Nine Lives

by D. B. Borton

[annieb123]

Originally posted on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Nine Lives is the ninth Cat Caliban cozy mystery by D. B. Borton. Released 15th Oct 2022 by Boomerang Books, it's 274 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a well written, genuinely funny murder cozy set in Cincinnati with a feisty protagonist who's survived raising a family, the breakup of her marriage, a move, and a new late-midlife career change, and isn't inclined to put up with anyone's crap. She's salty, down-to-earth, and kind and loyal to her friends. The mystery itself, the plotting, and the pacing are very well done. The author definitely has a solid handle on her writing style. I found myself engaged in the story and never felt it dragged or raced. The dialogue is superlative. It flows naturally and believably. It has a delightful retro vibe being set in the 1980s and the author's references to cultural icons of the time will make those of us who remember the 1980s smile, or maybe wince. Writing humor is challenging. This one actually surprised a bark of laughter out of me a couple times. That happens very very rarely. There are also positive (admittedly stereotypical) depictions of people who are LGBTQIA+ in the book, as well as a warm fuzzy theme of "found family". Slight warning for rough language (sort of Bea Arthur Golden Girls level snark here). Her protege/sidekick Leon has a terrible stutter which is rendered organically in the text which I found distracting, but it's written respectfully and with verisimilitude (he uses AAVE in his speech patterns which also distracted a bit, but on the other hand, he's an 80s black kid from urban Cincinatti....).I'm not at all sure how well the stutter will translate to audiobook narration, so proceed forewarned. 

With 9 books in the series, it would be a great candidate for a long binge/buddy/readathon read.

Four and a half stars. Tone perfect, very entertaining. Fans of Janet Evanovich and Sue Grafton will almost certainly enjoy this series.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.