I’ve been aware of Janet Cantrell’s Fat Cat Mystery series for some time (and have them loaded on my Kindle) but up until now I haven’t read any of them. I’ve meant to but it’s been the case of too many books and too little time. But when I saw Janet’s third book in her series, FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE, both the title and the cover made me want to read it NOW! And it proved what I had long suspected…I’ve been missing out on a delightful cozy read!
Synopsis
Charity “Chase” Oliver co-owns Bar None, a dessert bar shop, with her surrogate grandmother, Anna Larson. Chase, along with her best friend and Anna’s granddaughter, Julie, are attending an impromptu class reunion. While at the party a very drunk Ron North, a stalker from their high school days, tries to kiss Julie. Julie gets angry and shoves him away before her boyfriend can intervene. Ron was the high school paper’s reporter and is now working for the city newspaper. After Julie’s angry reception to his attempted kiss, Ron accuses her of being involved in a real estate scandal. When she denies any involvement Ron snatches Julie’s favorite scarf and takes off.
The following day Chase decides it’s time to start leash training Quincy, her pudgy butterscotch tabby. Everyone’s been telling her that she needs to be walking her cat and she’s finally ready to try. All seems to be going well until Quincy figures out how to slip out of the harness and runs away. He leads Chase to some thick bushes before disappearing inside. Chase follows and finds Ron, strangled to death with Julie’s scarf.
Julie is the police’s number one murder suspect and people are believing Ron’s lies that she is involved in the real estate swindle. Chase knows she will have to find not only the killer but also the person behind the swindle involving vulnerable senior citizens in order to save Julie’s reputation.
My Review
Even though this is the third book in the Fat Cat Mystery series, it was still easy to read as a stand-alone. The story flowed and I enjoyed getting to know the characters that are close to Chase. Feisty 72-year-old Anna and her long-time feud with her nemesis, Grace, lends a bit of humor to the story. Of course Quincy steals whatever scene he happens to be in and I loved how we got a paragraph here and there from his point of view. With blackmail, real estate swindles, embezzlement, and the Minny Batter Battle woven throughout this book, I was kept guessing about what was going to happen next and who the culprit was with the clever plots. Janet does a wonderful job tying all the threads together so the story has a cohesive conclusion that I did not see coming!
Another bonus with FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE is the Blueberry Muffin Bars recipe along with tips on how to leash-train your cat. Janet has graciously allowed me to share her recipe and it couldn’t have come at a better time. My granddaughter’s school recently celebrated Teachers’ Appreciation week and I was asked to make goodies for the staff. The Blueberry Muffin Bars were the perfect choice since they are easy to prepare and transport. The teachers LOVED them! A light, delicate cake packed full of fresh, juicy blueberries, then topped with a vanilla drizzle. They are perfect for making ahead for any occasion …like breakfast, snack, or dessert!
Thank you to Janet Cantrell for providing a print copy of FAT CAT TAKES THE CAKE for one lucky winner! Please use the Rafflecopter box located below the recipe to enter. Contest ends Thursday, May 19, 2016 at 11:59 pm PST, and is open to U.S. residents only. Winners will be announced on this page and on Cinnamon & Sugar’s Facebook page, as well as notified by email (so check your spam folder!)
Blueberry Muffin Bars
Ingredients
Muffin Bars
2-1/2 cups unbleached flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 teaspoon sherry flavoring*
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh rinsed blueberries
Drizzle Topping
1-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2-3 tablespoons milk
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
Muffin Bars
Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).
Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a small bowl.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar.
Add beaten eggs and sherry flavoring.
Beginning with the milk, add one-third to the batter and then add one-third of the flour mixture, alternating until all is added. Mix well after each addition.
Rinse and pat the blueberries dry. Fold into mixture.
Spread in greased 8-1/2 x 11-inch pan.
Bake 15 – 20 minutes.
Cool completely before adding drizzle.
Drizzle Topping
Mix thoroughly until thin enough to drizzle, adjusting milk. Drizzle over the cooled muffin bars, then cut into squares.
Tips
*I couldn’t find sherry flavoring so I substituted vanilla extract. I think I will try lemon extract in both the batter and the drizzle next time! Lemon is a natural compliment to sweet blueberries!
Store any leftovers tightly covered in the refrigerator.
If you receive my blog post via email you will need to visit my website to view the video.
My immediate family is more of a dog family but all my nieces and nephews have cats.
I’m a cat person. I tried several times to walk my first cat. He escaped and I had to chase him. I stopped trying.
I am a dog person. But, when I was a little girl, we had a cat named Alfie. He was always trying to scratch the legs of people walking by. 🙂
I love the music you put with the video, Kim. Very nice presentation.
I have a lot of fun putting the videos together! Thank you for letting me share your delectable recipe and for sharing a copy of your book with your fans!
I enjoy reading about cats, but I am a dog person at heart. Each day with our precious old Pug, Pep, is special. Thanks for the giveaway.
I’m a cat person. I have never tried to walk a cat, but I have a couple that walk around the yard with me when I am working outside. I would love to read about Fat Cat. Thanks for a chance to win a copy.
I am a dog and cat person i love orange and white cats i think due to the first one i had on my own was orange and white and we called her taco. I love little dogs also we have 2 of those and they have quite a personality. We live in a very rural area and we try to entice every outside cat we see to stay by feeding it food and it does for a few day we even had one for months the problem is the racoons. So at the end of our long windy driveway we have a neighbor who it seems every pregnant cat stops there so my husband on the way to work always drops some kind of food off for them. Anything we have leftover meat fish he drops and they come running he loves it that way we know they are getting fed some good stuff.
I love cats. I love cake. Thanks for the chance.b
Another delicious recipe to try! The girls thinks it’s hilarious to put a leash on our cat because she plops down on the floor and won’t move! Would love to win the book!
