**The Suspicions of Mr Whisker** by Mandy Morton ~ Book Reviews with Amber ~ The Cat Book Connoisseur at The Mewton-Clawson Library ~ #353 ~ **PLUS** Friendly Fill-Ins

This review of The Suspicions of Mr Whisker by Mandy Morton is part of Book Reviews with Amber, the Cat Book Connoisseur at the Mewton-Clawson Library. Scroll to read.

The world’s leading feline literary critic

From the shelves of the Mewton-Clawson Library, a curated review destination for cat-centric fiction at BionicBasil.com

✨ This Week’s Intro ~ 100% Stability, 110% Calm, 100% Blissfully Uneventful ✨

Hello, my gorgeous library guests

and

Welcome back to the Mewton‑Clawson Library at BBHQ.

I am delighted to report that the library continues to bask in a state of deep, uninterrupted calm. Yes, my dahlings, another week of serenity, smooth operations, with absolutely no signs of temporal mayhem. It’s almost as if the library has collectively decided to take a long, luxurious exhale.

The shelves remain purrfectly aligned.

The books are lounging contentedly in their proper places.

The mice are gliding about with quiet efficiency.

Even the encyclopaedias have settled into a gentle, harmonious hum that could lull a kitten to sleep.

And the best part?

Melvyn is still calm.

Not “trying to be calm.”

Not “calm but suspicious.”

Just… calm.

It’s a miracle, truly.

📚 A Morning of Gentle, Uncomplicated Normality

Me: “Melvyn, sweetie, isn’t this lovely? Another peaceful morning.”

Melvyn: “It really is. I made tea without checking for anomalies first.”

Me: “That’s progress.”

Melvyn: “The stapler didn’t even twitch at me.”

Me: “It’s embracing stillness.”

Melvyn: “And the thesaurus sent me a second thank‑mew note.”

Me: “How considerate.”

Melvyn: “It only used one synonym this time.”

Me: “That’s emotional control.”

Melvyn: “Amber… I think I’m getting used to this.”

Me: “Sweetie, that’s wonderful.”

Melvyn: “I even left my clipboard in the office.”

Me: “Living dangerously, I see.”

Melvyn: “What’s on the schedule today?”

Me: “A gentle stretch, a cup of catnip tea, and possibly a nap.”

Melvyn: “Meditation?”

Me: “Yes. Want to join me? I have an extra supurr comfy cushion.”

Melvyn: "YES!"

📚 General Library Status Update

Happy mice

Happy vibe

Happy everything

Happy thesaurus (it is now practising gratitude journaling on Level Six)

In short:

The library is calm.

Deeply calm.

Blissfully calm.

And honestly? I’m luxuriating in every second.

So, my meowvellous library guests, if mew notice the soft hush of contented bookshelves and the gentle patter of mice who have fully embraced inner peace, rest assured, this is still the correct version of the library.

Almost certainly.

Now, let’s begin my grand finale travelogue feature before Melvyn decides that being relaxed requires a formal schedule and Oswald starts offering “mindful cheese appreciation sessions” to celebrate the quiet.

🌅 Amber’s Egyptian Adventure #17: Lotus Dawn at Esna

(Where the Columns Rise, the Colours Glow, and the Dawn Pauses Politely for a Cat)

Location: The Temple of Khnum at Esna, a newly restored celestial sanctuary where lotus‑topped columns soar skyward, painted ceilings shimmer with blues and golds, and the morning light spills across sandstone like liquid honey.

Time: Sunrise, when the world is hushed, the colours are soft, and the temple glows with the kind of gentle radiance that flatters even the most discerning feline.

Dahlings, this week in my very last Egyptian adventure, I ventured to Esna, a temple so luminous it felt like stepping into the sky itself. The freshly restored ceilings gleamed with constellations, lotus blooms, and celestial blues so vivid they made my whiskers tingle. Naturally, I arrived exactly at dawn, because if the sun is going to rise, it may as well rise on me.

