Charlie Harris and his feline companion Diesel take a bookish vacation but discover that murder never takes a holiday, in this all-new installment of the New York Times bestselling series. Charlie and Diesel along with Charlie’s fiancée, Helen Louise Brady, are heading to Asheville, North Carolina to spend a week at a boutique hotel and participate in a gathering of a mystery reader’s club … mystery reader’s club composed of patrons of the Athena Public Library. In addition to seeing the local sights, the members will take turns giving talks on their favorite authors.
The always spry Ducote sisters, friends of the hotel’s owners, are helping underwrite the expenses, and they’ve insisted that Charlie, Helen, and Diesel join them. Anxious to get Helen Louise away from her bistro for a vacation, Charlie readily agrees. While Charlie is looking forward to relaxing with Helen Louise and Diesel, other members of the group have ulterior motives including a long-standing score to settle.
When an intrusive, uninvited guest turns up dead, only one mystery club member with a connection to the deceased appears to have a motive to kill. But could the answer really be that simple? Charlie and Diesel, along with the detecting Ducote sisters, know that every murder plot has an unexpected twist.
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Cat Me If You Can is the 13th book in the Cat in the Stacks Mysteries written by Miranda James. I’ve read all the books in this series plus the companion one focusing on the Ducote sisters, who feature prominently in this book; I highly recommend all of the author’s work and really enjoyed this one.
Charlie and Helen Louise take a trip to Asheville, North Carolina (a wonderful place) along with Diesel, a memorable Maine Coot cat. The Ducote sisters arranged a week’s tour of the Biltmore and a bunch of mystery book discussions with several folks from their hometown, Athena, Mississippi. When Charlie arrives in his hotel room, there is a dead body on the couch… well, not exactly… but it is a hint of things to come. Several bodies do eventually stack up, and it’s quite a confusing case. Why would someone wait for this trip to murder all these people? Who really knew each other before arriving? Charlie relies on his friendships back home to learn secrets about some of the guests; he even works closely with Kanesha, a deputy back in Athena, who’s summoned to Asheville to help the local police. Luckily, Charlie and Helen Louise solve the case with the Ducote sisters before ending up another victim of this angry killer.
When my two favorite series are combined, I am a very happy guy. I loved this one. Although it takes us away from Athena, we’ve visited a place I know well and love. It was good to feel that connection with a story. I liked the mystery plot too, as it touches on social issues and different lifestyles and approaches to relationships. I got a hoot out of Cora’s narcolepsy, and figuring out which guest might get knocked off next was intriguing — all in fiction, of course. If you enjoy locked room mysteries, or you like two different detective teams partnering together to solve a mystery, this will be a winner for you.
As always, the writing is solid, the coziness is superb, and the eagerness to finish the book all in one setting are abundant. I split it across two nights because I wanted the book to last longer. After thirteen strong, the series is doing well, and I find myself more and more interested in keeping up with the characters’ lives over and above the mystery too. They feel real, and that’s what makes this series special to me.
Love this author and love this series!
What a wonderful book. I love that the Ducote sisters are back in the book and have a much more substantial role in the story. I came away from this book with a list of golden age authors that I was not aware of and I’m excited to add them to my reading list. Another totally enjoyable Miranda James story.
Charlie Harris, his fiancée, and his cat, Diesel, are heading to Asheville, North Carolina for a week of tourism and talking about favorite mystery authors with the members of the Athena Public Library mystery group. Unfortunately, an outside member has crashed the trip and picks a fight with several members. When he turns up dead the next morning, Charlie feels the obvious suspect couldn’t have done it. Can he figure out what really happened?
Pulling off a vacation mystery in a series can be tricky. In this case, it works well since we have several of the supporting players on the trip and we get updates from some of the others. Of course, the series really belongs to Charlie and Diesel, and we get plenty of both, but I was happy to see more of Helen Louise than usual, and I enjoyed spending time with the other regulars on the trip. Unfortunately, some of the suspects could have been stronger, but that didn’t stop me from getting involved in the mystery. As usual, the tension is high and the twists are plentiful. While the climax does answer all our questions, I felt a few lines made it more preachy than it needed to be. Still, this is a strong book that fans of the series will find hard to put down.
