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Black Cat Bookshop Mystery #2
A Novel Way to Die
Darla Pettistone may have inherited her great aunt Dee’s Brooklyn bookstore, but it’s the store’s mascot—an oversized black cat named Hamlet—who acts like he owns the place. And when someone turns up dead, Hamlet smells something rotten in Brooklyn…
As the owner of Pettistone’s Fine Books, Darla is settling nicely into her new life, even reaching an uneasy truce with Hamlet. Unfortunately, when she needs to hire a new clerk, the finicky feline decides to lend a paw to the hiring process. He chases away applicants who don’t meet his approval, finally settling on an unlikely candidate: Robert, a book-loving Goth kid who has a secret only Hamlet knows. And Hamlet can’t seem to stay out of trouble. One of the bookstore’s regular customers, a man who is renovating a local brownstone, claims he’s seen Hamlet prowling the neighborhood. When the man’s business partner is found dead, Darla discovers that Hamlet may have been the only witness to what could be murder. With the crafty cat’s help, she wonders if they just might be able to pounce on a killer...
As the owner of Pettistone’s Fine Books, Darla is settling nicely into her new life, even reaching an uneasy truce with Hamlet. Unfortunately, when she needs to hire a new clerk, the finicky feline decides to lend a paw to the hiring process. He chases away applicants who don’t meet his approval, finally settling on an unlikely candidate: Robert, a book-loving Goth kid who has a secret only Hamlet knows. And Hamlet can’t seem to stay out of trouble. One of the bookstore’s regular customers, a man who is renovating a local brownstone, claims he’s seen Hamlet prowling the neighborhood. When the man’s business partner is found dead, Darla discovers that Hamlet may have been the only witness to what could be murder. With the crafty cat’s help, she wonders if they just might be able to pounce on a killer...
293 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 2012
60 people are currently reading
1206 people want to read
About the author
Ali Brandon
6 books246 followersDIANE A.S. STUCKART who also writes as ALI BRANDON, ALEXA SMART and ANNA GERARD, is a member of that proud breed, the native Texan. She was born in the West Texas town of Lubbock, home to Buddy Holly, prairie dogs, and Texas Tech University, where her mom once taught. Most of her formative years, however, were spent in Dallas with her parents and siblings: one younger sister and three younger brothers. And then, when she was fifteen, her dad's work took them north of the Red River and into Oklahoma, settling just outside Oklahoma City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 168 reviews
January 10, 2016
4.5 Stars
"Hamlet.
Darla shook her head. If someone composed a soundtrack to her life at the shop, then every mention of Hamlet would be accompanied by shrieking violins and an ominous dum-dum-DUM stinger. A stereotypical bookstore feline would curl picturesquely in a wicker basket and greet customers with a purr. But Hamlet stalked the shelves like a miniature Genghis Cat, black fur and green eyes as cold and sparkling as emeralds. The store's regulars all knew the drill - knew, as well, where they stood in his feline rankings - while first-time shoppers quickly learned their places in the hierarchy."
I love me some Hamlet. And he decided on the part-time clerk. That had me in stitches. Oh, he's also a witness to a murder - a customer of Darla's bookstore. And his human, Darla Pettistone and her would-like-to-be boyfriend discover the body in the basement of the Brownstone that the two men are renovating. Curt was a little sleazy, but he didn't deserve to die, or did he?Curt's very young girlfriend is missing. Could Tera have killed Curt? Her mother, Hilda, had motive to kill him too. So did Porn Shop Bill. Yes, that is another flamboyant character. Or did the thieves terrorizing the neighborhood do Curt in?
Hamlet begins knocking off books from shelves as clues to the killer's identity just as he did in Double-Booked for Death, and Darla pays attention to the clues this time. Darla knows where she fits in Hamlet's hierarchy, but that might change since both she and Hamlet find themselves in dire trouble, trapped by the killer.
This 2nd installment was so much better than the series' debut novel. And I got fooled again, it wasn't who I thought. The characters are much more developed, and Robert is truly delightful. He made me laugh, and shed a tear. I'll need to read the next one, soon.
