chez_jae | Entries tagged with series: bookmobile cat mysteries

No Paw to Stand On (Bookmobile Cat Mystery, #12)

No Paw to Stand On by Laurie Cass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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I finished reading No Paw to Stand On by Laurie Cass last night. It's the 12th installment in the "Bookmobile Cat" cozy mystery series. The main character is librarian Minnie Hamilton.

Minnie's wedding is fast approaching and causing stress, and her anxiety rises when her BFF, Kristen, calls to report that several people fell ill after eating at her restaurant. She wants Minnie to see if she can figure out what happened. Eager to help, Minnie dives in. When other restaurants in the town of Chilson begin getting terrible reviews, she wonders if there's a connection. Things come to a head when an employee of one of the restaurants is murdered in the kitchen. Now the police are investigating fully, but Minnie finds herself unable to drop her own investigation. In the meantime, there have been acts of vandalism at the library, and the officiant for Minnie and Rafe's wedding had an accident and will not be able to marry them. Minnie is being pulled in several directions as she tries to figure out what's going on with the restaurants in town, who's vandalizing the library, and who is going to perform her wedding ceremony.

With so much going on, the plot was fast-paced and kept my interest. Reading about familiar characters was charming, and Minnie's cat, Eddie, was being his usual funny self. That's what I liked. What I didn't like...( Spoilers )

Favorite lines:
♦ More than once, I'd wondered if cat purrs had healing powers.
♦ "Not a single disgruntled employee?" // "They're all extremely gruntled." // "Is that a word? Gruntled?" // "How could you have disgruntled without first having gruntled?"
♦ "One more reason to be grateful you're a cat. You never have to do dishes."
♦ My mother would have a canary.
♦ "The vast majority of people in this country manage to get through their lives without seeing a single dead body outside of a hospital or funeral home. And then there's you." Exactly!
♦ "This morning I decided to be thirteen again, just to see what it felt like."
♦ "You're nuts. But you're my nut, and I love you."
♦ "Deviled eggs. You can never have too many." Exactly!

I thoroughly enjoyed this story, but I fervently wish the author would let go of so many tired tropes. Might have given this five stars, but I'm deducting one for the cookie-cutter, trope-laden formula. Four stars it is.

Current Mood: lazy
Current Music: "Now That We Found Love" ~ Heavy D & The Boyz & Aaron Hall

A Troubling Tail (Bookmobile Cat Mystery, #11)

A Troubling Tail by Laurie Cass

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finished reading A Troubling Tail this afternoon. It's the 11th book in Laurie Cass' "Bookmobile Cat" mystery series. Narrative is first-person pov of main character, librarian Minnie Hamilton.

Minnie is enjoying the first stirrings of Spring in Chilson, busy with the library and the bookmobile, and trying to plan her wedding to Rafe. All of that seems less important, however, when she learns that Whippy Henika, owner of the local candy shop, was murdered in his store. Who would do such a thing? Minnie wonders but isn't keen on getting involved, until a woman confesses to her that Whippy was her biological father and asks Minnie for help in finding his killer. While the police narrow their focus on one suspect (who'd confessed to a string of local burglaries), Minnie isn't convinced he's a murderer. She focuses instead on the more personal aspect of Whippy's long lost daughter. As Minnie considers and rejects suspects, she closes in on a killer. But, will she be in time to prevent another murder?

The plot in this one was certainly convoluted. I kept coming to conclusions and learning I was wrong, right along with Minnie. LOL! Still, she was determined to see justice served. There were also subplots going on: Minnie trying to introduce her cat, Eddie, to her BFF's twin infants, Minnie and Rafe trying to plan a wedding, and Minnie having to deal with the "book bike" that the president of the library board oh so helpfully donated to the library among them. It was refreshing, however, to read about her involved in things other than a murder investigation.

Favorite lines:
♦ "You look like someone knocked your ice cream into the dirt."
♦ "You know you've accomplished something when you've been dissed by a cat."
♦ "That's a lot of snark for so early in the morning."

Would love to award this one 4.5 stars. Hm. Since Minnie didn't find the dead body, I'll bump it up to 5.

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: "You Make Me Wanna" ~ Usher

The Crime That Binds (Bookmobile Cat Mystery, #10)

The Crime That Binds by Laurie Cass

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Last night, I finished the book The Crime That Binds by Laurie Cass. It's the 10th installment in the "Bookmobile Cat" mystery series, starring librarian Minnie Hamilton and her rescue cat, Eddie.

