Cate Conte

The first novel in a frisky new mystery series set in a small New England town, where an unlikely citizen is called in to solve the purrfect crime. . . Maddie James has arrived in Daybreak Island, just off the coast of Massachusetts, eager to settle down and start her own business—and maybe even fall in love. When a stray orange tabby pounces into her life, she’s inspired to open a cat café. But little does Maddie know that she’s in for something a lot more catastrophic when her new furry companion finds the dead body of the town bully. Now all eyes are on Maddie: Who is this crazy cat-whisperer lady who’s come to town? If pet-hair-maintenance and crime-fighting weren’t keeping her busy enough, Maddie now has not one but two eligible bachelors who think she’s the cat’s pajamas . . . and will do anything to win her heart. But how can she even think about happily-ever-after while a killer remains on the loose—and on her path? Curl up with Cate Conte's first Cat Cafe Mystery: Cat About Town!

A Cat Cafe Mystery

Cat About Town

Murder isn’t always crystal-clear . . . especially when the prime suspect discovers she’s a witch. Violet Mooney owns The Full Moon crystal shop in quaint North Harbor, Connecticut. Still grieving her beloved grandmother’s recent unexpected death, she takes comfort in her fat orange cat Monty and her work. Not everyone in town is thrilled with her business, however. When disagreeable town councilwoman Carla Fernandez picks a fight over Violet’s "voodoo shop," the two have a very public confrontation. Of course, when Carla turns up dead, Violet gets little sympathy from the police as suspect #1. But the shock of two policemen showing up at her door pales in comparison to the sudden appearance of her estranged mother Fiona and a surprise sister, Zoe. What Fiona reveals will rock her world and her sense of self—and reawaken her long-dormant mysterious power. Good thing. She’s gonna need it . . . Visit us at www.kensingtonbooks.com

Witch Hunt

Welcome back to the charming New England coast, where Maddie James’s cat café is at risk of becoming a crime scene for the purrfect murder. . . Maddie is hoping to have some downtime during Daybreak Island’s off-season to tackle her to-do list. Her grandfather’s house-turned-cat-café is under construction and she’s also scoping out places to open a juice bar on the island. On top of that, her relationship with adorable dog groomer Lucas has taken a pawsitive turn. But easy is getting harder every day for Maddie, especially when a big-name writer who’s on the island working on a new project winds up floating in the canal. This, on the exact same day an eccentric woman shows up at the cafe claiming Maddie’s cat, JJ, is hers. As the investigation into the dead writer picks up, Maddie realizes that even the neighbors she’s known all her life might be keeping secrets that go deep into the heart of this small seaside town. Meanwhile, a killer remains at-large...and on the prowl.

The Tell Tail Heart

Conte delivers the second in her paws-itively charming new feline mystery series set off the New England coast. After one of her staff members is accused of murder, Maddie James, co-owner of the Daybreak Island's cat cafZ, must do whatever she can to solve the crime before her nine lives are up. Original.inal.

Purrder She Wrote

Gone but Not Furgotten

In Gone but Not Furgotten, the sixth in Cate Conte's Cat Café beloved cozy mystery series, Daybreak Island has a killer on the loose...and this villain isn’t afraid to use their claws. Maddie James has big plans for the summer season at JJ's House of Purrs. But when her friend, master meditator and Tai Chi teacher Cass Hendricks, brings a potential animal hoarding situation to her attention, Maddie has to refocus her attention on the furry felines who may need a helping paw. Cass has brought his Zen teachings to Fisherman's Cove—a tiny, working class town on Daybreak Island—and one of his students, Laurel, has been on the receiving end more than one hissy fit from her neighbors, mostly because of her cats. When Maddie and Cass go to Laurel's to check out the situation, not only do they find a plethora of cats in need, but also a dead body. Laurel appears to have had an unfortunate accident falling down her stairs, but Maddie gets a sneaking suspicion that something more sinister might be behind her death. When she voices her concerns, she's horrified that it's Cass who falls under suspicion. With Grandpa Leo's help, Maddie has to dig into the secrets this small community is keeping close to find out why Laurel really died before Cass is put behind bars . . . or the killer strikes again.

