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jaxgirl007's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
alrey's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
2.75
linda48's review against another edition
3.0
Another in the series of librarian Charlie Harris and his cat, Diesel. It's a nice mystery, although not as grabbing as the previous books. The characters seem off, as well as the dialogue. I can't believe that any family talks to each other with as much formality as this one does, especially siblings. I understand that there's such a thing as Southern gentility, but c'mon!
The usual cast of charfacters is in the book, including the boarder, Justin and son, Sean. Azalea the housekeeper is a mere speck in this story, which is a good thing because her "accent" or patois or whatever you want to call it is a little hard to stomach. Her daughter, Deputy Berry, is also a mere shell of her former self. A quick read. Easy to handle, but not up to the previous books. I'll keep reading since I really read these for the cat.....
In reading this book, I have to wonder if Miranda James is actually a woman or is it a male author with a pseudonym? Some of the characterizations don't quite jive with how a woman would write them. Is this really the author, Dean James? He's a Southerner. Just curious.
The usual cast of charfacters is in the book, including the boarder, Justin and son, Sean. Azalea the housekeeper is a mere speck in this story, which is a good thing because her "accent" or patois or whatever you want to call it is a little hard to stomach. Her daughter, Deputy Berry, is also a mere shell of her former self. A quick read. Easy to handle, but not up to the previous books. I'll keep reading since I really read these for the cat.....
In reading this book, I have to wonder if Miranda James is actually a woman or is it a male author with a pseudonym? Some of the characterizations don't quite jive with how a woman would write them. Is this really the author, Dean James? He's a Southerner. Just curious.
wildflowerz76's review against another edition
3.0
This was fine. I'm enjoying this series well enough. And since the library has the rest of the series (but not the first three for no apparent reason), I'll probably continue it. I did like this better than the previous one. I found there to be a LOT of calls to violence in this one that seemed weirdly out of place. But it was fine.
slferg's review against another edition
4.0
I love these books. Charlie volunteers in the public library research desk on Fridays with his cat Diesel. Diesel is an unusually large Maine Coon Cat who is adored by all at the library and has certain expectations of behavior. Connor Lawton, a visiting playwright at the university, has breached those expectations and Diesel has nothing to do with him. Diesel is a very intelligent cat who accompanies Charlie everywhere wearing a harness and leash. His son, Sean is currently living with him in the big old house he inherited from his aunt. She had rented rooms to college students and he has cotninued to do the same. Currently he has 2 boarders, Justin, a college student and Stewart, who works at the college and has a small dog, Dante, that Sean had rescued but really hadn't time for, so he has become Stewart's. As he comes home from the library, he finds a surprise -- his daughter, Laura, is there! She is an actress in Hollywood, but has come for the semester to teach a drama class. Her students are supposed to perform a new play by Connor Lawton. Laura has known him quite well, altho he is a bully he does not intimidate her. Then Connor Lawton turns up dead and Laura discovers him. His laptop has been stolen, but she knows the hiding place for his thumb drive and gets that. There is something mysterious about this play he was writing. Some of the characters are very thinly disguised and there are several attacks on Laura. Chief Deputy Kanesha Berry gives them police protection at the house after someone tries to set fire to it. And Sean has constituted himself Laura's bodyguard, going to work with her so she won't be alone since she was hit over the head one day.
Charlie is determined to figure this out, at least give Deputy Berry a hint, so he doesn't have to live with this worry and fear...
Another exellent thing I liked about this book, Charlie admires Georgette Heyer, as do I. One of my favorite romance authors. And he takes her book 'The Grand Sophy' to read as he sits with his daughter at work. I love this book, too.
Charlie is determined to figure this out, at least give Deputy Berry a hint, so he doesn't have to live with this worry and fear...
Another exellent thing I liked about this book, Charlie admires Georgette Heyer, as do I. One of my favorite romance authors. And he takes her book 'The Grand Sophy' to read as he sits with his daughter at work. I love this book, too.
randombookgrl's review against another edition
5.0
For someone who's shelves of cozy mysteries consist almost exclusively of female protagonists, I am finding this series absolutely addictive! Charlie Harris is one of the most likeable characters I have encountered in my cozy mystery journey- a middle aged, widowed, extremely intelligent librarian with two grown children and an absolutely wonderful cat that I truly want to go visit & hug!
