Publication Date: 12/03/2013
Publisher: Penguin Group
Imprint: Obsidian Mystery
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Pages: 352
ISBN-10: 0451415469
ISBN-13: 978-0451415462
(Received for an honest review from Obsidian Mystery)
Purchase: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, IndieBound
Laurie Cass on the WEB: Website, Facebook, Goodreads
Excerpt from Lending a Paw, courtesy of the author's website.
Synopsis:
With the help of her rescue cat, Eddie, librarian Minnie Hamilton is driving a bookmobile based in the resort town of Chilson, Michigan. But she’d better keep both hands on the wheel, because it’s going to be a bumpy ride…
Eddie followed Minnie home one day, and now she can’t seem to shake the furry little shadow. But in spite of her efforts to contain her new pal, the tabby sneaks out and trails her all the way to the bookmobile on its maiden voyage. Before she knows it, her slinky stowaway becomes her cat co-pilot!
Minnie and Eddie’s first day visiting readers around the county seems to pass without trouble—until Eddie darts outside at the last stop and leads her to the body of a local man who’s reached his final chapter.
Initially, Minnie is ready to let the police handle this case, but Eddie seems to smell a rat. Together, they’ll work to find the killer—because a good librarian always knows when justice is overdue.
Thoughts:
Lending a Paw is the first book in the new Bookmobile Cat Mystery series by Laurie Cass. It is obvious that the author is a cat lover. The antics of her feline character, Eddie are very entertaining. Readers will enjoy the fact that Eddie isn't magical, he's just a regular curious cat who helps his owner Minnie stir up a mystery. This debut cozy is full of surprises and a lovely small town setting. Chilson, Michigan sounds like a place many readers will want to return to again and again. A great debut in a new series!
What I liked:
Eddie the cat, is certainly the star of the show in Lending a Paw. He befriends a local librarian and stows away on the first visit from the new bookmobile. Eddie is just a regular cat, but he finds a lot to get into in this mystery. He finds the murder victim and helps to solve the case. I thought Cass did a remarkable job of making an ordinary cat into an entertaining lead character. Eddie will probably be getting into a lot more in each new book in this series.
Minnie is a lady after my own heart. She see's a need and sets out to do something about it. Several libraries in the Chilson, Michigan area have closed and Minnie gets funding for a new bookmobile to service the outlying areas. The bookmobile came to my house when I was a kid and came to see my daughters when they were children as well. I loved the idea for the book and for the great librarian that Cass has created. Minnie talks to Eddie, just like I do to my dog. She's a real pet lover, and an advocate for reading. A great overall character.
I loved the small town setting for this one and many of the great characters that readers will get to meet in Lending a Paw. There was a lot of set up in this one for the series in general, and there are a lot of characters I look forward to finding out more about. I thought Cass did a great job of making Chilson come to life.
What I didn't like:
As I said before there was a lot of set up in this one. Cass introduces a plethora of characters and it was a bit confusing trying to keep them all straight. Some characters stood out but others kind of blended in to the background. I liked the mystery in this one and how Minnie saw Stan as a completely different person than most of the town did, but there was a little too much back and forth about the suspects to suit me.
Bottom Line:
This was a great debut, but it lacked a little focus. I think the author will do better in her sophomore effort but there won't be such a need to get the whole series going.
Lending a Paw is available NOW from your favorite bookseller.
I'm giving this one 4 out of 5 apples from my book bag!
About the Author:
Giveaway Details:
The publisher is sponsoring a giveaway for one copy of Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass.
~ You must be an email subscriber to participate.
~ US Addresses only.
~ The deadline to enter this giveaway is Midnight EST, January 2nd.
1. Please leave a comment about your experiences with the library and your local bookmobile.
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16 comments:
unfortunately, the last time I was in a library was back in my college days.....about 1000 years ago............
thank you for the giveaway!!!
I do enjoy going to the library as there are so many choices for books. I also remember a bookmobile from when I was little.
My mother was the head of circulation at our local library till she passed away earlier this year. Even now the grandkids call the library "grandmas house " . There was a bookmobile when I as young , but it stopped due to budget constraints when I was in middle school. It was neat tho !
I visit the library every week. I have a stack of library books TBR beside my chair.
I am an avid library user. I go several times a week and have been a patron since I was very young. Libraries are so special and a place I cherish. saubleb(at)gmail(dot)com
I worked at our local library as a custodian for 20 years. I could tell you a lot of stories. One is we had a cat stroll into our library and when we couldn't find his owners, I adopted him. His name is Tom
I don't spend much time at the library anymore but I did when I was young. In high school, Y did a lot of studying there. (yes, studying)
Now, I go to our library bookstores for inexpensive used books.
Our neighborhood library in West Duluth, MN was constructed in 1912with a $20,000 grant from Andrew Carnegie - and was known as a Carnegie Library. I spent many happy hours there in the 50s. I was saddened to learn that it was torn down in 1991.
I love the "Friends of the Library" book sales. It's a great way for my local library to raise money. I can't resist a book sale.
We didn't have a bookmobile, but we visited the library every Thursday afternoon when we were kids.
We didn't have a library in our area when I had my kids. But we did have the most wonderful book mobile. Every friday I would go with my two girls and we would take out 30 books which was the maximum allowed lol. Later on they did build a small library which my older children used, but I sure missed that book mobile and the wonderful people that ran it!
like to visit the library
When I was a teenager I practically lived at the library---I would read 6 or 7 books a week.
suefarrell.farrell@gmail.com
I just love libraries. When I was in high school, one of my best friend's father was the head librarian. We would spend hours at the library each day after school and activities. It was always our go-to place! We loved being there.
I work in a public library, +20 branches, but no bookmobile. Maybe I could buy one in my retirement. There are still many rural areas without easy access to libraries even in the digital age.
We don't have a bookmobile but I love any library I can find, including my own.
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