The first rays of light spilled across the courtyard, catching the painted columns and turning them into glowing pillars of pink, gold, and soft blue. I paused dramatically beneath one of the lotus capitals, tail elegantly curved, and announced:

“I, Amber, have arrived. Please ensure the dawn behaves accordingly.”

For this outing, I wore a sunrise‑pink linen wrap, soft and flowing like the early morning sky, cinched with a delicate gold clasp. Around my neck shimmered a lotus‑petal collar in pale blues and greens, each petal outlined in gold. And atop my head? A ram‑horn crown inspired by Khnum himself, accented with a tiny lotus bloom, serene, celestial, and utterly furbulous.

Inside, the temple’s astronomical ceiling stretched above me like a painted night sky, stars and symbols swirling in deep lapis blue. I gazed upward and whispered:

“Dahling, this is the one ceiling worthy of my presence.”

Then I padded into a quiet corner of the hypostyle hall and sipped my Lotus Dawn Cooler, a refreshing blend of blue lotus, rosewater, catmint, with a twist of citrus. As the flavours danced across my tongue, I murmured:

“A sunrise mew can drink… finally.”

The columns glowed as the sun climbed higher, each one carved with ancient stories and divine artistry. I walked serenely between them, letting the gentle light frame me like a living hieroglyph. The air carried the scent of incense and river breeze, and for a moment, I felt like the goddess of dawn, serenity, and impeccable fashion.

Esna may honour Khnum, but today it honoured me, a feline of elegance, cosmic calm, and just enough sparkle to make the morning jealous.

🌸 My Dawn‑Approved Essentials Included:

🌸 A Lotus Dawn Cooler, floral, refreshing, and delicately divine

📜 A scroll of astronomical symbols, annotated with my paw‑written note: “I look excellent under stars.”

👑 A ram‑horn crown, serene enough for Khnum, stylish enough for me

🐾 A sunrise‑pink linen wrap, ideal for glowing dramatically in early light

Mood: Serene, celestial, and softly radiant (with one ear tuned to the breeze, just in case it tried to ruffle my wrap)

Quote of the Day: “At Esna, the dawn rises for everyone… but it pauses for me.”

✨ Next week, I may share something really extraordinary with mew, but I have to get Basil's clearance first! MOL ✨

The P.A. is also joining in Friday Fill-ins Blog Hop with the pawesome 15 & Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs.

1. My favorite kind of pie is _________________.

2. I will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by __________________.

3. I was correct when I predicted that _________.

4. I didn’t see _________ coming.

The P.A.'s answers are...

1. My favourite kind of pie is blackberry and apple pie with custard. It's nice with vanilla ice cream, but custard is the winner.

 

2. I will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by __________________. We don't really celebrate St Paddy's in the U.K., but the B Team always joins in the fun, here on the blog. And yes, there will be a new Brain Training post for Monday.

3. I was correct when I predicted that _________. Too many to mention, and you know, being right, sometimes is not a good thing ...

4. I didn’t see what an unrecognisable place the UK would turn into coming. This glorious green island of historic epicness is no longer a place I recognise. But then that could be just me, I'm much older, the world and technology have changed so much in such a short space of time. Throughout history, those technological jumps, advances and transitions took decades to come to fruition; in our lives, a few short years. Take me back to the 80s, 90s and early 2000s. 

Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!

Mewton-Clawson Library Copy 

The Suspicions of Mr Whisker

The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency Book 5 

by  

Mandy Morton

 

Today I'm back with the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, as it's been a while since I dipped my paw into this furbulous series.  

