Ghost Cat and the Haunted House - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm pleased to allow Blaze the cat to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. You can find Blaze on the pages of Ghost Cat and the Haunted House by Mollie Hunt. This book is the fourth in the Tenth Life Cozy Mystery series and will be released next week.

Excuse me. Can I say something?

I know you expected an essay from the heroes of Ghost Cat and the Haunted House. Camelia Collins possibly, or the ghost cat Soji herself. But they are busy infusing our author’s mind with stories yet to come. So you get me instead. Hello, I’m Blaze, Camelia’s companion cat.

I may not be a major character in the Tenth Life Cozy Paranormal Mystery Series, but I am important. As a real, flesh-and-blood cat (unlike tricksy Soji), I’ve been with Camelia for as long as I can remember. I am what Camelia calls a senior cat, so that’s a long time.

We lived in a city called Portland before Camelia decided to pick up and move to little Ocean Cove. She’d always dreamed of living on the Oregon Coast, and at the advancing age of seventy-something summers, I suppose she figured it was now or never. I was skeptical at first, hating change as much as the next cat, but I have come to appreciate the fresh air and quiet environment. Camelia loves it, and that counts more than anything, because she is my world. I need her, but she needs me too.

Soji the ghost cat has her moments— (Did I tell you Camelia’s little cottage is haunted? Well, no one told us either, so it was a surprise when the spirit of a cat from the early twentieth century turned up and started talking to us.) —but Soji is unreliable. I, on the other hand, am completely reliable, especially when it comes to mealtimes and naps.

In this newest book, I have an especially large role to play, though to be honest, it wasn’t really my idea. I kept disappearing to somewhere I couldn’t possibly be, like in a locked-room mystery. Only after several of those inexplicable excursions did Camelia discover the reason. It will astound you, I promise!

I also led Camelia to a place she needed to be just in time to prevent something bad from happening, hosted a feline houseguest she brought home unexpectedly, and sat on her lap when she was cold and scared.

I am quietly amazing.

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 Ghost Cat and the Haunted House (A Tenth Life Cozy Mystery) by Mollie Hunt

About Ghost Cat and the Haunted House

Ghost Cat and the Haunted House (A Tenth Life Cozy Mystery)
Cozy Cat Mystery 4th in Series
Setting - Ocean Cove, a fictitious town on the Oregon Coast
Independently Published
Print Length: ‎ 277 pages
Publication Date: ‎ June 30, 2026

Ghost cat Soji draws Camelia into an age-old web of secrets when a body turns up in the long-abandoned house on the hill.

Decades ago, Ida Jacks died a tragic death in her old ancestral home. Since then, the place has stood empty, just another of Ocean Cove’s moldering landmarks. Now paranormal investigator Griffin Gage is about to change all that. But Gage’s plan is to contact dead Ida takes a tragic turn when, instead of a spirit, he finds a corpse.

Ghost cat Soji has been acting strange, trying to tell Camelia something, but what, the octogenarian cannot discern. Is it about Ida? The Jacks House? The murder? And why does her own cat Blaze keep disappearing to the guesthouse with no apparent means of transport?

Handsome Sheriff Jamie can’t figure it out, and neither can Camelia’s clairvoyant confidant Vera nor her very special friend Ellery. Camelia is on her own to uncover the killer, but can she solve the mysteries in time to save innocent lives, and maybe a ghost or two?

About Mollie Hunt

 

Long: Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy series: the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries featuring a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Tenth Life Paranormal Mysteries involving a ghost cat. Her Cat Seasons Sci-Fantasy Tetralogy presents extraordinary cats saving the world. She also released a COVID memoir she calls, "an ode to the very real and healing presence of cats." Her cat health memoir, “Creating Comfort for Your Senior Cat: Stories, Poems, and Illustrations of Cats in Their Golden Years,” recently won a Certificate of Excellence from the Cat Writers’ Association.

