WHAT THE CAT DRAGGED IN

5 stars out of 5

Toss a cozy mystery in a stack of 10 books in my favorite mystery/thriller genre, and almost always I'll shove it to the bottom of the pile. But once in a while a series comes along that's just too good to put on the back burner. Maybe it's because there's a cat involved (make that a CAT - Diesel is a Maine Coon, after all), plus a middle-age-plus, sensible and intelligent owner, Charlie Harris, who I know would be a friend if he were to turn up in my real life. This book, the 14th "Cat in the Stacks" entry, is enjoyable, entertaining and one I didn't want to put down (no edge-of-seat nail-biter, mind you - simply a pleasure to read).

Set in the small town of Athena, Mississippi, Charlie is retired but a regular volunteer in the library of the local college. He shares his comfy and rather large home with a gay couple (one a police officer), Diesel and a new, normal-sized rambunctious kitty named Ramses. He's got a housekeeper, Azalea Berry, the mother of the local police chief, who keeps him (and his tenants) well fed, a son Sean who's a local attorney, a daughter Laura who teaches at the aforementioned college and a fiancee who, in this installment, is away at a professional conference. About 15 miles outside of town is a large farm that Charlie thinks his grandfather sold to his longtime tenant, Martin Hale.

And herein lies the plot: Martin dies, and Charlie learns, much to his surprise, that his grandfather never sold the farm, but rather leased it to Martin for the duration of Martin's life. An even bigger surprise comes when Charlie learns that the farm, house and all, now belong to him. Alas, the non-sale comes as an even bigger surprise to Martin Hale's grandson Marty, who shows up in town expecting to take over the property. When he learns the truth, he's not a happy camper.

For Charlie, the surprises keep coming. When he and Diesel visit the house he hasn't visited since his childhood, he pokes around to check out its condition. When they get to the attic, Diesel plays the role of curious cat to the hilt - finding a pile of human bones. Suddenly, the police are involved, but identification of the remains, and how, when and why they got to the attic, prove problematic - in part because there are at least three known possibilities. Meantime, another, more serious problem arises when Marty's dead body is found on a remote section of the farm. This time, despite his discovery under a fallen tree, there's no doubt about the how; bullet holes are a clear indication that he didn't die of natural causes. As the investigation progresses, Charlie learns intriguing things about his family he didn't know and meets several interesting people. Problem is, one of them most likely is a killer who just might do it again. 

But who's the intended victim? I'll never tell, nor will I reveal anything else in the hope that you'll read this one for yourself. You won't be sorry - it's a refreshing change from the typical ditzy heroines that grace the pages of most cozies (did I mention that I usually relegate them to the bottom of my to-read stack)? Thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review it. Delightful!

What the Cat Dragged In by Miranda James (Berkley, August 2021); 297 pp.

A TIME FOR MERCY

 5 stars out of 5

The law works in mysterious ways - at least in small-town Mississippi courtrooms in 1990. And they're laid out here for all to read and enjoy as local attorney Jake Brigance takes on two very different high-stakes cases. One could earn a ton of money for his struggling practice; the other could get him killed.

The golden goose case pits Jake against a giant railroad company

he alleges was negligent in keeping crossing lights in good repair. The result was a horrible accident that happened - or so Jake needs to prove - because the lights weren't working. Needless to say, the railroad attorneys insist they were working just fine. As the book begins, it looks as if the railroad may be willing to offer a substantial cash settlement with Jake's client - thus allowing Jake to pay his bills as well as those he's racking up defending the client in his other case - one he got [ahem!] railroaded into taking on by the local judge.

It is that case that gets the lion's share of attention. A 16-year-old boy has been charged with the cold-blooded murder of his mother's boyfriend. The case is complicated by the fact that the dead guy was a local deputy sheriff - albeit one with a nasty temper and a penchant for getting drunk. Under state law, the boy can and will be tried as an adult; many, if not most, of the town's residents (and most certainly the victim's family and his fellow officers) are fervent in their belief that he deserves the death penalty. 