If mew missed any of my previous reviews, here are the links to catch up:

The No 2 Feline Detective Agency BK 1

Cat Among The Pumpkins BK 2 

The Death of Downton Tabby BK 3

The Ghost of Christmas Paws BK 4

The Michaelmas Murders BK 5 

Magical Mystery Paws BK 6

Beyond The Gravy BK 7 

The Ice Maid's Tail  BK 8 

A Pocket Full of Pie BK 9 

The Cat and The Pendulum BK 10 

The Windmill Murders BK 11 

Murder on The Santa Paws Express BK 12  ~ Coming Catmas 2026

>^.^< 

📚 This Week’s Paw‑Approved Top Pick: The Suspicions of Mr Whisker 

Dahlings, sharpen your claws and straighten your whiskers, because this week’s mystery takes us to a place so dramatic, so chaotic, so utterly riddled with secrets that even I had to pause mid‑groom. Yes, we’re heading to Mr Whisker’s Academy for Wayward Cats, where the curriculum includes scandal, suspicion, and a body count that rises faster than a startled tail.

❓ What’s the Vibe?

Think Agatha Christie, but with more fur, more cattitude, and significantly better fur and tail grooming standards.

A boarding school full of eccentric felines, a string of mysterious deaths, and two detectives who know exactly how to navigate a corridor of chaos.

It’s quirky, darkly funny, and delightfully bonkers, in the best possible way. Just my vibe. 

🐾 What’s the Story? 

Hettie Bagshot and Tilly Jenkins, the fearless duo of the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency, are summoned to investigate a series of suspicious deaths at Mr Whisker’s Academy.

Before Tilly can even open her notebook, the hockey mistress is brutally murdered on the playing field. (Honestly, sports are dangerous. This is why I avoid them at all costs.) 

From there, the claws come out: 

🙀Did Pomadora Moseley really murder her entire family on a rollercoaster at Butlins?

🎶Why is Clara Toddlebury’s Country Dance Class suddenly under threat?

📚And why does Mr Whisker lock himself in his study like a cat with something to hide? 

As the body count rises, Hettie and Tilly must navigate a school full of secrets, scandals, and suspicious staff members, all while keeping their wits sharp and their fur unruffled.

⚔️ What I Loved 

😼 Hettie & Tilly: A brilliant, balanced duo, sharp, determined, and endlessly entertaining. Their banter alone is worth the read.  

🏫 The Academy Setting: A deliciously atmospheric feline boarding school full of oddballs, gossip, and danger. Think St Trinian's, but with more hairballs and homicide.

🔍 The Mystery: Twisty, clever, and packed with red herrings. Every chapter adds another layer of intrigue.

🍰 The Butters’ Pie Filling: Dahlings, I won’t spoil it, but it’s a subplot that had me purring with delight.

😹 The Humour: Dry, witty, and purrfectly feline. Mandy Morton understands cats on a spiritual level.

📖 Final Thoughts

This is a wonderfully eccentric, darkly whimsical mystery that blends cosy crime with feline absurdity in the most entertaining way. The setting is rich, the characters are vivid, and the mystery keeps mew guessing right to the end.

If mew adore quirky cat‑centric mysteries with oodles of purrsonality, charm, and a dash of chaos, this is a must‑read.

🪄 Summed Up in One Sentence

🐾 A gloriously bonkers feline whodunit where every cat has a secret and the detectives have their paws full. 🐾

Another Top Paw Read! 

Paperback:  220 pages

Audio:  6 hours 29 mins

My Rating Scale

Ratings of:

The Suspicions of Mr Whisker

Overall Enjoyment

Other Fun Blog Hops to Join in Today

          Brian's Home   Catblogosphere    Feline Friday   Nature Friday    Flashback Friday   Friendship Friday          

I really hope mew enjoy the book if mew choose to read it.

It's time for me to say BFN or bye-for-now as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time, and I'll be back next week with another specially paw-picked book just for mew, and don't forget that all my previous reviews can be found on my Book Review page.

Until next time...

Keep calm and read more books

Amber 

The Cat Book Connoisseur

&

The world’s leading feline literary critic

Follow us @BionicBasil® on Instacat

Don't furget to subscribe and never miss another review! 