Mollie’s cat writing has earned her various other honors, including CWA Muse Medallions and World’s Best Litter-ary Awards. She is the recipient of the prestigious Michael Brim Distinguished Service Award (CWA) and the Catalyst Council Connect to Care Award, celebrating a true story of the profound connection between a shelter cat and its adoptive pet parent. Her mystery, Cat’s Paw, was a CIBA Mystery & Mayhem Semi-finalist. Mollie is on the Board of Directors for Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA) as well as being the librarian for the Cat Writers’ Association. Additionally, she is a member of Sisters in Crime, Willamette Writers, and the Oregon Writers Colony. Mollie lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like her cat lady character, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

Short: Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy mystery series and a sci-fantasy tetralogy. She has also published a COVID memoir and a cat health chronicle, both of which won recognition from the Cat Writers’ Association.

Mollie is a member of the Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA), Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, and Willamette Writers. She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like the cat lady character in one of her cozies, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

Author Links: 

You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/  

Follow Mollie's Amazon Page: www.amazon.com/author/molliehunt  

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/  

Instagram: @molliehuntcatwriter  

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7768987.Mollie_Hunt  

Purchase Link - Amazon

Death at the Dock - An Interview & Giveaway

I'm pleased to welcome Carmen Radtke back to Cozy Up With Kathy. Carmen writes the Alyssa Chalmers Mystery series. Death at the Dock is the third book in the series and was released last month.

Kathy: Death at the Dock finds Alyssa Chalmers traveling to Portland, Oregon to help a friend. Have you ever been called upon to help a friend?

CR: I have, but luckily never to solve a murder. A good friend once needed help to move out of her emotionally abusive boyfriend’s apartment as fast as possible. Three people, two cars, and three hours made it possible.

Kathy: Was there a specific inspiration for this story?

CR: More like serendipity (I like that word!).

Alyssa’s movements were always restricted by history. In The Prospect of Death she’d landed in British Columbia, which was back then in its infancy. The railroad wouldn’t reach the Pacific Northwest for several more years, so boats and horse-drawn wagons or mule trains were the main mode of transportation.

Due to its location, Portland was the main shipping hub for the whole region. That gave me the logical setting. I also knew it had to be Captain Moore who needed her help, because he’d originally struggled to accept her as equal. In his defence – he was very concerned about the well-being of the women in his care. Not unusually in the Victorian era, he expected them to be meek and gentle and not take charge in the way Alyssa tends to do. It felt right to have him come to appreciate Alyssa for her mind as well as her compassion.

From there on and with a growing port city that already had prosperous and seedier parts, my story evolved.

Kathy: The Alyssa Chalmers Mystery series is set in the 1860s. Why choose this time period for this series?

CR: I used to be a journalist, which makes for a tendency to stick to factual background. The series started with a true event. A group of young women were sent in 1862 from recession-hit Melbourne in Australia to Canada, to be married to prospectors. The scheme originated with a British woman called Maria Susan Rye. The bride transport from Australia to Canada ended after the inaugural voyage because the original brides all disappeared during a stopover.

I wrote The Case of the Missing Bride because I wanted these women to be remembered. I’m saving most of them on the page. Also, this whole era in the New World is fascinating. We’ve got a gold rush, rules from Queen Victoria in Canada and again different rules across the border. The War Between The States seems far from Oregon, yet it affects so many aspects of everyday life all across the country. Among other things, prices for a gallon of whisky rose from 25 cents in 1860 to 35 dollars in 1863. That was more money than a labourer earned in a month!

Kathy: Are you able to share any future plans for Alyssa?

CR: If she continues with her sleuthing, the next stop would be answering a call for help from London …


Kathy: Historical mysteries require an extra special brand of research. What's your favorite method to research this time period?

