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    Six Cats a Slayin'
    Six Cats a Slayin'
    Six Cats a Slayin'
    Audiobook8 hours

    Six Cats a Slayin'

    Written by Miranda James

    Narrated by Erin Bennett

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    December twenty-fifth is right around the corner, and Charlie is making his list and checking it twice. He is doing his best to show some peace and goodwill toward his nosy neighbor Gerry Arbitron, a real estate agent who seems to have designs on his house (and maybe on him, as well), while preparing for a very important role, indeed-his first Christmas as a grandfather.

    The last thing Charlie expects is to gain several new additions to his family. Charlie finds a box on his doorstep with five kittens inside and a note begging him to keep them safe. With Diesel's help, Charlie welcomes the tiny felines into the Harris household just as Gerry decides it is time to throw a lavish holiday party.

    Determined to make her mark on Athena, Gerry instead winds up dead at her very own party. Though attempts to dig into her past come up empty, Charlie and his girlfriend, Helen Louise, witness two heated exchanges involving Gerry before her death: one with a leading citizen and another with the wife of a good friend. Will one of these ladies wind up on the sheriff's naughty list? Charlie and Diesel have to wrap up the case before the special season is ruined by a sinister scrooge.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateOct 23, 2018
    ISBN9781977384188
    Six Cats a Slayin'

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    Reviews for Six Cats a Slayin'

