Fool’s Moon

Ruby Sparks adopts a lovable black cat named Ophelia, who draws her into a murder. What she doesn’t know is that her new cat has a secret. Ophelia and her brother Brandon suspect their former owner was murdered, but they have no way to prove it. Now with Brandon missing, Ophelia sees Ruby as her chance to find him. With the help of a new friend, a pit bull named Zuki, she sets out to find her brother. Meanwhile, unaware of her pets’ investigation, Ruby is drawn in to help find answers about a murder after a woman comes to have her cards read.

The story shifts perspectives between the human and animal characters with each working to solve the same murder. The three animal characters are as complex and full of personality as the human characters, perhaps even funnier as their sleuthing comes with trickery and sneaking around Ruby’s back. Ophelia has two goals: to prove her human mom was murdered and to find her missing brother. This is what drives her forward and gives her the bravery she needs to investigate. Diane A.S. Stuckart strikes the perfect balance of quirky and charming with murder and sleuthing hijinks. Ruby handles the human matters with plenty of sass and a quirkiness that pairs well with murder-solving pets. While Ophelia, Brandon, and Zuki handle their own investigation in a realistically animal way, they show their innocent nature and their heartfelt determination.

The first book in the Tarot Cats Mystery series, Fool’s Moon is a unique take on a cozy mystery with everything that makes this genre endearing, but with a fresh twist.