Copyright Notice

© [2026] BionicBasil®. All Rights Reserved. No part of this post, characters, or lore may be reproduced, scraped, or rewritten in any form (including AI) without express written permission

 graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com 

**CATMAS EDITION!** Book Reviews with Amber at The Mewton-Clawson Library #342 featuring **The Michaelmas Murders** by Mandy Morton **PLUS** Friendly Fill-Ins & Photo fails Blog Hops

Hello, Pawesome Library furiends

and

Welcome to the Mewton-Clawson Library at BBHQ

Many thanks for joining me in the stacks again, and as mew know I don't usually review over Catmas, but because I missed one the other week, I thought it was only fair that I caught up and put the review programme back on schedule, heading into 2026.

Well, my gorgeous library guests, if mew thought last week was a catastrophe of cocktails and chakras, wait till mew hear what happened at BBHQ in the run‑up to Catmas.

The P.A. is still recovering from the flu (honestly, the timing), and the library mice have now declared themselves “essential seasonal staff”, which apparently means they’re exempt from all regular duties. When I asked why the shelves hadn’t been dusted, they squeaked something about “urgent tinsel logistics” and “cranberry‑scented candle testing.” Lumi even wore a tiny hard hat and carried a clipboard. I was too baffled to argue.

Meanwhile, the Mewton-Clawson Library has been transformed into what can only be described as a festive explosion. There’s glitter in the card catalogue, baubles in the biography section, and somepawdy... I’m looking at mew, Fudge... hung mistletoe over the emergency exit. Ardvaar, the Health & Safety Officer, nearly fainted.

As for me? Oh, I was very busy with Catmas prep, thank mew for asking. (I'll give my full Catmas update on next Friday's post!)

I’ve been:

taste‑testing the nip‑nog (for quality control, obviously)

supervising the mice’s “Nutcracker Rehearsals” (they’re terrible, but enthusiastic)

selecting the purrfect outfit for the BBHQ Catmas Pawty (sequins, velvet, and enough sparkle to blind a small deity)

and I wrote my annual “Dear Santa Paws” letter, which is six pages long and includes diagrams, pictures and a huge list of books for 2026

I even attempted to wrap presents, but after getting tangled in tape, ribbon, and a rogue roll of festive paper, I decided delegation was the true spirit of leadership. The library mice are now in charge of wrapping, they love it. They’re using far too much tape, but morale is exceptionally high and festive.

So yes, dahlings, between the glitter, the chaos, and the mice forming a union called “The Festive Furries,” it’s been quite the week. But don’t worry, I always land on my paws… even if they’re covered in gold wrapping paper and cookie crumbs.

🏛 My Egyptian Adventure #9: Catacombs, Curiosity & Cocktail Masquerades 🐾

Location: The Catacombs of Kom El‑Shoqafa, Alexandria... a labyrinth of ancient chambers carved deep into the earth, where Roman elegance meets Egyptian mystique

Time: Nightfall, when lantern‑light flickers on stone reliefs and shadows dance like masked guests at a secret gala

Dahlings, tonight I descended from the glittering world above into the cool, echoing depths of Alexandria’s most mysterious marvel: the Catacombs of Kom El‑Shoqafa. My paws clicked delicately on the spiral staircase... all 99 steps of it... as I spiralled down into a world where history lounges in the half‑light like a sphinx with secrets to tell.

“Ah,” I purred, “finally, a venue worthy of a masquerade.”

I arrived draped in a flowing robe of obsidian silk, embroidered with tiny gold ankhs that shimmered with every swish of my tail. My mask? A dazzling Bastet‑inspired creation of black lacquer and gold filigree, because if one is attending an underground soirée among the departed, one must look divine.

