Cat Got Your Secrets by Julie Chase – Review, Interview, and Giveaway!

Cat Got Your Secrets: A Kitty Couture Mystery
by Julie Chase

Cat Got Your Secrets: A Kitty Couture Mystery
Cozy Mystery
3rd in Series
Crooked Lane Books (September 12, 2017)
Hardcover: 320 pages
ISBN-13: 978-1683312833
E-Book ASIN: B06XVWR8Q9

Lacy Marie Crocker has settled into a comfortable groove back home in New Orleans, and with Valentine’s Day right around the corner, she’s busier than ever running a thriving pet boutique, helping her mother organize the upcoming National Pet Pageant, and untangling her complicated love life. But when delivering a king-sized order of dreidel-shaped doggy biscuits for a Saint Berdoodle’s bark-mitzvah, Lacy stumbles into yet another murder scene—and the last person to see the victim alive was her own father.

It’s up to Lacy to clear her dad’s name from the suspect list before Detective Jack Oliver has to cage him for good. But just when she starts pawing at the truth, she receives a threatening letter from a mysterious blackmailer bent on silencing her with her own secrets. And Lacy’s not the only one with bones in her closet.

My Review:
3 out of 5 stars

The mystery in this book starts right from the beginning and intertwines with a storyline from the previous book. I had my suspicions about who the killer was but ended up being wrong. The killer turned out to be someone I didn’t suspect at all and I love being stumped so that was fun. What’s the point in a mystery if you’re able to figure out who the killer is yourself, right? It’s not supposed to be easy to figure out. 🙂

I liked getting to see more from secondary characters like Scarlet and Imogene. Penelope and Spot provided a lot of laughs during this book. I can picture my cat doing silly things like riding around on a Roomba so that provided a lot of entertainment value.

It’s been a while since I read the second book in this series, and while I enjoyed that one, I didn’t seem to like this one quite as much. I found Lacy to be a little more immature and dramatic in this book. She comes across a lot younger than she actually is. It also bothered me a little that she didn’t seem all that concerned with the death threats that she received. I did like that we got a little more information about Lacy’s past in this book and that we got to see her repair her strained relationship with her mother.

*I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Interview with author Julie Chase:

Tell us a little about yourself. I am Julie Anne Lindsey, writing as Julie Chase. I’m a full-time author and mother to three awesome kids ages 14, 11 and 9. We live in small town Ohio and have a great time here. When I’m not with my family, you’ll find me at my desk writing or somewhere quiet with my nose in a book.
How long have you been writing? I started writing in 2010 with absolutely no idea how to do it. I just opened a search engine and typed “How to write a book.” I’ve been working on that ever since.
Tell us about your books. The Kitty Couture Mysteries are a cozy mystery series set in New Orleans’s beautiful Garden District. My heroine, Lacy Marie Crocker, is from one of the district’s wealthiest families, though she’s determined to live life her way, on her own dime, much to her socialite mother’s dismay. Lacy has a fashion degree, but she uses it to make custom clothing and costume for pets. She’s got a heart of gold. A quick wit and charm that I can only aspire to, and a family almost as whacky as mine. In each of my Kitty Couture stories, Lacy is faced with a murder that needs solving to clear her name or a loved one’s name, and she does it in the most fantastic ways.
Do you have a certain writing process or routine? Yes! I’m dedicated outliner. I found that pantsing and “winging it” was fun but impractical with three busy kids and a life, so once I got serious about publication, I set up an action plan to finish novels. Good ones. Now, I spend about two weeks perfecting the story in outline format, then I begin writing one chapter a day until the novel is finished – about 28 writing days later. I reread the finished project with a critical eye, do some light cleanup, then the completed work goes to my editor/agent or wherever it was meant to go. The process streamlines an otherwise messy process and keeps me moving forward. I love it!
Did you always know that you wanted to be an author?No. Until that fateful google search in 2010, I had no idea that anyone who wanted to be published could be. I thought authors needed a certain degree or a job with a publishing house. Honestly, I’d never given authoring much thought. My degree in psychology. I’d originally planned to work with young girls and women as a counselor. You know what they say about the plans we make….
Do you have another job or do you write full time?I’m thrilled to say writing has become my full-time job. I write about 60 hours a week.
Do you have any advice for aspiring authors? Yes. Keep going. No one will do it for you, and you can’t afford to listen to the naysayers. If you’re truly a writer, then you will write. I swear writers should get their own diagnosis because I’ve never met a writer who could stop once he or she started. So, keep going. You never know when you’ll write the thing that changes your life.
What genre do you like to read? I read cozy mystery, romantic suspense, YA and psychological thrillers mostly, but I also read contemporary romance and poetry. I just love the written word however I can get it.
What do you like to do in your spare time? I have three busy, too-young-to-drive kids and a sixty hour a week job. I really don’t have any free time right now. Though, I do enjoy sneaking in a lunch with friends.
Are you working on anything right now? Yes. I’m starting a new secret series that’s still under wraps, and I’ve just completed my fifth manuscript for Harlequin Intrigue. Book one, Federal Agent Under Fire, will release in April 2018, written as myself, Julie Anne Lindsey.

Thank you so much for inviting me over to be part of your blog today! This was so much fun!

About The Author

Julie Chase is a mystery-loving pet enthusiast who hopes to make readers smile. She lives in rural Ohio with her husband and three spunky children. Julie is a member of the International Thriller Writers, Romance Writers of America, and Sisters in Crime. She is represented by Jill Marsal of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency.Julie also writes as Julie Anne Lindsey. Learn more about Julie Anne Lindsey here.

Webpage: http://juliechasebooks.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JulieChaseAuthor/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14957369.Julie_Chase

Twitter: https://twitter.com/JulieALindsey

Purchase Links:

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TOUR PARTICIPANTS

September 12 – My Reading Journeys – REVIEW

September 12 – A Cozy Experience – REVIEW

September 12 – Community Bookstop – INTERVIEW

September 13 – Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT