The Pawful Truth

Written by Miranda James

Narrated by Erin Bennett

In addition to his library duties and his role as doting grandad, Charlie has enrolled in an early medieval history course offered by young, charismatic professor Carey Warriner. Charlie feels a bit out of place-his fellow classmates are half his age-except for Dixie Bell Compton, another "mature" student. When Charlie hears an angry exchange between her and their professor, his interest in piqued. He's even more intrigued when she shows up at his office asking for a study partner. Charlie turns her down and is saddened to learn just a few days later that Dixie has been killed.

Charlie wonders if Professor Warriner had anything to do with Dixie's death. Warriner is married to a fellow professor who happens to be a successful author. There are rumors on campus that their marriage was on the rocks. Was Dixie's death the result of a lovers' triangle gone bad? Charlie soon discovers that the professor's wife may have some secrets of her own, and his suspect list is only getting longer.

As he and Diesel step further into the tangled web of relationships, someone else is viciously killed. Whose jealousy finally erupted into murderous rage? Was it a crime of passion, or is there another more sinister motive? Charlie races to unravel this mystery: and to draw out the culprit, he may just have to put his own life on the line . . .

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jul 16, 2019
• ISBN: 9781977384195

Reviews for The Pawful Truth

[thegenreminx · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Pawful Truth is the eleventh story in the Cat in the Stacks cozy mystery series and this story is set in the world of academia. It starts off with librarian Charlie Harris auditing a class with a professor whose lectures he had heard nothing but wonderful things about. A little nervous about his difference in age with his fellow students, he felt less conspicuous when another student joined the class who was also older than most of the other pupils. His feeling toward his fellow “mature” student quickly soured, though, after he heard an exchange between her and the professor, one in which that led Charlie to speculate about their familiarity and involvement with each other.Despite his curiosity, Charlie decided that the best approach was to keep his nose out of whatever was going on between the professor and student because it could have been innocent after all. Also, he decided to point out to other gossipers that there could be perfectly reasonable explanations for all the gossip that was floating around about the professor and his wife. Try as he may to stay out of the situation, when the mature student in question was murdered, Charlie was called upon to share what information he did know and was requested to keep his ears open for what else he may glean on campus. Well that was all it took for Charlie and Diesel to do what they do best and soon they were gathering all the clues they could to help the local law enforcement solve the whodunit.This story had plenty of moving parts, quirky characters, and just the right amount of drama to make it an interesting cozy mystery. There were parts that felt slow to me, especially at the start where much was about Charlie’s habit of being nosy and speculation about the personal lives of the professor and his wife, but it quickly picked up. Diesel has quite the personality in this story and I liked the kitten Ramses as well. I thought it was interesting how Charlie brought Diesel virtually everywhere and that the story included little tidbits to explain how that was possible. In reality, very few people would be able to bring their cat to a bistro while they ate dinner, ha ha ha. Overall, The Pawful Truth was a dramatic tale of the dark turns love can take but it was kept lighthearted by Charlie and his pal Diesel.This review is based on a complimentary book I received from NetGalley. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating.

[kmartin802_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

College Librarian Charlie Harris decides to audit a class in medieval history because he has long been interested in the topic. He is one of two mature students in the class which is taught be a handsome, charismatic teacher. He is surprised to overhear the professor - Dr. Warriner - speak in an angry manner to the other mature student - Dixie Belle Compton. Not wanting to be rude, he leaves before he hears very much.He's surprised when Dixie Belle stops in his office and asks him to be her study buddy. Since he's only auditing the class, he doesn't need a study buddy. When he next hears about Dixie Belle, she's a murder victim and Charlie's involved in another murder investigation. Dixie had something of a reputation as a home wrecker. Was she trying to come on to the married Carey Warriner? He makes a great suspect until he is found murdered himself. Now Charlie busies himself helping the police by concentrating on the relationships among the faculty at his college which yield a number of suspects.Among the suspects are Warriner's wife who is a professor in the English Department and who has a second career as an author of Regency Romances. Another suspect is Armand d'Arcy who is a professor in the music department and who has been spending quite a bit of time with Mrs. Warriner. Maybe Dan Bellamy, another professor in the History Department and a friend of the couple, has something to do with the murders. Coincidentally - or maybe not, Bellamy is a new roomer in Charlie's house while his home is being remodeled. This was a fun Southern cozy. I liked that the main character was a librarian. It was also nice that he was also a doting grandfather to two infant grandchildren. I liked the part Charlie's large Maine coon cat Diesel plays in the story.

[aztwinmom · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In the latest episode of Charlie and his Maine coon cat Diesel, Charlie decides to audit a college history course. The professor is handsome and an excellent lecturer who is married to a professor in the English department. A student is his class is murdered and Charlie’s curiosity leads him to ask questions, much to the dismay of his friends and family. Pour a glass of sweet tea and enjoy this cozy Southern mystery.

