Rose Raventhorpe Investigates: Black Cats and Butlers: Book 1 - Rose Raventhorpe Investigates (Paperback)

Published by Little Brown

‘Well! How uncouth!’

I like words – and you really can’t go wrong with a word like ‘uncouth‘ – not used as much as it should be. Used properly and beautifully in Black Cats and Butlers which made me smile and enjoy the book all the more. Words matter. They can give colour and a sense of time and place. A sign of a good book.

I also like butlers somehow, I think I could do with a butler. Though where my servants’ quarters would be, I have no idea. I’m not sure if I would like a cook and maids, though. There’s something about a good butler. You don’t seem to get bad butlers…a bad cook would be a nuisance…and I’m not sure I’d be happy with a maid tidying up after me.

I am waffling.

This is a superb new series, with murder (three butlers murdered at the beginning of the book), a magician and cats – you can’t go wrong with cats either.

Our heroine is a rather sparky young lady – and when her butler is murdered (he is the third), she rightly objects and begins to investigate…things are definitely not what they seem.

I visited York very briefly years ago – but no-one told me about the cats that are in York. I feel a little cheated (there’s even a pamphlet so you can find them all) especially at the moment when I can’t visit York. There are around 20 official felines that are dotted around the city.

This is great fun and hopefully it won’t be long before there is another in the series.