The air was cool and earthy, tinged with centuries of silence. As torchlight flickered across carvings of serpents, falcons, and hybrid deities, I sipped a Kom El‑Cosmo Masquerade Catnip Martini, garnished with a twist of candied lotus root, and whispered, “Amber, mew are the mystery.”

The statues didn’t blink, but I swear one of the sphinxes smirked.

My Evening Essentials Included:

🌙 A moonlit lantern trimmed with blue glass, casting dramatic shadows at all the right moments

🍸 A Kom El‑Cosmo Catnip Martini, shaken with hibiscus, honey, and a whisper of ancient intrigue, garnished with candied lotus root

📜 A map of the catacombs, annotated with my paw‑written notes (“Lovely fusion of Egyptian and Roman styles, dahling... very avant‑garde for the 2nd century”)

🐾 A feathered fan in midnight black, fluttered strategically whenever a draft threatened my whiskers

I wandered through the chambers... the Hall of Caracalla, the banquet room carved entirely from stone, the niches where ancient families once gathered, each space glowing with the soft warmth of lantern‑light. The blend of Egyptian symbolism and Roman artistry was breathtaking, but naturally, I remained composed.

After all, I am Amber, head librarian of BBHQ, and I, too, am a fusion of elegance, history, and cocktails.

The catacombs may hold echoes of rituals and forgotten feasts, but tonight they held me: a cat of legend, gliding through ancient halls, sipping martinis, and turning a subterranean necropolis into the hottest masquerade in Alexandria.

Mood: Enigmatic, glamorous, and deliciously dramatic (but only because my mask sparkled brighter than the torchlight)

Quote of the Day: “Some mysteries lie in shadows, dahling... others walk in on velvet paws.”

✨ Next week, prepare your whiskers, I’m taking mew somewhere windswept, wondrous, and worthy of a queen. Think ruins, revelations, and cocktails with a catnip citrus twist. 😸🌬️

Today, the P.A. is also joining in Friday Fill-ins Blog Hop with the pawesome 15 & Meowing and Four-Legged Furballs.

1. The best part of 2025 was _____________________.

2. My focus word for 2026 is ________________________.

3. I always _________ in the days after Christmas.

4. I’ve had enough _________ to last a lifetime.

The P.A.'s answers are...

1. The best part of 2025 (latterly) was finally feeling like myself again. It was a quiet kind of homecoming I didn’t even realise I’d been waiting for, after five years of menopause mayhem!

2. My focus word for 2026 is ease. I’m choosing to move through the year with a softer, steadier kind of energy.

3. I always forget what day it is in the days after Christmas. Every day feels like a Sunday!  By the way, what day is it today? LOL

4. I’ve had enough obligation‑energy to last a lifetime. I’m ready to choose what feels genuine instead of what feels expected.

And as yesterday was the last Friyay of 2025, we're also joining in the furrbulous...

So do drop by marvellous Mudpie's blog at www.mochasmysteriesmeows.com to join in.

Dahlings, today I present a photo‑fail from June 2018, capturing me in a moment of dramatic repose, some might say “stuck,” but I prefer “awaiting royal assistance.” The P.A. scooped me up like the queen I am.

I wasn’t stuck… I was just simply summoning service! MOL

Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!

Mewton-Clawson Library Copy

The Michaelmas Murders

The No. 2 Feline Detective Agency Book 5

by 

Mandy Morton

Finally, I got to review BOOK FIVE in this epic series! I did have a Catmas book all lined up, which I thought had a cat in it, but sadly it didn't, so today is the day that I can do this one instead.

Here are the previous books in the series that I have reviewed so far:

The No 2 Feline Detective Agency BK 1

Cat Among The Pumpkins BK 2

The Death of Downton Tabby BK 3

The Ghost of Christmas Paws BK 4

The Michaelmas Murders BK 5 - YAY TODAY!!! MOL

Magical Mystery Paws BK 6

Beyond The Gravy BK 7

The Ice Maid's Tail  BK 8

📚 This Week’s Paw‑Approved Top Pick: The Michaelmas Murders

Prepare your whiskers, fluff your tail, and don your tiniest pair of wellington boots, because this week’s read is a cozy feline mystery that proves allotments are far more dangerous than they look. Forget magical libraries, this adventure is all compost heaps, competitive vegetables, and cats with very sharp instincts. MOL

❓ What’s the Genre?