Minnie learns that one of her young bookmobile patrons, Ryan, has been accused of a bank robbery and murder downstate. She can't believe the soft-spoken young man would have committed such a crime, and Minnie sets out to prove it. When another murder is committed locally, everyone is sure that Ryan is to blame. It seems that Minnie and Eddie are the only ones who have faith in him. It will be up to them to find out who the real killer is and clear Ryan's name.

This particular book was more of a slog than others in the series. For one thing, I was taken aback that Minnie took it upon herself to investigate. Ryan is simply someone she meets in passing on an irregular basis. I do enjoy cozy mysteries, but I'd like our intrepid amateur sleuths to have a good reason to investigate. There were some subplots going on as well. Ordinarily, I appreciate it when a story doesn't focus solely on the investigation, but in this case, it grew tedious. Minnie's BFF, Kristen, was about ten months pregnant and ready to pop at any moment, and Minnie's ex, Ash, has broken up with his girlfriend, Chelsea, in spite of the fact that they're clearly perfect for one another and both are clearly miserable. Yes, Minnie had to meddle there, too. Another thing that bothered me is that, once again, the position of library director was up in the air/in jeopardy. Good grief, it seems that each book in the series has had a subplot involving either the viability of the bookmobile or the tenure of the director of the library. Enough!

Favorite lines:
♦ "A cat's purr can compensate for much."
♦ They also tended to think in straight lines, always assuming the noise of hooves was horses, and not accepting the possibility of zebras until the black-and-white-striped hides zoomed past them.
♦ "I'm lending you something. You can't keep it, because long term I might crumple up into a sad and whining ball."
♦ Sewing was so far outside my wheelhouse it would be on another boat altogether.
♦ Even my cat thought the idea was dumb.

A good read, but not up to par with others in the series. Giving this one an average score.

Current Mood: cold
Current Music: "Silent Night" ~ Kelly Clarkson

Checking Out Crime (Bookmobile Cat Mystery, #9)

Checking Out Crime by Laurie Cass

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I finished reading Checking Out Crime by Laurie Cass last night. It's the 9th book in her "Bookmobile Cat" mystery series. The main characters are bookmobile librarian Minnie Hamilton, and her rescue cat Eddie.

As Minnie is piloting the bookmobile on its way home one evening, she's almost run off the road by a speeding car. Rounding a curve, Minnie discovers someone lying in the road. What seems at first like a simple case of hit-and-run becomes more complicated when the medical examiner determines the victim was killed by a blow to the head. Within a week, there's another murder, leaving the entire town of Chilson on edge. The only thing the victims had in common was their mutual love of bicycling and the fact that each of them was well-liked in the community. As Minnie is drawn into the investigation, she learns that the victims had more in common than originally thought, and that the murderer may have other victims in mind.

In addition to looking into the recent crime wave, Minnie has other issues to deal with. Winter is fast approaching, which means she'll have to relocate from the houseboat she's been living on. Normally, she moves into her aunt's boarding house each winter, but Aunt Frances no longer owns the boarding house. The house that Minnie's fiance, Rafe, has been renovating forever isn't ready, and her friends and family are side-eyeing her over the fact that Rafe has not yet bought her a ring. One of her co-workers is having relationship woes and wants Minnie's advice, and her BFF, Kristen, who's a snowbird, is getting ready to flee for warmer climes. On top of that, Minnie's boss wants her to expand the bookmobile hours, but Minnie is having trouble with scheduling. At least Eddie is a solid, dependable, annoying presence in her life.

A delightful story! Minnie is a wonderful character, well-loved by everyone, and relentlessly cheerful. The supporting cast is excellent, and I am always pleased to reconnect with them. The author does a wonderful job of bringing familiar characters back, as well as introducing new ones. While Minnie is serious about looking into the murders, that's not the be-all and end-all of the story; she works, socializes, and spends quality time with her cat.

Favorite lines:
♦ Cats were better than any creature on earth for expressions that, if the universe were created in a slightly different manner, would reduce the object of those expressions to smoking rubble.
♦ "This sauce. It tastes like carp." // "Don't you mean crap?" // "No, I do not. It tastes like it belongs on fish."
♦ Cat purrs did wonders to soothe the soul.
♦ I did some mental math, frowning all the while because that's what math did to my face.

A fun cozy, five stars!

Current Mood: cheerful

Gone with the Whisker (A Bookmobile Cat Mystery #8)

Gone with the Whisker by Laurie Cass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I finished the book Gone with the Whisker, by Laurie Cass, last night. It's the 8th part of her "Bookmobile Cat" mystery series, starring librarian Minnie Hamilton and her rescue cat, Eddie.

