A Spirited Tail (Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery, #2) by Leighann Dobbs

A Spirited Tail (Mystic Notch Cozy Mystery, #2) Reviews

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  ♛ Garima ♛

  Case of double homicide separated by 50 years and Willa and gang try to solve it. The problem is, there aren't many characters introduced in the story hence suspect list is very thin to begin with.
  
  Little bit disappointed...but easy to read cozy murder mystery...
  
  
  
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  Mystereity Reviews

  Ugh. Just ugh.
  
  Against my better judgement, I gave book 2 of the Mystic Notch series a try. Against my better judgement because the first book wasn't very good. But the characters are cute and the location is charming, so I thought I'd give it another go. It was a mistake. Both books read like a bad YA book, only the MC is a middle-aged woman who gets giddy and weak in the knees every time a good looking guy shows up. Whenever there's a crime bigger than a parking violation, a cop from a neighboring town gets called in to help the police chief of Mystic Notch. What kind of idiot town hires a police chief who can't investigate major crimes? Not that it matters, because apparently the both cops are inept and it's up to the cat to lead everyone by the hand to all the clues.
  
  Too much inner dialogue, too many "don't investigate it's dangerous" admonishments, and too many far-fetched plot devices. Oh, the MC is told "not to leave town" but not told to keep her fat mouth shut and not blab important details to the old gossips in town? Again, what idiot town hires such an inept police chief?
  
  I have nothing but derision for this series. Too much wrong with it. My recommendation? Just. Don't. Bother.
  
  
  
  
• 
  ShannaBanana✨

  Have I ever said how much I love these cozy mysteries? Yes, all of the time. They are just so good. Simple, fun and have me guessing who the perpetrator is every single time. Talking animals and mediums? Yes please. This was such a fun little mystery and I adore the characters. 5 stars!
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  Suzanne

  For me this was a fun book to read. Mainly because it combined things that I would love to do. Go into an abandoned mansion, legally. Get to check out all the rooms where a 50 year old murder and suicide took place. And get my hands on a room full of books. Be the first one in ages to see what is there, open them, and read them. Fun, Fun, Fun. I lead such a sad life. Oh well.
  
  Willa Chance is asked to catalog the library in the old Van Dorn estate. But before she can even get her fist look into the library she is asked by her friend Bing if he could have any handwritten journals she finds. She is also approached by a woman named Claire who wants the same journals.
  The house has been closed up for 50 years, ever since Charles Van Dorn committed suicide. The nephew of Charles Van Dorn has decided to sell everything and needs Willa to give an estimate on the value of the books. He' selling things on ebay. And to top it off Charles' ghost turns up in the library and asks Willa to find his killer so he can move on.
  
  Did I mention the curse? Well Van Dorn was a noted Magician and Mentalist in his hay day until he was accused of killing a girl and leaving a mystical sign on her forehead.
  As Willa and the real estate agent get to the house they hear a dog howling, go to the back and find the dead body of Van Dorn's old neighbor. With the same sign on his forehead. And so the story begins. What secrets will be found in those old books and journals, if any, to find the killer.
  
  As I have said before I am not a big fan of paranormal books. This series is the exception for me. I can't get enough of them. The basic characters are always strong and the story flows without getting bogged down in useless information. And I love the way Pandora and the other cats are given their own voices but never to the point of being unbelievable.
  I have to admit I found myself surprised at the killer. Not on my radar. At all. Of course I was enjoying the story so much I have to admit I think I forgot to follow the clues and just had fun reading. I hated to see the book end, but I did like the way it ended.
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  Allyson Faith

  
  I like the animals, but the main character is pretty dim.
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  Jillian

  2.5 stars. A Spirited Tail is book 2 in the Mystic Notch series. This is a cozy mystery book with paranormal (ghostly) elements. It looks like there is also a setup for future magical elements to the series. The main character is Willa Chance. A 48 year old fairly recently divorced woman with no children. After her divorce, two years prior, Willa moved back to her home town where she had inherited her grandmother's house, business and cat, Pandora.
  
