Are You Listening to Me? (Detective Toby Mystery Book 1)
$2.99 – $16.95
Detective Toby Mystery Book Series
Camden Gale and his sister, Emma, have had a tough life. Camden has become paranoid/delusional about everything and everyone around him, and he and Emma are always moving. When things begin to heat up for Camden on the West Coast, he takes a job at a new gym in the small city of Brantford, Ontario.
However, Camden, who is hoping for a fresh start, is losing complete control of his emotions. Does Camden stand a chance of keeping his dark deeds a secret when he and Emma move next door to a retired police officer and an overzealous orange tabby cat by the name of Toby? – Detective Toby! Toby has a feline sense for solving crimes, and the moment he meets Camden, he smells trouble!
“Are You Listening to Me? is a murder mystery with a comedic, feline twist!
Written by Mary M. Cushnie-Mansour
Cover Art by Jennifer Bettio
Edited by Bethany Jamieson
Excerpt
PREFACE:
It’s been a while since my last big case, so I will jog your memory about who I am. My name is Toby, and I live with Jack Nelson, a retired cop. I used to be quite stout, but since venturing into police work, I have put myself on a rigorous routine of fitness and healthy eating. That doesn’t always work out for me because, as my nature dictates, I am inclined to be a tad lazy sometimes––most of the time, actually. And I never miss a meal or a snack if I am passing through the kitchen. My hair is red; I once heard someone say redheads were God’s chosen people, so I assume that goes for cats too.
Now, do you remember? Yes, I am a cat––Detective Toby. I solved a crime about six months ago when Jack’s friend went loony and kidnapped his own kids. I saw through him right from the beginning; Jack didn’t. If it hadn’t been for me, goodness knows what would have happened to those kids. I was a hero, and everyone was grateful to me. The police department awarded me with a framed certificate, which certified I was a ‘Class-A Detective.’ I was told I was welcome any time down at the police station, which I take full advantage of every time Jack visits the captain, Bryce Wagner.
There have been a lot of changes in the past six months. Jack renovated the back door. I now have my own special cat door so I can come and go from the house as I please. Jack figured if another crime needed investigating, I wouldn’t have to wait for someone to open the door to get out and about detectiving if I had my own. There have also been some significant changes on the street. The old gym that used to be owned by Mardy Hampton was sold, and the new owners tore down the old building and are constructing a new one. I heard Jack say they were hoping to have it up and running by early spring. Jack has been talking about getting out of the neighbourhood for a time because he can’t sleep well with all the banging going on. Personally, I can sleep through most anything, but the 24-hour noise is starting to get to me, too.
At first, I thought Jack was going to move us completely out of the neighbourhood, but was relieved when I saw him just packing for a camping trip in his old campervan. I knew he wouldn’t leave me behind since I accompanied him most places now. I won’t bore you with the details of our month-long excursion through Northern Ontario because it isn’t relevant to the story that is going to unfold in the pages to follow.
Enough introductions. You know who I am now and you will be hearing more from me as the story of what happened during the summer of 2009 on the street where I live unfolds.
C.M. (Amazon Review) –
C. M.
5.0 out of 5 stars From a cat’s perspective…
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on January 11, 2020
I had the pleasure of meeting this author and loved that she set her mystery book with her hometown as a feature in the book series. Also being from that town, I really enjoyed that. As for the characters and the story itself, loved them both! I especially loved the twist of a big orange tabby cat as the prime detective. His voice put a new perspective on solving the mystery that was quite interesting to read. I would highly recommend this and Mary’s two other books in this series.
Amazon Reviewers –
5.0 out of 5 stars Are You Listening to Me? A Detective Toby Mystery
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on August 20, 2019
Combine an overweight orange tabby cat who thinks he’s a detective with a paranoid/delusional serial killer and we have the beginnings of great cozy mystery set in a small city in Ontario. I love the way we always know what Toby, the cat, is thinking – his thoughts in italics – and that he takes an instant dislike to the killer who moves in next door. Toby’s biggest problem is not knowing who is committing the crimes, but how to get humans to the crime scene in time to save another victim. A fast, pleasant read with a real twist at the end!
legomaniac (Amazon review) –
5.0 out of 5 stars The first in the cozy mystery series where the detective is the cat
Reviewed in Canada 🇨🇦 on September 15, 2019
There was nothing not to love about this book. It is set in a local town where I live, and features a smart, fast-thinking tomcat, Toby, who lives with a retired cop. Once his belly is full, Toby has a nose for sniffing out the bad guys, and he always gets them…one way or another!