The more Jake learns, though, the more he believes the charges against his young client aren't warranted. Readers, of course, learn the details of what really happened as well as how Jake and his legal cronies are working out their courtroom strategy. Suffice it to say it's a real treat to follow along - or at least it was for me. I have to say I wasn't totally thrilled with the way things turned out even though it probably was for the best, but I'm encouraged that there is plenty of fodder for the next book in this terrific series (this is the third). Many thanks to the publisher, via NetGalley, for allowing me to read and review it.

A Time for Mercy by John Grisham (Doubleday, October 2020); 465 pp.

THE RECKONING

5 stars out of 5

Without doubt, this is one of the saddest and most haunting books I've read in a while (close to downright depressing, in fact). What's more, about a third of it was so unsettling that insofar as possible, I skimmed through it. It is written matter-of-factly, without emotion - but the emotion comes through loud and clear nonetheless. Did I love it? In many ways, no; but in the overall scheme of things, it's pretty darned awesome.

Let me clarify. The depressing part came near the end, when facts not previously in evidence were revealed (let's just say that O Henry's "The Gift of the Magi" came to mind). The unsettling part came in the middle, when details of the World War II military life of Pete Banning, one of the main characters, was outlined in all-too-vivid detail. If there's anything in this world I'd rather not read about, see, or listen to, it's the horrors of war. And the entire middle section of this book, Titled "The Boneyard," lays it all out. Yes, it's a very important part of the story - but had I known it was coming I'd have left sneaker tracks on the sidewalk running the other way.

That said, what a story it is. Set in small-town Clanton, Mississippi, after World War II has ended and Pete, thought to have been killed, returns home to his extensive cotton farm as a decorated hero. His wife, Liza, is in a mental institution - at Pete's orders - and their son and daughter are grown. In 1946, at the age of 43, Pete is about to do something virtually unthinkable, especially for a man of his stature; commit a cold-blooded murder. He freely admits to his guilt; what he refuses to admit, though, is his motive. He will, he insists, go to his death - a very real possibility if he's convicted by a jury - with his secret intact. His long-time family lawyer, nor his sister Flora, who lives on the farm, nor his children will ever hear the reason behind his action - at least never from his lips.

From that point on, much of the narrative focuses on Pete's family background and what and how his children are doing, all of which takes place in a deep-South setting in which "coloreds" handle menial tasks and are not allowed to sit on the front porch of any home nor anywhere in a courtroom except the balcony. And of course, let's not forget the section that details what happened to him in the war when he was part of the historic Bataan Death March in the Philippines. Even though I didn't want to read it, I can't imagine the research it took to pull all that together. In the final section, "The Betrayal," readers, along with Pete's two children - find out what really happened.  

The Reckoning by John Grisham (Doubleday, October 2018); 417 pp.

HOLY GHOST

5 stars out of 5


Virgil Flowers is back! And while he may be a bit more mellow than before he hooked up with girlfriend Frankie Nobles - who's pregnant with their baby, by the way - he hasn't lost much of his irreverent edge. Flashes of humor are here as always, this time nailing politics, frozen potpies and even visions of the Virgin Mary. Also sprinkled liberally throughout is the "f" word (fans of Virgil won't be shocked at all, but I mention it as a caution to those who might be). 

In my eyes, though, Virgil can do no wrong (well, let's say that when he does, it just makes him more lovable). In fact, I learned here that we have a new special bond; apparently, both of us are good at distinguishing the smells of manure from various farm animals (cows, chickens, pigs and horses in particular). I don't know about Virgil, but it's a skill I honed by spending my 18 formative years on a farm and at county fairs. 

As this story begins, Virgil is called to a tiny town in Minnesota, where a random sniper may be at work. Not long ago, the town became a tourist attraction, thanks to mysterious sightings of a "floating" Virgin Mary image at the local Catholic church. So far, two victims have been targeted - but as luck (or bad aim) would have it, neither was killed. That changes, though, when one of the town's socialites takes a fatal bullet.

The only clue is that all were shot at precisely 4:15 p.m., but no one can figure out why. Virgil and his cohorts, including Jenkins and Shrake, keep working the case, which early on leads to a local shooting range (after all, regular customers would be expected to know their way around guns). Nothing turns up - not even the owner - until the investigative team gets another unwelcome surprise. That the community also serves as home to a group of Nazi sympathizers adds more possibilities to the mix.

