Trapped and Tested - A Review & Giveaway

 Review

TRAPPED AND TESTED by Sharon Marchisello
The Second DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery 

DeeLo Myer's niece Demi is thrilled when a DNA site connects her with a possible brother. But DeeLo has her reservations when she meets the too smooth Kwintone, especially when he's assigned to help her trap several community cats for the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return Program. Not only does he show up late, he's dressed in a suit and takes off early! But when she sees his car by the side of the road with his phone inside she gets worried. A brief search leads her to a man bleeding on the ground calling for help. Before she knows it DeeLo is dealing with local politics, animal testing, and murder. Will she be able to solve the crime, save the cats, and stay out of jail? 

I really like DeeLo. She's smart, capable, and has a mission. I still can't stand Demi, although I like her a bit more by the end of the book, and I still don't like Barry, who's showing he's even more of a jerk than I thought in the first book! The mystery was compelling, especially as we learned more and more about the victim. And the mystery was not just the murder, there was also the mystery of Demi's birth father. Is Kwintone really her half brother? And what about....no spoilers. I also appreciated the local politics aspect of the story. Several surprises kept me intrigued with a major shock that I still have difficulty comprehending, especially as we'll have to deal with the consequences in future books.

As an animal lover with five rescue cats of my own, I truly appreciate the fact that this series deals with TNVR (Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return) as well as the needless use of animal testing and the unscrupulous ways some people obtain animals for testing. There is no preaching or proselytizing, just facts.

Lots of moving parts make TRAPPED AND TESTED a compelling mystery that deals with social issues as it entertains.

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 Trapped and Tested: A DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery by Sharon Marchisello

About Trapped and Tested

Trapped and Tested: A DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery
Cozy Mystery 2nd in the Series
Setting – Georgia
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Level Best Books
Publication Date : December 16, 2025
Pages 274 

When DeeLo’s niece, Demi Myer, tries to find her father on an ancestry site, she meets Kwintone, a half-brother with a few secrets. After getting a speeding ticket, Kwintone is assigned to community service in the Pecan Point Humane Society’s Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return program—trapping cats with DeeLo on the new Oakwood Studios lot. The disinterested trainee leaves abruptly on his first night, and later DeeLo finds his car abandoned beside the road, phone on the seat.

Where is Kwintone, and is he connected to the stabbing of the CEO of Neuroscience Laboratories—a medical research facility that tests its products on cats?

DeeLo is still determined to change the county’s animal ordinance to support TNVR, but is the newcomer candidate she backs for the open commissioner slot involved in a murder?

About Sharon Marchisello

Sharon Marchisello is the author of the DeeLo Myer cat rescue mystery series, which began with Trap, Neuter, Die. She is a long-time volunteer and cat foster for the Fayette Humane Society (FHS) with a Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California. She also published three mysteries with Sunbury Press—Going Home (2014), Secrets of the Galapagos (2019), and Murder at Leisure Dreams - Galapagos (2025). Sharon has written short stories, a nonfiction book about personal finance, training manuals, screenplays, a blog, and book reviews. She is an active member of Sisters in Crime, the Atlanta Writers Club, and the Hometown Novel Writers Association. Retired from a 27-year career with Delta Air Lines, she now lives in Peachtree City, Georgia, and serves on the board of directors for the Friends of the Peachtree City Library.

Website: sharonmarchisello.com (https://smarchisello.wordpress.com/)  

Social Media Links:  

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

Twitter/X https://twitter.com/slmarchisello  

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4297807.Sharon_Marchisello  

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonmarchisello  

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/slmarchisello/  

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sharon-marchisello

   

Currently Reading...

I'm currently reading Trapped and Tested by Sharon Marchisello. This book is the second in the DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery series.

Dee Lo Myer's niece Demi is thrilled when a DNA site connects her with a possible brother. But DeeLo has her reservations when she meets the too smooth Kwintone, especially when he's assigned to help her trap several community cats for the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return Program. Not only does he show up late, he's dressed in a suit and takes off early! But when she sees his car by the side of the road with his phone inside she gets worried. A brief search leads her to a man bleeding on the ground calling for help. Before she knows it DeeLo is dealing with local politics, animal testing, and murder. Will she be able to solve the crime, save the cats, and stay out of jail?

