Book Review: The Pawful Truth by Miranda James (Cat in the Stacks Mysteries #11)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Charming characters we love to see

Cons: Plot a little weak for this series

The Bottom Line:

Charlie takes a class

Student becomes history

Charming characters

As the Campus Turns

It’s hard to go wrong with a visit with Charlie and Diesel the stars of the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries.  The books are filled with charming characters and cute pets.  The Pawful Truth is another such wonderful visit.

It’s the start of the semester, and Charlie Harris has decided to enroll in a class.  No, he’s not considering leaving his job working in the Athena College library archives, but he’s decided to indulge his love of history with a course in medieval history taught by one of the most popular professors on campus.  In his first day in class, Charlie can see why Dr. Carey Warriner is so popular.  Yes, the man is handsome which is an obvious draw for some of the ladies, but his passion for the subject comes through in his lectures, and Charlie is fascinated by all he has already learned.

However, as Charlie leaves class that first day, he hears part of an angry exchange between Dr. Warriner and Dixie Bell Compton, the only other non-traditional student in the class.  He doesn’t intend to give it much credence, but he begins to hear rumors about Dr. Warriner and his relationship with his wife, a professor in the English department.  When Dixie turns up dead under mysterious circumstances, Charlie can’t help but wonder if his professor is also a murderer.  Will his position in the class give him an opportunity to come up with a clue?

Now, I know I haven’t mentioned Diesel, Charlie’s Maine Coon cat, in my recap at all.  While Diesel isn’t attending class with Charlie, trust me, he is still very much an active part of the book as always.  If you are a fan of this cat (and who isn’t if they’ve read any of the books in the series), you’ll be quite satisfied with his antics here.  I have to give a special shout out to Ramses, the newest kitten in Charlie’s life, who steals quite a few scenes of his own and made me laugh a few times as I was reading.

And the human characters?  They are just as real and charming.  We’ve got a large cast of characters, and they all put in appearances, with extra page time for Charlie’s two grandchildren.  Since this is now the eleventh book in the series, it’s hard not to feel like these are all close friends, and getting to spend time with them is a delight.  And yet they don’t take away from the suspects.  There are only a few of them, but they are as fully realized as the series regulars.

Unfortunately, I did feel the plot was a little weak.  In some ways, it felt a bit more like a soap opera than a usual cozy mystery plot.  And we spent a bit more time speculating than we do uncovering any helpful information, although we do reach a logical conclusion in the end.  Now, this isn’t to say I wasn’t entertained – see my above comment on the characters.  I just feel like some of the twists we normally see were missing here.  Still, I don’t regret my time with this book in the slightest.

Eagle-eyed readers will spot some clues about the next book in the series, coming early next year.  I thought that was a fun bit buried in the book.

The Cat in the Stacks is one of the coziest series out there, and The Pawful Truth is another delightful visit with Charlie, Diesel, and the rest of the gang.  Fans will savor every page and be left anxious for their next visit.  And if you haven’t started this series yet, don’t wait another minute to meet these wonderful characters.

Need to catch up?  Here are the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries in order.

NOTE: I received a copy of this book.

Giveaway!

Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of this book to give away.  Because it is a physical book, the contest is limited to residence of the US.

Just leave me a comment with your e-mail address so I can get in touch with you if you win.  I will pick the winner Thursday July 18th, so please leave your comment before midnight Pacific Time on 7/18.  You will have until midnight on 7/23 to get back to me, or I will choose a new winner on 7/24.