Double Booked for Death (Black Cat Bookshop Mystery, #1)

by Ali Brandon

Darla Pettistone left Texas for New York after unexpectedly inheriting her Great-Aunt Dee’s Brooklyn bookstore. She didn’t know that the store’s mascot—Hamlet, an oversize black cat with a personality to match—was also part of the deal. And he may be more trouble than Darla bargained for…
 
As the new owner of Pettistone’s Fine Books, Darla Pettistone is determined to prove herself a worthy successor to her late great-aunt Dee…and equally determined to outwit Hamlet, the smarter-than-thou cat she inherited along with the shop.
 
Darla’s first store event is a real coup—the hottest bestselling author of the moment is holding a signing there, which brings hordes of fans and some protestors. But when the author meets an untimely end during the event, it’s hardly good for business, even though it’s  ruled an accident…until Hamlet digs up a clue that seems to indicate otherwise. Now Darla fears a killer might be lurking about… Can the interfering Hamlet point the paw at the culprit without losing one of his own nine lives?

• ISBN10: 0425244970
• ISBN13: 9780425244975
• Publish Date: 6 December 2011 (first published 1 December 2011)
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Imprint: Penguin USA
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 336
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425244975

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

This book's cat is very reminiscent Koko of "The Cat Who..." mysteries by Lillain Jackson Braun. Something about the book's description originally made me think this would be a paranormal cozy, but it really just seems to be a very smart cat. The plot of this first in a series was good, lots of twists and turns. I found the characters to be a bit flat, and I found myself skimming once in awhile as the scenes failed to hold my attention. I found nothing at all to like about James, but hopefully he'll remain a background character. The cat, Hamlet, is great - lots of attitude. Overall, a bit mediocre, but then first books often can be, so I'll definitely check out the next one and look forward to improvement.