Murder Past Due (Cat in the Stacks Mystery)

This is the first book I have read by this author, and I can't wait to read the next book in this series. Great story, great characters and love Diesel!

Charlie Harris is a part-time archival librarian for Athena College in Athena, Mississippi. In his late forties, the father of two grown children, and a widower for three years, Charlie is the proud human owned by a Maine coon cat named Diesel. Still grieving the loss of his wife, Charlie is not yet interested in dating and keeps himself politely at an emotional distance from everyone except Diesel.Coming into Charlie’s life about two years ago as a bedraggled kitten wandering the library parking lot, Diesel seems to have two particular affinities. He seems to understand the human language well beyond the sound of his own name or the phrase “Here, kitty kitty.” And he seems to sense and differentiate between human emotions, particularly sadness and anger, even when not verbally expressed. Weighing nearly 35 pounds and not yet fully grown, Diesel proudly sports a harness and leash and goes just about everywhere with Charlie. He openly seeks attention from everyone he meets but he gives back just as much or more after he “determines” the type of attention the human needs at the time.For all that we know about Diesel, we know very little about Charlie other than what I have already mentioned. The author never physically describes Charlie, not height or hair color, not weight or eye color, not anything. Since every other character is described as he or she enters the storyline, the absence of same for Charlie seems to be deliberate on the part of the author. Thus, each reader can visualize our main protagonist in whatever form fits or feels right at the time.While Charlie has eschewed emotional attachments since the nearly concurrent deaths of his wife and his favorite aunt, he rents out rooms to college students. As our story opens, one of the boarders, 18-year-old Justin Wardlaw, experiences three traumatic events in one day. First, he meets his previously unknown biological father for the first time. Secondly, the man he thought was his father strikes him in the face when he refuses to quit college and move back home. And, finally, he discovers the body of his biological father murdered in his hotel room.Godfrey Priest, the murdered man, is a best-selling author of violent thrillers that have a severely misogynistic overtone. A contemporary of Charlie, he grew up in Athena with a well-deserved reputation as a physical and emotional bully. Needless to say, there are many people in town with long memories and hardened hearts as far as Godfrey Priest is concerned, making no dearth of possible suspects.Miranda James does not portray Charlie as a suspect who must work to clear his own name. Nor does she portray him as one of those meddlesome types who feels he can do better than any police detective in existence. What she does is portray Justin as a good kid who has just been handed a very raw deal and is in dire need of help and adult support. Since Charlie is a well-respected research and archival librarian trained to find answers to oblique questions, he decides to lend those skills to Justin’s cause.And then there is the police detective, Kanesha Berry. Detective Berry is smart and intuitive but she has the people skills of a rock and the professional personality of the rattlesnake hidden under that rock. She is also the daughter of Charlie’s longtime housekeeper, Azalea. When Azalea asks Charlie to use his skills to help her daughter succeed in spite of herself, Charlie finds himself in the position of unofficial private investigator.James has written a solid first entry for her Cat in the Stacks series. The search for the murderer twists and turns as past deeds surface and motives multiply. Since the book is written from Charlie’s first-person POV, the reader knows no more than Charlie does at any time. And since the author writes the detective as a recalcitrant soul, fighting for control and against civilian assistance, the reader gets no help whatsoever from that quarter toward interpreting the information that Charlie gleans.Charlie makes mistakes, both intuitive and legal. Unlike what happens in many cozies, our protagonist immediately accepts responsibility, takes his lumps and makes a concerted effort to correct his behavior. And, unlike the progression in many cozies, he doesn’t figure out the murderer’s identity before the detective does.This novel has no obvious hook leading to another book. Nor does it end in a cliffhanger. But the murder of Godfrey Priest, and his investigation into it on Justin and Azalea’s behalf, changes Charlie. And on that point lies the premise of another book.

I actually read "Classified as Murder" (the 2nd novel in the A Cat in the Stacks Mystery series) and then read "Murder Past Due" (the 1st novel in the series).This new series is a delight! I love the librarian jargon!Main character Charlie Harris has a wonderful schedule - Working three (3) days a week as a cataloger of the rare book collection at the college library and also answering various reference questions if they are related to a historical aspect of the college or the library's archives and rare books. Charlie also volunteers at the local public library. Another special joy is to read of Charlie's patronage of the town's independent bookstore.As the introduction to the new series characters begins, we also meet Diesel, a Maine Coon cat, originally discovered as a shivering kitten and rescued by Charlie two (2) years ago from the parking lot of the public library. Now everyone in town recognizes Charlie and Diesel as when the two (2) are out walking together, Charlie walks Diesel on a leash and it is rare to see one without the other.They know each other's habits and talk with one another particularly when they are alone. Without a doubt, the descriptions of man and cat convey the unconditional love that comes to one life's after rescuing a kitten. That is not to say that Charlie is master of the house as every cat owner knows that "Dogs have owners" and "Cats have staff". Diesel is no exception and has his needs addressed by favorite friends at various locations in town to his purring bliss.A charming new series and I can't wait to read more of the adventures of Charlie and Diesel!I am giving this novel 4 out of 5 stars due to the number of copy edit errors that are distracting to me as a reader. I am hopeful for improvement as the series continues.

Book was good kind of surprise who killed the writer.

"Murder Part Due" by Miranda JamesThe cover of this book hooked me. I mean a cat, books, and well, books in a library! What is not to love?Murder Past Due is set in a small Mississippi town named Athena. Athena is a small, quiet town where Charlie and Diesel live. Charlie had recently moved back and brought Diesel with him. As they walk the streets they make quite a pair. Charlie and Diesel tag team in the library. Charlie works there, and Diesel sleeps there. The perfect setup for the impending trouble.Small town gossip flies as Godfrey, the best-selling novelist, slides into town on a book tour. Then things and life become interesting for Charlie & Diesel.This book is the first in the new (new to me) series, Cat in The Stacks. At first, I found the book sluggish. I believe it was the characters and not the plot. After a period of the time, the characters did develop, and the plot moved sufficiently forward that I could see the characters more clearly in my mind's eye. In saying that, I did not find myself sympathetic to some of the characters as I knew I was supposed to feel. Those few characters had much to do and say in the plot, but I felt they were more two-dimensional than the book needed.Let me add this, Charlie does an excellent job of sleuthing, and several people have taken notice. I will read the next book in the series. And if you read /follow my reviews you know that I will not complete a set if I do not like the first book I read whether it is the first bok in the series or the last book in a series. So yes, I think 'Cat in The Stacks' books are worth my reading time and dollars.

Really enjoyed all his books about Charlie & Diesel. Good murder/mystery stories that keep you guessing who the guilty party is. Can't wait for the next book! Loved the novelty of including a cat in the stories it makes them different. A good read - all of them!

I enjoyed this book, thinking I will fallow this Author I like the way the story flows. It’s well written with out all the violence and gor of a lot of mysteries

Absolutely loved this book, could not put it down.The perfect companion to a afternoon cup of tea.Gentle but thrilling. Can't wait to get the others.

I love Miranda James as she writes very well and she enables me to immerge myself totally in the story. The characters are great too.

very good read