Review: I’m Going to Kill That Cat by F. Della Notte

F. Della Notte’s cozy mystery, I’m Going to Kill That Cat, is a highly entertaining whodunit with a feline twist.

Father Melvyn Kronkey is devoted to his clerical duties at Saint Frances de Sales Church, and to his widowed housekeeper Mrs. B.’s marvelous cooking. Life is good until the longstanding antagonism between two of his older parishioners, Martha and Velma, culminates in a heated confrontation, thanks to an unexpected fall Martha blames on Velma’s cat. Martha angrily threatens to kill Velma’s cat but it’s Velma who turns up dead a short time later. Not surprisingly, Martha becomes the police’s prime suspect once the coroner rules Velma’s death a homicide…

Della Notte combines a detailed narrative with a nice balance of dialogue and a tight plot to create an irresistible read, with Father Melvyn and the spunky Mrs. B. making a great team. Mrs. B can’t resist becoming involved in the murder investigation while Father Melvyn is oftentimes unaware of his housekeeper’s covert activities – not to mention his calm demeanor providing the perfect foil for her busybody tendencies. The book is infused with warmth and humor, as well as a puzzling whodunit, which will satisfy mystery fans.

While a cozy mystery is all about murder, the key elements for a successful cozy are by far the characters and setting, and this is where I’m Going to Kill That Cat really shines. Della Notte primarily sets her story in and around the rectory of St. Francis de Sales Church in Austin, and while Austin is a large city for a small town mystery, the story is primarily contained to the church, rectory and surrounding neighborhood, with quaint street names like Carpenter Street and Cobble Drive giving the setting its cozy, small-town feel.

Father Melvyn and Samuela Buonafigliuola (aka Mrs. B) make for great protagonists that keeps a reader engaged to see the dynamics between these two, as much as the mystery that surrounds them. Father Melvyn is genuinely devoted to all his parishioners, which makes him an eminently likable protagonist from the start, but needs the smart and sassy Mrs. B to fill him in on their goings on. LaLa the cat shares center stage with the two main protagonists, her quirky feline personality quickly winning over the reluctant Father Melvyn and his two housemates, leaving Mrs. B free to go about her covert activities, so the cat is endearingly central to the story.

The only criticism of the book is that it is a bit on the “nice” side, and could use some more realism, especially in relation to the crime that has been committed. The book may be as much about the characters as the mystery that surrounds them, but there is a murder at stake, and Notte may be too mild in her approach. However, there is certainly a market for the lighter end of mystery writing, and in this respect the book really does excel.

All in all, I’m Going to Kill That Cat is a thoroughly entertaining new mystery, propelled forward by a delightfully eccentric cast of characters, and marks a stellar beginning to the Housekeeper Mystery Series.