A Curious Affair by Melanie Jackson

Title: A Curious Affair
Author: Melanie Jackson
Published Date: June 2008
Series: none
Rating: B-
Previous books of author enjoyed (if any):  I'm not sure I've really enjoyed her previous books.
New to me author?: no

 

LIKE A THUNDERBOLT
Recent widow Jillian Marsh wasn't planning on killing herself that March night, but she hadn't ruled it out, either. It had rained for the last seventeen days-days in which her jaws were locked together and she was unable to speak, supposing there'd been anyone worth addressing. And then there was her cat problem. Ever since she'd been hit by lightning last October, the cats in town had been talking to her. Which meant she was insane, right?

But that night something changed. The cat Atherton appeared with something very interesting to say, about an odd accident that had occurred up the hill. And since Jillian could hardly go to the town's new lawman, who'd been trained in LA and was new to this Sierra town, with a feline eyewitness, it was up to her to find out if there was indeed trouble afoot-or if this conspiracy and her newfound and unwanted attraction to Sheriff Murphy were all part of an endless hallucination.

 

So I'm a sucker for books with cats.  Even just having a cat on the cover will entice me to pick a book up.  But I was pleasantly surprised with this one.  I haven't enjoyed the few Wildside books of Jackson's that I've read, so I was a bit leery about this one, but I'm glad I did.

 

I think that people who pick this up looking for a paranormal romance will be a bit disappointed.  The paranormal aspect is small, as is the romance.  Instead, I'd say it works better as women's fiction.  Most of the story is Jillian realizing that life goes on and that she needs to stop keeping to herself after the death of her husband.  The mystery is a way of making her interact more with people. 

 

I really liked Atherton (who, by the way, has his own Myspace page).  He definitely acts like a cat.  Although it becomes obvious that he's more than just a simple stray.  Like I said, I picked it up for the cats and I did like how they all played their part in the story.  I also liked the cat related quotes that begin each chapter.  

 

All in all, I enjoyed this one.  It's slow and meandering, but I never found it boring.  It's just cute.