Fat Cat At Large (A Fat Cat Mystery) Mass Market Paperback – September 2, 2014

I really wanted to like this series. I had in mind John Arbuckle and his cat Garfield. This isn't it. There are so many good books out there, skip this one.At first it was pretty good. There were some issues with the writing but I could over look them and thought that with more experience the author would improve. At first the sentences were short and choppy with no flow, but then there were parts where she was way to wordy with too many adjectives. Then in two paragraphs on the same page, the author made word choices that left me totally baffled. In one she used a common word but with an obsolete, antiquated meaning. In the next odd choice she used a common phrase but with an unusual word in it.Then the characters started to become extremely unlikable. They said and did things that made NO sense. The main character did not hum all the time at the beginning, then suddenly she is constantly humming songs, then she isn't again, then she is. There were blatant plugs for other books just randomly thrown in. The main character thought the vet was dreamy until he said her cat was fat, then he was just this horrible man and not even that good looking. So in between visits he's dreamy and she is fantasizing about being with him but then every time she sees him and the cat still hasn't lost weight he is again the worst person on the planet.The weather makes NO sense with the times and dates given. The story starts in August but she is already talking about it turning colder and people are wearing heavier clothing. In AUGUST? That is still summer in most of North America. And by September 2nd people have their heavy clothes on. My goodness what do they do in January then? Or is that already warm there?So why did I keep reading? Because I wanted to see whodunit. NOBODY had a motive. And the author kept saying that the main character was the prime suspect but there was nothing to indicate that that is what the police thought. We have no insight into who the police suspect or why and we have no one with any motive.It is like the author totally doesn't understand the formula! As the bumbling, extremely likable main character goes about trying to prove her innocence, she should uncover a bunch of people with what she sees as motives and/or opportunities and get herself into more trouble with the police. But that doesn't happen. The main character just mopes around saying that she is the main suspect. She doesn't try to find anyone with a motive. She looks at a few people that might have been in the area but there isn't any suspense or conflict resulting from this.So what happens? The killer is caught but has NO MOTIVE. Oh there is a motive given but it is the lamest, stupidest one I have ever heard. And I can't imagine any person feeling that they should commit TWO murders for that! Stupid, stupid, stupid.

This new cozy mystery series is labelled as a "fat cat mystery," but it will appeal to readers who enjoy sweets as well as to cat lovers. These two features are probably the most original ones in this series, and I thought both were well-done. The cat, Quincy, has a distinct personality and is part of the story throughout the book, and the food aspect is featured by virtue of the story taking place in Bar None, a shop co-owned by two of the main characters and where various types of delectable dessert bars are baked and sold.I think this series is a promising one, and I look forward to the next installment. Nevertheless, there were a few features that didn't quite work, in my opinion. One was the way that the two store owners, Chase and Anna, as well as their two employees, seemed ready to accuse each other of stealing, without making any serious attempt to solve the problem. Chase, the protagonist, was also impulsive in other ways and too-often boldly accused people of murdering someone without a shred of real evidence.The cat, Quincy, is a real charmer though. There are a few paragraphs throughout the book (in a different font) that give a summary of his point of view, and they add a lot. All in all, I would recommend this new series in particular for cat lovers.

Charity Owens, who goes by Chase, together with Anna Larson are co-owners of Bar None, a store that specializes in Dessert Bars. Chaseand Anna have two employees, Violet and Laci, who cannot seem to work together for more than 2 seconds without quarreling.Chase takes her cat Quincy to the vet for a check-up and is told that he is overweight and has to go on a diet. The problem is that Annakeeps giving Quincy some of the dessert bars from their shop and he is gaining more weight, rather than losing it.On top of their employee problems and Quicy's weight problem, Gabe Naughtly is insistent on buying their store (even though they don'twant to sell) and somebody keeps calling the Health Department about rats in the store.When Gabe turns up dead, Chase becomes the prime suspect and when a second murder occurs, it puts even more pressure on her. Withthe turmoil in the store, Anna is ready to fire both employees, but can't until she can find a viable alternative.Not always certain where she stands on Detective Neil Olson's suspect list and unable to get a straight answer, Chase feels she needs toconduct her own investigation to solve the murders.

This is a sweet cozy mystery set in Minnesota. Chase and Anna own Bar None, a dessert establishment located in a college town. There, they cook various bars of goodness which they sell to students , their parents and to ever else wants a bite of sweetness. With their two employees, they work full-time. Someone has been trying to buy them out, however. Several times rats have shown up in the establishment although they have always been caught before any damage has been done. Who is putting them there? Also, a man and his associate are trying to buy Bar None, but Chase and Anna don't want to sell. Amazingly, both men turned up dead. Chase is the obvious suspect when she finds the first man with a knife in his chest. Can she extricate herself from the sticky situation? Our intrepid baker goes on the hunt. In between being questioned by a handsome detective and establishing a relationship with her cat's veterinarian, Chase picks up clues. The end is surprising, and not until both Chase and Anna face an uncertain fate does all become known. This is a sweet, simple book, and I recommended for cozy lovers.

I enjoyed Quincy and his fun antics. This book is a good solid cozy mystery. All the talk of food makes you feel quite hungry while eating.

I like stories involving cats and interesting owners. This is a good story.

A so so book. I found it a little bit slow. The cat is not the main character. He goes from one person to another. Doesn't really have a home or a name. He should have been the focus of the story. Not just once in a while. Overall the story line was good but I'm not sure if I would go for another one in this series.