File M for Murder (Cat in the Stacks Mystery, #3)

by Miranda James

In this mystery in the New York Times bestselling Cat in the Stacks series, librarian Charlie Harris and his cat Diesel must clear the name of someone near and dear to their hearts—Charlie’s own daughter.

Athena College’s new writer in residence is a famous native son, playwright Connor Lawton, known for his sharp writing—and sharper tongue. After an unpleasant encounter, librarian Charlie Harris heads home to a nice surprise: his daughter, Laura, is visiting and will be subbing for another professor this fall semester. It’s great news until he hears who got her the job: her old flame, Connor Lawton...

Fearing competition for Connor’s affections, one of his admirers tries to drive Laura out of town. And then, before Connor finishes the play he is writing, he is murdered—and Laura is the prime suspect. Knowing she’s innocent, Charlie and his faithful sidekick, Diesel, follow Connor’s cluttered trail of angry lovers, bitter enemies, and intriguing library research to find the true killer before his daughter is forever cataloged under “M”—for murderer.

• ISBN10: 0425246183
• ISBN13: 9780425246184
• Publish Date: 31 January 2012 (first published 1 January 2012)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Berkley
• Format: Paperback (US Mass Market)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780425246184

Reviews

[MurderByDeath]

If you're looking for a polite, genteel cozy-mystery and you like cats, this series might be worth checking out. Diesel the cat is enough to make anyone want a cat and the mysteries are fairly solid as well. The plot of this, the third in the series, I found interesting - a lot of suspects, a couple of twists and at least one red herring.

I gave this book only three stars because for me the characters are bland. To me, it felt as if it's a play where the characters are all on valium, just reading their lines while being insanely polite to each other but otherwise displaying little, if any, emotion. I've read books where the writing is so vivid I can't go to sleep at night and this book would be the exact opposite - very calming and soothing.

I'd probably read the next in the series if I had nothing more exciting to read, but I won't rush to pre-order.