More details I can't reveal without spoiling things for others, but I will say (grudgingly) that the person I was certain was the shooter was way off the mark. The identity of the real killer - and the motive - came as a complete surprise (and the ending brought a surprise of a totally different sort). All told, this is yet another Flowers book that comes up roses. Good job!

Holy Ghost by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, October 2018); 400 pp.

SIX CATS A SLAYIN'

5 stars out of 5

This is the 10th book in this wonderful "Cat in the Stacks" series, to which I'm sorry to say I came late to the game by reading just one. That's not a mistake I intended to make again, though, so I was delighted to be approved for an advance review copy by the publisher (via NetGalley). The two I've read stand alone well, I must add, but on the other hand, I'm always of the opinion that with any series, it's always best to start at the beginning.

There are a few reasons for my fondness of these books, but I admit "cozy" isn't among them. While I do enjoy this kind of mystery once in a while as a break from my usual mind-twisting, eye-rolling thrillers, too often I'm forced to read about a headstrong heroine who refuses to listen to reason (for the record, headstrong women I like; it's the ignoring wisdom and advice to the point of nearly being killed that gives me fits). Here, there's none of that; widower Charlie Harris, who works in the Athena College Library in Mississippi, is a fully grown, sensible adult who just happens to have an interest in crime-solving.

He also has a cat. Not just any old cat, mind you, but a Maine Coon named Diesel - who of course has a personality all his own. Hence another big reason I love this series: For years, I've missed the antics of Siamese kitties Koko and Yum Yum, the creations of the late Lilian Jackson Braun, author of The Cat Who books. The similarities with this series are abundant - including an arts-loving main character (in those books, former journalist "Qwill" Qwilleran) who has an intelligent lady friend he sees regularly but with whom he is not joined at the hip and who lives in a spacious, but somewhat unique, house.

Did I mention cats? They're plentiful here; in fact, counting Diesel, there are six (title alert). Five of them are young kittens, mysteriously dumped on Charlie's doorstep just before Christmas. An accompanying anonymous note begs Charlie to care for them - a plea, needless to say, that cat-loving Charlie can't ignore. With help from friends (and support from Diesel, who's intrigued by the little ones), Charlie corrals them in a living-room pen, making sure they have food, water and clean litter boxes.

Meanwhile, Charlie has a new across-the-street neighbor named Gerry Albritton, who claims to be a realtor and has atrocious taste in outdoor Christmas decorations. She's also more than a bit on the flirtatious side; early on, Charlie learns to avoid her as much as possible. When he gets an invitation to her Christmas party, then, his first instinct is to beg off; but curiosity about the inside of her house and seeing other neighbors' reactions get the better of him. Lady friend Helen Louise Brady in tow, he vows to make the best of the situation.

Then, amid even more curiosity about why on earth Gerry would serve top-of-the-line bubbly and Sam's Club munchies, Charlie and Helen Louise overhead some heated arguments between Gerry and a couple of other guests. Not long afterward, the unthinkable happens: Gerry drops dead right in front of the guests. 

Enter local detective Kanesha, who's annoyed that her mother, Azalea, continues to be Charlie's housekeeper when she really doesn't need the job. Kanesha is good at her job, and for the moment, at least, she's open to some help from Charlie. From that point on, it's a race to 1) discover the identity of the kitten-dumper, 2) discover the identity of the killer and 3) get Charlie's house ready for his own Christmas party, which this year will include a couple of very special grandbabies. All those details I'll leave it to others to read so as not to spoil anything, but suffice it to say all's well that ends well. A thoroughly enjoyable adventure!

Six Cats a Slayin' by Miranda James (Berkley, October 2018); 304 pp.

JUROR #3

3.5 stars

Picture this: It's the deep south, where conventional wisdom dictates that whites and blacks don't hang around in the same social circles. Beautiful white woman and a hunky black ex-jock defy said conventional wisdom (several times, most recently in a beach cabana). White woman gets brutally murdered. Black man gets charged with said murder. Snarky judge assigns defense to newbie white female attorney. Client insists he's innocent and refuses to take a plea. Case heads to trial with odds (including the jurors) stacked against a win. Anyone hear a familiar twang?

Yup, me too. The only surprise is that it's not by the author I'd have expected. 