In Claws for Alarm, the fifth book in Cate Conte's delightful and cat-filled series, it’s the heart of the busy season, and JJ’s House of Purrs is booming—until a killer is let off the leash. Maddie James has finally given in to her friend Katrina’s pleas to open up her cat cafe to more than ten felines: they’re now up to fifteen purring friends. In fact, JJ’s House of Purrs is making such a splash that she’s getting national attention. The Shoreline Animal Rescue League is quite interested in the cafe, and so Maddie accepts a request to meet with Jillian Allen, the executive director. Jillian shows up at the cafe and asks Maddie if they can partner on a fundraiser to support the local rescue efforts—and she offers up her celebrity endorser and her celebrity cat to sweeten the deal. Maddie, caught up in the prospect, offers up her sister Val to help plan the event. But when Val shows up for a site visit at the venue, she finds Jillian strangled with a fancy cat leash—a piece of swag they were intending to use for the fundraiser—leaving Maddie with a lot of questions to answer. Was her death a tragic one-off event, or is there something more sinister going on? Maddie has to figure it out fast, before anyone else in the rescue community is jeopardized.

A Cat Café Mystery

Claws for Alarm

It's promising to be a picture-purrfect Christmas at New England's favorite cat cafe . . . but instead of jolly old St. Nick, residents are being visited by murder. The fourth in a mystery series from author Cate Conte, A Whisker of a Doubt is filled with felines and crime. The holiday season on Daybreak Island is a mixed bag for Maddie James. On the one hand, her Christmas spirit is in the doghouse after a break-up. On the other, she’s busy enough that she doesn’t have to pretend to be merry. Business at her cat café is booming, and Maddie’s care-taking of a feral cat colony in one of the area’s wealthiest communities only helps her bottom line. But tensions between the homeowners and animal activists are escalating to catastrophic levels. . .and before long a body is found dead in a snowbank. To prove that her accused friend is innocent of the crime, Maddie will have to prowl the island for clues to the real killer before everyone on the island goes completely hiss-terical—and more than nine lives are lost.

A Whisker of a Doubt

Ellie Alexander

Diane Kelly

Vivien Chien

Donna Andrews

Elizabeth Penney

Carolyn Haines

Ashley Weaver

Ellen Hart

Susan Cox

Jane K. Cleland

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eleven charming cozy mysteries publishing in Fall 2020 for free for easy sampling. The tenth edition of Cozy Case Files features the latest cozies by the following authors: Ashley Weaver, Jane K. Cleland, Ellen Hart, Carolyn Haines, Donna Andrews, Ellie Alexander, Cate Conte, Diane Kelly, Elizabeth Penney, Vivien Chien, and Susan Cox. In 1930s England, Amory Ames must sort through secret identities and whirlwind romances to uncover the killer in the crowd in A Deception at Thornecrest. Or in Hidden Treasure and In a Midnight Wood, things from the past shake things up in the present. Christmas is threatened to be canceled in A Garland of Bones, The Gift of the Magpie, and A Whisker of a Doubt. Then after the holidays are over, a murder in the midst of preparation for the town’s annual IceFest means brewer Sloan Krause must serve a pint of hoppy justice in Without a Brew. In Bending the Paw, murder without a body is like a dog without a bone. Need an excuse to order takeout? Thread & Dead and Killer Kung Pao have you covered with a lobster festival or the popular Ho-Lee Noodle House. And finally, San Francisco is calling your name in The Man in the Microwave Oven.

Cozy Case Files, A Cozy Mystery Sampler, Volume 10

M. C. Beaton

R.W. Green

Korina Moss

Celeste Connally

Looking for a new cozy series? In the new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eight charming cozy mysteries publishing in Fall 2023 for free for easy sampling. The nineteenth edition of Cozy Case Files features cozies from the following authors: Ellie Alexander, Donna Andrews, M.C. Beaton with R.W. Green, Cate Conte, Celeste Connally, Diane Kelly, Korina Moss, and Elizabeth Penney. Check out the historical series debut Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, it’s Bridgerton meets Agatha Christie. Find out what in the bleu blazes is happening in Case of the Bleus. Or discover if an arrow really did go astray in Dead on Target. Who doesn’t love a good holiday? Don’t be a scaredy cat around Halloween and read Nine Lives and Alibis. Or double, double, toil and truffle in Catch Me if You Candy. Celebrate Guy Fawkes Night across the pond in The Fatal Folio. A fire and a hot beverage make the perfect pairing for these Christmas mysteries: Snow Place for Murder and Let it Crow! Let it Crow! Let it Crow!