CR: It hasn’t changed much from my reporter days, with the exception that due to its tendency to make up things people want to hear, AI makes it harder to verify facts, and a lot of old articles are no longer to be found that easily. My favourite way of research is trips to museums. It’s endlessly fascinating to see what emigrants took with them, from crockery and silverware to knickknacks and books. And I love to read in old newspapers and magazines. (Cue Ar Foo’s tea store and the marshal and his “door rattlers”.)

Advertising tells you so much about what people aspired to! Census reports and cost of living statistics are another research tool I use frequently.

My sleuths are usually not rich aristocrats, and they investigate in a world where it’s not always easy to make ends meet and where a few coins can make all the difference.


Kathy: When it comes to writing I understand there are 2 general camps-plotters, who diligently plot their stories, and pansters, who fly by the seat of their pants. Are you a plotter, a panster, or do you fall somewhere in between?

CR: I definitely fall in between! I know my main characters with all their flaws and strengths, I know the victim, the motive, and the culprit, but I only have a loose outline and no template. The story evolves as I write it, which keeps me on my toes. There are always characters who only reveal their importance to me along the way.


Kathy: Authors are required to do a lot of their own marketing, especially for a new release. What's your favorite part of marketing your work? What do you dislike about marketing?

CR: That’s a sore point. It’s taken me years to accept that marketing is part of the job. As a reporter you know that it’s always about the story and never about you. As an author, you’re part of the story!

That said, I love interacting with readers. It’s the best way to connect with people who also love books and tropes and ideas. We live in what can be lonely, scary times. I like to think that books allow us escapism, but also help form bonds.


Kathy: Will you share any other upcoming books?

CR: My next release end of April is Blackmail & Broomsticks, a Willowmere midlife magic mystery. It’s currently with my editor.

With historical mysteries, I stay as close to the facts as I can, because history matters to me. But when it comes to contemporary cozies, I can’t think of anything better than to add a sprinkle of magic to my mysteries. That said, even with witchcraft and a talking cat, these characters could be your neighbours or your friends. I wouldn’t mind trading places for a bit (although my cat is already wonderful). 

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 Death at the Dock: An Alyssa Chalmers Historical Mystery by Carmen Radtke

About Death at the Dock

Death at the Dock: An Alyssa Chalmers Historical Mystery
Historical Cozy Mystery 3rd in Series
Setting - Portland, Oregon, in 1862
Independently Published
Publication Date: ‎ February 27, 2026
Print Length: ‎ 191 pages

A sharp tongue. An even sharper mind. A Victorian sleuth criminals overlook at their peril.

1862. A new home in a prospectors’ town, a new life, and two steadfast admirers: Alyssa Chalmers’ future is secure among her friends.

But when Captain Moore sends a message, begging for her help, she can’t say no. With the doctor and the First Officer by her side, she travels to Portland, Oregon. She finds a situation worse than she feared. Two of the captain’s crew have gone missing and the local marshal is adamant they simply jumped ship. Even the discovery of a body is unable to change his mind. Captain Moore knows better. He is convinced that something sinister is going on, and he needs sharp-witted Alyssa and her sleuthing partners to figure it out. But dark secrets and vices are lurking everywhere. Alyssa needs all her wits to figure out who to trust - and how to save the missing men before there’s another murder.

Death at the Dock is the third mystery in this captivating series that transports readers back to the 1860s, with a heroine determined to make her own way in a society made for men. Perfect for fans of Rhys Bowen’s Molly Murphy and Elizabeth Peters’ Amelia Peabody.

About Carmen Radtke

Carmen has spent most of her life with ink on her fingers and a dangerously high pile of books and newspapers by her side.

She has worked as a newspaper reporter on two continents.

When she found herself crouched under her dining table, typing away on a novel between two earthquakes in Christchurch, New Zealand, she realised she was hooked for life.

The shaken but stirring novel made it to the longlist of the Mslexia competition, and her next book and first mystery, The Case Of The Missing Bride, was a finalist in the Malice Domestic competition in a year without a winner. Since then she has penned several more cozy mysteries, including the Jack and Frances series set in the 1930s. The cozy midlife witch series featuring Bex Merriweather and her cat familiar are the latest addition to her literary output.

