Kat Wolfe Investigates

After a break-in at their London home, Kat Wolfe and her veterinarian mum decide it’s time to move to the country. Dr. Wolfe’s new job on England’s Jurassic Coast comes with a condition: They have to adopt Tiny, a huge Savannah cat who resists Kat’s best attempts at cat whispering.

Kat starts a pet-sitting agency to make pocket money, but then the owner of her first client, an Amazon parrot, vanishes from his gadget-filled mansion. Only one person shares Kat’s conviction that he’s the victim of foul play: Harper Lamb, an American girl laid up with two broken legs thanks to her racehorse.

Kat and Harper team up, but what starts out as mystery-solving fun turns deadly for the duo. When all clues point to a nearby army base, can they count on their unruly animal friends to save the day—and their lives?

Kat Wolfe Investigates is a highly entertaining story that has mystery, suspense, and many other positive aspects that make it perfect for any mystery-loving reader. Readers will fall in love with Kat, who tries to stay out of trouble but gets thrust into the middle of a deadly mystery. At first, Kat tries to do the right thing by taking her concerns to Sergeant Singh, the only policeman in town. However, the Sergeant doesn’t believe Kat. So, Kat and her friend, Harper, begin their own investigation. Even when the two realize that the investigation could be dangerous, they continue their quest to find answers and save Kat’s client.

Not only is Kat a loveable character, but she is also surrounded by a slew of interesting characters – both human and animal – of all ages. Harper is a computer whiz, Kat’s friend Edith is a retired librarian, and Kat’s mother is the town’s only veterinarian. There is also a talking parrot, a Savannah cat, and a racehorse. The animals and humans blend to make a heartwarming story of friendship that has surprising pockets of laugh-out-loud humor. In addition, Kat’s story shows that “you should never rush to judgment—particularly when it comes to people you don’t know.”

Kat Wolfe Investigates is an excellent story that has a large cast of characters and a complex plot that takes the reader on an adventure with several surprises. Middle-grade readers will find themselves admiring Kat’s determination, bravery, and kindness. However, the content may disturb younger readers since the story has a believable villain who is responsible for other people’s deaths and who tries to have Kat and Harper “exterminated.” In the end, Kat catches the culprit and the story concludes on a happy note. For more mystery fun that features a spunky heroin, check out the Friday Barnes Mystery Series by R.A. Spratt and The Curious Cat Spy Club Series by Linda Joy Singleton.

Sexual Content 

• None

Violence 

• While pet-sitting, Kat sees a man outside of the house. She thinks the man might be a burglar, so she hits a button to turn on the outside grill. “A towering inferno shot out from the barbeque on the deck. . . The soldier let out an agonized yell and reeled back, clutching his forehead.” Later, Kat finds out that the man’s “left eyebrow is now slightly shorter than the right, but otherwise he was unscathed.” 
• Darren, an “exterminator” sneaks into Dr. Wolfe’s office. Her desk has so many files on it that all he sees are “her eyebrows.” The man doesn’t realize the eyebrows actually belong to a monkey. “The eyebrows made an excellent target. He aimed his revolver right at them. It was a starting pistol, not a real gun. . .” He threatens the doctor and then leaves. 
• When the exterminator goes to leave, Eva, the monkey “flew at him and sank her teeth into his ear. Disorientated in the dark reception area, Darren swirled around in agony. Eva bit down harder. . .”
• Darren breaks into Kat’s house. “As Darren padded across the tiles, starting pistol in hand, Tiny (Kat’s Savannah cat) ambushed him from the top of the kitchen cupboard, crash-landing on his back and sinking his claws and teeth into Darren’s neck.” Darren’s has several injuries, “a scratch had rendered one of his eyes useless. The other was swollen from the bite he’d incurred at the animal clinic.” 
• While investigating Ramon, the owner of the parrot, Kat finds out that his squad was on a mission, “but someone leaked the plans and the Russians ambushed their unit. Mario was killed and the other five soldiers were killed.” Later, someone starts killing soldiers with an undetectable poison.
• On a dark, rainy night Kat rides onto a military base. “A harsh beam swept the ground, bathing them in light. A warning shot cracked. A shrub exploded almost at their feet.” The shot scares the horse, who takes off running.
• When Kat makes it to the gate at the base, a soldier stops her. The next thing Kat knew, “she was staring into the barrel of a rifle.” Kat is taken to the base and given a towel to dry off.
• At the base, Kat discovers that the villain is the chef. The man captures Kat and threatens to kill her with a gun. Before the villain can kill her, Kat’s grandfather, the Dark Lord, “stepped from the shadows.” To save Kat, the Dark Lord throws his gun down. “The chef clamped an arm around her throat.” Kat reacts by pulling a martial art move. “A short, sharp tug on his chef’s jacket, a lunge, and a twist, and Chef Roley soared over the gymnasium. He crash-landed on the studio floor below and was out cold.” 

Drugs and Alcohol 

• Harper shows Kat a picture of a group of men in a photograph. The men were on a boat with “beers in hand.”
• After a monkey bites Darren, he takes “two painkillers with a can of soda.”

Language 

• Ohmigod is used twice.
• Oh Lord is used as an exclamation once.
• Harper tells Kat that someone is a jerk.
• A man in the military tells a man, “Damn fine job you did.”
• A soldier says, “My God.”

Supernatural

• None

Spiritual Content 

• None