Nonetheless, the plot makes this a better-than-just-tolerable read; the only other surprises, I guess, come as said newbie white female attorney, Ruby Bozarth, learns who she can trust. Otherwise, the story follows her efforts to be taken seriously by the judge, prosecuting attorney, jurors and even her client (she's already given up on her snooty rich racist ex-fiance, Lee Greene). 

Problems begin at the voir dire, when the prosecutor runs roughshod over Ruby's juror choices; in particular, she's suspicious about the person seated as Juror #3 (wow, that would make a great book title)! But from out of the blue comes her ex-fiance's Aunt Suzanne - an established, blustery local attorney strongly reminiscent of TV's fiesty, oversized but oddly lovable Harry Enfield, played by Kathy Bates. Then, out of the blue blood appears said ex-fiance - wearing an orange jumpsuit. It seems he's been accused of murdering a beautiful young woman. Despite his disdain over Ruby's boots-on-the-ground lower-class social background, her inexperience and his family's misgivings, he insists that as his attorney, only she will do. 

Right off the bat, Ruby gets Greene's trial moved from Vicksburg, Mississippi, to her tiny town of Rosedale to avoid media contamination of the jurors - a venue that seems to assure that this case somehow will intersect with that of the cabana-killer. It does, at least marginally, and after investigations make the truth hard to swallow and threaten her very life, Ruby - and the second-time-around jury - get to the truth. 

Conclusion: An ending that begs for more details, but overall not half bad; so if you enjoy books with a legal bent, don't hesitate to give it a go.

Juror #3 by James Patterson and Nancy Allen (Little, Brown and Co., September 2018); 352 pp.

GOLDEN PREY

5 stars out of 5

He's filthy rich, favors designer duds and fancy cars and has friends in very high places. And he's going places as well; no longer with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, Lucas Davenport has signed on as a U.S. Marshal - and thanks to the aforementioned friends, the job comes with a whole lot of latitude. That may not endear him to his new coworkers, but it means he can pretty much do things his own way (as if he didn't before).

He's also more than a little bored; as he puts it, he wants to "hunt." In this, the 27th book in this series, he gets his chance and then some. The adventure begins after a drug cartel's counting house in Biloxi, Mississippi, is robbed. That alone might have been considered poetic justice by some in law enforcement, but in the process of stealing millions, the robbers kill five people - one an innocent six-year-old. So it is that Lucas gets the call to action, telling his cosmetic surgeon wife Weather as he packs up that he might be gone for two or three weeks.

Of course, simple cases are not the stuff great books are made of. As it turns out here, Lucas and his team aren't the only ones trying to find the robbers; the cartel folks don't take kindly to losing tons of money and want it back with human interest. One of the assassins they turn loose is a nasty character with a penchant for torturing victims in especially gruesome ways (hint: she's known as the "queen of home-improvement tools"). The story follows the two factions out to find the robbers, neither of whom, at least in the beginning, is aware that the other exists. When that reality hits - and the robbers learn they're being chased by two factions for very different reasons - the action really picks up steam. 

As usual, dead bodies are plentiful, the characters are colorful and the dialog is snappy and sometimes downright amusing. One of my favorite lines, for instance, comes from white-knuckle flyer Lucas as he's forced to take a puddle-jumper airplane ride from Mississippi to Texas:

"If I had my choice between flying to El Paso or getting a colonoscopy, I'd have to think about it."

Bottom line? Another terrific installment in one of my all-time favorite series. Already, I'm chomping at the bit to read the next one!

Golden Prey by John Sandford (G.P. Putnam's Sons, April 2017); 399 pp.

THE KILL SIGN

4 stars out of 5

Generally speaking, I'm a start-at-the-beginning kind of reader when it comes to books in a series. So when I was offered a chance to read an advance copy of this one (the fourth in a series featuring security specialist and private investigator Jamie Sinclair) in exchange for an honest review, I hesitated - but only for a moment. Simply put, the description just sounded too intriguing to pass it up.

And happy to say, I made a good decision. I still stand by my general advice that it's better to get in on any series from the start, but I certainly didn't feel left out with this one, which stands on its own just fine. 