The town of Chilson is gearing up for its annual Fourth of July festivities, and Minnie is excited to partcipate and to introduce the traditions to her teenage niece, Katrina, who is visiting for the summer. The excitement turns sinister when Katrina literally trips over a dead body during the fireworks display. Seeing how traumatized her niece is, Minnie can't help but insert herself into the investigation, questioning the police to see if they're making any progress. When she gets frustrated with their lack of leads, Minnie begins looking into the matter herself.

In the meantime, she finds herself ill-prepared to handle the temperament of a surly teenage girl, all of her co-workers at the library have differing opinions on how an endowment from a wealthy patron should be spent, her Aunt Frances is having second thoughts about turning over her bed and breakfast to her cousin, Celeste, and Minnie is kept busy trying to help her boyfriend, Rafe, work on the house he's been restoring for years. When someone else is murdered, Minnie thinks the crimes are related, but the police aren't so sure. It's up to Minnie, with a helping paw from Eddie, to connect the dots and solve the crime.

Story was lively and well-paced, and characterizations were wonderful. I wanted to smack Katrina into next week. I remember being a surly teenage girl, too, but I never would have copped an attitude with someone not in my immediate family, or my mother would have smacked me into next week. Minnie is fun, feisty, and fierce, and I enjoy following her thought processes.

Favorite lines:
♦ "When all else fails, blame the cat." // "No, you blame the cat from the beginning."
♦ Before I'd taken up residence with a cat, I hadn't understood how judgmental they could be.
♦ "Maybe that's where we'd start, with the original six national hockey league teams."
Pardon me, but that should be Original Six National Hockey League teams.
♦ This was not a calm, detached hatred. No, this was more the Captain Ahab and the Great White Whale kind of hatred, the kind that could consume you.
♦ "You're asking my cat for my hand in marriage?"

Delightful, for the most part. Four stars.

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: "When I Was Your Man" ~ Bruno Mars

Booking the Crook (A Bookmobile Cat Mystery #7)

Booking the Crook by Laurie Cass

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stayed up past my bedtime last night to finish reading Booking the Crook, which is the 7th book in Laurie Cass' "Bookmobile Cat" mystery series, featuring librarian Minnie Hamilton and her intrepid cat, Eddie.

While making the rounds with the bookmobile, Minnie checks in on a regular customer who didn't show up at her normal stop. She finds the woman dead in her driveway. At first, the death is ruled an accident, but testing shows that Rowan died of poisoning. This time, Minnie is determined to let the police do the investigating, but Rowan's college-aged twins beg her to help. She reluctantly gets involved, but as she begins putting pieces together, Minnie becomes more engrossed and invested in the mystery.

In the meantime, she's helping both her Aunt Frances and her BFF Kristen plan their weddings, and her boyfriend, Rafe, is bugging her to help him choose hardware for the kitchen remodeling project. Then there's her friend, Mitchell, who wants some love advice of his own. Not helping matters is that the library has a new director and a new board chairman. Both Graydon and Trent have been asking some odd questions about the bookmobile and the staff, and Minnie begins to fear they mean to cut staff or else axe her beloved bookmobile.

Minnie is being pulled in several different directions, but as she closes in on a killer, it's her own life that may be in danger.

I enjoyed the story, but ( ... )

Favorite lines:
♦ "But I'm one of those freaks who actually likes winter."
♦ "These days I typically wake up with cat hair on my lips."

I truly enjoyed the story. I mean, books and cats? What's not to love? However, the twin points of aggravation compel me to knock one star off the rating. Points are awarded for originality, not 'lather, rinse, repeat'.

Current Mood: calm
Current Music: "Go Your Own Way" ~ Fleetwood Mac

Wrong Side of the Paw (A Bookmobile Cat Mystery, #6)

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. ( Spoilers, ahoy! )

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:

****

Current Mood: complacent
Current Music: Shark Battleground: The Red Triangle

On Wednesday night, I finished reading Cat with a Clue, which is the most recent book in author Laurie Cass' "Bookmobile Cat" mystery series.

While shelving books early one morning before the library opens, Minnie comes across a dead body. She learns the murdered woman was once a resident of Chilson and had returned to attend the funeral of a great-aunt. What Minnie doesn't know is why the woman was in the library. When the library is broken into later, followed by Minnie's beloved bookmobile getting broken into, she feels that the break-ins and the murder must be connected. The police refuse to take her suggestion seriously, which leads Minnie to begin asking questions.

In the meantime, the library board is interviewing potential candidates to fill the vacated director's post. Minnie's friends encourage her to apply, but she drags her feet, knowing that taking the job would put paid to her freedom to drive the bookmobile. As Minnie and her intrepid cat Eddie dig deeper into clues surrounding the crime spree, they both find themselves in danger.

