Murder by Death

Not a bad start for a new series.  Nothing really new here, but the characters are fleshed out and likeable, the setting vividly created and the plot was unbelievably twisted (in more ways than one) and labyrinthine.  I wasn't entirely clear what was going on until the end and even then I'd have liked to have known a few more details.

Artist Annabelle Britton decides to visit her best friend in the seaside town of Portsmouth, New Hampshire. But when she stumbles upon a smoky gray cat named Alastair, and follows him into a charming cottage, Annabelle finds herself in a whole spellbook full of trouble.

Soon, the mystery surrounding Alistair’s former owner, who died under unusual circumstances, grows when another local turns up dead. Armed with magic, friends, and the charmed cat who adopted her, Annabelle sets out to paw through the evidence and uncover a killer.

Alastair is awesome; in spite of his obvious magic, he still just acts like a cat.  There isn't a moment of romance in this book, but the author is obviously toying with a stupid love triangle, which diminished my appreciation for the story, but I'll definitely read the next book and see what happens next.