Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Escape Claws
    Escape Claws
    Escape Claws
    Audiobook8 hours

    Escape Claws

    Written by Linda Reilly

    Narrated by Callie Beaulieu

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    Here, killer, killer, killer . . .

    For the first time in sixteen years, Lara Caphart has returned to her hometown of Whisker Jog, New Hampshire. She wants to reconnect with her estranged Aunt Fran, who's having some difficulty looking after herself-and her eleven cats. Taking care of a clowder of kitties is easy, but keeping Fran from being harassed by local bully Theo Barnes is hard. The wealthy builder has his sights set on Fran's property, and is determined to make her an offer she doesn't dare refuse.

    Then Lara spots a blue-eyed ragdoll cat that she swears is the reincarnation of her beloved Blue, her childhood pet. Pursuing the feline to the edge of Fran's yard, she stumbles upon the body of Theo Barnes, clearly a victim of foul play. To get her and Fran off the suspect list, Lara finds herself following the cat's clues in search of a killer. Is Blue's ghost really trying to help her solve a murder, or has Lara inhaled too much catnip?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateMay 29, 2018
    ISBN9781977385864
    Author

    Linda Reilly

    Linda Reilly is the author of several mystery novels, including the Cat Lady Mysteries, the Deep Fried Mysteries, and the Grilled Cheese Mysteries. A member of Sisters in Crime, Mystery Writers of America, and Cat Writers' Association, she can be found prowling the shelves of a local bookstore or library when she’s not pounding away at her keyboard. A dyed-in-the-wool New Englander, she lives with her husband and rescue cat in southern New Hampshire. For more information, visit LindaSReilly.com.

    More audiobooks from Linda Reilly

    Related to Escape Claws

    Titles in the series (2)

    View More
    View More

    Related audiobooks

    Mystery For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      An Unspoken

      Mar 3, 2020

      Hal Parker runs out to his wife’s hydrangea bushes. He’s trying to scare away the neighbor’s black Lab, Major. Hal claps his hands in front of him and shouts, but Major’s already peeing on the bush. It seems to Hal that lately the dog just won’t stay

      11 min read

    • Article

      One Look Back

      Jun 1, 2023

      One Look Back
      20 min read

    • Article

      Emancipation

      Apr 10, 2024

      A plate of meat loaf and mashed potatoes balanced on her knees, Lorene watched a National Geographic documentary about a fifty-something woman living utterly alone on the tundra north of the Arctic circle, her home a compound of metal storage contain

      20 min read

    • Article

      The Education of Mrs. R.

      Sep 6, 2022

      An adolescent shriek woke her. Cockerels, she thought, cockerels, with a wry twist to the word. She lay in the dark listening. There was no use in covering her head; the screaming still came through. The soloist was suddenly submerged in the chorus.

      13 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Sep 1, 2022

      First prize 10 and under Tang Li, age 9 Palmetto Bay, FL My name is Anisa. I was in Hawaii on vacation. I enjoyed sipping refreshing drinks, overlooking the turquoise ocean, and dancing with others, before I overheard that the priceless Fire Ring wa

      10 min read

    • Article

      A Lost Prayer

      Feb 2, 2023

      A Lost Prayer
      10 min read

    • Article

      Storytime

      Jun 14, 2023

      The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry, HarperCollins 1940, curly-haired, freckled Flora, five, wakes on a blanket. She’s alone in “Whisperwood” – the secret place sister Hazel, 14, taught her to trust: “ … an invisible place and if you

      1 min read

    • Article

      Best Of The Best

      Oct 29, 2022

      Best Of The Best
      8 min read

    • Article

      Reaching OUT

      Jan 17, 2024

      Reaching OUT
      6 min read

    • Article

      The Bridle

      Oct 10, 2021

      Saliva pooled on her tongue beneath the rusty depressor. She endured a constant urge to swallow, afraid of choking on her own fluids. The taste of metal and blood are so akin, it is easy to mistake one for the other. This early in the day, blood was

