Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publication Date: March 30th, 2021
Pages: 352, mass market paperback
Source: NetGalley
Librarian Minnie Hamilton and her clever cat Eddie solve a purr-fect murder, in the newest installment of the delightful Bookmobile Cat Mystery series.
Minnie and her rescue cat Eddie can often be found out and about in their bookmobile near Chilson, Michigan, delivering great reads to grateful patrons all over the county. But they always brake for trouble, and when Minnie sees a car speeding away down the road, and soon comes upon a dead bicyclist, she assumes she just missed seeing a hit-and-run.
Minnie is determined to discover who was behind the wheel, but it soon turns out that things are far more complicated than they seem and there’s more to this case than meets the eye. Luckily, this librarian is ready to read the killer his rights.
Hard to believe we’ve been on the bookmobile with librarian Minnie and Eddie nine times already. Checking Out Crime is the latest Bookmobile Cat mystery by Laurie Cass. This time out, they run into, almost literally, a member of the local biking club, who is dead in the road. Minnie starts to sleuth, and soon has a second biker’s death to investigate. She also has her hands full trying to get her future home in order so that she and her fiancé can get married before the snow flies. Since it’s October, and she’s in Michigan, time’s running out.
Eddie, as usual, helps her find clues, and steers her down the right (bike) path. Minnie also has a new sleuthing buddy, who I hope will be in future installments, as she’s a great addition to the series.
I’ll frankly admit that Minnie’s emotional outbursts in the last couple of books had begun to grate a bit. She’s still gets a bit feisty in this one, and excuses it by saying it’s “normal” behavior, but it was much toned down in this story.
The story itself was good, and I enjoy how Minnie interacts with her friends, family, and the community. She’s very much an integral part of the town of Chilson’s fabric, and is more of a liaison than a busybody.
The plot? Well, the motive for the murders was a bit far-fetched, and unsatisfying, but the characters balanced out the story and this was an enjoyable read.
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