Dollycas’s Thoughts
The wonderful Ducote sisters have planned a bookish vacay to Asheville, North Carolina for the Athena Public Library’s Mystery Readers Book Club to discuss Golden Age Mysteries. They are staying at the Hindman Hotel and because the sisters know the owners they have taken over the hotel and Charlie has been given permission for Diesel to tag along. They plan to see some local sights including the Biltmore Estate and each member will give a talk about their favorite Golden Age authors. In addition to the sisters, their ward Benjy, Charlie and Diesel, Charlie’s lady love Helen Louise, Ellie Arnold, Zac Ryan, Johnny Ray Floyd, Burdine, and Elmore Gregory, Melba and her beau Paul Brown, and Celia Bernardia have all arrived for the event. Denis Kilbride later crashes their party claiming to be Ellie’s fiancee. She is just a surprised as the rest of the group. It isn’t long before Denis is dead and Ellie seems to be the only one with a connection to the man. Charlie thinks there is more to the story so he, Helen Louise, Diesel, and Miss An’gel start investigating on their own.
I have enjoyed this series from the start and Diesel is my favorite literary animal. I enjoy the stories even more Miss An’gel and Miss Dickce Ducote make an appearance. This time a narcoleptic maid shakes things up when Charlie and Helen Louise think they have found yet another dead body. Thankfully she wakes up and walks away . . . at least this time. All the supporting characters are cleverly crafted and knowing one of them may be a killer keeps everyone on their toes.
Taking the characters on the road to a special place like Asheville was a great twist even though most of the time was spent at the hotel. I did enjoy the visit to the Biltmore Estate but it would take days to see everything the place has to offer. It is a place I would love to visit.
The mystery was more complicated than I thought it would be. We needed to do a deeper dive into the book club members’ backgrounds to open up the pool of suspects and things were made more difficult because the local police were not as forthcoming with information as Kanesha is back at home. I applaud the author for taking on some lifestyle topics within the mystery. There were also some corkscrew twists and misdirections that really blew each theory I had out of the water so I was totally surprised at the end.
I really enjoyed this story. This is one of the books that came out during my cancer treatments and I am mad at myself for not reading it sooner. I am excited about the next book in the series, What the Cat Dragged In. Its release date is August 31 and it is prominently noted on my reading calendar so I will read it right away.
Cat Me If You Can has everything I look for in a cozy mystery and I am truly invested in these fabulous characters. You really can’t go wrong with anything written by Miranda James.
Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James is the 13th A Cat in the Stacks Mystery. It can be read as a standalone for those new to this feline cozy mystery series. I thought Cat Me If You Can was well-written with developed characters. Charlie Harris and Diesel are back. They are heading out of town with Helen Louise Brady, Charlie’s fiancé, for Asheville, North Carolina. A chance for their mystery’s reader club from the Athena Public Library to get to know each other and talk about their favorite mystery authors. The group also gets a private tour of the Biltmore Estate and a chance to visit other sites in Asheville. Their plans are soon derailed when an uninvited guest is murdered. Charlie along with Miss An’gel do a little investigating on their own. Of course, Diesel gets in on the action. They learn some surprising information and uncover a clue or two. Then comes the reveal reminiscent of Mrs. Fletcher. There are multiple suspects, good clues, and misdirection. I enjoyed solving this whodunit. It was a nice change of pace for the story to take place outside Athena. It gives Charlie and Helen Louise some alone time which they rarely get back home. I enjoyed the groups discussion on the Golden Age of mysteries. I wrote down several authors that I am looking forward to exploring. Diesel was his usual adorable self with his cute little trills and chirps. Miranda James has created a great cast of characters for this series. They are likeable and relatable. There were some discussions along with attitudes about a sensitive subject that were realistic (I could imagine similar thoughts and actions happening around the world). I enjoyed the humor scattered throughout the book. Cat Me If You Can was an entertaining cozy mystery and I cannot wait to read What the Cat Dragged In next spring. Cat Me If You Can is a charming tale with the beautiful Biltmore, a Golden Age gumshoe expose, mystery meetings, a sleepy servant, a painful pin, and the darling Diesel.
Great book! I love Charlie and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel. Charlie, Helen Louise, and Diesel travel to North Carolina for a weekend away with the Athena Mystery Book Club group. Unfortunately, an unwelcome visitor is murdered and one of the group members must be a murderer. Charlie does some investigating with help from Helen Louise, Miss Ang’l and Miss Dickce. It was fun to see these characters outside of their usual setting and I look forward to seeing what’s next for Charlie and Diesel!
A pleasure to read for many reasons not least of all how well it is written.
Read 12.28.2020
For the love of all things holy PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE do not think it is okay to take your CAT on vacation with you, especially with your new fiancee!!!
And DO NOT THINK THAT IT IS OKAY to take your cat to The Biltmore. HOW ludicrous.
This whole book rubbed me the wrong way and I was so disappointed by it. I knew who the killer was early on and the why and then the whole thing with Diesel [who I LOVE so its not his fault] having to go every damn place Charlie goes..I am not sure I can even read anymore of these. And I used to LOVE this series. I have not been so disappointed in a series in a very long time. UGH.
