Careless Whiskers

Written by Miranda James

Narrated by Erin Bennett

Charlie Harris has sworn off investigating murder and mayhem after a recent close call. Instead, he's delighted to cheer on his daughter, Laura, who's starring in a production of Careless Whispers. The theater department at Athena College is debuting the play written by a fledgling playwright with local connections and Charlie's son-in-law, Frank Salisbury, will be calling the directorial shots.

Laura is upset to learn that Luke Lombardi, an overbearing actor she knew from her time in Hollywood will also be taking part in the production as a guest artist. Lombardi arrives with an entourage in tow and promptly proceeds to annoy everyone involved with the production. When he collapses and dies on stage, after drinking from a glass Laura handed him, she becomes the chief suspect in his murder.

Charlie knows his daughter is innocent, and he's not going to let anyone railroad his little girl. So, despite his intentions to put his amateur sleuthing days behind him, Charlie has to take center stage, and with Diesel's help, shine a spotlight on the real killer.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Jan 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781977384201

Reviews for Careless Whiskers

[S Guider · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I couldn’t listen to the weird narration. Why is this not available as a print book? It is frustrating not to have the print books available to read

[bgknighton · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another nice cozy mystery. Usual suspects, no surprises. Really like the people, though.

[drebbles · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

After putting himself in real danger the last time he investigated a murder, Charlie Harris has sworn to stop getting involved in murder cases. Instead, he plans to sit back and enjoy the play his daughter Laura is starring in and his son-in-law is directing. But when an actor in the play is murdered and Charlies realizes that Laura too could have been a victim he can’t help but get involved. Will he be able to solve this murder without putting himself in danger once again?“Careless Whiskers” is the wonderfully done twelfth book in Miranda James (pen name of author Dean James) Cat in the Stacks cozy mystery series. I have read and loved all the books in the series but I particularly like the fact that this book takes Charlie out of his library job setting and into a theater setting – I like the library setting but this is a nice change of pace. James takes his time setting up the murder mystery – this allows readers to not only get to know (and dislike) the murder victim but also the suspects. This is a very good mystery with plenty of twists and turns to keep readers guessing – just when I thought I knew who the killer was James threw in a twist that had me starting over in guessing who the killer was. When the killer was revealed, I was surprised. Finally, long-time readers will thoroughly enjoy the very ending of the book.“Careless Whiskers” is an enjoyable cozy mystery.

[maydacat_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Charlie’s enjoyment of the college play that his daughter Laura is starring in is ruined when a fellow cast member is murdered. Not only could Laura have been killed, too, she becomes a suspect in the murder. Now Charlie must clear her and find the real killer. Unfortunately, the list of people who disliked the murdered actor is not a short one: he was uniformly disliked, even hated, for his arrogant personality. There are many twists along the way, and things get rather complicated before the final solution. This series has dynamic characters, and each book is better than the previous one. The characters grow and develop as they experience changes in their lives, and yet each book in the series can be considered a stand-alone. Really, cozy readers will want to read them all, and then will eagerly anticipate the next one.

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

Careless Whiskers by Miranda James is the twelfth A Cat in the Stacks Mystery. It can be read as a standalone courtesy of the background information provided by the author. Charlie Harris and Diesel are back along with the adorable Ramses. Charlie has sworn off investigating after a close call, but, when his daughter is in the line of fire, he must dive in once again. Luke Lombardi is the guest actor for the performance of Careless Whispers written by a local playwright using the name Finn Zwake. Luke has an ego the size of Texas and an insufferable attitude to go with it. Laura and Luke have a series of altercations during the week of rehearsals with Laura stating more than once that she would “kill” him if he did such a thing again (she was frustrated). When Luke ends up dead on the stage after drinking from the glass handed to him by Laura, she finds herself at the top of the suspect list. Charlie knows his daughter is innocent and begins nosing around searching for answers. There are several suspects from Luke’s paramour to his understudy. I liked following Charlie’s investigation. There are good clues and misdirection to distract readers from the solution. In addition, there is the prankster in the theater and two men who both claim to be the playwright Finn Zwake. I thought Careless Whiskers was well-written with steady pacing. I appreciated the addition of my what my father termed ten dollar words (sangfroid and inamorata are two examples). The words suited the education of the characters. I thought that the characters were developed and realistic. The authors descriptions allowed me to visualize each one especially Finn Zwake with his shaggy mane of red hair and ridiculous mustache. Charlie continues to develop as he grows older. It is nice to see him slowing down at work and enjoying time with his grandchildren. I especially love the scenes with Charlie at home with Diesel and Ramses. I find Diesel’s little chirps and trills delightful. It is cute that Ramses tries to imitate his older brother. I laughed often while reading Careless Whiskers thanks to the abundance of humor. The ending was very special and left me smiling. Careless Whiskers is a diverting cozy mystery with an arrogant actor, a frisky feline, disquieting disputes, a phony playwright, and puzzling pranks.