Annike and all the gang from SCOURGE {Service Club of Upper River Gulch Environs} are BACK!!! So be ready for even more madcap mayhem in Janice Bennett’s newest book Black Cats and Boondoggles.

Things are heating up in the tiny town of Upper River Gulch. Along with all the newcomers, there’s the weekly newspaper that seems to have an uncanny knack for digging up the juiciest gossip and very heated debate about the town’s incorporation between Hugh Cartwright, the owner of Brandywine Distillery, and his nephew Kevin.

But when Hugh Cartwright is found dead in one of the town’s harvest festival displays, things go from heated debate to murder. So now Annike and Merit County's sheriff Owen Sarkisian have to make their way through all the clues leading to blackmail, and drug smuggling to find the murderer before someone else winds up dead. All the while, Annike is trying to resist her growing attachment to the handsome sheriff.

Having read both of Ms. Bennett’s previous Events Unlimited mysteries Cold Turkey and Bunny Hop I grabbed up Black Cats and Boondoggles right away. Unfortunately, life has a way of getting in the way. So it wasn’t until recently that I ran across it again and thought this would be a fun read, and boy, did that come true.

In Black Cats and Boondoggles the action starts from the first page and keeps right on going to the last page. I found myself waiting in anticipation for the next development in Annike and Owen’s relationship. The continuing growth of the characters along with the intricate plots makes this series a true joy to read. Would I recommend Black Cats and Boondoggles? Wholeheartedly YES. Not only to the seasoned mystery reader but to those readers who haven’t read mysteries before looking to venture into a new genre.

Reviewed by Theresa
© December 2007