  This book is told primarily from Willa's POV but there are a couple chapters from Pandora's POV. It is set in New Hampshire.
  
  In this book, Willa happens upon a newly murdered body in the backyard of an old estate that has been locked up for years. It just so happens that Willa can also see and speak to ghosts and although the ghost of the murdered man isn't there, there are other ghosts. Of course, it is up to Willa to follow the clues to solve the murder.
  
  Willa used to have a career as an investigative journalist/crime reporter, yet she is not very good at following the clues. Actually, she is terrible at it. She gets hung up on the wrong things and can't see beyond the conclusions that she has already drawn until after she accuses the wrong people and is proven wrong when they are proven innocent.
  
  The cats are the true sleuths and MVPs in the book. They try to guide her toward the answers that she is too dumb to see herself.
  
  The only good things in this book are the cats and her budding romance with the cop. I'm going to give this series one more chance before I give it up entirely.
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  Linda Andrews

  Another great mystery
  
  A solid mystery and more development of life in Mystic Notch. Oddly enough Striker has less of a role in the books then the four regulars at the bookstore. I hope in the next books there is more on the good/bad humans conflict as the heroine learns to embrace her gift.
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  C.

  I liked this second book in the series. Lots of twists and turns to the good mystery. The animals are great. It's really different to have some scenes from their POV, but I liked it! :D
  
  A fun read.
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  Anna's Herding Cats

  3.5 stars, 0 heat
  
  A Spirited Tail was a fun read.
  
  The Gist: Willa's pretty dang tickled to be appraising an old library that's been abandoned for decades. Only problem? A dead body just a laying on the property she's just arrived at. Oy! It might be linked to a murder/suicide from back in the day, too!
  
  I enjoy Willa. She's a bookworm. And constantly curious. Loves animals. She's good people and fun to spend time with.
  
  The mystery was fun. Willa and crew were SO slow on the uptake but I had fun watching them figure it about. Uncovering clues, having little blunders. Seeing how the present day murder connected to the death of a popular medium decades earlier.
  
  And, oh, the pets. Willa's cat is part of an ancient group of kitties that's goal is to deal with good and evil and help their humans when they need it. I love all the kitties and this go around the addition of a sweet heartbroken pup.
  
  All in all, while somewhat predictable A Spirited Tail was still a delightful read and has me wanting to read more from Mystic Notch.
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  Tammy

  A cute paranormal cozy mystery. I liked this book better than the first book. That said this should be read in order. When Willa stumbles into a body naturally she has a mystery to solve. There are many pluses here; she is on the backside of forty, a bookstore owner, a pet owner, and she sees ghosts to spice things up. Her cat feels she owns her human plus she also has special abilities. A whimsical fun read.
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  Teresa Barrera

  A good second edition to the series.
  Another mysterious murder in Mystic Notch and Willa is on the case to solve her next ghost's murder along with a new canine and Pandora the cat.
  This was an entertaining second book in the series and I enjoyed it.
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  Jess

  This was pretty good. Not my favorite cozy series but they are fun and I love a good cat story.
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  Katie

  It’s always a good read. Willa is a good character who’s always trying to do the right thing. Even if she does get hurt or into trouble. Plus I like her playful yet romantic relationship with Striker.
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  Pamela

  I love cozy mysteries with paranormal plots. The Mystic Notch series is exactly that. There are a lot of quirky characters both human and feline. The mysteries are well plotted and detailed. The heroine is Willa, a former investigative journalist, who has moved back to her small hometown after inheriting her grandmother's house. Willa was injured in an accident before coming home that has not yet been explained. The magical relationship among the cats in the town and several of the humans is an ongoing mystery. Since returning to Mystic Notch, Willa communicates with ghosts and gets involved solving murders. I've enjoyed the first 2 books and look forward to learning more about Willa and Pandora, her cat.
  I gave it 4 stars because she needs to move the character development along.
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  Dharia Scarab

  The idea is good, but the way the story was continued is annoying. The magical memory loss was irritating, the main character's skepticism was outlandish for someone who talked to ghosts, and the fact that a number of her "friends" appear to be in on the magical goings on yet don't fill her in is frustrating.
  