Secrets of the Galapagos - A Review

 Review

SECRETS OF THE GALAPAGOS by Sharon Marchisello
The First Giovanna Rogers Mystery 

After a disastrous decision Giovanna Rogers loses her business, her reputation, and her fiance. To try to make her feel better, her grandmother, Melissa, treats her to a cruise of the Galapagos Islands. Enjoying a snorkeling exposition with her new friend, Laura, Giovanna is dismayed when she surfaces to see the boats heading back to the ship. Fortunately, she's spotted, but as the boat returns he can't find Laura!Although the tour guide says she's on the other boat, Giovanna isn't so sure. Her concerns mount when she learns no one has seen Laura since that morning. Was she accidentally left behind? Or is something more sinister going on? Does her disappearance have anything to do with the construction of a new leisure resort? Perhaps Laura's knowledge of the rare turtles? Or maybe the photos she took? Giovanna is determined to find out what exactly is going on and who's complicit!

SECRETS OF THE GALAPAGOS is a mystery that will keep you thinking...and guessing. It's fascinating the way that no one takes Giovanna that seriously when she says her friend is missing. Even her grandmother has her doubts. I really liked how readers slowly gained information about Giovanna's past and the real reason she wanted to go to the Galapagos Islands. And then how everything slowly started coming together. Once those pieces start falling together, you'll gasp. The final section of the book is an adrenaline fueled nail biting ride you won't be able to put down! 

Taut writing, a multilayered plot, and interesting characters converge in a unique setting making SECRETS OF THE GALAPAGOS a fantastic read.

Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to allow Sharon Marchiselloto take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. Sharon writes the Giovanna Rogers Mystery series. Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos is the second book in the series and was released earlier this year. Be sure to come back to the blog tomorrow to read my review of the first book in the series, Secrets of the Galapagos.

Writing a Mystery Set in the Galapagos 
by Sharon Marchisello

I love to travel, so working for 27 years in the airline industry was a good career match. Flying free or for a reduced fare allowed me to see much more of the world than I otherwise would have. Over the years, my husband and I have visited over 110 countries and taken 75 cruises.

Because I’m an animal lover, some of my favorite destinations allow visitors to see wild animals in their natural habitat. The Galapagos were high on my bucket list. In 2014, I fulfilled that dream when my husband and I took a cruise around the islands.

Located 600 miles off the coast of Ecuador, the Galapagos archipelago is 97% national park; humans inhabit only four of its 21 volcanic islands. Straddling the equator, the UNESCO site is situated at a point in the Pacific Ocean where three ocean currents collide, which contributes to the diversity of wildlife found nowhere else. Because they’re so isolated, most of the animals have no natural fear of people.

Getting to the Galapagos isn’t easy or cheap, so I figured our cruise clientele would be mostly older. However, there were couples younger than we were, and families with children. If you’re thinking about traveling there, go while you’re fit and healthy. Even on a luxury cruise, the daily itinerary was strenuous. To enjoy the experience, we engaged in lots of physical activity: hiking, snorkeling, kayaking. Not much time to lie on the beach reading a good book.

None of the islands have proper piers. The cruise ship anchors off shore, and to disembark, passengers descend a steep metal staircase, transfer to an inflatable boat called a Zodiac, and motor to shore. (This includes embarkation and departure.) On some islands, you’ll do a dry landing; i.e., disembark from the Zodiac to a rustic pier or stone steps. Others require a wet landing, where the Zodiac drives up onto the beach and passengers wade the rest of the way. Not exactly ADA-compliant.

If I’d known I would set a book in the Galapagos, I’d have deducted the trip expenses from my income taxes. But I didn’t start my adventure/mystery, Secrets of the Galapagos, until six months later—after I’d already filed my 2014 tax return. And the book wasn’t published until 2019. But I decided if I ever planned a sequel, I’d return to the islands and write off the trip.

I had such fun writing Secrets of the Galapagos, going through my photos, perusing the daily programs from the cruise ship, poring over maps of the islands. It was like reliving my vacation. I also did supplemental research online to clarify what I’d learned from the extremely knowledgeable guides (and to jog my faulty memory). Most of the plot takes place on board a cruise ship, modeled after the one I sailed on. I added stops at many of the islands we visited, so I had plenty of opportunity to describe the diverse, natural setting and weave encounters with the flora and fauna into the story.

After reaching the end, I wasn’t ready to say goodbye to my characters. In Secrets of the Galapagos, Giovanna Rogers, the protagonist, goes on a cruise around the Galapagos Islands with her grandmother, Michelle DePalma. When there’s a mysterious death on board the ship, Giovanna becomes a person of interest, which is how she meets local police detective Victor Zuniga, who investigates the case. Giovanna and Michelle also meet fellow American passenger Jim Roberts, CEO of Leisure Dreams, an international luxury hotel chain. Jim is cruising with his family, but his main objective for the trip is to check on the construction of a new property just outside Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz Island.