"Hamlet.
Darla shook her head. If someone composed a soundtrack to her life at the shop, then every mention of Hamlet would be accompanied by shrieking violins and an ominous dum-dum-DUM stinger. A stereotypical bookstore feline would curl picturesquely in a wicker basket and greet customers with a purr. But Hamlet stalked the shelves like a miniature Genghis Cat, black fur and green eyes as cold and sparkling as emeralds. The store's regulars all knew the drill - knew, as well, where they stood in his feline rankings - while first-time shoppers quickly learned their places in the hierarchy."
I love me some Hamlet. And he decided on the part-time clerk. That had me in stitches. Oh, he's also a witness to a murder - a customer of Darla's bookstore. And his human, Darla Pettistone and her would-like-to-be boyfriend discover the body in the basement of the Brownstone that the two men are renovating. Curt was a little sleazy, but he didn't deserve to die, or did he?Curt's very young girlfriend is missing. Could Tera have killed Curt? Her mother, Hilda, had motive to kill him too. So did Porn Shop Bill. Yes, that is another flamboyant character. Or did the thieves terrorizing the neighborhood do Curt in?
Hamlet begins knocking off books from shelves as clues to the killer's identity just as he did in Double-Booked for Death, and Darla pays attention to the clues this time. Darla knows where she fits in Hamlet's hierarchy, but that might change since both she and Hamlet find themselves in dire trouble, trapped by the killer.
This 2nd installment was so much better than the series' debut novel. And I got fooled again, it wasn't who I thought. The characters are much more developed, and Robert is truly delightful. He made me laugh, and shed a tear. I'll need to read the next one, soon.
October 3, 2016
Overall, I liked this book, just a few things bugged me. First, the pace. it took almost 60 pages for something significant, in terms of the mystery, to happen. Once it did, it seemed to pick up, but then it was like a roller-coaster, moments of extreme speed and action, followed by long periods of climbing slowly. The slow parts really dulled the momentum, and my interest. I like the characters, Robert and Hamlet, the cat, were my two favorites. My second major complaint was the solution, it was, at least to me, predictable. You could kind of see who the guilty party would turn out to be. That all being said, the ending was an adrenaline rush, which was great, and I will read more in the series.
July 3, 2017
I loved the mystery, but I found myself frustrated at how clueless Darla seemed at times. The secret that was teased about in the blurb was easy to figure out, yet it took a good bit of the book before Darla figured it out. The mystery was very well-written, and both the killer and the motive surprised me.
June 4, 2021
Very good mystery with several twist I did not see coming Love the characters and the setting of a bookstore in Brooklyn.
January 6, 2020
Good, fast moving cozy. I liked it even more than the first one. Continued good character development and you just have to love Hamlet!
June 5, 2016
This was my novel to take to doctor's appointments or waiting in line somewhere, so it took longer than it normally would. It's a quick read and very fun. You don't have to think much and you can figure out who the murderer is fairly quickly. It's a little cheesy in parts but overall it's cute.
Darla has inherited her aunt's bookstore and bookstore cat, Hamlet. Hamlet is a great people reader and crime solver. For cat lover's you will like Hamlet's personality, he's pretty much a temperamental cat, of course I'm not sure what other kind of cats there are. Mine are always close to Hamlet's personality, without the ability to solve murders ;-).
I like Robert, a teenage guy Darla hires as part time bookstore employee and who has an immediate positive connection with Hamlet, a prerequisite for any employee hired to work there. I'm sure he'll be a constant character in the other books of this series. James is the other employee, a former professor of literature who also has an instant connection with Robert. The follow up books should be fun, although rather simplistic and a tad cheesy.
Darla has inherited her aunt's bookstore and bookstore cat, Hamlet. Hamlet is a great people reader and crime solver. For cat lover's you will like Hamlet's personality, he's pretty much a temperamental cat, of course I'm not sure what other kind of cats there are. Mine are always close to Hamlet's personality, without the ability to solve murders ;-).
