Cold Snap: A Viking Cat Mystery by Codi Schneider

Tucked in the cold Colorado mountains lies the remote village of Gray Birch, a place where outsiders are frowned upon. In this village lives a cat named Bijou. But she’s no ordinary house cat; her ancestors were mousers on Viking longships, and their blood runs through her veins. Since her battle skills are hardly needed in this modern age, however, she spends her energies running the Fox Burrow Pet Inn with her human, Spencer, and her assistant, Skunk, a mentally negligible Pomeranian. Together, the happy trio has created a safe haven for their four-legged guests.

But when Eddy Line, a handsome baker from California, comes to the inn―along with his piglet and pit bull puppy―everything changes. Spencer falls for Eddy, Bijou is unhappy with the sudden changes to her clan, and the townspeople are anything but welcoming; in fact, threats are made against Eddy when he buys the town’s historic firehouse in order to open a bakery.

Then a shocking murder/dognapping occurs on the night of the bakery’s grand opening, and Bijou finds herself thrust into a tangled mystery. To solve it, she will have to summon her inner Viking―and fight tooth and claw for her new clan.   (Summary via Goodreads)

 

If you want to get lost in a very unique book, Cold Snap by Codi Schneider is just want you are looking for.  Cold Snap is a story told from the viewpoint and experience of a CAT.

In Cold Snap readers are introduced to Bijou, a Viking cat, that takes her heritage very seriously.  She lives with her human owner Spencer and a dog named Skunk.  Spencer has turned her family Inn into the Fox Burrow Pet Inn.  Usually the Inn houses pets whose owners will be gone for a fair amount of time so Spencer, Bijou, and Skunk work together taking care of them and making them feel at home.  However, Spencer has taken on a new client in the human form.  Eddy Line is moving to town having recently purchased the old firehouse.  He is working at turning it into a bakery downstairs and his living quarters upstairs and while he is going that, he is staying at the Inn with his two animals, Fennec a recently rescued pit bull that is a deaf mute and Hamlet, a piglet. 

Unfortunately someone doesn't want Eddy to open up the bakery as he receives a threatening note and other things happen before he can finish the renovations.  And when he does have his grand opening, the evening doesn't end well when someone is murdered and Fennec is dognapped.  

Bijou digs into her Viking background and with the help of Skunk and Hamlet, they set out to rescue Fennec.....but will they get there in time ??

Readers will enjoy reading Cold Snap and seeing the story through the eyes of the cat.  And when Bijou and Spencer communicate, you will wonder if Spencer can actually understand what Bijou is saying.  And if you are a cat owner you know that it is very likely that they are talking to each other.  You will also enjoy the other conversations that the animals throughout the story have.  

Cold Snap is a definite read and I look forward to more books in this series to see what trouble awaits this crazy group of humans and animals.

Review by Missi M.