In real life, she’s only spilled blood once, when she swatted a fly, and even that was an accident. Although she’s a devoted cat servant, her feline companion doesn’t talk. Yet.

Carmen now lives in Italy with her human and her four-legged family.

Author Links:  

Website - https://www.carmenradtkeauthor.com  

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/carmenradtkeauthor  

Purchase Link: Amazon

A Whiff of Murder - A Review

 Review

 A WHIFF OF MURDER by Angela M. Sanders

The First Sixth Sense Mystery

 

Lise Bloom has the unique ability of smelling emotion and even history. So after a scandal in Seattle, it's no wonder that it's a scent that leads Lise to settle in Astoria, Oregon. In an attempt to learn more about her gift Lise works in a New Age shop, but she's not finding the answers she needs. With encouragement from her housemates at Corrie House Lise e-mails in her resignation. Feeling some trepidation going to work the next morning she's surprised to see her boss's car in the alley with its tires slashed. She's even more surprised to see her boss's dead body. Did the toxic relationship with her ex-husband finally lead to murder? Did the changes she made to her will cause her untimely demise? The shocks keep coming when the detective in charge turns out to be a frenemy, emphasis on enemy, from Seattle. In order to save herself from a murder charge Lise will have to investigate herself and find a killer.

 

A WHIFF OF MURDER is a story about opposites - love and hate, young and old, living and dead. Yet even though some things are smack in your face, others are more nuanced. Important details are slowly revealed and I'm interested to see what will be uncovered in future books; Lise's gift, her origins, and even more compelling, the story of Corrie House itself and that library in particular.

 

The characters were unique. Lise was a bit underwhelming as a protagonist, but primarily because of the more interesting secondary characters. I love Teddy, the older owner of Corrie House who has a vibrant past and even more I adore the residents of Blavatsky Manor. I'm not a fan of Fran, even though I love some of her idiosyncrasies, but I am curious to see if she grows and changes. My favorite character, however, is Corrie House itself, and it is a character.

 

The mystery itself was well plotted with the various subplots enhancing the story. There are many subplots, all of which are captivating and none of which take away from the mystery.  

 

Humor alleviates the somewhat oppressive atmosphere and with a hint of the paranormal and a lot of foreshadowing A WHIFF OF MURDER makes a creative and intriguing start to a new series.

Witch and Tell - A Spotlight

Today I'd like to shine a light on a recent release that's on my TBR pile. Witch and Tell by Angela M. Sanders is the fifth book in the Witch Way Librarian Mystery series. 

Blurb: 

Local librarian Josie Way’s life is in shambles. Her magical abilities are on the fritz, and her relationship with sexy sheriff Sam has cooled way off since she told him she’s a witch. On top of that, Josie senses a bad energy she can’t explain, which seems to be interrupting her connection with the spellbound library books, usually her sure-fire way to get to the bottom of any mystery.

When she wakes to a fierce pounding in the library’s atrium, she hurries there—only to find a corpse. But after she goes for the phone to call Sam, she returns to the atrium to find the body gone—and all the doors and window are still locked. And that’s just the beginning of a mystery that features Josie as the prime suspect, several shady characters, and possible long-lost relatives. It’s just like the beginning of an old movie, but Josie will need a lot more direction than her grandmother’s magic lessons will provide . . . 

Cold Case Cat - A Guest Post & Giveaway

I'm happy to allow Mollie Hunt to take over Cozy Up With Kathy today. Mollie writes the Crazy Cat Lady Cozy Mystery series. Cold Case Cat is the twelfth book in the series and was released last month.

As I was plotting my latest Crazy Cat Lady mystery, Cold Case Cat, I found myself enamored with the idea of creating a senior cat rescue where the bulk of the action would happen. Following is a deeper look into what moved me to feature this theme in my story.