      11 min read

    • Article

      Open Short Story Winner Tight Situation

      Apr 4, 2024

      When Carol first wakes up, she thinks it must have been a dream. The ringing phone had been distant, muffled as if the landline device had been buried in a bag of something soft like cotton wool - the packing material stuffed so tightly into its bag

      6 min read

    • Article

      A Rummage In The Cupboard

      Nov 3, 2022

      A Rummage In The Cupboard
      6 min read

    • Article

      Cricket League

      Jan 1, 2022

      It was an unusual birthday. Colorful banners blanketed the backyard. Kids chased each other through the grass. Adults talked. It all went downhill from there. My little sister was turning five. On her birthday cake, painted in frosting, was a fat, pi

      7 min read

    • Article

      Mammy Dearest

      Mar 20, 2022

      Noelle McCarthy, the broadcaster, podcaster and journalist, has two obsessions: her mother and Dracula. She has written a memoir, Grand: Becoming my mother’s daughter, in which both characters flounce across the pages, one with fangs wearing a cape,

      8 min read

    • Article

      Hair-raising Holidays

      Jul 31, 2022

      Hair-raising Holidays
      2 min read

    • Article

      Say You Were With Me

      Sep 21, 2020

      Lisa lets herself out of her front door, painted a fashionable teal last year by Harry. She will go to Hampstead Heath. That’s where she has decided to do it. Every time she puts her key in the lock, she notices his messy brushstrokes. Fine, straggly

      5 min read

    • Article

      Prevention

      Nov 10, 2021

      The whole thing was an accident, how Sharon discovered the situation. Her son drank his usual two mugs of black coffee and wolfed his cereal before she drove him to school. Usually he drove himself, but his car was in the garage. Otherwise it was a n

      18 min read

    • Article

      Welcome to Reliance

      Dec 1, 2021

      Welcome to Reliance
      11 min read

    • Article

      O Fortuna, Velut Luna

      Sep 15, 2018

      What is Miss Treece’s trouble, according to a popular notion? The man A has failed to show up. Arousing herself at the restaurant, she fixes her lipstick when her solo supper concludes and takes herself down the stairs situated behind the bar. There,

      3 min read

    • Article

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale

      Feb 4, 2019

      The Postmenopausal Fairy Tale
      9 min read

    • Article

      Secret Life Of Pets

      Jun 9, 2022

      Secret Life Of Pets
      3 min read

    • Article

      Heatstroke

      Jun 8, 2020

      Languid. The word that formed in Rachel’s mind was languid. The figure on the lawn was languid. Its limbs were loose, its joints fluid. Its hands and feet seemed too heavy for the bones that held them. It was draped over the sun lounger, dripping fro

      5 min read

    • Article

      Wounds That Won’t Heal

      Oct 30, 2017

      Wounds That Won’t Heal
      7 min read

    • Article

      Human Spirit

      Sep 2, 2021

      Human Spirit
      6 min read

    • Article

      A new CHAPTER

      Jul 29, 2020

      A new CHAPTER
      3 min read

    • Article

      A Bestseller At Four!

      Jun 4, 2020

      A Bestseller At Four!
      3 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Escape Claws

    4.5/5

    29 ratings8 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      Lara Caphart has returned to her hometown of Whisker Jog, New Hampshire, for the first time in sixteen years. Her estranged aunt Fran is having trouble looking after herself with two bad knees. Lara also gets to help out with her aunt's eleven cats. Lara loves her aunt and the cats, but what she doesn't love is someone trying to bully her aunt into selling her land. When Lara spots a ragdoll cat that she believes is the reincarnation of her childhood pet, Blue, she follows her to the edge of Fran's yard only to stumble upon the body of the town bully. Lara is determined to get herself and aunt Fran off the suspect list.. with the help of Blue, of course.

