National bestselling author Carolyn Hart presents an original new novel about a woman with a curious ability that drops her headfirst into a world of intrigue and murder…

Ever since the death of her fiancé, Nela Farley has found herself plagued by a sixth sense: she understands the thoughts of cats when she looks into their eyes. Nela knows that what she’s experiencing is completely irrational and tries to convince herself that she is simply transferring her own thoughts that she doesn’t want to face.

When her adventurous sister, Chloe, goes on a trip and asks for a favor, Nela welcomes the distraction and agrees to substitute at Chloe’s job at a charitable foundation. Chloe has arranged a place for her sister to stay, but when Nela shows up, she encounters the previous tenant’s cat and gets a flash of thought: “. . . dead . . . dead and gone . . . She loved me . . . board rolled on the second step . . .”

Nela wants to ignore what the cat saw, but the idea that the death of former tenant Marian Grant wasn’t an accident is something she can’t ignore. As Nela begins to do some research into Marian’s life, strange events begin to occur, all seeming to lead back to the Haklo Foundation. But when a detective becomes suspicious of Nela’s sister and a second murder occurs, Nela realizes she’ll have to make the most of her unwanted ability to figure out what’s really going on, before she meets her own untimely end…

Review

For fans of:  Margaret Coel; Carolyn Hart’s Henrie O series

Out-of-work investigative journalist Cornelia “Nela” Farley has been having a rough go of things since the death of her fiancé, so when her sister Chloe offers her the chance to get away for a while, she gratefully accepts.  Sure, saying yes to her sister means Nela will be stuck in Craddock, Oklahoma filling in as an assistant at the Haklo Foundation while Chloe is in Tahiti with her boyfriend, but a distraction’s a distraction, right?  And it’s not like Nela has anything else to do.

Nela arrives in Oklahoma to discover Chloe’s arranged for her to stay at the apartment of Chloe’s recently deceased co-worker, Marian Grant.  The police apparently ruled Marian’s death an accident, but the longer Nela spends in Craddock, the more convinced she becomes that the woman met with foul play.  Who killed Marian, and why?  And does her death have anything to do with the break-ins, thefts, and acts of vandalism that have been taking place at Haklo over the past several months?  Nela’s determined to get to the bottom of things, but if she’s not careful, she just might wind up the victim an unfortunate “accident,” herself…

I’ve long been a fan of Carolyn Hart, so when I heard she had a new book coming out – one with the potential to launch a new series – I was incredibly excited.  Unfortunately, however, What the Cat Saw never quite reaches the bar set by Hart’s previous body of work.  Now, don’t get me wrong – it’s not that there’s nothing good to be found here.  In true Hart form, the central mystery is compelling and clever and is certain to keep you guessing until the final pages.  And while the setup is a tad convoluted, it’s also quick and effective, leaving Nela with no choice but to become involved in the investigation.  But one of the things I’ve always admired most about Hart’s writing is her character work, and sadly, that’s the thing I found most lacking in this particular tale.

Nela's a fairly likable heroine; she's smart and she’s loyal and she has a good moral compass, and while there’s nothing all that remarkable about her, you enjoy spending time in her company and you want her to succeed.  And while I started out hating love interest Steve – largely thanks to his obsession with his ex and his generic mistrust of all women – he does eventually get over his misogyny and become an interesting character in his own right.  Hart doesn’t quite earn the early attraction between him and Nela, but I like where they end up as a couple, and am curious to see where they go next. 

That said, Nela and Steve might be the only two successful characters in the entire book.  The supporting cast is flat, lifeless, and too large by half; I finished What the Cat Saw still unable to distinguish some of the male Haklo employees from one another.  With few exceptions, the minor players travel in pack formation, their words and actions largely interchangeable.  And because you never get to know any of the suspects or victims all that well, you neither fear, nor fear for, any of them, sapping the book of tension and drama.  The end result is a slow pace and a mystery that, while successful on an intellectual level, fails to engage on an emotional one.

What the Cat Saw is a decent book overall – a good one, even.  But it could have been great if only Hart had bothered to exercise some population control.

Reviewed by Kat

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