  Not to mention that she always runs off on her own when she figures things out, instead of going to her sister the police chief.
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  Diana

  A good read, but not a favorite of mine. I wanted to like it more than I did, and I'm still not quite sure why I didn't. Maybe it was because none of the characters stood out really. Yes, there was the cute connection between the cat Pandora and a dog named Ranger, but not much else. The story went in too many different directions as to who was the murderer, and after awhile, I didn't care. Cute read, but again, not a favorite of mine, although Leighann Dobbs is one of my new favorite authors.
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  Nora-adrienne

  I'm finally getting around to this magical series. I think I'd like to have a home in Mystic Notch just to watch how life unfolds there. I'm going to read as many of the books in the series as my local libraries have on hand..
  
  It's truly worth the time and effort because this series is THAT GOOD!
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  Jeanne Foguth

  Once again, Willa and her cat, Pandora, must find out who killed someone in Mystic Notch as well as try to keep vital mystical knowledge from getting into the wrong hands.
  
  Can Willa discover the identity of the killer in time or will she end up being another victim?
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  Nancy Bradford

  Another great book by Ms. Dobbs
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  Jacqueline Seaman

  This is not my first time reading author Leighann Dobbs books. I read some of the Blackmoore sisters series. I was hoping that this series would give me something different AND IT DID! It gave fabulous cats! I LOVE Pandora! I also read Ghostly Paws. Pandora is a bonafide star! HOWEVER..... I don't know what it is about this author but she likes to write about stupid women. I didn't want to use that word but stupid or dumb was all I had. Whilemina Chance is supposed to be an ex crime journalist? She has no idea about how to make sense of clues, a matter of fact she does not even know what clues are. She is not analytical, she is not strategic, she is not focused, she is not insightful, she is not astute, or discerning. She is very narrow-minded, petty, and intolerant. once she latches on to one aspect of a crime )one that she likes) she stays with it no matter what other clues are right in front of her face. She asks dumb questions, makes dumb assumptions, makes dumb accusations, makes dumb decisions, and comes to dumb conclusions. She is immature, unintelligent, and very closed-minded especially for someone who can talk to ghosts. She ignores obvious things like a glowing paperweight at night (oh it is just reflecting light), a cat that gives obvious clues(oh she's just acting up), and equally obvious stuff. The author has no clue what character development is, Willa and her sister have NO relationship, they don't even act related. The best character in this book is Pandora. The author did a good job developing Pandora's character, backstory, objective, and everything about Pandora makes sense. The Blackmoore sisters are dumb, Whilemmina Chance is dumber. I got this book free... But I will never get my time or brain cells back that I lost reading this.
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  Laura

  A little disappointing
  
  This book is the second in the Mystic notch cozy mystery series by Leighann Dobbs. The premise for the series is very interesting : intellectual cats trying to protect the balance of good and evil and keep their. Owner's safe. The extra paranormal aspect of the ghost added to the story as well. .I like paranormal series and I like cozy mysteries the reason I like cozy mysteries is they're more light hearted and less like a thriller I don't wanna be scared when I'm reading a book I want to be entertained This book is definitely cozy however there were some issues with This book. Willa Chance the female lead began to understand some of what her cat was saying when it was meowing in book 1 of the series. Yet this is never mentioned in the second book as far as I can remember and you would think that ability would increase over time But to this ability was not really mentioned Much in this book. The other issue I had Was That Willa is supposed to be an experienced investigative reporter. And should be familiar with investigating crimes. Despite this experience Willa jumps to conclusions and assumptions . I don't think a true investigative reporter would have jumped to those conclusions and made those assumptions without more facts I also knew well before the end who the killers were And was disappointed that I figured out and the main character couldn't . I also found it extremely annoying how often the main character put yourself in dangerous situations without telling anyone where she's going Or anything and Willa had to be rescued at the end of both books. She is supposed to be intelligent . Her actions make me think she's impulsive reckless and Foolish
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  L.A.L.

