by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Six Cats A Slayin’, a link to purchase it from Amazon, and an indie bookstore where a portion of the sale goes to help support KRL.

Change comes to everyone, welcome or not. For librarian Charlie Harris, two changes are one too many. Gerry Albritton is his new neighbor. She’s a very friendly woman, the kind who drops innuendo into conversation and her hand on an arm or shoulder while she talks. She seems to have plenty of money and isn’t shy about spending it. She owns a real estate agency and although she claims to have grown up right there in town, no one recognizes her.

Gerry invited everyone to her holiday party. Most people said yes, in spite of her personality. They want to see the renovated house and there will be free food and drinks. Her outdoor decorations include a Santa and sleigh on one side of the yard and a manger scene on the other.

At the party, there are also fireworks in the form of a jealous wife accusing Gerry of trying to steal her husband and an argument that borders on a threat or blackmail. When Gerry’s body is found, it’s not a matter of who wanted her dead but who was she really? No one can find a trace of a woman by that name, including the Albritton family in town.

At home, Charlie has his own mystery to solve. Someone has dropped off a box of five kittens at his door. A note indicates a child is looking for sanctuary, a place they’ll be safe. Diesel is Charlie’s Maine Coon cat who appoints himself babysitter for the kittens although the job can wear him out before the kittens are ready for naps. Still, somebody has to teach them manners.

Another concern is Charlie’s daughter-in-law whose perfectionism has been challenged by her newborn baby. Her insistence that she can do it all and do it well has brought her to the point of exhaustion and illness.

As always, the mystery is a good one especially since the true identity of the murder victim is unknown. Charlie manages to find out clues to pass on to the police. For him, it’s not running around town to investigate but more a matter of solving a puzzle. Diesel is ever charming with his chirps and comments in conversations.

This is the tenth book in the popular series. Readers can start here and then go back to the beginning with ease. There are also four Southern Ladies mysteries, a spinoff of this set of characters. Miranda James continues to give readers characters who charm so much that each book feels like a visit to the genteel South to see old friends and sip a glass of sweet tea.

To enter to win a copy of Six Cats a Slayin’, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “six cats,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen December 15, 2018. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address (so if you win we can get the book sent right out to you), and if via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters. Our latest episode is set at Christmas time.

Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Six Cats a Slayin’ (Cat in the Stacks Mystery #10)

You can also use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She writes about eco-friendly topics, pets and wildlife for magazines and reviews mysteries and thrillers for KRL. A collection of her short stories, published by Untreed Reads, From Hay to Eternity: Ten Tales of Crime and Deception can be found at all the usual outlets. Each one is a little weird and all have a twist you won’t see coming.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.