Book 94, 2024
Careless Whiskers by Miranda James
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Last night I completed the book Careless Whiskers, which is the 12th installment in Miranda James' "Cat in the Stacks" series, featuring archival librarian Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel.
Charlie is pleased and proud that his daughter Laura will be starring in a debut play at Athena College, directed by her husband Frank. Laura isn't pleased, however, when the actor tabbed to play the male lead opposite her is a man whom she locked horns with when she was in Hollywood. Luke Lombardi arrives in Athena, complete with an entourage, and proceeds to hack off everyone involved with the play. When he collapses and dies on stage after drinking from a glass that Laura handed him, Laura becomes a suspect. Charlie isn't about to sit idly by, and he soon immerses himself in the investigation, much to the chagrin of his children and Deputy Kanesha Berry. Charlie will not be dissuaded, however--not until Laura is proven innocent.
Charlie is a mature character (he has grandkids!), but he sure didn't act like it in this one. I was dismayed by some of the antics he engaged in, even though I knew it was for a good cause. Other things that bothered me:
- Why did the murder take place live, onstage, during the production? You'd think the killer could have done the deed at any other time/place.
- A life insurance policy factored into the motive. However, the person who took the policy out on Lombardi did not have an insurable interest in him. I spent a decade working in life insurance. You cannot take a policy out on someone whom you do not have an insurable interest in. For example, you can't take out a policy on your neighbor, a celebrity, the mayor of your city, etc.
Characterizations were wonderful, as always, and the plot was well-paced. There were some interesting plot twists thrown in as well.
Favorite lines:
♦ I felt the pounds attaching themselves to me simply by looking at the food.
♦ Diesel met me and gave me a short lecture, consisting of indignant meows and insistent trills, informing me of the heinousness of his abandonment while I was larking about without him.
♦ "You have obviously not discovered the joy of watching something awful simply because it is awful."
I wish I could award half stars. This deserves 3.5, but I'll bump it up to four as a nod to the series as a whole.