MUSINGS ON AN OLD CAT SANCTUARY
By Mollie Hunt

Many cat owners give up their feline companion at the first sign of illness. They have their reasons. They may not be able to afford the terrific expense of vet care, special foods, and medications. When a cat begins to decline, the cost can be prohibitive for people who are trying their best to get by as it is. Illnesses may require a commitment over and above the normal feeding and scooping of litter boxes. And then there are people just don’t want to deal with an elder cat, preferring to turn them in for a younger model, but we won’t talk about them.

Shelters and humane societies do what they can, but face it—kittens are a better adoption risk than a scruffy old cat with health issues. Thankfully there are some kind folks who step up for those more labor-intensive cats, but not enough.

If I were rich, I would establish a sanctuary for old cats.

Cats of a senior age often get passed over in the shelters if they are even taken in. My sanctuary would be an environment of plenty for each individual cat; a place where they could live out the remainder of their lives, all needs met, surrounded with love. Being no spring chicken myself, I would hire staff who loved cats to do the bulk of the tasks. I would pay them well and get to know them. I would recruit dedicated volunteers whom I would lavish with perks. Everyone, both feline and human, would be happy.

There would be a hospice wing for those cats on their way to the Rainbow Bridge. They would be treated with respect as they neared their passing. It would be hard to lose them, and we would grieve each one as we scattered their ashes in the sanctuary gardens.

Yes, a sanctuary would be a more than worthwhile project for someone with the means to make it happen.

But I’m not a millionaire, so chances of that dream ever materializing are none. All I can do is the next best thing. I can write about it. Maybe my new Crazy Cat Lady mystery, Cold Case Cat, which involves a shelter for senior cats, will inspire someone to say to themselves, “An old cat sanctuary! What a great idea! I think I’ll start one.”

Why is it important to improve an old cat’s life as it comes to an end?

The short answer—because if we are able to do something to make them comfortable in their old age, it would be cruel not to. How we treat our companion animals is a reflection of our own values. Compassion, respect, and kindness aren't just for them; they reveal our true character. To love and care for animals is to show the best of what humanity can be.

I believe it’s with small kindnesses that we save the world. As for my stories, everyone needs a happy ending from time to time.

"The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated" (attributed to Mahatma Gandhi)

"The heart of a man can be judged by his treatment of animals" (attributed to Arthur Schopenhauer or Immanuel Kant). 

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 Cold Case Cat (Crazy Cat Lady Mystery) by Mollie Hunt

About Cold Case Cat 

Cold Case Cat (Crazy Cat Lady Mystery)
Cozy Mystery 12th in Series
Setting - Oregon
Independently Published
Publication Date: ‎ October 29, 2025
Number of Pages - 237

An injustice done, a murder unpunished.

It’s Pride Month in Portland Oregon, but instead of hanging rainbow flags and streamers, Lynley finds herself obsessed with a cold case murder. Starting work at the Cat Park, a sanctuary for senior and hospice cats, is challenging enough for Lynley, but then she learns the founder of the Park was murdered and the murder never solved. Lynley's cat-like curiosity won't let her leave the case alone.

But why is the Park's new owner so fiercely opposed to Lynley's sleuthing? What's making the Director of Philanthropy grumpy all the time? Who is sneaking around listening at doors? The dead woman’s ancient cat Silver has a twinkle in her eye, but she isn't telling. As Lynley’s granddaughter and her beau make plans for their upcoming wedding, Lynley has other things on her mind. Something is going on at the Park. Is there more to her new job than playing with cats?