In the sequel, Murder at Leisure Dreams – Galapagos, Jim has offered Giovanna a job managing the new hotel, so she stays in Puerto Ayora and begins a romantic relationship with Victor. I was all set to return to the Galapagos, book a stay in a Santa Cruz hotel, and soak up the local color while plotting my story.

Then we had a global pandemic. No trip to the Galapagos. No trips anywhere for almost three years.

I had lots of time to write, though. Lots of time to surf the web and attend Zoom webinars. But instead of researching on location, I had to rely on memories and secondhand information to create an authentic setting.

One of the challenges of writing this sequel was that most of the action takes place inside a hotel. It could be anywhere. I struggled to infuse the same atmospheric details, the same “setting as character,” that I did with Secrets of the Galapagos, but the first drafts seemed bland.

The way I solved this problem was by finding ways to get my characters outdoors. I added Harvey, a sea lion who keeps trying to swim in the resort’s pool. I take some of the characters to the Charles Darwin Research Station to see giant tortoises. There’s an early scene where Giovanna gives the victim’s film crew a tour of the grounds, and a local reporter tags along. They head down to the pier and marvel at a sea turtle swimming through the water; suddenly, the reporter falls into the bay (or was pushed). I have another scene where Giovanna accompanies a group of guests on an excursion to North Seymour Island, courtesy of the Galapagos tourist board after the hotel’s grand opening. One of the suspects twists an ankle, so, while the others do the hike with the guide, Giovanna stays behind with her crippled guest—and gathers important information for the case.

My editor asked me if I intend to continue this series. I’d like to. And I’m going back to the Galapagos for the next book.

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 Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos (Giovanna Rogers Mysteries) by Sharon Marchisello

About Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos

Murder at Leisure Dreams: Galapagos (Giovanna Rogers Mysteries)
Mystery 2nd in Series Setting - Galapagos
Publisher: ‎ Milford House Press
Publication Date: ‎ June 26, 2025
Print length: ‎ 340 pages

Giovanna Rogers restarts her career as expatriate manager of the new Leisure Dreams resort hotel on Santa Cruz Island in the Galapagos. Due to her youth and limited proficiency in Spanish, she struggles to gain the respect of her staff and the company’s executives. She has to prove to them that she got the job because of merit, not because the CEO is a family friend. And prove to herself that she can overcome a past business failure and make the hotel a success.

When the story opens, Giovanna and her staff prepare for the hotel's grand opening. Friends, family, and corporate bigwigs fly in for the event. Renowned documentary producer Claire Costello and her film crew have arrived; Giovanna has the staff send a bottle of champagne to Claire's room to welcome the VIP guest. The next morning, Claire is found dead in her bed; the cause of death is apparent poisoning. Now Giovanna must work with her boyfriend, local police detective Victor Zuniga, to solve the case while juggling the details of the grand opening and controlling the narrative around the mysterious demise of a VIP guest on the property.

Complications in her relationship arise when Giovanna’s ex-boyfriend decides to join her family to attend the grand opening. Her best friend and several of her employees have a history with Claire. And Claire’s team is somewhat dysfunctional, keeping secrets and telling contradictory stories. Despite Giovanna’s efforts to maintain normalcy and apprehend the culprit, things continue to worsen.

About Sharon Marchisello

 

SHARON MARCHISELLO is the author of two other mysteries published by Milford House, the fiction imprint of Sunbury Press: Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019), which is the prequel to Murder at Leisure Dreams – Galapagos. She also writes the DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mysteries from Level Best Books. Besides novels, Sharon has published short stories in anthologies and online magazines; one was a 2022 Derringer finalist. She has written travel articles, training manuals, screenplays, book reviews, and a nonfiction book (Live Well, Grow Wealth - 2018). She earned a Bachelor’s degree in French from the University of Houston and a Master’s in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California. She is an active member of Sisters in Crime, the Atlanta Writers Club, and the Hometown Novel Writers Association. Retired after 27 years with Delta Air Lines, Sharon now lives in Peachtree City, Georgia. She serves on the boards of the Fayette Humane Society, Hometown Novel Writers Association, and the Friends of the Peachtree City Library. She loves to travel, including a trip to the Galapagos Islands in 2014.

Author Links:

Website: https://smarchisello.wordpress.com/

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

Twitter/X https://twitter.com/slmarchisello  

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4297807.Sharon_Marchisello  

Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonmarchisello  

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/slmarchisello/  

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sharon-marchisello

Purchase link: Sunbury Press - Amazon

Trap, Neuter, Die - An Interview, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Sharon Marchisello to Cozy Up With Kathy today. Sharon writes the DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery series. TRAP, NEUTER, DIE is the first book in the series.

