One of the tropes in cozy mysteries is a furry pet, likely a cat or a dog. More often than not, the animal appears on the cover, signaling to the reader that there’s a feel-good story inside about a kind person, and no animals will be harmed. (But a human will probably die.)
Sometimes the animals have magical powers. Sometimes they can talk. Some of them even solve crimes or at least provide essential clues for their human sleuths. But the animals are almost always pets.
My latest mystery, Trap, Neuter, Die, the first in the DeeLo Myer cat rescue mysteries, contains many elements of a traditional cozy: small town, amateur sleuth, clean language. No explicit sex or graphic violence on the page. And there’s an adorable cat on the cover.
But most of the felines in my story are feral cats, not pets. After a traffic infraction, DeeLo is sentenced to community service with a local animal rescue group and assigned to their Trap, Neuter, Vaccinate, Return program (TNVR). TNVR has proven to be the most humane method of controlling the overpopulation of free-roaming cats. The reader learns about how the program works and its benefits along with DeeLo.
However, not everyone likes cats, especially not feral ones, and not everyone agrees that TNVR is a good idea. Some of these cat haters threaten people who feed or otherwise try to improve the lives of feral felines.
On DeeLo’s first night of TNVR duty, she finds the strangled body of a feral cat caretaker and local bookstore owner. Several of the suspects are cat haters who have threatened the victim and the felines.
DeeLo soon learns that the way the county’s animal ordinance is written, the practice of TNVR is illegal. Like many local laws throughout the country, the ordinance in my fictitious Pecan County assumes all cats are pets and thus have owners. Therefore, a rescue volunteer or Good Samaritan who feeds feral cats and/or traps them to be neutered and vaccinated is considered their owner. Pecan County has leash laws and restrictions on the number of “pets” a person can “own.” And, when they release the sterilized cat back to its outdoor home, they are guilty of “animal abandonment.”
Most Pecan County citizens are not aware of the draconian ordinance, and neither the director of Animal Control nor her predecessor have any intention of enforcing it. But one local cop, who has a grudge against DeeLo’s mentor, Catherine Foster, uses the animal abandonment clause to arrest Catherine.
DeeLo is appalled at the law’s stupidity and makes it her mission to get it updated. But the quest for legislative change is harder than she thought it would be. As she seeks allies among Pecan County’s most prominent citizens, she encounters some who might have motives for murder.
Like other cozies, Trap, Neuter, Die actually does feature a pet cat as well as feral felines. DeeLo ends up adopting Manny, the formerly feral cat who lived with the bookstore owner. Manny was the sole witness to his owner’s murder, and, as DeeLo discovers, he’s an excellent judge of character.
Sharon Marchisello is the author of the DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mysteries, beginning with Trap, Neuter, Die (2024) from Level Best Books. The second in the series, Trapped and Tested, is scheduled for a September 2025 release. Her other mysteries were published by Sunbury Press: Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019). Besides novels, Sharon has published short stories in anthologies and online magazines; one was a Derringer finalist. She has written travel articles, training manuals, screenplays, book reviews, and a nonfiction book (Live Well, Grow Wealth - 2018). She earned a Bachelor's degree in French from the University of Houston and a Master's in Professional Writing from the University of Southern California. She is an active member of Sisters in Crime, the Atlanta Writers Club, and the Hometown Novel Writers Association. Retired after 27 years with Delta Air Lines, Sharon now lives in Peachtree City, Georgia. She serves on the boards of the Fayette Humane Society, Hometown Novel Writers Association, and the Friends of the Peachtree City Library.
Website: sharonmarchisello.com
https://www.facebook.com/SLMarchisello
Thanks so much for hosting me today!
My pleasure! Love your new series.
Sounds like a fun series.
That was a fascinating post. It sent me off to try to find out what the laws are regarding TNR in my area. Thank you Debra and Sharon. Also, your book sounds like a great read. I am adding it to my kindle. Mary
Thank you for the opportunity to know Sharon and her books! My TBR keeps growing..