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Call of the Wilde #4

Take the Monkey and Run

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Grace Wilde must use her psychic abilities to track down a pesky primate in the latest Call of the Wilde Mystery.

Grace Wilde is excited to head to New Orleans for her first “real” case as an animal telepath. She intends to help a woman find her missing sister, but when she attempts to communicate with her client’s cat, Coco, Grace gets distracted by the presence of a much wilder animal.

Coco confirms that a mysterious monkey has been swinging around the Big Easy. Grace thinks she might be able to help corral the cheeky Capuchin in addition to solving her case. But things get complicated when she receives a cryptic warning that her client isn’t what she seems. Now it’s up to Grace to separate the truth from the monkey business...

304 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published July 5, 2016

18 people are currently reading
615 people want to read

About the author

Laura Morrigan

8 books222 followers
Spending the first years of her life on a Costa Rican coffee farm blessed Laura Morrigan with a fertile imagination and a love for all things wild. Later she became a volunteer at a Florida zoo, helping out with everything from “waste management” to teaching an elephant how to paint. Drawing from her years of experience with both wild and domestic animals and her passion for detective novels, Laura created the Call of the Wilde series. She lives in Florida with far too many cats, loves the Blue Angels, wearing flip flops in November, and thunderstorms.

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5 stars
227 (43%)
4 stars
215 (40%)
3 stars
72 (13%)
2 stars
8 (1%)
1 star
3 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews
Profile Image for Kirsten .
1,729 reviews292 followers
May 6, 2017
Wow! Another great adventure with Grace and friends (both animal and human). This is really becoming one of my very favorite cozy mystery series. This book is quite a bit more exciting and involving than previous books. Quite a few new characters - as well as a new location - were introduced in this book. I certainly hope it won't be the last I see of them.

Great fun!
Profile Image for Deranged Dreamer.
408 reviews26 followers
July 8, 2016
The problem with these mysteries is that they always lack romance.
Also, Logan is way sexier than Kai.
Profile Image for Karen.
503 reviews64 followers
July 5, 2016
I often pick books to read by their covers alone and this one was one I took a chance on and I am so very glad I did. Take the Monkey and Run, by Laura Morrigan, which came out July 5th was one of the most fun mysteries I have ever read. I was blown away by how much fun, how great the mystery and characters were and how quickly I felt emotionally attached and involved I felt in this story. It was such an awesome read. I don't want to give it away at all, however I will say this, the diverse and rich characters, surprised and enchanted me in ways I had not anticipated! This book was so good that I am seriously considering purchasing the series for myself and ordering Take The Monkey and Run for a friend for Buy A Friend A Book Day on August 31st. Having this book on my table was one of the highlights of my week. Great mystery, characters and so much more. I was completely bewitched!
Profile Image for Sue Em.
1,730 reviews114 followers
September 28, 2016
This is one of my top 5 favorite cozy series, and this latest book lives up to the standard of the previous three. Grace Wilde has the ability to talk to animals--most importantly to understand what they are thinking and how to impact their thinking/moods. The first books in the series established all the series regulars, so this book moves them all to New Orleans where they meet with with Belinda, the psychic b and b owner. Belinda is just as charming and interesting a character as are the series regulars. My only problem is now I have to wait for the fifth entry in this series which makes me sad and impatient. Please hurry and finish the next book, Laura Morrigan!
Profile Image for Amanda.
263 reviews50 followers
July 9, 2016
Another wild and exciting ride in this installment. The mystery was wonderful as usual, and kept the interest going all the way with its page turning exciting plot. The main animal that needed to be rescued, brought a lot of new problems for Grace, that left some interesting moments. As for the ending, for this series, there is almost always, a cliff hanger ending. There is no stopping with this book. Its left on an ending that will leave you wondering, what is in store for the next installment. Hopefully, we will get to the answer in the next book really soon. I can't wait!
Profile Image for Dakota.
415 reviews4 followers
September 29, 2017
Loved it
the author has gotten better and I like that this involves more people and not just Grace by herself.
I really hope that there will be a next book in this series
Profile Image for OpenBookSociety.com .
4,071 reviews132 followers
August 7, 2016
http://openbooksociety.com/article/ta...

Take the Monkey and Run
Call of the Wilde, Book #4
By Laura Morrigan
ISBN13: 9780425282014
Author website: http://www.lauramorrigan.com
Brought by OBS reviewer Kayt

Synopsis:

Grace Wilde must use her psychic abilities to track down a pesky primate in the latest Call of the Wilde Mystery.

