The Church Murders and the Cat’s Prey by F. Della Notte

The third installment of the thrillingly unpredictable Housekeeper Mystery Series, The Church Murders and the Cat’s Prey by F. Della Notte is a wild, bullet-riddled ride.

Navigating the assassination attempt of her dear friend Father Melvyn, Mrs. B. is back in the hunt for the would-be killer with quiet determination, wicket wit, and her feline-boosted sleuthing skills. The crime hits close to home, and brings her even closer to Detective Jake, adding strong emotional tension to an already taut narrative.

Balanced well between bursts of action, lightbulbs of discovery, intimate moments of reflection, and meticulously written dialogue, Della Notte proves to be a master of suspense, incisive character development, and thematic commentaries on religion and power. Woven together well with sharp and thoughtful dialogue, the narrative moves smoothly from playful and scenic to dramatic and intense, a flow that steadily holds a reader’s attention.

Technically, the novel is neatly edited, with few errors, but at times the narrator makes things a bit too clear for readers. Explaining the significance of every new piece in a puzzle can feel forced, and the author should give the readers more credit as sleuths themselves. There is a certain classic charm to the writing style overall – an homage to the genre’s roots – which requires some suspension of disbelief, but it doesn’t stretch coincidence too far.

On the whole, this is an easy-to-read and well-penned mystery, one that will leave you smiling and intrigued throughout, and an entertaining addition to this consistently surprising series.