Review of The Opium Equation: A Cat Enright Mystery

The Opium Equation: A Cat Enright Mystery by Lisa Wysocky is a cozy mystery that kept me company several evenings after a long day at work. Cat Enright owns her own stable and boasts some of the biggest local celebrities as her clients. A dispute with Glenda, the retired movie star gets everyone's feathers ruffled. Cat goes to Glenda's house to confront her one more time, only to find the diva dead in the fireplace. At the same time, Bubba, the son of the local competition, has come up missing. Cat finds herself in some hot water thanks to her connection to both victims and attempts to solve both of their mysteries on her own.


Cat is a great character. She comes from a troubled past and has worked hard to build herself up to where she is today. She is a firm believer in caring for other people, especially when no one else is doing it. She tells her story in first-person, which really allows you to get inside her head and to see the action unfold as she sees it. I enjoyed putting the pieces together as she collected them. When the final resolution comes into play, I wasn't surprised, yet didn't have that person pegged as early on as I would have in other books. Short chapters allow for easy reading for busy people, but do not leave the book choppy. Everything flows nicely.

An interesting aspect of the book is how it teaches readers about horses. At the end of several chapters, Cat gives one of her horse tips. Each one is somehow related to something that has just happened involving one of the horses. Lisa Wysocky's love for horses is obvious through her character of Cat. The horses come into play just as much as some of the human characters.

I really enjoyed reading this book and hope that Lisa has some more adventures for Cat coming up for us soon!



As a tour host, I received a complimentary copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.