I like Robert, a teenage guy Darla hires as part time bookstore employee and who has an immediate positive connection with Hamlet, a prerequisite for any employee hired to work there. I'm sure he'll be a constant character in the other books of this series. James is the other employee, a former professor of literature who also has an instant connection with Robert. The follow up books should be fun, although rather simplistic and a tad cheesy.
January 13, 2021
After saying goodbye to my kitty three months ago, I'm starting to feel ready to look for a new one...and is it too much to hope she might be able to solve murders like Hamlet??
Not that I want to be in the vicinity of any murders. But still.
This was another fun one in this series, and I definitely liked being back in the bookshop with the cantankerous feline, who is the true star of the books. Hamlet and I share a similar GFY attitude toward many strangers. While the whodunnit wasn't exactly hard to predict--and with cozies, I don't think that matters much--I did appreciate that it made sense, and there were a couple other characters it could have been just as easily. I also liked that Darla wasn't ridiculously stupid and foolhardy when trying to help solve the crime (although she did commit the horror movie cliché of running upstairs to try to get away from the villain, which...hello, logic please.) I also like that this author seems to have a slightly better understanding of modern technology than some other cozy authors I've read, although 36-year-old Darla did still sometimes come across more like 56. Some annoying comments about weight, too, but sadly that's hard to avoid in older-woman-penned books. (No idea how old the author is, to be fair.)
A fun quick read, with some funny lines and sweet moments, too. And a bookshop! And a cat! What more could you need...
Not that I want to be in the vicinity of any murders. But still.
This was another fun one in this series, and I definitely liked being back in the bookshop with the cantankerous feline, who is the true star of the books. Hamlet and I share a similar GFY attitude toward many strangers. While the whodunnit wasn't exactly hard to predict--and with cozies, I don't think that matters much--I did appreciate that it made sense, and there were a couple other characters it could have been just as easily. I also liked that Darla wasn't ridiculously stupid and foolhardy when trying to help solve the crime (although she did commit the horror movie cliché of running upstairs to try to get away from the villain, which...hello, logic please.) I also like that this author seems to have a slightly better understanding of modern technology than some other cozy authors I've read, although 36-year-old Darla did still sometimes come across more like 56. Some annoying comments about weight, too, but sadly that's hard to avoid in older-woman-penned books. (No idea how old the author is, to be fair.)
A fun quick read, with some funny lines and sweet moments, too. And a bookshop! And a cat! What more could you need...
May 20, 2019
I enjoyed this 2nd novel in the series even more than the opening story.
What fun as Darla Pettisone begins interviewing for an additional employee that needs to be a good fit to meet her needs for a part-time employee but must pass critique by shop cat extraordinaire Hamlet. Having worked at several bookstores (independent and chain), I remember the camaraderie of coworkers that are drawn together by their love of books and come for all walks of life. Ali Brandon captures this perfectly as the reader is drawn to hear all the interactions between Darla Pettistone, James T. James, Store Manager and former professor of English literature at one of the area's more prestigious universities, new employee Robert Gilmore, and of course, Hamlet.
One of the regular customers of Pettistone's Fine Books is dead and Hamlet's paw prints are at the scene. Is that just a coincidence? There are clever clues for all mystery fans and especially for fans of bookstore mysteries and ingenious felines.
I can't wait to read the next novel in this series.
What fun as Darla Pettisone begins interviewing for an additional employee that needs to be a good fit to meet her needs for a part-time employee but must pass critique by shop cat extraordinaire Hamlet. Having worked at several bookstores (independent and chain), I remember the camaraderie of coworkers that are drawn together by their love of books and come for all walks of life. Ali Brandon captures this perfectly as the reader is drawn to hear all the interactions between Darla Pettistone, James T. James, Store Manager and former professor of English literature at one of the area's more prestigious universities, new employee Robert Gilmore, and of course, Hamlet.
