Reader's Review: "What The Chat Dragged In" by Cyn Mackley

Synopsis from Amazon:

A romantic suspense story balanced on the point of a knife.

FBI Special Agent Martha Garrett spent her career protecting children from predators, but one night she saw something so awful that it broke her mind and her spirit.

Starting a new job and a new life, she’s found a kindred soul in Seth Christopher, a man who photographs flags, daisies, and food for a living and spends his time creating recipes for his food blog. Her tattooed, handsome soulmate is ready to whisk her away to a dream house in the Texas Hill Country, but unspeakable childhood abuse has left him with scars of his own and a dark side he warns Martha she never wants to see.

But the past refuses to leave them alone. When child predators that escaped justice start to die, cops think there's a vigilante at work settling her old scores. Now, Martha has hard questions to ask about herself and her newfound love.

With her name at the top of the suspect list, can Martha stop the killing before it destroys her second chance?

>>>>>>>>>>>

My Review:

Well, this one was different than I was expecting, for sure! I picked it up because Cyn Mackley is an excellent "cozy" author, I really enjoyed her Goode-Grace mystery series. I figured this one was going to be a bit like that, except from the perspective of a federal agent who specializes in sussing out pedophiles in chat rooms and whatever. I was all set for a gripping mystery, sudden plot twists, and high peril all the way.

What I got was more of an emotional journey than a physical thriller. What The Chat Dragged In kind of flips the usual emphasis of cozy mysteries. The crime itself and the investigation becomes almost a backdrop to the budding romance and the personal journeys of the two individual characters, Martha (the Fed) and Seth, a food blogger who seems to have his own past trauma that keeps coming back to haunt him. After a particularly harrowing case that results in a mental breakdown, Martha needs to find ways to relax and take it easy, and at the behest of a couple trusted friends, starts the process of healing and mending by pursuing a relationship with Seth.

I suppose it was partially due to the fact that I was expecting something like the relationship between Trinity Goode and Bobby Grace that I found Martha and Seth's relationship a little bit uninteresting, and at times uncomfortable. She may be "retired" in a way, but Martha still finds herself digging into different unsavory characters in between speaking engagements where she can share her skills and explain her processes to other law enforcement groups--and especially when she meets Seth, and learns about the abuse that happened in his past, things kind of converge in crazy ways. Simply based on the title, I thought for sure the cat named Chat would feature more prominently than it did. I kept waiting for a scene where Martha's conversation with a prospective criminal might dredge something up, or Chat would physically drag something in that would launch an investigation... but no dice.

But in spite of the disappointments, I will say that Mackley does not fail when it comes to the food references in her books, nor the sweet, sultry, slow-burn romance that builds between characters! Seth's occupation as a photographer and food blogger provides ample opportunity for him to cook up dish after dish of tantalizing food for Martha's enjoyment. Their bonding over that aspect in particular is very sweet and endearing, a sort of "oasis" in the midst of the chaos that is the rest of their lives. I do acknowledge that this feels like more of the main thrust of the story rather than any kind of mystery: Martha's and Seth's own journey through healing and recovery, and the way they support each other in it, and the threat of the way their own pitfalls could drag each other down if they're not careful. The criminals are suitably reprehensible, and the community surrounding both characters is unique and relatable, and provide their own breeds of "setbacks" as well as support that both Martha and Seth need at varying times.

On the whole, I'd rank What The Chat Dragged In with a fairly-decent ****4 STAR**** rating. There wasn't much in the way of an actual antagonist (more like the past abuse and psychological trauma is the villain in this piece!) and thus not a whole lot in the way of a linear plot with clear trajectory and a satisfactory resolution, but honestly, the food references were great, the characters are awesome, and I do think a story like this could speak volumes to readers who can relate to the trauma. Mackley does an excellent job crafting a sympathetic story that lets every reader find themselves in the story. Despite it not going the way I expected, this book goes to show that when the reader can relate to the experiences of the main character, the message comes through loud and clear, "You are seen. You are heard. You are not alone." And that's the best kind of cozy fiction of all.

Further Reading: (Also By The Author/Clean Romance/Thrilling Mysteries/Cunning Conspiracies)

The Goode-Grace Mysteries--Cyn Mackley
       -American Goth 
       -A Maze And Grace

The Painter Place Saga--Pamela Poole
       -Painter Place 
       -Hugo 

The LouisiAngel Series--C. L. Coffey
        -Angel in Training 
        -Angel Eclipsed 
        -Angel Tormented

The Time Tree Chronicles--Lisa Rae Morris
       -The Emergence

The Red Dog Conspiracy--Patricia Loofbourrow
       -Gutshot (Novellette)

       -The Alcatraz Coup (Novella) 
       -Vulnerable (Short Story) 
       -Jacq of Spades 
       -Queen of Diamonds 
       -Ace of Clubs

The Jill Andersen Series--J. D. Cunegan
       -Bounty 
       -Blood Ties 
       -Behind the Badge 
       -Behind The Mask