From her Brooklyn bookstore, Darla Pettistone not only sells mysteries, but solves them, aided by her big-boned black cat, Hamlet—who has suddenly pounced into the spotlight after unleashing his fists of furry…
After a video of Darla and Hamlet performing at a martial arts tournament goes viral, the Florida chapter of the Feline Society of America invites the “Karate Kitty” to be the guest of honor at their championship cat show in Fort Lauderdale.
Upon arrival, Darla discovers that not everyone in the Sunshine State has a sunny disposition. Animal rights activists are on the march, and a cat show contestant stages his own angry protest when his special breed Minx—half Sphynx, half Manx—doesn’t win. Then Hamlet disappears—only to be found next a dead man’s body. Now it’s up to Darla and Hamlet to take best in show and collar the killer…
Darla Pettistone’s Brooklyn bookstore “Pettistone’s Fine Books” is having some construction done, so it’s the perfect time for a trip. She, along with her friend Jacqueline “Jake” Martelli, and her mystery-solving cat Hamlet, leave the cold New York weather for sunny Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Hamlet has been asked to be the guest of honor at the Feline Society of America’s championship cat show. Darla is surprised to see the politics going on behind the scenes of the show, with complains against some of the judges and protests against the show as a matter of principle. Things get even worse when Hamlet disappears, only to be discovered next to a dead body. Darla and Jake thing the wrong person is being blamed for the crime, so they do a little sleuthing of their own, with the help of their secret weapon, Hamlet.
Literally Murder is the fourth in the Black Cat Bookshop mysteries. I think this is a delightful series, but this book is a letdown compared to the first three books in the series. The prior books were set in Darla Pettistone’s bookstore in Brooklyn, but this book ventures off Darla’s home turf to sunny Florida. Something is missing in this installment and maybe the change in venue is part of it. If the setting would have been a local show, there could have been more scenes in the bookstore with references to some of the books Darla is selling, as well as Darla interacting with her valued employees James and Robert. This would have saved some valuable time teeing up the trip and the remodeling of the bookstore. The book takes way too long to get to the action of the book, and spends too much time on Darla’s trip preparations. The murder doesn’t occur until the book is already half over, so the first part of the book has too much filler. If the author wanted the change up the setting, the story could have been much more engaging if it would have begun with Darla, Jake, and Hamlet already in Florida and expounded on some of their adventures there instead of starting with Darla meeting with her contractor in Brooklyn.
A lot of cozy mysteries include a picture of a cat on the cover, but in this case, this isn’t just window-dressing. Hamlet actually helps solve the crime. I don’t have a problem with this, but some may not like how much of a part Hamlet plays in the investigation. He is really as much Darla’s partner in the investigation as Jake. He doesn’t talk, but he communicates with Darla through his “book snagging”. Hamlet knocks books off the shelves and the titles give clues to help Darla solve the crimes. What isn’t as successful is that in this book, Hamlet, and not the bookstore, is at the center of the story. Hamlet makes a great supporting character, even though he’s a cat, but the charm of the prior books for me was the bookstore setting, not Hamlet.
What I liked best about this book is it highlights the friendship between Darla and Jake. They are very different, but get along wonderfully and support each other personally and in the investigation. Jake’s fun-loving mother, Nattie, is a great asset to the book. The dynamic between Jake and Nattie is funny as well as realistic. I hope she comes to stay with Jake in a future book because she, Jake, and Darla are wonderful together.
This isn’t my favorite book in this series, but hopefully when Darla returns to Brooklyn, the series will regain some of what’s missing in this installment. Those who like Lilian Jackson Braun’s Cat Who… series or Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats series may enjoy Hamlet’s antics as he helps his owner solve crimes.
Reviewed by Christine
