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File M For Murder (2012)

by Miranda James(Favorite Author)

3.92 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

0425246183 (ISBN13: 9780425246184)

languge

English

genre

Mystery & Thriller

publisher

Berkley

series

Cat in the Stacks

review 1: 3.5 stars. My first Miranda James book was "Bless Her Dead Little Heart," in which Diesel the cat had a large cameo. I loved how involved the cat was in the mystery so decided to try James' earlier books, and began with "File M for Murder." There is a lot that I liked with this book. Cozy mysteries feature female protagonists, but in this case we see an unusual male protagonist, Charlie Harris. It was interesting to see a male who is coming from a parent's sensibility, rather than coming across as an authority figure or as someone who is defined by his job. Although his children are adults, Charlie still has the concerns for his children, as well as for the appropriate boundaries that make for healthy relationships. When he is upset, his language is that of a man wh... moreo is aware of social proprieties -- a little old fashioned, but very endearing. I especially like that he can be publicly vulnerable with his cat...although at a whopping 35 pounds, snuggling up to Diesel may come across as very macho. For much of the mystery, Charlie seems to be in damage control, focused mostly on protecting his daughter. After several threatening events, Charlie pieces the mystery together, and then it gets solved without a climax. To put it in Charlie's words, "It was all rather anticlimactic." This book really needed a bigger element of danger (and a climax!). Instead it just petered away. There was also a bit of repetitiveness with certain details and in regard to Diesel (how many times do we need to hear, "sweet boy?") and the utility closet (how many times do we need to be told the litter box and cat food is in there?). I was also hoping for more active involvement by Diesel in helping to solve the mystery, but I had to settle for the few teasers.
review 2: I have loved all of these cat in the stacks mysteries, but this one I loved slightly less, and that was because I was annoyed by Charlie's relationship with Laura, and I was annoyed with Laura in general. I thought the mystery and story line was great, but the way Charlie had to keep repeating how protective he was of Laura got annoying. It's not a problem that he was, just that he kept mentioning it. Otherwise, another great cozy read. less

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