One of the regular customers of Pettistone's Fine Books is dead and Hamlet's paw prints are at the scene. Is that just a coincidence? There are clever clues for all mystery fans and especially for fans of bookstore mysteries and ingenious felines.
I can't wait to read the next novel in this series.
Read
June 21, 2024Not quite as good as its predecessor, but the ending had a nice suspenseful bite.
February 9, 2025
someone get this crime solving cat his own tv show
March 8, 2020
Really loved the characters and the story line. I try not to guess who done it because I'm wrong 1/2 the time but I want surprised at finding out who was the killer. Sad that there are only 4 more books in the series.
November 21, 2012
Darla Pettistone has inherited her Great Aunt's Brooklyn, NY book store and cat, Hamlet. In this second book of the series, we slip right back into the story as Darla finds new challenges to adjusting to her new life.
The book store is flourishing and Darla is making friends in her new life far from Texas. Darla needs a new part-time worker and the one obstacle is Hamlet who is very particular as to choosing his friends. Enter Robert, a young eighteen year old that has his own mysteries. Hamlet likes Robert and although Darla isn't sure of the Goth child, she is open to giving him a chance. This just might save her life.
Also, Darla is hoping to find some companionship in dating. Finally a man, Barry, is showing some interest in her. The handsome homicide detective from the first novel in the series, Reese hasn't shown any interest in her...sigh. Barry and his business partner, Curt are remodelling a brownstone.
Barry invites Darla over to see their improvements on the building, when instead, Curt's body is found.
Hamlet begins to leave clues about and Darla finds herself involved in solving the crime as neighbourhood friends and business owners become suspects.
This is a fun and imaginative series. I love the cat's talents and the growing friendships in Darla's life. I also enjoy the dialog, especially inside Darla's mind. I often find myself chuckling aloud.
The book store is flourishing and Darla is making friends in her new life far from Texas. Darla needs a new part-time worker and the one obstacle is Hamlet who is very particular as to choosing his friends. Enter Robert, a young eighteen year old that has his own mysteries. Hamlet likes Robert and although Darla isn't sure of the Goth child, she is open to giving him a chance. This just might save her life.
Also, Darla is hoping to find some companionship in dating. Finally a man, Barry, is showing some interest in her. The handsome homicide detective from the first novel in the series, Reese hasn't shown any interest in her...sigh. Barry and his business partner, Curt are remodelling a brownstone.
Barry invites Darla over to see their improvements on the building, when instead, Curt's body is found.
Hamlet begins to leave clues about and Darla finds herself involved in solving the crime as neighbourhood friends and business owners become suspects.
This is a fun and imaginative series. I love the cat's talents and the growing friendships in Darla's life. I also enjoy the dialog, especially inside Darla's mind. I often find myself chuckling aloud.
January 13, 2013
Book #4 Read in 2013
A Novel Way to Die by Ali Brandon
This is the second book in a great cozy mystery series. This series is set in a bookstore, owned by Darla. Living in the apartment below the store is Darla's friend Jake, a retired NYC cop. The other cast of recurring characters include James, the somewhat stuffy but literary store employee; Reese, the handsome NYC Detective and of course Hamlet, the bookstore's resident feline whom Darla inherited from her aunt along with the bookstore. In this book, a customer of Darla's is found murdered. One of the neighboring shopkeepers is arrested for the murder. Hamlet seems to have a differing opinion and is once again leaving clues through books for Darla to piece together. But will she be able to in time?
I love this series. These books have a good mystery plot, great characters, good action, a hint of romance and is set in one of my favorite places--bookstore!--with one of my favorite things--cat!--so it is a hit with me. I recommend this series.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
A Novel Way to Die by Ali Brandon
This is the second book in a great cozy mystery series. This series is set in a bookstore, owned by Darla. Living in the apartment below the store is Darla's friend Jake, a retired NYC cop. The other cast of recurring characters include James, the somewhat stuffy but literary store employee; Reese, the handsome NYC Detective and of course Hamlet, the bookstore's resident feline whom Darla inherited from her aunt along with the bookstore. In this book, a customer of Darla's is found murdered. One of the neighboring shopkeepers is arrested for the murder. Hamlet seems to have a differing opinion and is once again leaving clues through books for Darla to piece together. But will she be able to in time?