 
Kathy: TRAP, NEUTER, DIE shines a light on TNVR, Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return. How did you learn about this concept? Why is it important to tell people about it.

SM: I learned about TNVR when I became a volunteer for the Fayette Humane Society. Prior to that, I just assumed all cats were potential pets. It's important to tell people about TNVR because it's an effective and humane way to fight the pet overpopulation crisis.

Kathy: It's a frustrating truth that archaic laws as well as uncaring and/or evil people exist making life difficult for feral and stray cats. What can people do to help?

SM: The most important thing people can do is spay or neuter their pets. And if they see a colony of free-roaming cats, contact a rescue group that can help with TNVR. If the cats have ear tips, the colony may already be managed.

Kathy: I currently share my home with 5 cats, all rescues. Do you have cats of your own?

SM: I've had cats all my life, but I don't currently own one. We lost our 17-year-old cat several years ago, and my husband hesitates to get another. So, I've gone back to fostering cats for the Fayette Humane Society. I'm hoping he'll want to foster fail (adopt your foster) but so far, he's been resistant. Nevertheless, there's usually a cat or two in my house.

Kathy: In this first DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery DeeLo is sentenced to forty hours of community service with the local humane society. Have you ever volunteered with your local humane society or other rescue organization?

SM: Yes, I have been volunteering with the Fayette Humane Society since 2007. I started out fostering cats, then helped with adoption events. I've served as Secretary on their Board of Directors since 2011 and also do the grant writing. We get lots of short-term volunteers who have to do hours for school clubs or court-ordered community service so that's what gave me the idea to make DeeLo join the organization by doing community service.

Kathy: What first drew you to cozy mysteries?

SM: One of my professors at USC believed writing genre fiction was the best way to get published, and he recommended that I write mysteries. Because I don't have a background in law enforcement or private investigation, I felt most comfortable writing about amateur sleuths. And I don't like a lot of graphic sex and violence, so the cozy genre is a good fit.

Kathy: Do you write in any other genres? 

SM: My first two mysteries aren't really cozies, although I do have amateur sleuths. I also write short stories in various genres. And I self-published a nonfiction book about personal finance. (LIVE WELL, GROW WEALTH - 2018).

Kathy: Tell us about your series. 

SM: TRAP, NEUTER, DIE is the first in a 3-book series published by Level Best Books and featuring DeeLo Myer, a young woman who rescues cats and finds dead humans.

Kathy: Do you have a favorite character? If so, who and why?

SM: Besides DeeLo, my favorite character is curmudgeon Catherine Foster, who admits she likes feral cats a lot better than human beings. She frequently makes politically incorrect comments about people who mistreat animals. I also enjoy writing Demi Myer, DeeLo's niece, who's more like a sister to DeeLo.

Kathy: Did you have a specific inspiration for your series?

SM: For a long time, I wanted to feature an animal rescue group in a novel. Several years ago, several of us volunteers tried to get our county's animal ordinance changed to sanction TNVR, and drama ensued. (Some of that made it into my series.) And of course, being a mystery writer, I had to throw in a dead body.

Kathy: What made you decide to publish your work?

SM: I've always wanted my work to be published, but it took a long time to make it happen.

Kathy: If you could have a dinner party and invite 4 authors, living or dead, in any genre, who would you invite?

SM: I think it would be fun to invite Kurt Vonnegut, Ernest Hemingway, Agatha Christie, and Edgar Allen Poe. No idea how they'd all get along.

Kathy: What are you currently reading?

SM: I'm reading several new mysteries in ebook from Net Galley. And for my book club, we're reading Jodi Picoult's novel, BY ANY OTHER NAME.

Kathy: Will you share any of your hobbies or interests with us?

SM: Besides reading, writing, and animal rescue, I love to travel. My husband and I have taken over 70 cruises together and visited over 100 countries. I've always loved maps and learning other languages.

Kathy: Name 4 items you always have in your fridge or pantry.

SM: I always have cheese and crackers, milk for my coffee (French roast, ground from the beans), and spinach for salads. And wine.

Kathy: Do you have plans for future books either in your current series or a new series?

SM: My contract with Level Best is for three books. After that, we'll see what happens. Book two, TRAPPED AND TESTED, will be out in September. In it, DeeLo helps Demi find her biological father which leads to her involvement in the murder of the CEO of an animal testing lab. I've also written a sequel to my 2019 mystery from Sunbury Press, SECRETS OF THE GALAPAGOS. MURDER AT LEISURE DREAMS - GALAPAGOS will be out later this year and my editor asked if I plan to make it a series. I need to travel back to the Galapagos to get inspiration for another book!

