Librarian
Charlie Harris is excited and proud that his daughter, Laura,
is starring in a play called Careless Whiskers. The Athena
College theater department is debuting the play, and Laura’s
husband, Frank Salisbury, is the director.
After
one of the other actors ruptures his appendix, a substitute
actor is hired. The substitute is Luke Lombardi, and Laura
is miserable that he’s been cast. She’s encountered
him when she was in Hollywood and remembers all too well that
his ego and demeanor are obnoxious. It doesn’t take
long for Lombardi to alienate those around him.
On opening night, Lombardi dies on stage! Since he collapsed
right after Laura’s character handed Lombardi’s
character a drink, Laura is suspected of killing him!
After a recent close call, Charlie vowed to stay out of any
sort of investigations when murder is involved. Laura is his
daughter, though, and he knows she is innocent. It’s
up to Charlie and his magnificent cat, Diesel, to clear Laura
and sniff out the real killer.
Once again, James has written a masterpiece of a cozy mystery,
which is sure to delight fans of Charlie and Diesel. Readers
who are new to the series will enjoy it as a standalone read,
but I believe that the odds are good for them to rush back
to the bookstore for the first eleven books.
Although most cozy mysteries feature a female amateur sleuth,
there are male sleuths who are very well written. Charlie
Harris stands out as a mild-mannered librarian, and he is
my favorite. James sets the bar high with his smart, likable
protagonist who has a gift for solving crimes. Charlie’s
cohort, Diesel, and the other supporting characters make Charlie’s
world complete and give readers a pleasant escape to a comfortable
place and time.
Careless Whiskers is an excellent example of a story with
relatable characters, interesting plot twists, and skilled
writing that has readers longing for more. The long-running
Cat In The Stacks series is one of the best in the genre and
is beloved by legions of readers.
Reviews of other titles in this series:
Classified
As Murder
File
M For Murder
Out
Of Circulation
Silence
Of The Library
Arsenic
And Old Books
No
Cats Allowed
Twelve
Angry Librarians
Claws
For Concern
Six
Cats a Slayin
Pawful
Truth
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