For all of you cat lovers out there comes The Cat That God Sent by Jim Kraus, author of The Dog That Talked to God, reviewed earlier on this blog. Kraus has spent twenty years as a vice president of a major Christian publishing house. He and his family live outside of Chicago with a sweet miniature Schnauzer and an ill-tempered Siberian cat (who apparently is nothing like the cat featured in this book).

About this book: Disillusioned young pastor, Jake Wilkerson, has just arrived at his new assignment in the small rural church of Coudersport, Pennsylvania. Also new on the scene is Petey, a cat of unknown origins and breed—but of great perception.

As Jake sets about doing the business of ministry, Petey’s continued interference brings chaos to the community of curiously off and eccentric people—residents like the faith-avoiding veterinarian Sally Grainger and Tassy, a young runaway with a secret. An expert at hiding his fears, Jake wonders if all this—and the cat to boot—is more than he can handle. What is Petey’s real “mission”? Perhaps something larger than Jake—or even Petey—can possibly know.

Genre: Fiction/Christian

Why did I read this book? For Litfuse Publicity to review.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

My take: Honestly, I liked this novel’s predecessor more than I did this one, and I don’t believe it’s just because I’m a bigger dog person than cat person. This book didn’t have quite the same zest as number one–certainly not the same snappy tone. The story would benefit with some faster pacing, and often the internal monologue interspersed with narrative felt clunky. The novel also included some distracting head-hopping (shifts in point of view within the same scene). What I did like, however, was the general premise, and I especially liked the way Petey’s ultimate mission was at last revealed. I also resonated with the insights into Emma’s actions at the end of the book, which required real understanding of human motivation.

Thanks to Litfuse Publicity and Abingdon Press for providing me a copy to review. All opinions are mine.

Check out what other reviewers are saying here. You can also visit Jim Kraus online at  www.jimkraus.com.