Jamie is an interesting character in and of herself; the daughter of a former military bigwig turned powerful state senator, she's got an ex-husband and in this book, two hunky guys falling all over her (reminiscent of Stephanie Plum, the Janet Evanovich character who, even after all these years, is torn between two lovers, as the old song goes). Truth is, that waffling back and forth - particularly since it's coming from an otherwise strong, extremely independent woman - never fails to get on my nerves in that series, and it does here as well. But a fast-moving plot loaded with knock-down, drag-out action made up for it by grabbing and holding my attention throughout.

At the beginning, Jamie seems to have settled on one of the hunks - military police officer Adam Barrett. He's stationed in Beauville, Mississippi, where Ray Walther, who took a chance by hiring Jamie at his PI firm years ago, is located. Now, she's got her own investigative firm near Washington, D.C., but she's flying down to the coast in hopes of hooking up with Adam as well as seeing her mentor (and her close friend, Ray's pregnant wife, Corinne) again.

To say things don't go as planned would be an understatement. At the git-go, as Jamie and Adam try to get away from a mandatory military party on a riverboat, a dirty bomb explodes. Because they had fled the boring party and headed for privacy on another deck, they escaped the brunt of the blast in which several were killed. But then, Jamie catches a glimpse of the bomber and recognizes him. Her desire to get to the bottom of things - and Adam's military responsibilities to that same end - put an instant kabosh on romance and set the pair on an investigation fraught with danger.

Enter Marc - the other hunka-hunka who also is part of the investigation, and the romantic tension begins to build. As for the case, the more Jamie learns, the more she suspects some kind of connection between the bomb and her former mentor, his new partner and even his wife. Are their lives in danger? Or could any or all of them (gasp!) be involved in a more sinister way? The chase is on complete with wrong turns and dead ends, and Jamie, Adam and Marc find themselves fighting not only for the lives of her friends, but their own as well.

Conclusion? Very enjoyable, and I've already put the next installment of this series on my to-watch-for list.

The Kill Sign: A Jamie Sinclair Novel by Nicole Christoff (Alibi, December 2016).

NO CATS ALLOWED

4 stars out of 5

I've never met a cat of any size or type I didn't like (well, except maybe for those pitiful little hairless things) - so one of the annual joys of my life came at the release of a new book in the Cat who series by the late Lilian Jackson Braun. Ah, how I loved reading about the antics of Koko and Yum Yum, the Siamese buddies belonging to journalist "Qwill" Qwilleran. With around 30 in all, they provided a good run.

Until, of course, they came to an end. And since then, I've been hoping to find a mystery series (heck, I'd even settle for a single book) with a feline focus. And by George, I think I've got it. This book, which I received free in exchange for a review from the publisher (via NetGalley), is the seventh in the author's Cat in the Stacks series; now that I've finished it, it looks as if I've got some backtracking to do.

The location is Athena College in Mississippi, where the very likable Charlie Harris is a part-time librarian. One of the conditions of his taking the job - which he doesn't need for financial reasons - is that he be allowed to bring Diesel, his larger-than-usual Maine Coon cat, to work with him every day. That's fine with just about everyone except the new library director, a numbers-cruncher type who was brought in after his predecessor, thought to have been involved in some financial hanky-panky, abruptly disappeared.

Nobody much likes the new guy, in fact - certainly not Charlie nor his long-time friend and co-worker, Melba. So when the director's body turns up churned up in a library storage room, no one sheds a tear. Because of that, though, the list of suspects is fairly lengthy. When Melba moves to the top of the list, Charlie and his attorney son Sean get involved, helping the police with the investigation. Tension builds when other bad things begin to happen, including threats to Charlie's own life.

Not having had the benefit of reading previous books in the series, I confess to being a little disappointed that although Diesel is a loving monster of a cat with a sweet personality, he's much more of a schmoozer than a sleuth (put another way, he's no Koko or Yum Yum). That said, this is an easy-breezy story that I thoroughly enjoyed - and for sure I'll be watching for the next installment.

No Cats Allowed by Miranda James (Berkley, February 2016); 288 pp.

THE GUILTY

4 stars out of 5

Will Robie is a paid assassin, working for the U.S. government in extreme secrecy throughout the darkest and most dangerous places in the world. He is highly successful, disciplined and never misses his target. That is, until one fateful day when he chokes.