      I read book three first and needed more. I inhaled this book. It's easy to get lost in. I love the cover. I have cats and would take in every cat that needed a home, in fact I would love to give every animal in the world a good home but now I'm getting off track.. it's refreshing to have people who want to help and love these little cuties and it just makes me so happy! I do find it annoying that these characters cry all the time and the abbreviated words kind of got on my nerves as well but even so, this book was still great. The mystery was clever and well done. And it was fun to learn how the High Cliff Shelter for Cats came to be. On to book two!
    • 4/5
      Lara Caphart and her family moved from New Hampshire when she was young. Before that, she spent a lot of time at her Aunt Fran's. Family, College and trying to make ends meet consumed her life. After 16 years and a message from her childhood friend that her aunt needs her, Laura returns to Whisker Jog, NH. Her aunt is having major issues with deteriorating osteoarthritis, her cat smells like cat (she has 11 of them) and she is being bullied by a developer, Theo Barnes, who wants her land. Lara is not going to let her be threatened by anybody and offers to stick around and help her. Lara isn't in town long before she finds Theo Barnes' dead body. Suddenly both her and Aunt Fran are being questioned and fingerprinted by the police. The case heats up when another body is found. Is it a suicide? Or another murder?

      Escape Claws is the first book in the new Cat Lady Mysteries series, and it is a good one. The characters are realistic, and a bit suspicious of Lara's appearance in town. They are small town, with all the quirks that come with it. I liked the relationship between Lara and her Aunt. Once they get by the initial awkwardness, they seem to be just as close as ever, after all they are family. There is a little touch of supernatural to the story as well. It appears that Lara has a spirit cat, that she had even when she was a child. I loved that part of the story, as the cat comes around when needed and is able to drop clues to Lara. The mystery moved a bit slowly, but being a first in the series, we had to get to know the characters, background and setting as well. I will say, I was completely surprised by the big reveal. The character had been in the story, but was not on my radar at all. I am looking forward to the second in this series, and luckily for me, it was recently released. If you enjoy cozy mysteries, with animals and a tad of the paranormal, pick this one up.
    • 4/5
      Lara reconnects with her old best friend, and discovers that her aunt Fran is in need of assistance. Lara, an artist, takes a short break from her supplemental job at a bakery and drives to her aunt’s home. Lara practically stumbles over the body of a man who has been causing her aunt grief, and of course, can’t wait for the police to find the murderer. This is a good start to a new series, but leaves unanswered many questions which hopefully will be addressed in future books. Why hasn’t there been any contact between these two for sixteen years when they had been close and live within driving distance? Is there some sort of animosity between Fran and Lara’s mother? There are some interesting characters in the tale and many cats, one of which seems to be supernatural. This cozy is entertaining and perfect light reading.
    • 5/5
      I like cats or other animals in cozy mysteries as much as the next person, but I admit, I was a bit concerned when the cast of characters was, well, all cats! Turns out the inhabitants of Aunt Fran's home really do have some unique personalities, and it was a perfect addition to get ready to read the book. I felt like Lara's return to Whisker Jog was way overdue, but life is like that. Between work and some sort of family estrangement, it's been almost two decades since she has been there. Aunt Fran needs Lara, and it turns out, Lara needs her too. I really liked this well written mystery. When a local town businessman/bully is the one found bludgeoned by Fran's shed, Lara extends her trip to town. Many of the townspeople are quite the characters and I was very surprised at the revelation of the killer in the end. I look forward to more in this series, this was a great start.
    • 5/5