  The first book was fun. I liked the who Pandora angle and was hoping to learn more about her and the other cats. Willa seemed like a semi-competent slueth. But that all fell apart in this book.
  
  The cats id feature a bit and there were more hints as to their purpose, but it's still sketchy on that point. And why have mystical-esque cats and ghosts—it felt like overkill. Too much for one cozy book.
  
  But this book really fell flat for me because of Whilemina. Willa, despite being a former crime journalist, ignored facts and had no idea about how to make sense of clues right in front of her. She asked the wrong questions, came to dumb assumptions, which lead her to make dumb decisions, and then jumped to dumb conclusions. Willa talks about her investigative instincts, but she missed some obvious clues and kept on disproven theories way too long. And I'm not even sure why the author developed the whole "she can talk to ghosts" bit because that part added nothing to the story, and in the few scenes the ghost Charles appears, Willa asks him dumb questions and then continues to jump to the wrong conclusions. So why have the ghosts at all?
  
  Then too much of the book is Willa repeating what just happened to Pepper. Wasted filler. And the twists. The twists are painful. First because Willa is not a good investigator. Second, because they felt forced and were overly predictable. Overall, this just wasn't a fun cozy for me. The further I got into the book, the more I skimmed it. I won't be continuing on with this series.
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  Kirsten

  I think this book suffered second book syndrome. You know, where the first book was pretty good but the author lost their way a bit in the second book.
  I think the main characters are good. I love the coffee klatch that appears in the book store every morning. I love the animal characters. (Who are by far way more intelligent than some of the people characters.) But this particular book suffered from a few editorial issues. If the reason the main character can see ghosts is because she was in a car accident that also affected her leg… Don’t have her running through the forest after her animal. And then not complain once about how her leg hurt. There were so many pain complaints in book one and talking about rubbing it down with icy hot. Also I understand why in the first book they called an out-of-town sheriff because the current sheriff had never had a homicide and she was looking for help. But now she’s had a homicide so why did she call him back in? Doesn’t make sense. If this is the main character’s love interest just let him be the love interest he doesn’t have to be part of the case. He could be a sounding board as she works through it.
  I think I might give book three a try just because the initial book really set the series up for success. Fingers crossed.
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  Caroline Cairn

  3.5 stars.
  I enjoyed the overall story very much:this author knows how to write, which isn't always the case in self-publishing. I wasn't bored once, the pace wasn't rushed or too slow, just perfect. The characters were all likeable, in a friends-I've-known-for-years kind of way. The setting was also pleasant and cosy.
  But what niggled me the most was the over-abundance of cats. At time, they seemed to eclipse the main character! I could probably count on 2 hands the number of pages where the word Cat isn't mentioned. And the chapters where the animals talk made me cringe, and to me, felt unnecessary.
  As for the mystery, I had guessed the murderer (thanks to the dog's behaviour at one point that the MC misinterprets) and the lover (it was the only logical person), but rarely have I been bluffed not to guess or half-guess these things in books, so I won't hold it against the author.
  If only she had held back on the myriad of clever/fantasy cats...
  
  Still, a good read on a cold day when you're burrowed under a warm cover on the sofa, sipping a hot cup of cocoa, and you're looking for escapism.
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  Kim Dennis

  The first book in the series left me with mixed emotions -- there were things in the book that I was unprepared for and wasn't sure whether or not I liked them. At first, I found myself enjoying the 2nd book a lot more than the first one. It could be that I just knew what to expect. I also remember being a little frustrated that Willa had figured out the big secret and then conveniently forgot at the end of the book. However, that did work in my favor this time. I don't have a fantastic memory when it comes to details of books, so it didn't matter that I didn't remember for sure what the big secret was, because neither did Willa. Towards the end, though, I started to get a little annoyed and then totally turned off. First of all, Willa talks about her investigative instincts, but she missed some clues that were pretty obvious and held 0n to dis-proven theories way too long. However, I could have gotten past that if it hadn't been for the end. About 1/2 hour before Willa learned the truth, I figured it out. I hoped I was wrong -- I'm tired of reading books that have a hidden agenda -- but I was right. After that, I decided I was done with the series.