About Mollie Hunt

Cat Writer Mollie Hunt is the award-winning author of two cozy series: the Crazy Cat Lady Mysteries featuring a sixty-something cat shelter volunteer who finds more trouble than a cat in catnip, and the Tenth Life Paranormal Mysteries involving a ghost cat. Her Cat Seasons Sci-Fantasy Tetralogy presents extraordinary cats saving the world. She recently released a COVID memoir which she calls, "a tale of a plague and politics, of depression and inspiration, and an ode to the very real and healing presence of cats." In her spare time, she pens a bit of cat poetry.

Mollie is a member of the Oregon Writers’ Colony, Sisters in Crime, the Cat Writers’ Association, Willamette Writers, and Northwest Independent Writers Association (NIWA). She lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and a varying number of cats. Like her cat lady character, she is a grateful shelter volunteer.

Author Links:

You can find Mollie Hunt, Cat Writer on her blogsite: https://molliehuntcatwriter.com/

Follow Mollie's Amazon Page: www.amazon.com/author/molliehunt  

Facebook Author Page: www.facebook.com/MollieHuntCatWriter/  

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

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/7768987.Mollie_Hunt  

Purchase Link - Amazon

Merry Merry Merry Murder - A Guest Post, Review, & Giveaway

I'm pleased to allow Betty Jacobs to take over the blog today. You can find Betty on the pages of the Cuddle Farm Mystery series by Paty Jager. MERRY MERRY MERRY MURDER is the first book in the series and was released Friday!

Hi, I’m Betty Jacobs. I call Andi Weber Clark one of my best friends. We’ve known each other ever since she took me by the hand and led me to Santa when I was six and she was four.

I’d heard her and her family talking as they were setting up their wool booth at the Christmas Festival that happened every year, the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  I wanted to see Santa. Well, not really see him, because I’ve been blind since I was a small child.

When I said I wanted someone to take me to see Santa, Andi had giggled. Her mother called her by her full name and told her to take me to Santa.  That day we became friends. She would tell me what things looked like and I’d tell her what they sounded like. All through school, she stood up for me when the other kids made fun of me.

You see, I was adopted at the age of two, when I became blind, by missionaries who were in Ethiopia. I caught a fever, and my parents took me to the local mission. My adoptive mom told me the doctors did everything they could to get my fever down, but it wouldn’t lessen. When it finally did, I couldn’t see. When my birth parents learned that I would never be able to see, they left me at the mission. When my adopted parents were ready to fly back to Oregon, they adopted me and brought me with them.

So not only was I the only blind child in Auburn Elementary, I was also the only child of color. My adoptive parents taught me all about Ethiopia and taught me the ways of my birth parents, but they also tried hard to help me fit into the small community. They and Andi were the anchors I needed while growing up.

When Andi went off to college, I worried that I’d struggle. But I took online courses to be a software developer for the vision-impaired. I make good money and can work from my home.

My father passed away five years ago and my mom just this past year. In her belongings, I found references to my biological family and made a trip to Ethiopia, hoping to reconnect. The person I’d paid to be my guide turned out to be not as reliable as I’d hoped. All the communication back and forth had gone well, but the minute I opened the hotel room door, the aura the person put off had me worrying we wouldn’t be successful. And we weren’t. All the people she took me to and said were my family only wanted handouts.

I came home depressed, but then I ran into Andi. She is back living in Auburn and wanted to continue our friendship! I was so happy to have her back. Especially since I had started seeing auras around people and animals since my father passed. I have often wondered if it is he helping me to navigate a dark world. I haven’t had the chance to tell Andi how I can now see colors where people are standing. But it has helped her already with the murder of the mother of a little girl that Andi has added to her friend list.

As I would imagine, the aura around Andi is orange with shades of red – thoughtfulness, courage, self-control, and an inner warrior spirit, who can survive any circumstance thrown at her. She is realistic and well-grounded.

That is why she stuck up for a blind, little black girl at the age of four. 