Grace Wilde is excited to head to New Orleans for her first “real” case as an animal telepath. She intends to help a woman find her missing sister, but when she attempts to communicate with her client’s cat, Coco, Grace gets distracted by the presence of a much wilder animal.

Coco confirms that a mysterious monkey has been swinging around the Big Easy. Grace thinks she might be able to help corral the cheeky Capuchin in addition to solving her case. But things get complicated when she receives a cryptic warning that her client isn’t what she seems. Now it’s up to Grace to separate the truth from the monkey business…

Review:

Who would not want to be able to “speak” animal? Converse with your dog, help a stray animal, stop a fight between animals or just have a nice conversation with your own pet? I know I would! Now combine my heart’s desire with a wonderful mystery and you get Take the Monkey and Run. Grace Wilde has that power, she can “talk” with any animal and see images of what they are thinking. Her psychic ability enables her to help others. She is headed to New Orleans to help a woman find her missing sister. This is her first case using her abilities as an animal telepath. She has been hired by a woman to chat with her missing sister’s cat Coco. Even though she is going to miss her own sister’s birthday, she cannot pass up this chance. Maybe Coco can give her the information they need to find the missing woman.

When Grace goes to speak with Coco, she gets sidetracked by a Capuchin. This little monkey has odd images in his mind and it blocks what Grace is getting from the cat. Then there is the fact that why is there a monkey loose on the streets of New Orleans. Instead of giving the sister what little information she gets from Coco, Grace thinks things are a bit wonky. She does not let on that she may have gotten anything. Suddenly she is getting messages (not telepathically) from the Ghost – Logan not to trust the client or anything that is going on. When things get a bit crazy, her gang from home decides to join her.

Her sister, friends and love interest Kai come and bring along her pets from home including my favorite Moss her wolfdog. The friends she acquires in the city are wonderful and help keep things moving.

Now you would think having a main character that “talks” to animals would be the oddest part of this Fun-tastic cozy, but nope there is more. Keeping the spoilers hidden, let’s just say things get truly New Orleans crazy when Grace helps to hunt down the monkey and gets more information from him. All things are tied together and they are wild. Action packed, descriptive writing style, fun characters and a wild and crazy storyline. Sure if you want your cozies more reality based, you may not want to pick this book up. If, however you enjoy finding your wild side, living in what to me is the perfect situation being able to chat with animals and delving into a wonderful mystery – get this book.

Take the Monkey and Run is the 4th installment in author Laura Morrigan’s “Call of the Wilde” series. It really can stand alone, but you will get more in depth if you read the series. I missed the book before this one, but had no trouble jumping right in and enjoying it. Grace Wilde is a fun and intelligent protagonist and her “pack” of friends are a great compliment. The writing is top notch and entertaining. I got lost in the story and had no trouble believing it could actually happen. It seems Ms. Morrigan has hit her stride with this one and there is no sign she is letting up on the action and intensity. If you love your animals, if you enjoy fast paced mysteries, if you wish you could talk to you little furry buddy, this is a book and series for you.

*OBS would like to thank the publisher for supplying a free copy of this title in exchange for an honest review*


Profile Image for Jonathan.
588 reviews46 followers
September 18, 2022
Let me start by saying that I didn't love all of the aspects of this story. That's why it got a 4 star rating. However, this book was phenomenal. And this series is phenominal. And I wish this series would have continued. Highly recommend! This book was an absolute wild ride. Just when I thought I had a plot point figured out, something crazier would happen and it just built until the end. I don't know if Morrigan knew this would be the last book in the series, but it ended with a sigh. In a good way. The ending was perfect for the last book, but if she wanted to write more, she easily could.
Profile Image for Joy.
742 reviews
February 18, 2018
3.5 stars

Positive:

I very much appreciate a mystery that does NOT revolve around a murder.

Morrigan’s use of dialogue is awesome.

Great ending!

Negative:

The book seems to take a long time to get moving and drags in places compared to Books 1-3.

There isn’t enough animal interaction throughout most of the book, especially with the monkey, whom I’ve been waiting to meet for four books.
Profile Image for Lisa Ks Book Reviews.
842 reviews138 followers
July 5, 2016
Another wonderful installment in this one of a kind series.

“If I could talk to the animals, just imagine it.” ~ Doctor Dolittle. I don’t know about you, but I’ve always wanted to know what animals are thinking. Thanks to author Laura Morrigan, I get an idea of what could be happening in their little heads.

Having already secured a following for her original Call of the Wilde Mysteries, Ms. Morrigan has read her reader’s minds, and penned the best book in the series so far, sure to bring new fans.