His secretive boss, Blue Man, puts him on leave; and because there's some evidence that his sudden change is rooted to unreserved issues from his childhood, he heads back to his old home in rural Cantrell, Mississippi to confront the people and places he left 20 years earlier.

After he left home - and his lawyer father, Dan Robie - Will never went back and never had further contact with his father, who abused his son both physically and mentally. He soon learns that his father - who's since been elected the town judge - is in jail after being charged with murder. Is he guilty? Will doesn't want to believe it, but his contrarian father isn't talking and refuses any help from his son. 

Even though he's not even remotely close to his father, Will refuses to turn his back and leave (especially since his father now has a wife about Will's age and a young son - Will's much younger brother). As he begins to investigate, as he meets characters ranging fron seedy and dangerous, and a very different side of his old stomping grounds begins to emerge. Murders just keep piling up, and trying to track down the killers puts Will's own life - and that of his good friend and fellow assassin, Jessica Reel, who's sent to help him - in great danger.

Reading about the usually unemotional Will as he tries to sort out his feelings in what is for him a very different setting makes for an interesting story. Beyond that, though, the rest of the plot stretches the imagination almost to the breaking point (and almost to the point of my assigning the book 3 stars rather than 4).  The ending, too, was somewhat disappointing; some loose ends were left hanging - as might be expected - while others were tied up much too easily given the complexity of the situations. I enjoyed this book, but honestly, I'm hoping Will gets his mojo back in time for the next installment.

The Guilty by David Baldacci (Grand Central Publishing, November 2015); 433 pp.

THE REDEEMERS

3.5 stars out of 5

The concept of product placement has been around for years; it's not unusual to see a can of name-brand soda or a cup of coffee from a major chain in a TV show. As more folks watch recorded shows and skip over the commercials, it's become an alternate (and most likely pretty effective) way to beat TiVo and keep the advertisers happy.

The practice happens in books as well, although from what I've read it started more recently. Mind you, I'm not saying for certain that's the case in this one, but when at least five mentions of a specific brand of outdoor clothing popped up even before the halfway point, it sure made me wonder. To be sure, it's a well-known brand that the characters might well own, but with that many name drops, I'm hoping somebody got paid very well (hint from me for the next in the series: One or two mentions is acceptable, but more than that is enough, already)!

The book itself - the fifth featuring former U.S. Army Ranger and Tibbehah County, Mississippi, sheriff Quinn Colson - just didn't grab me even though it's well written as usual. To begin with, Colson, who has been voted out of office and is in the process of packing up his [insert brand name here] jacket and other belongings, just isn't a person with whom I can identify. He continues to wrestle with his on-again, off-again drug- and alcohol-addicted sister Caddy - though why, I don't know. Sister or no sister, I'd have kicked her sorry butt to the curb after the second round of rehab didn't "take." Then there's a gone-again, here-again father who still revels in his Hollywood stuntman days, a mother who cooks a couple of things really, really well and a couple of seriously corrupt folks such as Johnny Stagg who have been running their illicit schemes for years without much interference.

So far, nobody's been able to bring Stagg down, but if anyone can do it, Colson can - and he's willing to die trying whether or not he's the sheriff. The action begins with a break-in at the home of a lumber mill owner wherein a huge safe is stolen. Apparently, it held not only tons of money, but documents that could incriminate Stagg and a number of his cronies. Even though he's no longer a lawman, Colson is asked by the acting sheriff, his friend Lillie Virgil, and his long-time love, Anna Lee Stevens (who he "stole" from her husband and onetime close friend), to investigate. 

After that, a tangled web gets woven so fast it made my eyes cross. So many characters started popping in and out of the chapters that beyond the major players, I gave up trying to figure out who did what and who was in cahoots with whom. In the end, things get sorted out and for the most part, justice is served - and a twist leaves the door open for the next installment.

I'll also caution those who care about such things that the language from the backwoods good ol' boys is coarse, to say the least - particularly when it comes to the female anatomy (that said, no, I did not learn any new words). All told, this is a solid addition to the series, but far from my pick of the litter.

The Redeemers by Ace Atkins (G.P. Putnam's Sons, July 2015); 384 pp.