A Cozy Mystery Sampler

Cozy Case Files, Volume 19

Determined to solve the murder of one of her crystal shop customers, Violet Mooney taps into powers she doesn't understand, much less control, and finds herself conjuring up both supernatural and mortal enemies.

Witch Trial

Heerlijk verslavende cosy crime voor de fans van Agatha Christie en Midsomer Murders Het is laagseizoen op Daybreak Island en Maddie hoopt wat vrije tijd te hebben om haar to-dolijstje af te kunnen werken. Haar opa’s huis, dat werd omgetoverd tot kattencafé, wordt verbouwd en Maddie hoopt een locatie te vinden voor een nieuwe sapjesbar. Bovendien heeft haar relatie met de superlieve hondentrimmer Lucas een positieve wending genomen. Maar al snel is het gedaan met de rust. Een bekende schrijver, die op het eiland verbleef om te schrijven, wordt dood in het kanaal gevonden. En op dezelfde dag verschijnt er een excentrieke vrouw in het kattencafé die beweert dat Maddies kat JJ eigenlijk van haar is. Terwijl het onderzoek naar de overleden schrijver vordert, realiseert Maddie zich dat zelfs de buren, die ze haar hele leven al kent, geheimen bewaren... In de pers ‘Moord in het kattencafé trekt je vanaf de eerste pagina het verhaal in en maakt dat je Daybreak Island nooit meer wilt verlaten ondanks de hoge misdaadcijfers!’ Criminal Element ‘Cate Conte is een van de weinige auteurs die knusse kneuterigheid weet te combineren met sterke dialogen en een goede ontwikkeling van de personages. Vlot en verslavend!’ Kirkus Reviews ‘Een schattig dorpje, dodelijke intriges en een hoop harige vrienden. Dit goed geplotte mysterie is een cadeautje voor elke kattenliefhebber.’ Best Friends Magazine

Maddie dreigt alles kwijt te raken wat haar lief is. Intussen is er een moordenaar op vrije voeten... en op jacht

Duistere geheimen in het kattencafé

The fifth in a mystery series filled with felines and crime that's purrrrfect for cat fanciers and mystery solvers alike ...

Leonard Goldberg

Sheila Connolly

Kylie Logan

Allison Montclair

Looking for a new cozy series? In this new edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of eight charming cozy mysteries coming in Spring 2019 for free for easy sampling. Jump into the latest cozies by the following authors: Donna Andrews, Shelia Connolly, Cate Conte, Leonard Goldberg, Carolyn Haines, Ellen Hart, Kylie Logan, and Allison Montclair. With the charm of a southern belle and none of the rules, private investigator Sarah Booth Delaney is back in Games of Bones. In Terns of Endearment, Meg Langslow races to solve a mystery while aboard a broken down cruise ship. Or follow PI Jane Lawless in Twisted at the Root as she works to attain justice for a widower wrongfully convicted of his husband’s murder. If you’re an animal lover, return to cat café JJ’s House of Purrs in The Tell Tail Heart or check out The Scent of Murder, starring cadaver dog trainer Jazz Ramsey. For history fans, there's The Right Sort of Man, and the proprietresses of the Right Sort of Marriage Bureau, in 1946 London, who find their livelihood in danger when a client is arrested for the murder of another. In The Disappearance of Alistair Ainsworth, the daughter of Sherlock Holmes confronts a threat to the crown. Or revisit the modern-day town that’s about to be turned into a working Victorian village in Killer in the Carriage House.

