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.