Charlie along with his cat, Diesel, and fiancee, Helen Louise, have joined a group of mystery readers from the Athena Library in Asheville, North Carolina. They’re spending a week in a boutique hotel and visiting local sites in addition to discussing mysteries. Heading up the group are the ever spry Ducote sisters. When an unwanted guest is murdered, Charlie and the sisters have their own mystery to solve.
I love this series and this book is no exception. I especially enjoy the antics of Diesel who’s definitely a favorite character. I especially enjoyed having both Charlie and the Ducote sisters in this book. The book’s well-written with wonderful characters; it drew me in from the beginning and kept me guessing. The author has kept the series fresh so this book is just as enjoyable as previous ones. I’m really looking forward to the next book. I highly recommend both book and series which I suggest you read in order.
I was excited to find out that this book takes place out of town and that Helen Louise was going to play more of a role. Yes! Something different! As a love interest and then fiance Helen Louise hasn’t gotten the page time one would expect, she was more of a remote secondary character, behind Charlie’s kids, his housekeeper and her daughter and his roommates.
This was just an OK read to me. It’s hard for me to pin down why I didn’t like this more. Perhaps it’s despite what Charlie and Helen Louise say, they don’t really seem that into each other. As a cozy mystery, I didn’t expect a sex scene, but they’re sharing a bed, not even a kiss good night or good morning? It’s like they’re brother and sister. The interaction between the group wasn’t very interesting either, nor was there chemistry in the group setting.
The homosexual aspect in James’ work doesn’t bother me, nor the fact that the LGBTQ element is at the forefront of this story line and a possible motive for a murder. Another reviewer mentioned she felt that bisexuality was portrayed poorly as a promiscuous lifestyle (my interpretation of her comment). With only one bi character in the novel, I wouldn’t go that far. It was an interesting choice though for someone in the LGBTQ community to make.
I loved this fabulous new mystery, Cat Me if You Can! I always enjoy spending time with Diesel, the Maine Coon, Charlie, his human, and now Helen Louise, Charlie’s fiancée. The characters are excellent and well defined by their conversations and behaviors. The setting of Asheville, NC was a breath of fresh air, and the mystery is one that I couldn’t figure out. While this is #13 in the series, it can be read as a standalone – but one will want to binge on the rest!
Charlie, Diesel, and Helen Louise are in Asheville, North Carolina, along with other members of the Athena Public Library mystery group. They are there for a week to celebrate the Golden Age of mysteries and spend time having fun with other club members. The septuagenarian Ducote sisters, well-known in Athena, Mississippi, made all the arrangements and helped underwrite the event for those who couldn’t afford the week’s hotel stay.
Charlie and Helen both love mysteries. Charlie has proven to be excellent at helping solve them in real life, having found information and various clues that help catch the bad guys in Athena. Diesel, his almost constant companion since the two met several years ago is also very helpful when Charlie’s seeking information. One of the ladies attending this week is Ellie, a loan officer at a local bank. When she made the spur-of-the-moment decision to go to Asheville, Ellie didn’t tell the man she used to date as he had almost become a stalker since she broke up with him. When he showed up at their hotel, she was unhappy, to say the least, especially when he claims they are engaged.
That evening, Denis, Ellie’s ex-boyfriend, stormed into the first meeting on the first evening of the week away. He threatened Zac, a younger man in the group who most present don’t know very well. Zac issued a threat of his own, then another man in the group who had been ripped off by Denis KO’d him. Ellie and Denis had a long conversation that night while he recovered from the blow. The next morning, he is found dead in his room. He had high blood pressure, so they hope his death was of natural causes. A day later, a woman was found dead, murdered, in their meeting room. Even hundreds of miles from home, a murder finds its way into Charlie’s circle of influence. After all, the police don’t want anyone to leave town, so what else can an intelligent man, used to doing complex research for his job, do, but ask a few questions about the dead man?
Charlie and Helen Louise sound like people I would enjoy knowing. This cat lady would love to know Diesel! There is information about cats in each of the books in the series, and I always enjoy “watching” his behaviors. I also appreciate the energy and creative expression of ideas and descriptions. This is a series that, when I began reading cozy mysteries again, I was hooked on from the start, and each successive mystery is as fresh as the one prior. I confess to not being able to get whodunit, so was surprised at the resolution. All of the loose ends are tied up, and I am already looking forward to the next in series. I highly recommend this to anyone who loves cats, books, well-written cozy mysteries, and wonderfully engaging characters!
From a thankful heart: I received complimentary copy of this novel; a review was not required.