TAKE THE MONKEY AND RUN is a thrilling rollercoaster ride of intrigue and mystery. From page one, author Morrigan started this fantastic read off with action, and pulled me into the story. Chapter after chapter brought about new elements to this tale that kept the excitement growing all the way to the final page and the last surprising sentence!

If you love cozy mysteries, but are looking for one with a fresh twist, TAKE THE MONKEY AND RUN, and the other three books in the Call of the Wilde series are just what you’re looking for!
Profile Image for Chris.
1,201 reviews31 followers
July 11, 2022
It's a shame that this appears to be the last book in this series - even if the ending of the book suggests more stories to come. There are so many badly written cozy mystery series out there; it was a delight to find this one.
In this outing, Grace has been hired to go to New Orleans to use her abilty to communicate telepathically with animals to find a missing woman. But she stumbles into something much darker. The people looking for the missing woman are not what they appear to be. The mysterious Logan from past stories is also looking for the woman. And there's a capuchin monkey running around New Orleans that may or may not be tied up in all of this.
Pretty soon Grace's boyfriend Kai as well as her sister, Emma, and the zookeeper, Hugh, are all in NoLa to help - along with a transgender psychic.
The story has all the usual twists and turns, and once again, I am slightly disappointed that the final action happens large "off camera" and we find out what happened later. But they are good characters, and it would have been nice to see more of them.
Profile Image for Dawn Frazier.
452 reviews40 followers
July 19, 2016
I loved this book so much! This series is one of my absolute favorites, and when this one hit the shelves, I immediately picked it up. Our heroine, Grace, is an animal telepath, and she is just such a great character! I also love her dog, Moss, I get so excited to "hear" him talk, it always makes me smile. This book is full of fun, and some fun new characters that I would love to see stick around! The only problem with this book, is that I read it too fast, and now I have to wait for the next one.
Profile Image for Margaret.
1,140 reviews3 followers
September 3, 2019
Published in 2016 and ends with a cliffhanger. Will there actually be another in this series?
Profile Image for mlady_rebecca.
2,422 reviews111 followers
September 26, 2017
Read the first four books in this series back to back. Needless to say, I'm enjoyimg them.

Grace is animal behaviorist and non-practicing vet who has the ability to psychically talk to animals. She uses her gift to help domestic pets and zoo animals alike. She lives on the beach in Florida with her big sister Emma, her wolf-hybrid Moss, and her tiny black ball of fluff kitten Voodoo. Emma is the vibrant party planning extrovert. Grace is the shy introvert who relates better to animals than people.

Grace is dating a hunky Hawaiian police officer named Kai who works in the CSI division. Emma is dating Hugh, a vet from the local zoo. Along with Grace's Human Society friend Sonja, they represent (most of) the small circle of friends who know about Grace's gift. Well, then there is Logan, the mob boss' enforcer, known as the ghost. He's taken a liking to Grace ever since she saved his boss' daughter Brooke in "A Tiger's Tale" (book 2).

In this book, Grace travels to New Orleans to talk to a cat about her missing owner. Unfortunately, those looking for the missing girl aren't what they seem. And after a warning from Logan and some scary vibes off her client's doctor friend, Grace finds herself hiding out at a psychic drag queen's B&B (Belinda). Soon her sister, Kai, and Hugh join Grace in New Orleans and help her piece together the mystery.

Book one had Grace caring for Jax, a dog who saw his owner murdered. Book two had her trying to find a missing mobster's daughter at the behest of a tiger at the local big cat sanctuary. Book three had Grace looking for a missing horse, whose abduction was somehow tied into Emma's ex-husband's murder. (Emma's abusive ex-husband.)

Enjoying this series immensely and hope to see it continue. Great characters. Fascinating conversations between Grace and her animal friends. Engaging stories. Please write faster. ;)
Profile Image for Kristen.
2,550 reviews85 followers
February 26, 2023
I really love this cozy series! It is so clever and interesting and includes a number of things that make for a great read for me.

First up, I love animals - like, A LOT! So the fact that the MC in this series, Grace is an animal behaviorist, and also can talk to animals for real is very cool. I believe animals are better than most humans, and clearly this author does as well, because the animals we meet in each book are special and wonderful and often heroic and I adore that!

I also like that Grace is wonderful with animals, but not so much with people. It makes her relatable and sweet in her cluelessness about humans and how to interact with them. Fortunately, the supporting characters around Grace, like her sister Emma and her boyfriend Kai, help her out and keep her out of trouble as she goes about trying to help and save animals . . . well, they TRY to keep her out of trouble, but of course if they were always successful there wouldn't be stories for us to read, so for the best overall.