The mystery was easily solved (by me, at least), but still enjoyable to read as the characters worked through the mystery themselves. It was the parent-child relationship side plot that I found myself drawn to, though. While book #2 in the series explored Charlie's relationship with his son, book #3 opens the door to explore the relationship with his daughter. Having adult children myself, it was enjoyable to see the almost universal truth explored, that despite how grown children may become, they are forever our "kids". As a result, one of the things that a parent wants most is to protect those children. I felt that this tale was admirably written in that regard, from two different angles.
I cannot wait to get to the next book and see what adventures are in store for these characters!
The mystery was easily solved (by me, at least), but still enjoyable to read as the characters worked through the mystery themselves. It was the parent-child relationship side plot that I found myself drawn to, though. While book #2 in the series explored Charlie's relationship with his son, book #3 opens the door to explore the relationship with his daughter. Having adult children myself, it was enjoyable to see the almost universal truth explored, that despite how grown children may become, they are forever our "kids". As a result, one of the things that a parent wants most is to protect those children. I felt that this tale was admirably written in that regard, from two different angles.
I cannot wait to get to the next book and see what adventures are in store for these characters!
underwater_reader's review against another edition
4.0
In the third book in the cat in the stacks series Charlie's daughter Laura comes home to Athena, MS from LA for a semester to teach an acting class and produce the school's play. Unfortunately, Laura's ex-fiance, Connor Lawton, comes too and he is not the nicest playwright in the theater. He's so awful that everyone he comes into contact with seems to have a reason to want him dead. So when he ends up murdered and eyes fall on Laura as the killer, Charlie and his faithful friend Diesel must solve the case and clear her name.
I really enjoy this series. I bought the first book on a whim before I was reading cozies because there was a Maine coon cat on the cover and the back synopsis told me it was about a librarian and his pet cat. I am also a librarian who owns a Maine coon cat! I love this series. I love Charlie and Diesel and all of the borders that are living in Charlie's antebellum house. I really enjoy James's writing style. I thought it might be difficult for me to connect to a male protagonist, but it isn't at all. Charlie is so charming and kind. The mysteries in this series are super complex and often delve into Charlie's youth in some way. The mystery in this book was really intricate and I could not for the life of me solve it. There were just too many possibilities. Without going too deep into spoiler territory, there were two murders that happen in the book and there were several attempts made on Laura's life. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I didn't really like Laura. I wasn't thrilled when Charlie's son Sean showed up in the last book, but he grew on me and I ended up really liking him. I was hoping the same would happen with Laura in this one, but it just didn't. I couldn't connect to her at all and I thought she made way too many stupid decisions. If she stays in Athena instead of returning to LA hopefully she will grow on me or at least be less of a character in the following books.
The mystery, when it was solved, fell kind of flat for me. It didn't have that typical confrontation between the murderer and the protagonist that most cozies have. One quote towards the end summed it up pretty well,"It was all rather anticlimactic, as it turned out."
Overall, I loved this book just like I love this series. This one was not my favorite in the series so far, but I still really liked it. I give it four stars, more like 3.5 rounded up because I just love Diesel so much! I will definitely keep reading this series!
Some favorite quotes:
"A good book is a good book, I've always thought, whatever the genre. I had no patience for snobbery when it came to fiction reading." (34)
"'How did you find that out?" Sean sounded incredulous.
"Well, I am a librarian, you know." I grinned at them. "We know how to find things out."(254)
I really enjoy this series. I bought the first book on a whim before I was reading cozies because there was a Maine coon cat on the cover and the back synopsis told me it was about a librarian and his pet cat. I am also a librarian who owns a Maine coon cat! I love this series. I love Charlie and Diesel and all of the borders that are living in Charlie's antebellum house. I really enjoy James's writing style. I thought it might be difficult for me to connect to a male protagonist, but it isn't at all. Charlie is so charming and kind. The mysteries in this series are super complex and often delve into Charlie's youth in some way. The mystery in this book was really intricate and I could not for the life of me solve it. There were just too many possibilities. Without going too deep into spoiler territory, there were two murders that happen in the book and there were several attempts made on Laura's life. This might be an unpopular opinion, but I didn't really like Laura. I wasn't thrilled when Charlie's son Sean showed up in the last book, but he grew on me and I ended up really liking him. I was hoping the same would happen with Laura in this one, but it just didn't. I couldn't connect to her at all and I thought she made way too many stupid decisions. If she stays in Athena instead of returning to LA hopefully she will grow on me or at least be less of a character in the following books.
