Book 53, 2018

[chez_jae]

Wrong Side of the Paw by Laurie Cass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars



Stayed up late last night to finish reading Wrong Side of the Paw, which is part of Laurie Cass' "Bookmobile Cat" mystery series, featuring librarian Minnie Hamilton and her sidekick, cat Eddie.

Minnie and Eddie are out on a bookmobile run, when Eddie bails out at a stop, hops in the bed of a pickup truck, and discovers a dead body. The driver of the truck, Leese Lacombe, immediately falls under suspicion for the murder of her father, but Minnie doesn't believe the mild-mannered attorney would harm anyone. Determined to prove Leese didn't kill her father, Minnie starts asking around town, and what she learns is that more people had a motive to kill Dale Lacombe than didn't.

In the meantime, Minnie is dealing with an aloof and out-of-touch boss, a relationship that has lost its spark, and an aunt who may be ready to sell the boardinghouse that Minnie considers home. Fortunately, Minnie is used to employing her skills as a research librarian to solve problems.

Delightful story, with lots of great characters, both old and new. The plot moved along at a good pace, and I always enjoy Minnie's "conversations" with Eddie.

Not all was sunshine and roses, however.
There was no author's note that indicated this is the final book in the series, but she sure wrapped everything up with a neat bow by the end. It wouldn't surprise me to find out Cass doesn't intend to write more, not with the way it ended. In one final chapter, Minnie's nemesis abruptly exits, stage left, for a really dumb reason, the issue with the boardinghouse is resolved, and she finds true love with someone who's been her friend all along. Wait...what?! Where did that come from?! It was like my head was spinning at the end.

Favorite lines:
♦ There is no stubborn like a cat being stubborn.
♦ "If we could harness the power of gossip, we'd have energy enough to light the world."

Overall, very good, but I'm knocking a star off for the ending:

****