Kathy: What's your favorite thing about being an author?

SM: I love writing and turning out the best book I can. I think the most exciting part about being an author is having readers tell me they loved my book. Especially if it's someone I don't already know.

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Review

TRAP, NEUTER, DIE by Sharon Marchisello
The First DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery 

After one really bad decision Delores Diane Myer-Johansson, better known as Deelo Myer, finds herself sentenced to community service. An animal lover she is serving her time with the Pecan Point Humane Society, helping with the Trap-Neuter-Return program. Her supervisor, the gruff Catherine Foster is quick to point out that it's really the Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return program and that she much prefers cats to humans. As the pair set out traps behind a shopping plaza they notice Manny, the bookstore cat, running outside. Seeing the shop's backdoor open they go in only to discover the dead body of the owner. The police officer who arrives has a grudge against Catherine and barely believes them about murder. When the pair return to try to trap more cats he shows up again and arrests Catherine on an antiquated animal ordinance and suspicion of murder. Deelo vows to not only get Catherine released, but to change the outdated law. And if she has to solve a murder to do it, so be it!

TRAP, NEUTER, DIE grapples with some important societal issues, making the first DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery a little darker and a tad more realistic than most cozy mysteries. As a cat lover who supports several local rescues, and some not so local, I am impressed and grateful for all of the information about TNVR presented here, as well as showing an example of the idiotic animal laws that still exist.

I really enjoyed the story, a complex murder mystery with several subplots, lots of backstory, and some interesting possibilities raised for the future. While I really like Deelo and the irascible Catherine I can't stand Demi. I find her to be an immature self absorbed unspayed canine! Honestly, I wouldn't mind finding her a the murder victim in the next book! I also found Barry to be a bit much; a well written complicated character, but still, a bit much.

Serious issues are woven throughout TRAP, NEUTER, DIE creating an absorbing mystery that promotes feral cat welfare as it entertains.

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 Trap, Neuter, Die: A DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery by Sharon Marchisello

About Trap, Neuter, Die

Trap, Neuter, Die: A DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery
Cozy Mystery 1st of Series
Setting - Georgia
Publisher: ‎ Level Best Books (October 29, 2024)
Paperback: ‎ 286 pages

DeeLo Myer, newly transplanted from Los Angeles to Pecan Point, Georgia, gets sentenced to forty hours of community service with the local humane society. She’s paired with the judgmental Catherine Foster, a Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) guru who prefers feral cats to people. During DeeLo's first night on duty, she and Catherine are led by a cat to the strangled body of a local bookstore owner.

The cop who investigates seems less concerned with solving a homicide than with Catherine’s violation of an antiquated animal ordinance rendering TNVR illegal. The following evening, when he arrests Catherine for violating the said ordinance, and then holds her as a suspect in the murder, DeeLo vows to prove Catherine’s innocence and get the ridiculous law changed. How hard could it be? She enlists her boyfriend/boss and the resources of his law office. Her quest for justice and legislative change leads her to high-profile members of the community, some of whom have motives for murder.

About Sharon Marchisello

Sharon Marchisello is the author of the DeeLo Myer cozy mystery series from Level Best Books, starting with Trap, Neuter, Die (2024). Her two previous mysteries were published by Sunbury Press: Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019). She is an active member of Sisters in Crime. She contributed short stories to the anthologies Shhhh...Murder! (Darkhouse Books, 2018) Finally Home (Bienvenue Press, 2019) and Smoking Guns (Wildside Press, 2024). Her personal finance book Live Well, Grow Wealth (2018) was originally published as Live Cheaply, Be Happy, Grow Wealthy, an e-book on Smashwords. Sharon has published travel articles, book reviews, corporate training manuals, and a personal finance blog called Countdown to Financial Fitness. She grew up in Tyler, Texas, and earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Houston in French and English. She studied for a year in Tours, France, on a Rotary scholarship and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue her Masters in Professional Writing at the University of Southern California. Retired from a 27-year career with Delta Air Lines, she lives in Peachtree City, Georgia, doing volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society, the Fayette County Master Gardeners UGA Extension, and the Friends of the Peachtree City Library.

Website: sharonmarchisello.com (https://smarchisello.wordpress.com/) 

Social Media Links: Facebook https://www.facebook.com/SLMarchisello  

Twitter/X https://twitter.com/slmarchisello  

GoodReads https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4297807.Sharon_Marchisello 

 Linked In https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonmarchisello  

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/slmarchisello/  

BookBub https://www.bookbub.com/profile/sharon-marchisello  

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