Hiding in the Pages: The Case of the Crafty Christmas Crooks by Cindy Vincent {Blog Tour Spotlight and Giveaway}

Series: Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Caper
Genre: Christian, Children's, Cat-themed Mystery, Suspense
Publisher: Whodunit Press
Publication date: October 11, 2013
Number of pages: 178

Buckley and Bogey, Cat Detectives, find their next case hits a little too close to home. Because someone has been breaking into houses and stealing all the Christmas presents! And the first two robberies even took place in their very own neighborhood. Holy Catnip! Of course, the boys leap in on all fours to investigate right away. Then it isn't long before they realize they are dealing with some real criminal masterminds, since these burglars know exactly how to cover their tracks. Plus, the crooks have the whole town of St. Gertrude on edge and they're threatening to ruin Christmas for everyone.

But figuring out the identity of the Christmas Crooks isn't the only mystery around. After all, Buckley had just been adopted from the cat shelter this year, and this was the first he'd ever heard about Christmas. And he quickly finds out there is a lot to learn! From Christmas trees to Santa Claus, and jingle bells to the birth of baby Jesus, the real meaning of Christmas is a mystery to him. But he and Bogey can't really enjoy any of it until the Christmas Crooks are caught. That's because it becomes very clear, very quick — these Christmas Crooks have set their sights on the boys' house, too! And the burglars are headed straight for their door. Holy Mackerel!

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Cindy Vincent, M.A. Ed., is the award-winning author of the Buckley and Bogey Cat Detective Capers, a mystery series for kids and cat-lovers that features the adventures of two black cat detectives. And yes, as she is often asked, Cindy used her own black cats, Buckley and Bogey, as the inspiration for the series, since they seem to run surveillance on her house each and every night. Cindy is also the creator of the Mysteries by Vincent murder mystery party games and the Daisy Diamond Detective Series games for girls, along with the Daisy Diamond Detective novels, which are a spin-off from the games. She lives in Houston, TX with her husband and an assortment of fantastic felines. Cindy is a self-professed “Christmas-a-holic,” and usually starts planning and preparing in March for her ever-expanding, “extreme” Christmas lights display every year . . .

Favorite quote: Jeremiah 29:11. 11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
Favorite book: (Right after the Bible,) How to Murder the Man of Your Dreams, by Dorothy Cannell. So, so funny . . .
Favorite dessert: Chocolate Molten Lava Cake. ‘Nuff said.
Favorite flower: Roses, red or bright pink.
Favorite season: This is a hard question to answer, since I absolutely enjoy all the seasons. But I guess I’d have to say Summer, which is sort of crazy, since I live in Houston and our climate is pretty much like that of Calcutta. Even so, I absolutely love floating around my pool, and I love the laid-back, lazy attitude of Summer. I always consider it the perfect time of year. I write in the morning, then take a little swim, and write in the afternoon. Then we might barbeque something for dinner, and finally, I might go swimming before bedtime, with the moon and the stars out. Perfect.
Favorite movie: Casablanca.
Favorite place to visit: Gallatin Canyon in Montana. There is just nothing more majestic than the road between West Yellowstone and Bozeman.
Favorite Restaurant: Pappas Seafood, near me. I’ve never had a bad meal there. Yum. I get hungry just thinking about the place!!
Favorite author: Dorothy Cannell
Favorite holiday: Christmas, which in my household begins with decorating in October and lasts until late January. I put up three different Christmas trees. But here in August, if you were to look close enough, you’d see my Swarovski ornaments are still hanging around . . . And I have a few “minor” trees up all year long.

Holy Mackerel! I could hardly believe my eyes. There I was, sitting at the top of the stairs with my best friend and brother, Bogart, or “Bogey” for short. We were peeking out between the spindles of the staircase. That meant we had a perfect view of what was going on just below us. Of course, since we’re both cat detectives, we were ready to jump into action at a moment's notice. And believe me, judging from what we saw below, we figured we'd have to spring into action at any second! So we sat in a crouched position, and our keen cat eyes took in every movement.
Though to tell you the truth, I guess I was really the only one in a crouched position. And well, I was probably the only one whose eyes were watching every movement. Actually, Bogey was kind of lolling on his side with his eyes closed. He opened them just enough to help himself to a cat treat from a foil pouch. He passed one to me and then closed his eyes again.
But I, Buckley Bergdorf, was almost too nervous to eat the fish-flavored treat. My heart was racing, and I'm sure my long, black fur was standing on end.
I couldn't believe that Bogey wasn't even the least bit worried. Then again, he was a professional when it came to being a cat detective. He'd been in the business for years, ever since he'd been adopted from the cat shelter. As for me, I was barely more than a rookie. In fact, I'd really only solved a few cases so far. Thankfully, I had Bogey to lean on to help me learn the job. He'd been teaching me everything he knew about the cat detective business.
And believe me, there was a lot to learn! But I was happy to have the job and happy to help out my family. Especially since I didn't even have a family for a while.
I still remember the day when my human Mom adopted me and brought me home from the cat shelter. Bogey took me under his paw right away, and I’ve been grateful for it ever since. After all, I’d once been out on the mean streets with nothing to eat. Now I have a home with plenty of food, and people and cats who love me. Plus I have the best big brother in the world.
I jumped when a loud whump suddenly echoed up to us. I noticed yet another box had appeared in the hallway below.
I gulped. "Aren't you scared?" I asked Bogey.
He grabbed another cat treat. "Nope, kid. I've seen this kind of thing before. It happens every year."
It did?