Castles, Catnip & Murder (A Dickens & Christie Mystery #5) by Kathy Manos Penn

It was supposed to be a relaxing vacation. Now this legendary location could be hiding a killer in its battlements.
Leta Parker’s retirement in the Cotswolds’ rolling hills has been a balm for her soul. And heading off with her friends and talking four-legged companions to a cat yoga retreat on the cliffs of Cornwall’s Arthurian coastline seems like the perfect mix of relaxation and exploration. But when a fellow yogi’s corpse pose nearly becomes permanent, Leta believes it’s no stretch to suspect foul play.

Seeking the cause of the death-like pose, the Little Old Ladies’ Detective Agency springs into action to hunt down the culprit. But with the poor woman’s recent tragic history, the resort’s grieving owners, and a doubtful local DI all conspiring to muddy the picture, this case could end up in ruins.

Will the crack team of senior sleuths unearth the evidence to throw a would-be murderer in the dungeon?

Castles, Catnip & Murder is the intriguing fifth book in the Dickens & Christie cozy mystery series. If you like tenacious retirees, witty banter, and fascinating myths and legends, then you’ll love Kathy Manos Penn’s trip to the Round Table.  (Summary via Goodreads)

The Dickens & Christie Mystery series by Kathy Manos Penn is so fun to read !!  If you read one book in this series, you will be an immediate fan and want to read the additional books.  In this series the main thing that readers will love is that the main character can talk to and understand animals.  Leta Parker is the main character and she has moved from the States across the pond as they say and lives in Astonbury in the Cotswolds with her cat, Christie and her dog, Dickens, and they communicate all the time !!  And those aren't the only animals Leta can understand.

Leta has made life in Astonbury quite enjoyable...she has a close knit group of friends, has some hobbies to get her through getting use to early retirement as well as getting over her late husband Henry.....and one of her hobbies is attending yoga classes as often as she can.

In Castles, Catnip & Murder Leta and some of her closest friends are going on a yoga retreat to Knights' Rest and Christie along with the cat living at Knights' Rest will be participating in the yoga classes and Christie cannot wait !!

Unfortunately while at the retreat they meet Caryn Darby who recently lost her fiance Arthur.  His death was ruled accidental but she believes otherwise and when she gets very ill, Leta and her friends, who are also known as the LOL's, the Little Old Ladies' Detective Agency, decide to do some investigating.  But before they can figure out the who and why of Caryn's illness, they discover that they are only seeing the tip of the iceberg !!

Another great thing about the Dickens & Christie Mystery series is that Penn provides a list of characters at the beginning of all her books so that readers can look back at any point while reading the story to make sure they know who is who.  However, even though she provides this list, you will have a hard time trying to crack the case.  I highly recommend that you sit back with a snack and a drink and settle in and let Leta and her friends tell the story and uncover the details and the killer......

Review by Missi M.