Purrs and Poison (Chatty Cat Mystery 1), by Elle Wren Burke

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Purrs and Poison is the first in a new spinoff series by Elle Wren Burke. I'm familiar with some of her books and when I saw the cover of this one, along with the premise, I just knew I had to read it. I'm happy to say, it exceeded my expectations.

Brighton (or Lord Brighton, as he would prefer) is not your typical cat. He can't really speak like humans do, but he can communicate through this thoughts with a few people who are close to him. When a member of the community, and one of Brighton's favorite humans, is found dead, someone else close to the snarky cat becomes a prime suspect in the murder investigation. Brighton knows better and he sets out to find out who the real culprit is.

This was the first time I read a cozy where the amateur sleuth is a cat and I loved it! The story is told from Brighton's perspective. He makes the perfect sleuth. As a cat, he can go places that humans cannot without getting caught snooping. I loved the way he and his humans exchanged information and followed the clues that eventually led to the culprit. Brighton is one sharp cat, and he is also caring and compassionate. In addition to these loveable qualities, he is absolutely hysterical! I laughed out loud throughout the book, sometimes to the point of tears. The qualities of a typical cat are also spot on. There were many times when I said to myself, "Yep. That's would my cats would say." 

Even through the cat, there is an element disability representation. Brighton has fibromyalgia (as does another main character who is a human). Brighton has to be mindful of when he's in pain, often adjusting his position to decrease the discomfort. He navigates through his discomfort while on the case.   

The mystery in this book is strong and I loved how that was the main focus of the book, while we also got to know the characters and setting along the way. I thought I had the culprit identified, only to be surprised in the end.  It's my favorite kind of ending - a surprising one that makes sense. 

While this is a spinoff series to Elle Wren Burke's Prickly Pear Psychic Mysteries, it is not necessary to have read those previous books first. I didn't feel lost at all. Instead, it made me curious about the history of the main characters and about the town of Prickly Pear. I want to know the backstory, so I've added the Prickly Pear Psychic Mysteries to my TBR list.

I'm very happy there will be another Chatty Cat Mystery. At the end of Purrs and Poison, we are left with a cliffhanger and I'm curious what will happen next. I also just can't wait to spend more time with Brighton and his favorite humans in Prickly Pear.

Thank you to author Elle Wren Burke for providing me with an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.