REVIEW: TRAP, NEUTER, DIE by Sharon Marchisello

A DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery Series: 1
Publication Date: November 5, 2024

DeeLo Myer, newly transplanted from Los Angeles to Pecan Point, Georgia, gets sentenced to forty hours of community service with the local humane society. She’s paired with the judgmental Catherine Foster, a Trap-Neuter-Vaccinate-Return (TNVR) guru who prefers feral cats to people. During DeeLo’s first night on duty, she and Catherine are led by a cat to the strangled body of a local bookstore owner.

The cop who investigates seems less concerned with solving a homicide than with Catherine’s violation of an antiquated animal ordinance rendering TNVR illegal. The following evening, when he arrests Catherine for violating the said ordinance, and then holds her as a suspect in the murder, DeeLo vows to prove Catherine’s innocence and get the ridiculous law changed. How hard could it be? She enlists her boyfriend/boss and the resources of his law office. Her quest for justice and legislative change leads her to high-profile members of the community, some of whom have motives for murder.

Author Sharon Marchisello’s first book in her new DeeLo Myer Cat Rescue Mystery Series, Trap, Neuter, Die, describes more about TNR (Trap Neuter Release), which is essential for feral colonies so that the cat population doesn’t skyrocket out of control. The lead character,

Delore’s nickname, Deelo, is such a clever nickname, and I also appreciated Delores. I think her character is relatable to most women. I thought she was funny, level-headed, and caring. She got really good at trapping and caring for cats. She also became passionate about humanely caring for cats and creating change in the laws to ensure the safety and well-being of cats and the humans who want to help care for them.  She’s a badass, in my opinion.

At first, I didn’t like the secondary character, Catherine. She was mean, judgmental, and ill-tempered. Her character, however, grew on me, and I began to like her as the book progressed. She’s passionate about animals and cats and wants to protect them. Catherine seems to prefer the company of cats more than humans, which I can sometimes relate to.

I also liked reading about the cat characters and the funny antics they did to keep the humans caring for them on their toes.

As a cat-lover, Trap, Neuter, Die will satisfy the most ardent fellow ailurophiles and provide an enjoyable, cozy mystery.

Sharon Marchisello is the author of the DeeLo Myer cozy mystery series from Level Best Books, starting with Trap, Neuter, Die (2024). Her two previous mysteries were published by Sunbury Press: Going Home (2014) and Secrets of the Galapagos (2019). She is an active member of Sisters in Crime. She contributed short stories to the anthologies Shhhh…Murder! (Darkhouse Books, 2018) Finally Home (Bienvenue Press, 2019) and Smoking Guns (Wildside Press, 2024). Her personal finance book Live Well, Grow Wealth (2018) was originally published as Live Cheaply, Be Happy, Grow Wealthy, an e-book on Smashwords. Sharon has published travel articles, book reviews, corporate training manuals, and a personal finance blog called Countdown to Financial Fitness. She grew up in Tyler, Texas, and earned her Bachelor of Arts from the University of Houston in French and English. She studied for a year in Tours, France, on a Rotary scholarship and then moved to Los Angeles to pursue her Masters in Professional Writing at the University of Southern California. Retired from a 27-year career with Delta Air Lines, she lives in Peachtree City, Georgia, doing volunteer work for the Fayette Humane Society, the Fayette County Master Gardeners UGA Extension, and the Friends of the Peachtree City Library.