I love this series. These books have a good mystery plot, great characters, good action, a hint of romance and is set in one of my favorite places--bookstore!--with one of my favorite things--cat!--so it is a hit with me. I recommend this series.
http://melissasbookpicks.blogspot.com
August 13, 2014
I really love this new Cozy Series!!!! Not only do I have a BLACK CAT, which yes, makes me probably love Hamlett a little more.... I truly think Ali Brandon does weave in a wonderful mystery, where Hamlet does his "drop a book, and guess the clue"....
It's delightful, and because the people don't always assume Hamlet knows what he is doing... it's very plausable.
I really like the Robert, Darla's new hired employee. I love how he "paw bumps, Hamlett, and has an admiration for James, her other employee.
I also enjoy her relationship with Jake (hew downstairs neighbor and was glad that Jake started her own PI agency)!!!
And it's nice too see some flirtations between Reese and Darla.
Overall this is a wonderful series.... and I can't wait to be better acquainted with all the characters!
It's delightful, and because the people don't always assume Hamlet knows what he is doing... it's very plausable.
I really like the Robert, Darla's new hired employee. I love how he "paw bumps, Hamlett, and has an admiration for James, her other employee.
I also enjoy her relationship with Jake (hew downstairs neighbor and was glad that Jake started her own PI agency)!!!
And it's nice too see some flirtations between Reese and Darla.
Overall this is a wonderful series.... and I can't wait to be better acquainted with all the characters!
February 12, 2016
I have read this series all our of order! D: Thankfully, it's the kind of series where that doesn't really matter. You can read each book as an individual, or in any order you like! The same characters mostly repeat, and there is always Hamlet :D This is the book where Hamlet gets a bit of a fright, and his owner Darla as well. It makes more sense now, having already read the third book, as to why Darla mentions an event that has made her want to learn a little self defense. In fact, in some parts it was downright scary!
A fantastic book as always, especially as this is the first book to feature Robert. James and Robert are two of the best secondary characters I've come across, and I love their banter. Highly recommended in this genre, five stars.
A fantastic book as always, especially as this is the first book to feature Robert. James and Robert are two of the best secondary characters I've come across, and I love their banter. Highly recommended in this genre, five stars.
October 9, 2016
I didn't read the first book in the series, but it didn't feel like I had missed anything. All things backstory were shortly explained. I liked this book enough that, if I came across the other books in the series, I would pick them up.
For a while I feared the author was going for the classic love triangle that would last through several books. The twist certainly surprised me. I also liked that the person who discovered the murder was advised to get counseling and that the emotional part wasn't rushed.
I thought the mystery was well done. I read this book at night and it was starting to feel pretty creepy at some points :-)
For a while I feared the author was going for the classic love triangle that would last through several books. The twist certainly surprised me. I also liked that the person who discovered the murder was advised to get counseling and that the emotional part wasn't rushed.
I thought the mystery was well done. I read this book at night and it was starting to feel pretty creepy at some points :-)
October 7, 2021
This second book in the series is a big step above the first one, and Hamlet comes through as the cat du jour—providing his own hints to the culprit, attacking the killer and saving Darla’s life, and putting his stamp of approval on the newest bookshop employee. I really like Robert—and his fist bumping his little black goth bro—and I think he will be an added plus to the cool, diverse group of detectives. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
January 24, 2013
I started reading this with no great expectations, I was just hoping for a decent cozy. This has two of the elements that interest me -- books & cats. So I was quite pleased to read better-than-average writing with defined interesting characters who were NOT prone to doing ridiculous things just to move the plot along. Very enjoyable, I'll go back and read the first in the series now.
