Title:	Nine Lives and Alibis
	Author:	Cate Conte
	Published:	August 22, 2023, St. Martin’s Paperbacks
	No. of Pages:	332
	Cover Price:	$8.99 Paperback, $8.99 Kindle

---

In the 7th novel of the Cat Café series by Cate Conte, Nine Lives and Alibis, Maddie’s mother has roped her into being on the Halloween celebration committee on Daybreak Harbor. They are excited to have booked a famous medium, Balfour Dempsey, to give readings. Balfour’s mother, Alice, lives on the island and is excited to see her son. But, after Balfour’s arrival, along with his cat, Balfour Jr. and an entourage of helpers, things don’t go as planned, and Balfour is found murdered. Maddy, et al, are working to find the murderer before the Halloween celebrations are ruined. Forty years prior, there was a murder in the local haunted inn, and a maid disappeared, and Maggie wonders if there is a connection .

Conte does an excellent job of presenting and developing the characters. Maddie, the protagonist, is very likeable, and shares the stage with her delightful cat, JJ. She is the owner of the cat café, but seems to be busy most of the time and doesn’t spend much time there. Family members are good supporting characters, and they seem real – like members of readers’ families. The new characters are good enough that readers won’t have any idea who murdered Balfour: Balfour’s staff, a stalker, and some residents with suspicious pasts.

The story flows and is easy to read. The dénouement is surprising, and some of the main characters are put in jeopardy.

All told, this is a fun cozy, especially for cat lovers. Those who haven’t read the previous novels will definitely want to read the previous novels.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.