      Linda Reilly is one of my very favorite authors. And her newest book, the first installment of her Cat Lady Mysteries, ESCAPE CLAWS, was one of my most anticipated books of 2017. On. My. Goodness. It completely lived up to my expectations! Purrfection!ESCAPE CLAWS opens with an introduction to the Cast of Feline Characters. With a dozen cats in the story, this list is a wonderful and welcomed addition to the book. And Kudos to author Reilly for managing to give each cat its own distinct personality. From page one, I knew this was a tale I wanted to read. Not just the mystery, but the story of protagonist, Lara Caphart, coming back to her hometown of Whisker Jog (love it) to help her Aunt Fran not only with her eleven cats, but with herself. With bad knees, Fran Clarkson is moving slow, and not able to do as much for herself and her kitty kids. There is tension at the very beginning when Lara doesn’t get greeted very fondly by her aunt. However, both characters grow immensely from the first page to the last, and I can’t wait to see them grow even more throughout the series. The murder mystery in ESCAPE CLAWS is expertly handled by the author. Ms. Reilly truly knows how to keep her readers on their paws. From the discovery of the body, to the surprising reveal, I didn’t come close to guessing the killer. There is also a second mystery mixed into the story. Between the two of them, I was so entranced, reading for a couple of hours turned into “I’m not getting out of this chair until I’m finished”. Starting a new series is both thrilling and exciting. You go into it with high hopes. Well, worry not with the Cat Lady Mysteries. Once you start reading ESCAPE CLAWS, you’ll know you’ve found a series you’ll want to follow for many years to come!
    • 5/5
      I cannot wait to read the next instalment in this series. This is one the best cozy mysteries I read this here. It is a wonderful mix of mystery, small town life, cats and family relationship.
      The heroine comes back to her hometown from Boston after a long time to help her aunt. She discovers that her aunt is quite ill and is turning in to a cat lady. The first night she discovers the body of the town bully next to her aunt home. The rest is a travel into the renewal of relationship the development of new ones and the search for the culprit.
    • 5/5
      Escape Claws is a charming cozy mystery with just a touch of the paranormal.Lara Caphart has come to Whisker Jog to help her ailing aunt whose arthritic knees have made it difficult to care for her growing clowder of kitties. Unlucky for Lara, she discovers the body of local bully businessman Theo Barnes the next morning. With enemies to choose from galore, the police are having a hard time finding Barnes’ killer. When misfit Glen is found dead from apparent drug overdose, and with a confession to boot, the police think the case is a done deal. However, Lara’s elusive Blue leads her to clues that cast doubt upon the killer's identity.Reilly's Escape Claws is a delightful, first-rate mystery perfect for those who love cosies with critter companions. I adored all of Fran’s kitties! Munster is adorable as spokeskitty for the clowder. Dolce reminded me of my sweet Drizzit. At the very beginning of the book there is a 'kitty cast intro’ that gives us tidbits of info for each of the cats, including the very special Ragdoll, Blue. We get to really know Fran and Lara, and their story apart from the mystery. Lara is a painter, with a 'not-quite-but-close’ starving artist theme. Fran is a retired teacher with a debilitating form of arthritis that needs surgery and therapy, but that would leave her unable to care for her furry family. Lara comes for what should have been a quick visit, and ends up falling in love with her childhood home all over again when she is forced to stay due to her involvement with the Barnes’ case. The mystery unwound at a pleasant pace. The ending really took me by surprise! I never would have guessed the true killer. I loved Blue, Lara’s spirit Cat who guides her to valuable clues, and provides assurance when two of the wee kitties get adopted. Lara's growth during her time in Whisker Jog was a delight to read. In the midst of death, she finds the true path of her life. I must also say, I liked that various characters reminded Lara that the police have more information than the average people. I find that gets overlooked in cosies quite often. The focus is on our common-man protagonist and their theories, and a lot of times it seems like the real police get short shrift. There were a few loose ends I would have liked to see resolved. This s the first in a series, so it may be that the story continues to play out. There is Darryl's mysterious reading improvement. He goes from have reading trouble to becoming quite the eloquent reader. It's clear Blue, the spirit Cat, has a part to play in that, but it isn't explored further. There’s also the matter of the letters Fran is hiding, and that their letters even got sidetracked. Why did Lara’s family move from Whisker Jog, and then contrive to cut communication between Aunt Fran and young Lara. I do hope these threads are resolved in later books. ***Many thanks to Silver Dagger Book Tours, and the author, for providing an egalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