The mystery, when it was solved, fell kind of flat for me. It didn't have that typical confrontation between the murderer and the protagonist that most cozies have. One quote towards the end summed it up pretty well,"It was all rather anticlimactic, as it turned out."
Overall, I loved this book just like I love this series. This one was not my favorite in the series so far, but I still really liked it. I give it four stars, more like 3.5 rounded up because I just love Diesel so much! I will definitely keep reading this series!
Some favorite quotes:
"A good book is a good book, I've always thought, whatever the genre. I had no patience for snobbery when it came to fiction reading." (34)
"'How did you find that out?" Sean sounded incredulous.
"Well, I am a librarian, you know." I grinned at them. "We know how to find things out."(254)
zoeamac's review against another edition
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
nonna7's review against another edition
4.0
Diesel is back! Dean James writing as Miranda James is back with his latest "Cat In The Stacks" mystery featuring a 3 yr old Maine Coon cat as companion to gentle but firm retired librarian, Charlie Harris. Charlie is a widower now living in Athena, Mississippi after retiring from a career as a librarian. He inherited his aunt's home as well as her tart-tongued housekeeper/cook.
As the books have progressed, so have the number of Charlie's house mates. He started out with Justin, a student. Now he has his son, Sean, who has decided to study for the Mississippi bar after a bad experience with a large Houston law firm. Then there's Stewart, a flamboyantly gay (when he chooses to be) science teacher at the local university and also a terrific cook.
In this book, we meet Laura, Charlie's actor daughter who is trying to make it big in LA. The university has a playwright-in-residence, Conner Lawton, who immediately makes a bad impression on Charlie. He is an "Artist" - or so he says! Laura surprises him with news that she is filling in for one of the professors for a semester and will be teaching acting. It turns out she has a history with the playwright. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for Lawton to be found dead. Laura becomes the chief suspect, and Charlie can't sit back and watch helplessly.
Diesel is a big part of this story. He is more than just the family pet. That makes it even more fun. If you like mysteries and cats, you should like this one. It's a lot of fun and literate - a good combination!
As the books have progressed, so have the number of Charlie's house mates. He started out with Justin, a student. Now he has his son, Sean, who has decided to study for the Mississippi bar after a bad experience with a large Houston law firm. Then there's Stewart, a flamboyantly gay (when he chooses to be) science teacher at the local university and also a terrific cook.
In this book, we meet Laura, Charlie's actor daughter who is trying to make it big in LA. The university has a playwright-in-residence, Conner Lawton, who immediately makes a bad impression on Charlie. He is an "Artist" - or so he says! Laura surprises him with news that she is filling in for one of the professors for a semester and will be teaching acting. It turns out she has a history with the playwright. Unfortunately, it doesn't take long for Lawton to be found dead. Laura becomes the chief suspect, and Charlie can't sit back and watch helplessly.
Diesel is a big part of this story. He is more than just the family pet. That makes it even more fun. If you like mysteries and cats, you should like this one. It's a lot of fun and literate - a good combination!
jenneb_readingjournal's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book a great deal. The author is hitting their stride with librarian Charlie Harris and his sidekick Diesel. This time both of his children are featured and it was good to read these characters.
I have a soft spot for Chief Deputy Kanesha Berry and her mother Azalea. I hope future entries in the series feature them more, especially Azalea.
This mystery kept me guessing almost to the very end, and that is something I appreciate.
I have a soft spot for Chief Deputy Kanesha Berry and her mother Azalea. I hope future entries in the series feature them more, especially Azalea.
This mystery kept me guessing almost to the very end, and that is something I appreciate.