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.