[fernemysteryreader · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I can't help but repeat, "I love Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel as created by Miranda James, a pseudonym used by Dean James." To my absolute delight, there's a new furry resident in the house named Ramses. As he is quite ensconced in the family routine at Charlie's house I can't wait to read, Six Cats a Slayin' (Book 10 in the series) to learn "how" his initial arrival came to be and Diesel's reaction to his current role that he is proudly and devotedly carrying out as protective big brother as I somehow missed purchasing the novels in series order.It's always exciting when there's a new twist in the revelation of the murder within the murder mystery or a new twist in the life of the amateur sleuth or the reveal as the suspect list narrows to one. In this novel, there's a new twist in each as I've identified which gives me an all new appreciation for the series.I also think this novel may encourage other "mature" adults that yearn for more knowledge in a subject they are already passionate about or a subject that they've always wanted to learn to pursue the idea of auditing a college course following the example of Charlie Harris. When an individual that loves a character reads such an inspirational example, the character becomes a role model and helps the mindset turn from, "I can't. I wouldn't be accepted." to "Yes, I could do that too. I can! I will! I'm going do that!"And of course, any review of this series would not be complete without expressing delight for the appearance of all the secondary characters that are so dearly loved and appreciated for each of their unique personalities that have been created by the author from Azalea, Charlie's housekeeper and mother of Chief Deputy Kanesha Berry, to Haskell and Stewart with his poodle Dante, and Charlie's dearest friend and love Helen Louise Brady, owner of a French bistro on the town square in Athena, and to Melba Gilley, Athena College library director’s administrative assistant to name just a few.

[drebbles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

When Charlie Harris decides to audit an Early Medieval History college course, all he expects is to learn something new. But when one of his classmates is murdered, Charlies has a few theories as to who the killer is although he tells the police that he will only give them information, not try to solve the murder himself. But when a second murder occurs, Charlies can’t help but get involved but he needs to be careful or he will be in very real danger.“The Pawful Truth” is the nicely done eleventh book in Miranda James’ (pen name for author Dean James) Cat in the Stacks cozy mystery series. I love the fact that this series has a male as the amateur detective – this doesn’t happen often and Charlie is a great character – a loving father, grandfather, boyfriend, and he isn’t afraid to get involved in solving mysteries even if his family isn’t too happy about it. I also love the supporting characters in the book particularly Charlie’s housekeeper Azalea (my mouth waters just reading the descriptions of the meals she cooks!) and her daughter Chief Deputy Kanesha Berry who is very good at solving crimes but still welcomes Charlie’s help from time to time. And of course there is Diesel, Charlies Maine Coon Cat who is a much loved character in this series. Mixed in with the great characters is a great mystery with plenty of suspects, some twists and turns, and a nicely done sense of danger at the end of the book. “The Pawful Truth” is a nicely done mystery by Miranda James.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Charlie’s decision to audit a college course puts him in the thick of things when a classmate is found dead. There are several people involved, as well as some extra-curricular activity among some of the professors. Things get complicated, and there is more than one dustup between the main culprits. Charlie finally gets on the right track with a little detecting help from his friends. Unfortunately, Charlie puts himself in danger, wanting to trap the suspect. But it is his Maine Coon cat Diesel who saves the day - and Charlie’s neck. Author Miranda James has written another marvelous cozy, the eleventh in this delightful series. The characters are engaging and quite real, the plot is intriguing, and the cat acts like a cat, smart and adorable. Highly recommended for all mystery readers.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The Pawful Truth by Miranda James is the eleventh A Cat in the Stacks Mystery. There is background information in the first half of The Pawful Truth to aid those who are new to A Cat in the Stacks Mystery. Personally, I suggest you begin with Murder Past Due. I always enjoying picking up the latest installment in A Cat in the Stacks Mystery series. Charlie Harris has always been interested in medieval history, so he decides to audit Dr. Carey Warriner’s class. While Dr. Warriner is a captivating instructor, his behavior outside the classroom leaves a lot to be desired. The green monster seems to have taken a hold on Dr. Warriner with regard to his lovely wife, Irene. After two people end up murdered, the Ducote sisters (on the board of Athena College) visit Charlie. They want him to delve into the case to help Kanesha Berry wrap it swiftly. I thought The Pawful Truth was well-written and the pace moved along steadily. Athena, Georgia is a small Southern college town with charming shops and some quirky residents. I like the cast of characters which includes Charlie, Diesel, Melba, Azalea, Helen Louise, Stewart, Haskell, the Ducote Sisters, and, the newest member, Ramses. I like that Charlie is an older protagonist along with his love of books. He is a good man who loves his family, friends and fur babies. Charlie’s family is included so we can find out how his daughter-in-law is doing after her bout with postpartum depression. I can tell that the author has cats from the way she describes their behavior especially Ramses. When Ramses uses Charlie’s leg for a climbing tree, she perfectly described how it feels to have those sharp little claws digging into your leg. I just love Diesel’s little chirps. Those two cats are such charmers and their antics had me chuckling. The mystery had several viable suspects and there were good clues. It is a whodunit that can be solved before the solution is revealed, but that did not deter my enjoyment of this cozy mystery. I did feel there was to much speculation and repetition of case details. I did like seeing more of Miss Dickce Ducote. She has a mischievous side that likes to come out now and then. We also get to meet to two new ladies who are administrative assistants at the college, and they provide some helpful information. The Pawful Truth has rampant gossip, two suspicious deaths, a curious kitten, a distrustful spouse, a tolerant Maine Coon Cat, and an admittingly nosey librarian.