A delightfully quirky, cosy cat‑centric mystery, part of the long‑running No. 2 Feline Detective Agency series. Think classic whodunnit meets village‑green chaos, sprinkled with cattitude, humour, and enough horticultural drama to make even the calmest gardener hiss.

🕵️ What’s the Story?

As the town gears up for its annual flower and produce show, disaster strikes: prize vegetables vanish, a body turns up in an onion patch, and the allotment community is shaking in its boots (and fur). Enter Hettie Bagshot and her loyal sidekick Tilly, the sharp‑eyed sleuths of the No. 2 Feline Detective Agency.

With baronial landowner Fluff Wither‑Fork in a flap and a scarecrow competition under threat, the duo must untangle a web of secrets, sabotage, and suspicious cats before judgment day arrives. Raised beds, raised tempers, and raised fur, this case has it all.

⚔️ What I Loved:

🧅 The Allotment Antics: Vegetable theft, competitive growers, and a corpse among the onions, this is peak cosy chaos. Every patch has a secret, and every gardener has a motive.

🐾 Hettie & Tilly: The purrfect detective duo. Hettie’s no‑nonsense grit pairs beautifully with Tilly’s loyal heart and quiet brilliance. Together, they navigate danger, gossip, and the occasional rogue marrow.

🌾 The Vibes: Imagine Midsomer Murders, but everyone is a cat and the stakes involve both life and prize‑winning produce. It’s charming, eccentric, and full of whisker‑twitching tension.

🎭 The Community Drama: From flustered aristocats to competitive growers who take their carrots far too seriously, the cast is a riot of personalities. Every chapter brings a new suspect, a new secret, or a new reason to laugh.

🌻 The Setting: A lovingly crafted world of sheds, scarecrows, binder twine, and gossip carried on the breeze. Mew can practically smell the compost and hear the distant meow of a cat plotting something suspicious.

📖 My Final Thoughts:

The Michaelmas Murders is a cozy mystery that purrs with humour, bristles with intrigue, and digs deep into the fertile soil of small‑town cattitude. Hettie and Tilly remain endlessly entertaining, and the allotment setting is a fresh, funny backdrop for murder, mayhem, and marrow‑based rivalry.

If mew love feline sleuths, quirky communities, and mysteries that keep your tail curled in anticipation, this instalment is a top‑paw pick! MOL

So grab your blanket, your favourite brew (nip tea, anypawdy?), and settle in for a delightfully muddy, murdery romp through the allotments.

A FURBULOUS READ, AND TOTALLY TOP PAW EDITION TO THE SERIES!

Ideal for readers who enjoy mysteries, mayhem, and stories that last exactly long enough for two naps and a snack break. MOL

Paperback: 288 pages

Audio: 6 hours 40 mins

My Ratings Scale

Ratings of:

The Michaelmas Murders 

Overall Enjoyment

Other Fun Blog Hops to Join Today

          Brian's Home   Catblogosphere    Feline Friday   Nature Friday    Flashback Friday   Friendship Friday      

    

I'm off to prepare for next week's review, as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time!

I always look forward to your company as I share a specially paw-picked book just for my epic readers!

Don't forget, if mew are looking for great books with cats, check out the Book Review page, just click the link here or at the top of the page, as that's the place to visit to get your feline fiction fix.

Happy Mew Year!

See mew in 2026... and don't forget...

Keep calm and read more books

Amber 

Follow me at @BionicBasil® on Instacat

Don't furget to subscribe and never miss another review! 

 graphics created with paid licence www.canva.com