Cozy Case Files: A Cozy Mystery Sampler

Purrder She Wrote is second in the pawsitively charming new feline mystery series from Cate Conte set off the New England coast, where curiosity leads to some killer small-town secrets.... It’s the grand opening of Daybreak Island’s cat café, where customers can get cozy with an assortment of friendly felines—and maybe even take one or a few home. Co-owner Maddie James is purring with excitement over her new warm-and-fuzzy venture. . .until she becomes entangled in a petty drama between one of her volunteers, an ardent animal-rights activist, and a wealthy woman who insists on adopting a calico kitty—right this instant. The catfight that ensues is bad enough for business. But when the snubbed socialite is found dead with a tell-tale catnip toy on the scene, suspicion lands squarely on Maddie’s staffer. Now, with her reputation and her career prospects on the line (to say nothing of her budding romance with a handsome pet groomer) Maddie must do whatever it takes to solve the crime—before her nine lives are up.

E.J. Copperman

Hannah Dennison

Susan C. Shea

Cynthia Riggs

Peggy O'Neal Peden

Looking for a new cozy mystery author to love? Dive in to this collection of excerpts from the Minotaur Books/St. Martin's Press Spring/Summer 2017 season (books published from late April to August). The Cozy Case Files collection includes: Trumpet of Death by Cynthia Riggs Sticks and Bones by Carolyn Haines Murderous Mayhem at Honeychurch Hall by Hannah Dennison Love & Death in Burgundy by Susan C. Shea Your Killin' Heart by Peggy O'Neal Peden Gone Gull by Donna Andrews Dog Dish of Doom by E.J. Copperman Enforcing the Paw by Diane Kelly Cat About Town by Cate Conte A Crime of Passion Fruit by Ellie Alexander

Eve Calder

S. C. Perkins

Meri Allen

Jess Dylan

Looking for a new cozy series? In the free edition of Cozy Case Files, Minotaur Books compiles the beginnings of fourteen charming cozy mysteries publishing in Spring/Summer 2021 for easy sampling. The twelfth edition of Cozy Case Files features the latest cozies by the following authors: Ellie Alexander, Meri Allen, Donna Andrews, Eve Calder, Sheila Connolly, Cate Conte, Hannah Dennison, Jess Dylan, Leonard Goldberg, Carolyn Haines, Kylie Logan, Allison Montclair, S. C. Perkins, and Ashley Weaver. Have a sweet tooth? Get your fix in A Tale of Two Cookies, The Rocky Road to Ruin, and Mocha, She Wrote. Pick up some flowers and read Death in Bloom, then travel to your favorite cat café in Claws for Alarm. You can join in for preparations for a production of Macbeth in Murder Most Fowl, and stay the night at a hotel in Danger at the Cove. And in the morning, train cadaver dogs in A Trail of Lies, then help clear a professor’s name in Independent Bones. Perhaps you prefer to travel in time. A Sherlockian mystery awaits you in The Abduction of Pretty Penny. Visit England in WWII with a safe cracker in A Peculiar Combination. In post-WWII England, play matchmaker in A Rogue’s Company. Or you can stay in the present, with crimes tied to the past, in Fatal Family Ties and The Secret Staircase.

Cozy Case Files, A Cozy Mystery Sampler, Volume 12

Double, double toil and trouble, A witch’s life is quite a muddle. The Full Moon crystal shop in North Harbor, Connecticut, offers healing stones for all sorts of ailments. Unfortunately, there’s nothing among the gems that can help owner Violet Mooney learn how to wield the magick she inherited from both sides of her family—the legendary Ravenstar and Moonstone clans. As if being an apprentice witch weren’t difficult enough, Violet’s tutors are her estranged mother Fiona, a sister she never knew she had named Zoe, and a familiar in the form of a black cat, Xander. Between learning spells, Violet is being investigated by the Magickal Council. A reporter out to debunk spiritualists was “genied”—her soul imprisoned inside a bottle—in Violet’s shop, and she can’t prove she didn’t do it. Meanwhile, her non-magickal life has become complicated when one of her crystal shop customers, Nicole St. James, goes missing and turns up dead, a victim of murder. Determined to solve both crimes, Violet taps into powers she doesn’t understand, much less control—and finds herself conjuring up both supernatural and mortal enemies. . . Praise for Witch Hunt “Zippy and fun, with an otherworldly hook that’s further enhanced by characters with a little magic of their own.” —Kirkus Reviews

Cate Conte

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