Murder Past Due

Doesn't get any better than this for a light cozy read: a cool Maine Coon cat, libraries, authors! First time I have read any of this "Cat in the Stacks" series by Miranda James (one of Dean James' pseudonyms), but I will definitely read more any time I want a little reprieve from the heavy stuff. This is the first in the series and we meet part-time university archivist, Charlie Harris and his rescued Maine Coon cat, Diesel. Charlie's wife as well as his dearest aunt both died a couple of years ago and so Diesel is his primary companion; he takes him everywhere, including walking him on a leash to work at the small university in Athena, Mississippi. When Aunt Dottie died, Charlie inherited her beautifully maintained old house and her house-keeper, Azalea, whose daughter, Kanesha Berry, is the Sheriff in charge of the investigation when a best-selling author and former classmate of Charlie's, Godfrey Priest, is murdered. Godfrey grew up in Athena and was always a jerk. He's still arrogant and rude but has just found out that he has a son by a woman he had a short affair with 19 years ago. That son, Justin Wardlow, turns out to be boarding with Charlie during his frehsman year at college. Between Justin's mom, Julia, and Azalea, who asks Charlie to help her daughter, Charlie gets involved with the investigation. And as Charlie learns more about Godfrey's life, the pool of suspects continues to grow; it seems that just about everybody in town has a reason to hate Godfrey Priest. Credible plotting, interesting characters, and authentic setting all add up to an enjoyable read.