    • 4/5
      Lara Caphart is a struggling artist who lives in Boston. When she receives a telephone call from her friend Sherry telling her how her Aunt Fran is in trouble and needs help, she takes time off from her part-time job to return to Whisker Jog, New Hampshire and see if she can help her.When she arrives, she finds that her aunt has knee problems and has trouble getting around, and that she's turned her home into a mini-cat sanctuary, with eleven of the furballs. Lara immediately begins cleaning up while reconnecting, and tries to decide how to get Fran part-time help when she returns to Boston.She coaxes Fran into having lunch with her at Sherry and her mother's cafe, and while there they witness an encounter with blowhard Theo Barnes and townspeople. She also discovers that Theo is intent on buying a parcel of land Fran owns, and since he's also Sherry's landlord, has given them notice to vacate by the end of the year. It seems he has grand plans which includes condos nearby.Lara also discovers that Fran is caring for two children - Brooke and Darryl while their mother is working. It seems Darryl has trouble reading, but when she looks in on him, she sees that he is reading perfectly...with her childhood pet Blue by his side. But Lara wonders how that could be, knowing Blue, a Ragdoll, couldn't still be around. When she tells Fran, Fran insists it must have been one of the other cats she saw.Then Lara is awakened in the middle of the night by voices outside, she looks but only sees her aunt. Not wanting to disturb her, she goes back to bed. The next morning while doing chores, she sees Blue again and follows her, but before she can get close she sees something that startles her - the body of Theo Barnes.When the police arrive, they determine he's been murdered and Lara thinks they're trying to pin the murder on her aunt. Knowing it's not possible, she's determined to find out who killed him. But after speaking with Sherry, she discovers that Theo wasn't liked by anyone except his niece Mary, which isn't going to make her task an easy one. Yet she discovers that she has help in an unlikely form - that of Blue, who seems to be an expert at finding clues for Lara to follow...First off, let me say that I love books with cats, and so was intrigued by this book. I was pleased that Blue played quite a large role in the book also. I liked the fact that Lara was pretty much a normal person. She didn't go around poking her nose into everyone's business, most of her questions were 'in her head', so to speak. Which is why it puzzled me when Josette called her nosy and said she was trying to pin the murder on her. All Lara said to her was "Josette you must have been so horrified when you got back that morning and heard about Theo." How can you interpret that as saying she killed her husband? It's an innocuous question you might ask anyone if you didn't know them well enough to realize they disliked their ex-spouse. I also would have liked to have known what happened to the letters Lara wrote. We understand that Fran had hers, but she never said how they were returned - in which case if Lara's mom returned them, then why would Fran be upset with Lara? Wouldn't she be able to decipher the fact that if her letters were returned, then Lara's were probably not sent? Clarification would have been nice. We also gather that Lara's mom wasn't a nice person, but is she still alive? Nothing is ever said; only that her father passed away; and we're not told what her upbringing was like in Boston with a mother like that. I would like to see this expanded on.The last thing that irked me is that 56 is not old; while it is middle-aged, I know people in their fifties who have fulfilled lives and are as active as younger people. (I live in Las Vegas and see it quite a bit). From the way Fran was described earlier in the book, I pictured her closer to eighty. Yes, I understand the knee problem, but she's withdrawn from life, so I thought she was a lot older. Even with bad knees, she must be taking some sort of medication to help that will at least allow her some ease of pain. It's like her entire zest for life (if she had any) was taken away.Aside from this, I liked most of the characters and also liked the fact that she's opening the cat sanctuary. It will be interesting to read about the stories of the different cats that pass through along with the people who adopt them (with Blue's approval, of course). When the mystery was solved and we find out the identity of the murderer, I can say that it came as a surprise, which is rare. The plot was very well done and the ending was thoroughly satisfactory. It is a great start to a new series, and I look forward to the next and where it will take us. Recommended.