September 1, 2014
This second book in the series is even better than the first. Hamlet, the book store cat, is an real hero in this book, and Darla even gets a date (or maybe two). Robert, a new bookstore clerk, is a great character, and I look forward to reading the third in this series.
January 27, 2018
I didn't mean to continue with this series, but I need some easy books to get straight into these days and cozy mysteries fit the bill. I liked this one a lot more than the first and now am wondering if I should continue on...
July 4, 2017
I was not quite as fond of this book as the first. However it was still a great book. Loved all the characters. I am diving into the third book very shortly.
March 16, 2016
Love it
January 9, 2025
It's official: I've fallen in love with this series... and Hamlet! Often cantankerous, occasionally charming, and solves murder mysteries, to boot? How can you not love this cat?!
This was a delightful read, and I'm excited to read the rest of the series. Highly recommended!
Books in the Black Cat Mystery series:
This was a delightful read, and I'm excited to read the rest of the series. Highly recommended!
Books in the Black Cat Mystery series:
January 28, 2020
Darla Pettistone has inherited her aunt's bookshop in Brooklyn. The bookshop comes with Hamlet, a black cat with an attitude. Carla quickly realizes the cat has to approve of anyone who works in the store. When hiring a new part-time clerk, Darla realizes the candidate she thinks is most qualified is not favored by Hamlet. Instead Hamlet chooses Robert, an 18-year-old recent high school graduate who is a goth in dress and interests, but works well for Darla. However Hamlet's main talent is solving murders by knocking books off the shelves. The bookshop employees must decipher the clues each title contains, but Hamlet knows who did what! Darla is with Barry, a construction worker friend, when they discover the body of Barry's partner in the basement of a brownstone he is renovating. Next to the body, Darla sees bloody paw prints. Was Hamlet a witness to the murder? A missing teenage girl, an enraged mother, and a porn shop owner are all suspects in the eyes of the police, but Hamlet knows better. The books he knocks off the shelves of the bookstore clearly point to one person.
For this reader, it was obvious who was the murderer from the beginning. It was frustrating that Darla was so dense!
For this reader, it was obvious who was the murderer from the beginning. It was frustrating that Darla was so dense!
ugh
October 22, 2025DNF - PG 10
Why?
Short answer:
She sprayed her cat with a water gun because she couldn't figure out any other way to get him off of someone's phone. (Come on, lady. It's not rocket science.)
Longer answer:
Between this book, the one where someone shoved their cat into a cupboard of their motorhome to travel and the one where someone decided to make their cat homemade food that didn't contain taurine, female sleuths in cozy mysteries should not be allowed to have cats. (You just know that we will, sooner or later, run across one of those vegans that think their carnivorous cat should be vegan too.)
Look, I read two other books in this series and don't remember this kind of stuff, but I also don't want that - and the judge-y judgement - from our heroine. (She was judging a job applicant, hard, because this young woman had the time, desire and money to do charity work.)
Pass and won't be coming back for more.
(Honestly, the authors of cozy mysteries shouldn't have pets, either, if they think this kind of stuff is appropriate.)
Why?
Short answer:
She sprayed her cat with a water gun because she couldn't figure out any other way to get him off of someone's phone. (Come on, lady. It's not rocket science.)
Longer answer:
Between this book, the one where someone shoved their cat into a cupboard of their motorhome to travel and the one where someone decided to make their cat homemade food that didn't contain taurine, female sleuths in cozy mysteries should not be allowed to have cats. (You just know that we will, sooner or later, run across one of those vegans that think their carnivorous cat should be vegan too.)
Look, I read two other books in this series and don't remember this kind of stuff, but I also don't want that - and the judge-y judgement - from our heroine. (She was judging a job applicant, hard, because this young woman had the time, desire and money to do charity work.)
Pass and won't be coming back for more.
(Honestly, the authors of cozy mysteries shouldn't have pets, either, if they think this kind of stuff is appropriate.)
