens and train stations), heists, good guys and bad, and some scary underground shenanigans, there is a hearty Big Apple tang for the young mind to sink its teeth into and enjoy.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">It is hard to show everything and every angle to life in NY in such a short and pacy story, but I loved the potted vibe and taste of NY that Jo achieved.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">In many respects this seems like a concluding book, with many threads being drawn and tied together. But, here's the thing, in so doing, it opens out once </span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">more and the next adventure is already on the cards. As to who will feature and where it will be set, I'll let the reader find out for themselves. It does promise a lot though...<br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">So . . . .&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Crunch time.&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">This is a must-have for fans, who I firmly believe won't be disappointed. <br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">I'll be there ready and waiting to review this for you. I have it earmarked with the publishers to get a copy ASAP.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><b style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">Want to buy a copy?</span></b></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; background: none; color: #0e101a; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: none; color: #0e101a; font-family: verdana; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">To get a copy, and you don't have to be in NY to do so, take the Subway, tram, bus or plain walk to your local bookstore. There are plenty out there, and each shop is just waiting to serve up whatever kind of mystery, fun and adventure you desire.</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">JO CLARKE'S&nbsp;</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">WEB page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href=" https://jo-clarke.co.uk " style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;or type this: https://jo-clarke.co.uk&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">FIREFLY PRESS'S</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #2b00fe;"><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://fireflypress.co.uk/" style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><u style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE.</span></u></a></span><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;or type this https://fireflypress.co.uk/</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;</span></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><b style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">BECKA MOOR'S</span></b><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;web page&nbsp;</span><a class="editor-rtfLink" href="https://beckamoor.com" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;" target="_blank"><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #4a6ee0; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">can be found HERE.</span></a><span data-preserver-spaces="true" style="background: transparent; color: #0e101a; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt;">&nbsp;&nbsp;or type this: https://beckamoor.com</span></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">We are joining the Sunday Selfies, hosted by the wonderful Kitties Blue and their mum, Janet Blue in America. <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;<br /></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/s562/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="Small image. The Cat on My Head Sunday Selfies Blog Hop badge. Features a yellow-haired lady with a tuxedo cat on her head." border="0" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="562" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh5oUr0j8_7NBl0T9NnTVzwnuolJ3IjtmyxD4s4jns5c8E_A3zSaABJtZp8ZytusnuJZ1wEHDwPjZSLjQfoEKSyVAAgNYJo29AAVzDM1dXMKutDB6Hci6eEq6fm7rOWm4QIUw3TGSyrY1jdt6pu9RmcCLNrizfa3IZQZXgkOLa285rgLIw0Hx3iq8gqFE/w200-h200/Cat%20on%20my%20head.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"> <br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /></span></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">Mrs H came in and wanted to lay down for a bit. Taking one look she proclaimed with a huff "Take the whole bed up, why don't you!" Which was a very kind offer, so I did. I did acquiesce in the end and off a slither to one side, legs hanging off the edge as well as the pillow space.&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;">&nbsp;</span></p><p><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaA7IvhvLUB7M9rOJEMRn2U9jjDNabUjfA3u0befPPwCWkeUuodsUD5wRLSQ-JiGGZ6RkOojNrtB7p2QUW6h_dVSN6AjuyzSzNbRt0pXRXWpIstpYkWlfzYmSexMz8hKlVypfTMwOjsiGvrnpffDKEqjiWJZDscsMqC0j7d2DDO2yYhsGx71ujz4we2TY/s1234/SS.%203.12.23.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1234" data-original-width="810" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaA7IvhvLUB7M9rOJEMRn2U9jjDNabUjfA3u0befPPwCWkeUuodsUD5wRLSQ-JiGGZ6RkOojNrtB7p2QUW6h_dVSN6AjuyzSzNbRt0pXRXWpIstpYkWlfzYmSexMz8hKlVypfTMwOjsiGvrnpffDKEqjiWJZDscsMqC0j7d2DDO2yYhsGx71ujz4we2TY/w420-h640/SS.%203.12.23.jpg" width="420" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: verdana;"><br /><span><br /></span></span><p></p><p></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p> <p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Sometimes my generosity knows no bounds!</span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">Till laters!<br /></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;"></span></p><p style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: verdana;">ERin </span></p><br /> <!--start LinkyTools script--><script src="https://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=312662" type="text/javascript"></script><!--end LinkyTools script--> </description>
<link>http://erinthecatprincess.blogspot.com/2023/12/libby-and-manhattan-mystery.html</link>
<author>noreply@blogger.com (Erin the Cat Princess)</author>
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