The story had good pacing, and I enjoyed reading about familiar characters and meeting new ones, including the elegant mother of Minnie's boyfriend, Ash.

Favorite line: "He thinks your idea would be better if it involved a cat."

Good story, five stars:

*****

Current Mood: mellow
Current Music: "My Boyfriend's Back" ~ The Angels

It's taken me this long to knock back my first book of the year, because the book I chose to start reading has not grabbed my attention. So yesterday, I started reading Pouncing on Murder, which is part of author Laurie Cass' "Bookmobile Cat" mystery series.

In addition to her duties as library administrator and bookmobile operator, Minnie has now been tasked with putting together the library's first-ever book fair. As if that isn't enough on her plate, she learns that a gruff neighbor has died, and that another man doesn't think it was an accident. When the second man is almost run down, Minnie begins to believe him. In the meantime, her long-distance relationship with Tucker is fizzling, leaving Minnie to wonder if it's worth it.

As her questions lead to unexpected answers, Minnie finds herself in danger. Worst of all, however, is that she may have endangered her beloved cat Eddie.

This was an enjoyable installment. There was a lot going on, which kept the pages turning. I liked reading about Minnie and the regular cast, as well as meeting new characters.

Favorite line: "...I know that feline innocence is an oxymoron. There's no such thing."

Four out of Five:

♦♦♦♦

Current Mood: mellow
Current Music: "Lovestoned" ~ Justin Timberlake

Friday or Saturday, I finished reading Borrowed Crime by Laurie Cass. This is the third book in her delightful "Bookmobile Cat" mystery series.

Minnie, the Assistant Director of the Chilson County library and pilot of the bookmobile, is in a quandary. Funding for the bookmobile hasn't come through as planned, and she is afraid she'll have to put her pet project to bed. Minnie is also afraid of her boss learning that she takes her cat Eddie along on the bookmobile. Eddie has become quite the ambassador for the library, and the patrons all love him. However, Minnie has bigger trouble on her hands when one of the bookmobile volunteers is shot and killed at a stop on their route. Now, the man's sister is threatening to sue the library for negligence in what was originally thought to be an unfortunate hunting accident. When Eddie begins to unearth some clues, Minnie starts to suspect the man was murdered, instead. With her boss breathing down her neck, it's up to Minnie and Eddie to solve the case before anyone else checks out for good.

Best line of the book: I stood in front of the freezer section--ice cream wasn't on the list, but it never hurt to look...

Ha ha! A woman after my own heart.

I adore these cozy mysteries, and I know I'll be snapping up the next one to be released.

Five stars:

★★★★★

Current Mood: chipper

On Thursday night (I seem to do this a lot!), I finished reading Tailing a Tabby by Laurie Cass. It's the second book in her "Bookmobile Cat" cozy mystery series, featuring librarian Minnie Hamilton and her intrepid cat Eddie.

While Minnie and Eddie are out and about in the bookmobile, a woman flags Minnie down. Her husband has suffered a stroke, and Minnie rushes him to the hospital. A few days later, the victim is discovered slumped over the body of a murdered woman. Minnie doesn't believe her new friend is guilty, and she begins asking questions and doing a little investigating on her own.

Along the way, Minnie's budding romance with Tucker suffers some hiccups, her boss wants her to deal with a dicey situation at the library, and Minnie's aunt is angsting over her botched matchmaking efforts.

The story was mostly fun and lighthearted, with a few anxious moments thrown in to keep it from being entirely too fluffy. I enjoy Eddie's purrsonality almost as much as I like Minnie. I'm looking forward to the next book in this series.

Four stars:

★★★★

Current Mood: mellow

At work today, I finished reading Lending a Paw, which is the first in author Laurie Cass' new "Bookmobile Cat" mysteries.

Assistant librarian Minnie Hamilton has gotten a donation to make her dream of a bookmobile possible. On its first trip through the countryside, Minnie's cat Eddie stows away aboard the vehicle. At the last stop, Eddie bails out of the bookmobile and leads Minnie to discover a dead body.

When Minnie's aunt and one of her friends are implicated, Minnie takes it upon herself to do a little investigating of her own.

Eddie, of course, is smarter than your average tabby. He steers Minnie to important clues, as well as becoming her regular co-pilot on the bookmobile.

The story was cute and fun, and it kept me guessing right up to the exciting end. Can't wait to read more in this series!

Four stars:

★★★★

Current Mood: cold
Current Music: "Twilight Zone" ~ Golden Earring