November 11, 2017
This is a cute set-up where a Texan inherits a book store in New York after her marriage falters and she needs to get away from it all. However, the store also comes with a grumpy professor turned manager and a mascot, in the form of a jet-black cat, Hamlet, with an inkling to solve crime by leaving out book clues. Granted, this is highly unlikely if you translate it into the real world, in the world of literature, translated by author Ali Brandon, it strangely does make sense and is highly entertaining.
Naturally, said feline has his own likes and dislikes, and is not afraid to show it - which is an added perk to this series. There is a set of characters already established, in this, the second book in the series, new, permanent personalities are introduced as well as those 'known just in passing'. And if you think this series is just for kitty-lovers, I dare you to give it a try and start reading. You'll be back ...
Naturally, said feline has his own likes and dislikes, and is not afraid to show it - which is an added perk to this series. There is a set of characters already established, in this, the second book in the series, new, permanent personalities are introduced as well as those 'known just in passing'. And if you think this series is just for kitty-lovers, I dare you to give it a try and start reading. You'll be back ...
June 28, 2019
I loved coming back to the wonderful world of Darla and Hamlet! From the very beginning as Darla tried not to roll her eyes over her potential new employee's perfect little lifestyle, I freely rolled my eyes and laughed! I loved reuniting with additional characters Jake, Reese, James, and the Plinskis as well as meeting new employee Robert. I picked up on Robert's little secret pretty quickly and my heart broke for him so when Hamlet made it his mission to befriend him, my heart just melted. The villain was a surprise but what was even more surprising was when Darla was chased, caught, and almost killed by the villain! That scene was several pages long and really got my heart pumping! I cheered Hamlet along throughout the story and loved all his little clues to help catch the killer! This is a fun series and I'm excited to read more!
September 28, 2025
Another series by Ali Brandon (under a different penname) is one of my favourite cozy series. This book, not so much. I guess she’s grown as an author in the in between.
There is not much to like about Darla. She’s bullied by her cat; her best friend calls her kid (there is an age difference, but still …) and when she meets a new person, she rarely describes their looks favourably.
There’s not much sleuthing in this story. Most mysteries are a puzzle to solve. Here the cat left clues to solve a riddle. Without the clues from the cat the humans would not have solved the murder.
Though I mostly struggled through the first quarter and the pace of the book picked up after that, I don’t think I will be reading any others in this series. It’s the riddles left by the cat; I want proper clues and a sleuth actually investigating (read: talking to people).
There is not much to like about Darla. She’s bullied by her cat; her best friend calls her kid (there is an age difference, but still …) and when she meets a new person, she rarely describes their looks favourably.
There’s not much sleuthing in this story. Most mysteries are a puzzle to solve. Here the cat left clues to solve a riddle. Without the clues from the cat the humans would not have solved the murder.
Though I mostly struggled through the first quarter and the pace of the book picked up after that, I don’t think I will be reading any others in this series. It’s the riddles left by the cat; I want proper clues and a sleuth actually investigating (read: talking to people).
January 26, 2019
I really enjoyed this, much more than Book 1. It was great that the MC didn't become a gumshoe sleuth, Hamlet was adorable as always (and saved the day! Only the best cats do this!) and I really enjoyed Robert. Although I did keep screaming at the MC for not realizing he was homeless until she literally woke him up in her courtyard - how oblivious can she be at times?! That was by far the most frustrating thing in this book, everything else felt realistic (talking to the neighbors, the cops being annoyed, friends looking after one another!) The pacing in this, compared to the first, was much tighter so it was a quicker read and more enjoyable.
May 20, 2022
All right, so the first book, I thought she (Darla) let her imagination run away with her a bit. This one? Her imagination was out of control. Her new employee, Robert, for example. She sees him with a sleeping bag tied to his backpack, and rather than thinking he needs it to sleep in, she comes to the conclusion he's filling it with scrap metal. Therefore he may be the scrap metal thief, therefore he must be the killer. Seriously? And she's really reaching with Hamlet, too. I'm still enjoying the books, but now...? More so I can laugh at Darla, than so I can figure out the mystery.
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