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Review

MERRY MERRY MERRY MURDER by Paty Jager
The First Cuddle Farm Mystery 

After the untimely death of her husband Andi Clark returns to Oregon to the family farm and her family's business. While she provides bookkeeping for the family's yarn shop, she also has therapy animals who she takes around town to help others in need. Andi and her animals are at the Christmas Craft Bazaar and it seems the entire town has shown up for the annual tree lighting ceremony. But when when the new sheriff flips the switch, nothing happens. That is until a scream has one of Andi's therapy dogs dragging her to the anguished cry. The mayor's wife has found a dead body, strangled with a strand of Christmas lights. The more Andi learns about the victim, the more she, and indeed the rest of the town, is surprised no one killed her sooner! Believing the husband innocent and wanting to protect his daughter Andi thinks she can help solve the crime. No one knows what work she and her husband really did abroad, but she has the necessary skills. Now if only Sheriff Skala will accept her help.

I enjoyed my first visit to Auburn, Oregon and I quite like the idea of the entire family living in their own houses on the same property and working the family business in various forms-caring for the sheep, shearing them, carding, spinning, and dyeing the wool, as well as running a yarn shop! I could do without being so close to a nasty sibling though. Yikes, Nina is practically a villain too. I hope one day we discover the backstory of what changed her. At least their mom realizes Nina is nasty too. The rest of the characters are personable, the rest of Andi's family-though we don't see her dad, Sheriff Skala, his son, and especially Andi's therapy animals. Cocoa is, of course, special, but I really like Athena and Sparky too!

The first Cuddle Farm Mystery features a great victim, a horrible lying, cheating, woman who used sex to manipulate and torment. Of course, this gives us a multitude of suspects. I enjoyed how Andi quietly wormed her way into the investigation and the rapport she and the Sheriff had. While at first I thought her backstory was a bit farfetched I soon embraced the idea. I also like the friendship blossoming between Andi and the Sheriff. Of course, it's just friendship and nothing more. Wink wink, nudge nudge, say no more.

Carefully constructed characters, sweet animals who help, and a compelling mystery make MERRY MERRY MERRY MURDER a fine start to a new series.

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 Merry Merry Merry Murder (Cuddle Farm Mysteries) by Paty Jager

About Merry Merry Merry Murder 

Merry Merry Merry Murder (Cuddle Farm Mysteries)
Cozy Mystery 1st in Series
Setting - Oregon
Publisher: Windtree Press
Publication Date: October 10, 2025
Print Length: ‎ 194 pages

In the close-knit town of Auburn, Oregon, Andi Clark's therapy animals bring comfort to the community, especially during the holiday season. As the annual Christmas Craft Bazaar draws near, Andi agrees to set up a Petting Zoo with her beloved animals, bringing smiles to the faces of children and adults alike.

But when a young girl seeks solace from Athena, Andi's therapy dog, after witnessing an unsettling scene behind the sleigh, it marks the beginning of a much darker holiday. As the town gathers for the Tree Lighting Ceremony, a scream shatters the festive atmosphere. Cocoa, Andi's loyal Border Collie, pulls her toward a chilling sight: a woman standing over the lifeless body of the girl's mother, strangled with Christmas lights.

Determined to help the grieving girl and her town recover from the shock, Andi, her therapy animals, and her niece, a county deputy, take it upon themselves to investigate. As they uncover secrets and untangle clues, they stay one step ahead of the new sheriff and worry that the killer lurking in their midst could be someone they know.

About Paty Jager

Paty Jager is an award-winning author of murder mysteries, western romance, and action-adventure. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes in eastern Oregon, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.

Author Links: 

Website: https://www.patyjager.net  

Blog: https://writingintothesunset.net/  

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Paty-Jager/e/B002I7M0VK  

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/patyjag/  

Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/1005334.Paty_Jager 

Newsletter- Mystery: https://bit.ly/2IhmWcm  

Bookbub - https://www.bookbub.com/authors/paty-jager  

Instagram -Paty Jager (@patymjager) • Instagram photos and videos  

TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@authorpatyjager  

Purchase Links - Amazon - B&N