This book was set in New Orleans, which is a city I am unreasonably obsessed with so that was an extra draw with this one. The city was brought to life in all its crazy wonderfulness, and the character of Belinda - a six-foot-tall psychic drag queen - was so beyond wonderful, I can't even do her justice with how much I adored her!!! I don't know if this character is modeled on someone real the author has met, but I wish she is and I wish I could meet her because Belinda was simply spectacular!!

I will definitely continue reading this series. It's one of my absolute favourites and I enjoy each next visit with Grace and her Scooby-gang!!!
Profile Image for Ami Morrison.
732 reviews25 followers
March 23, 2017
Grace heads to New Orleans on her first "real" case as an animal telapath. She intends to help a woman find her missing sister. When Grace tries to talk to the client's cat, she finds a wilder mind lurking outside. Things get complicated when she recieves a cryptic message that the client isn't what she seems.

This book drove me crazy. Grace acted really stupid the whole time. She seemed to have a very hard time figuring out anything and she took incredibly stupid risks the whole book. I don't know what she was thinking. She is normally more intelligent then this. I wanted to slap her pretty much the whole book. So frustrating!

This story was much more predictable then the others in the series. A lot of things seemed so obvious that I had a hard time the main group of characters couldn't figure it out faster. There was a super disappointing set up for the next book. Yay. A baby. Just what the series DOES NOT need.

Profile Image for Dlora.
1,956 reviews
January 22, 2019
Another fun cozy mystery featuring animal behaviorist Grace Wilde who has been hired to come to New Orleans to find a woman's lost sister by communicating psychically with her cat Coco. She is distracted by a Capuchin monkey outside the apartment and she soon realizes her client has more nefarious objectives in mind. Grace tries to safely extract herself and take care of Coco and find the monkey loose in the city. Happily her own sister and Grace's boyfriend arrive in the fun city just as Mardi Gras is opening and they help her as the mystery gets more complex and more dangerous. Grace discovers she is not the only physically gifted person in the city. Some fun characters are introduced in this installment of the Call of the Wilde series.
965 reviews6 followers
June 16, 2025
3.75 ⭐️
I was sad that this is the authors last book. I’ve enjoyed these cozy mysteries so much. The mysteries themselves are so well written and never obvious (at least to me). The characters are enjoyable as well. Being the last book published it doesn’t feel written that way. Like the stories of our characters are still going. Which in the end didn’t really bother me. I LOVE New Orleans mysteries and the metaphysical was so light I was almost hoping for more! Overall I enjoyed this one but it was definitely my least favorite.
Profile Image for mimo.
1,142 reviews12 followers
November 6, 2019
I didn't really like the plot of this one, since it focuses not on animals, but on people hunting psychics. I kept thinking, 'ehhh, but that's not really what the genre is'. I mean, the mystery is a bit more sci-fi than cozy. Also, the secret about Cornelius the monkey, though outlandish, was obvious to me from the start.

Belinda was lovely to meet, though, and there were some good bits even if I was rolling my eyes more than usual.
1,037 reviews11 followers
October 17, 2020
I really loved this series but this looks like the last one of these books in this series. It was interesting about how she is able to tune into an animal and understand it. I love her dog and cat as well.
This was another one of those books hard to put down. If you like a good mystery (she is looking for the missing person) and a person who connects with animals and this time with a monkey.
Profile Image for Sara.
349 reviews
April 29, 2021
One of my favorite cozy series and sorry to see there are no more entries. A different setting for this book and new characters to enjoy. A unique adventure with lots of excitement at the end and an ending which leaves the reader hoping for another installment.

For cozy mystery fans who also love animals this series is a must.
2 reviews
November 21, 2022
don’t miss this one!!!

Loved this book. Can’t wait for the next in the series. Great characters!!!! Love the whole series. Very believable storyline. I highly suggest the series!!!
Profile Image for Lois Schmitt.
Author 5 books167 followers
November 3, 2017
I loved this book and the previous books in this series. If you enjoy animals and mysteries this is a winning combination. Great characters. Good story line.
Profile Image for Terri.
1,155 reviews8 followers
November 25, 2018
This woman can write a book! Full, exciting story! Great characters.
21 reviews
May 20, 2019
I really have enjoyed this series. Is she writing the next book? In the author blurb on the last page, it was indicated she was writing the next book in the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 77 reviews

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