I love both cats and dogs. Being raised with both animals from my childhood, my love is equal. I’ve never tried to put a leash on a cat and don’t think out two boys would particularly care for one. Thanks for opportunity to enter your giveaway and also for the delicious recipe. [email protected]
I have always had dogs, but tend to read books that feature cats. I’m looking forward to this one.
I used to have a cat whom I loved very much, but I am definitely a dog person. I can’t imagine trying to put my cat on a leash! The blueberry muffins bars look amazing — I can’t wait to try them out!
I have cats and a dog, I love both equally, I also have fish and birds (actually my daughter’s). I have tried to walk a cat and it did not go well. He seemed to think it was supposed to be some form of torture, however he will let me put a harness and leash on him in the backyard and he’ll roam at will while I work, go figure.
Definitely a cat person, though I have raised dogs.
Walking cats is not that difficult. Body leashes work best. We have one who will bring us his leash when he wants to go outside. Some things to be aware of are trees. LOL They still want to climb them, regardless of you hanging off the other end of the leash.
I am making this recipe tonight. My kids are sooo excited.
Our cat Pitter Patter is a treasure to our family . Always love a good mystery! One involving a furry feline makes a good book !! ???
I’m a cat person but I do love dogs too. I’ve never tried to walk a cat.
I’m more a dog person. I have both. My grand kids walked their cats, but I never did.
I’m a cat person and know better than to try to walk a cat!
I love cats. I grew up with dogs.
I have a cat who seemed to like the idea of exploring outside on a leash. But he lost his enthusiasm pretty quickly. He’d much rather run loose with us chasing him!
Have to make these muffin bites! Blueberry are my favorite!!!
[email protected]
I am a total cat person! I would never dream of taking any of my cats for walks..they freak out if I try to put a collar on them.
love all animals but partial to dogs 🙂
I love cats, but I’m allergic to both cats and dogs. I do have an outdoor cat who has adopted me. When I get done playing with her, I wash my hands, up to the elbow, and take an allergy pill. It’s worth it.
I’m both a cat and dog person with 2 cats and 2 dogs in the house at this time—-all very spoiled. And yes, I have tried to walk a cat on a leash—with the emphasis on “tried”—the cat just laid down and refused to move.
Dog person and have never tried to walk a cat on a leash
I love both cats and dogs, but I’ve only had one dog compared to several cats. The cat I have now is 18 years old and I enjoy every day with her. I have tried to walk a cat on a leash, but that didn’t work out too well. Great giveaway, thanks. Looking forward to reading the series.
I love anything blueberry and I am definitely a cat person… Thanks for the chance to win!
Dog person
Prefer cats though I have always had a couple of each at any given time. I have 3 kids. (adults now) one is definitely dog person, one doesn’t like either one, and the youngest likes both. My oldest son was looking at the recipe over my shoulder and mentioned that since we have all the ingredients on hand it would be nice to have them in the morning. If I want to see the sunrise that is. Now is that a hint or what.
Wow a Awesome giveaway 🙂 Sounds like a great read 🙂 Thank you for a chance to win 🙂 Can’t wait to try the recipes , they Look and sound Yummy 🙂
I’m a cat and a dog person, I adore them both. I did have an indoor male cat that had a harness and a leash, I never tried to walk him anywhere. I used it so I could take him out to roll in the grass without worrying he’d run off.
I love both cats and dogs, but I have two cats now. I would love to be able to walk my cat, because he wants to be outdoors, but I’m positive he would fight me every step of the way.
I have had cats for almost 60. Years. I think they are the best companion. I had a Manx that walked on a lead
I grew up with Cats…my Mom adored them. Her black cat came on a Halloween night. It was a little tiny black ball that showed up in the house after she had been handing out Halloween Candy. Thank you for the delicious recipes.
Marilyn [email protected]
I love cats but have never walked one.
I love both cats and dogs. I have both right now. I’ve never walked a cat.
Great recipe!
[email protected]
Have always had cats, never any dogs. We also had guinea pigs when I was a kid. I have five cats. Never tried to walk them but they walk themselves! Last night Tippy was walking around. It was like she was trying to get her exercise because she went in and out of the kitchen door and back into the dining room and living room. I love dessert and the last thing I baked was Hershey’s Hot Fudge Pudding Cake — delicious!
I read the second book in the series and really liked it. Quincy’s great. I have the first book somewhere.
Sometimes I have trouble entering your giveaways. I couldn’t enter the H. Y. Hanna one because it locked up the computer. At first I was having trouble with this one and then I turned off the pop-up blocker.
I can’t wait for my weekend so I can try out the recipe using banana flour.
Thank you, it looks delicious!! I am a dog person due to a severe cat allergy, but I have been known to take on stray cats…*sigh* I love all animals.
I have always been a cat person One thing I’ve never done, though, is try to walk a cat!
I love all animals. I have 5 cats, 2 dogs, and a huge bunny.
I HAVE HAD BOTH BUT MORE CATS AS I GOT OLDER.. NO I HAVE NOT TRIED TO WALK A CAT. THANKS FOR THE GIVEAWAY!
I have 5 rescue dogs and 2 rescue cats…..more of a dog person. Def have no desire to “walk a cat”….lol
thanks for the chance
This book looks so cute – I love cats.
I love dogs, but I do love kitties, too. No, I have never tried to walk a cat. That I would like to see lol
I am really a dog person. Although I have had cats in the past and loved them. No I have never tried to walk a cat. Have my doubts that it can be done!!??
My heart is for any animal! Love them all!
Sounds like a great book! Can’t wait to read it!
Thanks for recipe!
Congratulations, Margaret Rushton!