RNE Maine: The Whole Cat and Caboodle by Sofie Ryan

I enjoyed this first book in the Second Chance Cat Mystery series set in Maine. It is by the same author as the Magical Cat Mysteries which is a series I am quite fond of.

In this book the main character, Sarah, has moved to Maine to open up a second hand shop.  There, she reconnects with people she knew as a child as she used to spend summers there with her grandmother as a girl.   The best part of the book is the hi-jinks of her old lady friends as they try to clear one of their friends of murder charges. They dub themselves "Charlie's Angels" and proceed to investigate, despite being warned of interfering by investigator (and potential love interest for Sarah) Nick.

Of course there is a cat.   Elvis had showed up at open mic night at a local restaurant and seemed particularly fond of "The King's" music. He hops into Sarah's truck and refuses to come out when she is getting a guitar appraised for her second hand shop.  Thus she "adopts" Elvis and he becomes her constant companion.

I also really enjoyed the character of Mac.  He is an ex financial adviser that is working in her shop to help her refurbish the second hand items.  He is quietly supportive of Sarah both in the shop and in her investigations.  I look forward to seeing how his character develops.

This is a series that I will continue to read, although I did not love it as much as some of her other books.  The elderly ladies hi-jinks were fun, but their characters all kind of clumped together and were not really distinguishable from one another.  Also, the deep female friendships that I love so much about some of her other books were not as present here.  That being said, I look forward to the next book to see what fun Sarah and Elvis will cook up next.