Murder Past Due by Miranda James

The perfect cosy mystery…

Themes: Mystery/thriller

The synopsis

There’s a cat in the stacks…

…and he makes the purr-fect partner for a librarian-turned-sleuth.

Everyone in Athena, Mississippi, knows librarian Charlie Harris-and his Maine coon cat named Diesel that he walks on a leash. They also know his former classmate-turned-famous bestselling novelist, Godfrey Priest.

But someone in Athena took Godfrey off the bestseller lists- permanently, and with extreme prejudice. Now, Charlie and Diesel must browse through the history section of the town’s past to find a killer.

The review

A murder mystery with a librarian and a cat in a small town? I don’t see what could more cosy than this.

This one was a very good murder mystery, even for me who is becoming used to reading this genre. I usually like when it happens in small towns (classic trope) because there is a lot of gossip and so suspects. Here, you are trying to sort out the truth from the rumor and even though you have all the elements to solve the crime before the end of the book, you realise it only at the end. I also enjoyed the first-person narration a lot since it was allowing me to investigate at the same time as Charlie. The writing was simple and made flying through the book but still conveyed emotions and the atmosphere very well.

In brief: a very good murder mystery, written by someone who obviously has cats. The investigation is very credible with a mix of events and gossip integrated in Charlie’s routine and leading to a logical, credible resolution.

My rating: 4.5/5