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Tuesday, October 30, 2012

A Novel Way to Die

Book Description: 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...

My Review: Robert, Robert, Robert...I'm in love with this new character in Ali Brandon's fantastic Black Cat Bookshop Mystery series. A tough kid with a heart of gold...his "fist bumps" with Hamlet made me grin from ear to ear.

I loved watching Darla and Hamlet grow closer in this book as they teamed up to solve the murder of a man (the business partner of a potential love interest for Darla) who is in the process of renovating a local brownstone. Whacked over the head with a crowbar in the basement, it appears Hamlet was the only witness. The sleuthing feline has a very unique way of revealing clues as he knocks relevant books off the store shelves. This is a real page-turner of a mystery, and I was quite surprised by the identity of the killer. I adore this series and can't wait to spend more time at Pettistone's with Darla and the gang.

Tara's Thoughts: Hamlet is such a heroic hunk!!! Be sure to stop by on November 14th when I'll be interviewing him!


Full Disclosure: The publisher sent me a copy of this book with the request for an interview.






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4 comments:

  1. Brandi BoddieOctober 30, 2012 at 11:30 AM

    Great review, Melissa! Tara, I can't wait to see what you have to ask Hamlet ;-)

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  2. KimberleeOctober 30, 2012 at 2:04 PM

    Sounds like a great book. I have been wanting to read this series. I will have to up it in my tbr after reading your review. Thanks.

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  3. DianaOctober 31, 2012 at 11:19 AM

    I love the bookstore setting, and the cat!

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  4. Anna Gerard/Diane A.S. StuckartNovember 1, 2012 at 9:21 PM

    Melissa, thank you for that wonderful review! Glad you liked Robert...he's one of my favs, too. :) Hamlet is very much looking forward to his interview with Tara. In fact, he's doing some extra whisker grooming just to impress her. :) Ali Brandon

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