Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks Series #1)

Great new series!

I love this new series! Charlie & Diesel are a perfect pair. Charlie is a 50 yr old widower who works in the archives of a college library & volunteers at the local public library. His Maine Coon Cat, Diesel, goes everywhere with him. Diesel's size and personality get him attention everywhere he goes. I also like how Diesel comforts anyone who needs it, especially Justin, Charlie's college-age boarder. Each of the characters was interesting in his/her own way---Azalea & Kanesha are two of my favorites.

I can't wait for the next Cat In The Stacks Mystery to come out!

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Fun cozy mystery for cat & book lovers!

This cozy mystery has an irresistibly attractive cover, and I'm happy to report that the story inside is just as good! I liked the characters, including the good-natured, compassionate librarian Charlie Harris, the delightful small-town Southern setting, the way all the supporting characters were so well portrayed, and the clever whodunit plot. Most of all, I loved Diesel, Charlie's friendly Maine coon cat, who loves attention, walks on a leash, and chirps and warbles rather than meowing. A fun read for anyone who loves mysteries, cats and books.

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A PURR-FECT MYSTERY!!

A CAT IN THE STACKS MYSTERY
RELEASE DATE AUGUST3, 2010
BERKLEY PRIME CRIME

This is a brand new series featuring Diesel, a Maine coon cat rescued by Charlie Harris, the kindly librarian, who takes Diesel almost everywhere he goes in a halter with a leash. Maine coon cats are huge, they can weigh as much as 25 pounds and it is one of the oldest natural breeds in North America, specifically native to the state of Maine, where it is the official State Cat. They are known for their intelligence and gentle personalities.

Diesel and his owner reside in Athena, Mississippi where Charlie, who has recently lost his wife to cancer returns to his hometown to live in a home left to him by his aunt. He works in the Archive Department of the college library and Diesel is well known at the library but stays pretty close to Charlie. Charlie also rents out rooms in his home to college students just as his aunt did. Diesel has a unique trait, in that he knows when people around him need a paw, a head bump or a cuddle, and is especially close to Justin, a freshman at the college who is rooming with Charlie.

Charlie is immersed in his work when he learns that famous author and former classmate, Godfrey Priest, is returning to Athena to promote his current book and take care of some personal business. Charlie remembers his classmate as an arrogant jerk would thought he was better than anyone else and there are quite a few people who agree with that assessment. His homecoming is very eventful, by lunch he had put one man in the hospital, turned some of the town's residents lives upside down, and by dinner he is found dead in his hotel room.

Charlie finds himself pawing through all the information he can find to determine who killed a man not very many people liked, most of whom are his friends and co-workers. It is quite a "purr-plexing" mystery.

I LOVED IT!!!!!

This book had me from page one, I fell in love with this cat and the rest of the story very quickly. I was at a high school basketball tournament and couldn't put it down. Charlie and Diesel make a formidable detective team in their purr-suit of the truth. The characters are so well developed you become invested in their lives without any effort at all. This is a wonderful debut to what I know will be a paws down successful series.


Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime, a division of Penguin Publishing. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."


Some Thoughts

3 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

Recoommended

This is good reading if you enjoy books about cats and mystery, I'm
a cat lover and mysteries are the favorite books on my shelf. I would read more of this author's books if they have the same ideas. Hope there will be more in this series.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Great Book!

I loved this book as I also have a big Maine Coon cat named Gibson. The book gave me info about him that I did not know. Thanks, Miranda! Keep them coming.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

fine regional amateur sleut

College librarian architect Charlie Harris and his Maine coon cat Diesel live in Athena, Mississippi. Charlie walks the larger than normal sized cat on a leash as the feline is his friend and books are his only companions since his aunt died. However, recently Charlie has found he cares for his boarder Julian Wardlaw, a student at the school.

A former classmate of Charlie arrives at his house. Charlie never liked arrogant Godfrey Priest, Athena's favorite son as a noted author of gore. Julie Wardlaw informs Godfrey that Julian is his son and the man who raised him is dying. Godfrey gets into a fight with Ezra who thinks of Julian as his son. Soon after their tussle that sent Ezra to the hospital, someone kills Godfrey. Charlie realizes everyone in town seemed to hate haughty Godfrey with several having strong motives, but he ponders who had the opportunity and the ultimate desire as he and Diesel try to help the police who want no help from him or his cat.

Eighteen year old Justin finds the key that opens up Charlie's heart, which makes him feel again as they empathize with one another encouraged by Diesel. Great characterizations make for a fine regional amateur sleuth whodunit; as Charlie fears the cops are going after the wrong person in this entertaining small southern college town murder mystery.

Harriet Klausner

1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

do you like cats

You will love Diesel. Makes me want a cat. Good writing and a plausible story.

Cat lovers enjoy!

I haven't read a good cat mystery since The Cat Who by Lillian Jackson Braun.

Loved this book

The read was fast, intriqing, and delightful. Cant wait to read more about Diesel.

Loved Diesel

Loved the cat, Diesel. Charlie needs a little more character development. He's a little boring. Will try another one though, to see if I just need more time to get acquainted with Charlie.

highly recommend

Excellent new series. Good character development. One can really like and become "friends" with the "people" in the book. Not a dark murder mystery at all. Would recommend to readers who enjoy a good read and wish to enjoy the characters and find in them persons you know and love. Looking forward to more from this author. Fun easy read. Will never make it to great classics but worth while and very enjoyable.

Interesting cozy

This is a charming cozy in a nice setting with an interesting range of characters. The victim is one I found myself rooting for as a victim, but for some reason this book just didn't quite catch me. It was quick read and it has all of the elements I enjoy, murder, red herrings, cats, libraries, but for whatever reason I just didn't warm up to the characters. I will read the second book in case it was my mood, or the weather, or some other distraction that made this a middle of the road story for me.

I do recommend it for anyone looking to read a slightly different cozy.

An engaging Maine Coon cat oriented mystery

Glad she's writing this series... Seems like a good one and will await the next. Enjoyed it!

I loved the cat!

Good book. Looking forward to the next one. One character I did not care for was Justin. A 18 year old acting like he did? How drippy! Maine Coon cats are great. Very unusual.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

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