    4/5

    71 ratings12 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Charlie and his Maine coon cat, Diesel, are back and it’s the Christmas season. Charlie’s at a good point in his life. He’s mended relations with his son, he has two new grandchildren and his friend Helen Louise, and is surrounded by friends. A slight blip appears when a new neighbor moves in, and she is overly flirtatious. Who is Geraldine? Long time Athena residents don’t remember her, though she says she grew up there. Uncomfortable around her, Charlie accepts an invitation to a Christmas party and brings Helen Louise as his guest. An irate, jealous wife makes a scene and threatens Geraldine. Then Charlie overhears her in a heated argument with the neighborhood grand-dame. Not surprisingly, Geraldine collapses and dies during the party. Charlie tries not to get involved, but his curiosity overcomes his reluctance. There is a side story involving a box of kittens that are left on Charlie’s doorstep and another involving his daughter-in-laws postpartum depression. Everything is resolved in time for a heartwarming Christmas celebration. I love this series and Diesel!
    • 5/5
      This is the tenth Cat in the Stacks mystery, but the first that I have read. Widower Charlie Harris is getting ready for Christmas. He has a Maine coon cat named Diesel and a job working part-time at the Athens College Library. He is also a new grandfather with both his daughter Laura and daughter-in-law Alex having presented him with a grandson and a granddaughter. Charlie's main problem currently is his new neighbor Gerry Albritton who was overly flirtatious when Charlie stopped over to welcome her to the neighborhood. He's been avoiding her ever since that day but now has received an invitation to her Christmas party as have all of the neighbors around her house. Charlie is determined to take his lady friend Helen Louise with him. Another worry for Charlie and his family is that his daughter-in-law is suffering from postpartum depression but won't accept any help with taking care of herself and her new baby until things get critical.Charlie has also had a surprise gift. Someone left a basket with five kittens on his doorstep with a note. Charlie believes that a child left the kittens but doesn't know who it is. He takes in the kittens who are eagerly received by Diesel as he tries to find out who left them. Then the Christmas party happens and Gerry Albritton, after arguing with a variety of her guests, collapses and dies - apparently of poison. Charlie doesn't need one more mystery to solve when he already has a number of problems already occupying his mind. But he can't stop thinking about Gerry's death and helps the police with a number of insights. This was an engaging and entertaining cozy mystery. I'll have to add earlier books in the series to my wishlist.
    • 4/5
      It’s the Christmas season and our hero, librarian Charlie Harris, is looking forward to spending it with his recently enlarged family – especially two new grandbabies. But there’s plenty on his mind. His daughter-in-law is in a health crisis following the birth of her first child. He finds five kittens abandoned on his doorstep. And an obnoxious new neighbor has decorated her home Christmas in a way that makes him cringe. Then that neighbor, Gerry Allbritton, winds up dead at the party she plans for her new neighbors. Thank goodness Charlie has Diesel, his Maine Coon cat, to help him through it all. Charlie learns that Diesel has surprisingly paternal instincts when it comes to the kittens. He’s trying to keep them in line so they don’t destroy poor Charlie’s house while Charlie tries to find out who – he thinks it’s a child -- dropped them off. I love this series especially Charlie and all the great secondary characters who make up his circle of friends and family. Plus, the writing is top notch. If I were forced to find one complaint about Six Cats a Slayin’, I’d say I thought the murder happened much to far into the book. I generally want a murder to happen within the first 50 pages, but that’s a personal peccadillo. All in all, a fun read.
    • 5/5
      The characters and setting keep me coming back for more in this series. Six Cats a Slayin' felt light on the mystery part of the story at times, but that did not bother me one bit. The multiple layers of family drama kept me involved with the characters. Part of the theme of the series seems to be that family are the people we love and welcome into our lives. Six Cats also had a healthy dose of forgiveness as a theme, and what happens to families who can, or can't, forgive each other. I feel as though I've entered a warm and welcoming home when I read the Cat in the Stacks series. And who doesn't love a basket full of kittens?
    • 5/5
      It is almost Christmas and Charlie Harris is looking forward to spending it with his family (especially his two new grandchildren) and his friends. He is not looking forward to attending a party hosted by his new neighbor Gerry Albritten but thinks it is the neighborly thing to do. Unfortunately, someone isn’t feeling as good willed as Charlie and kills Gerry at her own party. Charlie has helped the police solve mysteries before but this one will prove to be more complex than anyone expected.“Six Cats A Slayin’” is another nicely done book in Miranda James’ Cat in the Stacks cozy mystery series. I especially love the characters in this series – Charlie, his Maine Coon Cat Diesel, his love Helen Louise, his friend Melba, his children Laura and Sean and their spouses and children, Azalea (can she come work for me?), Kanesha, Stewart, and Haskell – they all feel like old friends and I love my visits with them. The mystery itself is as well done as the characters – James does a great job of setting up the mystery so that we get to know the murder victim before she is killed – or do we? James has some startling secrets up his sleeve – so very well done and I was taken by surprise more than once while reading the book. Mixed in with the larger mystery is a smaller one involving cats left on Charlie’s doorsteps, as well as his daughter-in-law’s struggles after childbirth, and the Christmas celebrations. All nicely done by James.“Six Cats A Slayin’” is a nicely done cozy mystery.
    • 3/5
      Charlie has an uncomfortably flirtatious new neighbor, Gerry, who seems interested in buying up homes in the area. When she invites him to her big Christmas party, he decides to go in order to be polite but makes sure to take Helen Louise, his girlfriend, with him. Both of them are shocked when the party ends with Gerry's death, quite likely due to poison.Kanesha's in charge of the investigation, and Charlie does his best to stay in her good graces by keeping his nose out of it. Mostly. It helps that he has a lot on his plate. His daughter-in-law is running herself ragged trying to take care of her new baby and might land herself in the hospital soon if she doesn't accept help. Also, in addition to Diesel, Charlie now has five mystery kittens to take care of. Someone, quite possibly a scared child, left them on his doorstep, and he's determined to find out who it was and see if they can be reunited.Content warning for this book: Transphobia, although not on the part of the main character or any of his friends.The only other book I've read in this series was the first one. I normally like to read series in order when I can, but this was the only audiobook in this series that my library owned, so I figured I'd give it a shot. Honestly, skipping eight books wasn't too much of an issue. I could tell character relationships had changed: Kanesha has softened towards Charlie, Charlie now had a girlfriend, and his relationship with his son was better. There was even a part where Charlie thought back to what his life was like at the beginning of the series, so if there were any gaps in my memories of him and his relationships, they were filled in pretty neatly.I read the paper version of the first book, so this was my first audiobook experience with the series. Bennett was a good cozy mystery narrator, but maybe not the best choice for this particular series, which features a first person male POV. Most of the secondary characters are female, so maybe that was a factor, but I still think a male narrator would have been better.Anyway, now for the story itself. Oddly enough, the primary mystery seemed to be the kittens and the identity of the person who dropped them off. The murder was more secondary - although Charlie chatted with friends about it and did a little bit of research, he did mostly stay out of it, and as a result, most of the resolution happened off-page. While it was certainly a tragic story, I found it to be a bit weak.The kitten storyline, on the other hand, was nice. Diesel got multiple opportunities to act as their adorable giant babysitter, and Charlie tried to resist being charmed by Ramses, the only one of the bunch with a distinct personality. I enjoyed Charlie's efforts to figure out who left the kittens, and the whole thing was resolved in a very warm and fuzzy way.All in all, this made for a decent listen. I wish my library owned more audiobooks in this series, although thankfully I do own a used copy of Book 8 that I haven't read yet.(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.)
    • 3/5
      Mystery is slight, it pays to know your neighbors or to have friends who do. Diesel gets a friend.
    • 4/5
      Another lovely cozy mystery by Miranda James. Seasonally murdered and there is a twist or two that comes towards the end of the book. Entertaining as per usual.
    • 5/5
      Another great book in this series.
    • 5/5
      It’s nearly Christmas, and Charlie is gearing up to get ready for the holidays. This includes decorating, shopping, parties, and work. It normally doesn’t include a box of kittens on his doorstep, a new neighbor, and a murder, but that’s exactly what happened this year. Charlie has his own mystery to solve involving the kittens, even while Deputy Kanesha Berry is narrowing down the suspects to find the murderer. This time, in an unusual move, she enlists Charlie’s help instead of telling him to back off. Author Miranda James has given her readers a wonderfully delightful story, filled with cozy Christmas feelings, warm family relationships, and playful rambunctious kitties, and yet overall is an intriguing and complex mystery that will keep readers turning pages until the very end. This is perhaps the best book yet in this entertaining series.
    • 5/5
      Charlie is doing his best to show some peace and goodwill toward his nosy neighbor Gerry Arbitron, a real estate agent who seems to have designs on his house (and maybe on him, as well), while preparing for a very important role, indeed--his first Christmas as a grandfather.

      The last thing Charlie expects is to gain several new additions to his family. Charlie finds a box on his doorstep with five kittens inside and a note begging him to keep them safe. With Diesel's help, Charlie welcomes the tiny felines into the Harris household just as Gerry decides it is time to throw a lavish holiday party.

      Determined to make her mark on Athena, Gerry instead winds up dead at her very own party. Though attempts to dig into her past come up empty, Charlie and his girlfriend, Helen Louise, witness two heated exchanges involving Gerry before her death: one with a leading citizen and another with the wife of a good friend. Will one of these ladies wind up on the sheriff's naughty list? Charlie and Diesel have to wrap up the case before the special season is ruined by a sinister scrooge.

      --

      Series: Cat in the Stacks Mystery - Book 10
      Author: Miranda James
      Genre: Cozy/Pet Mystery
      Publisher: Berkley

      Publishing Date: October 23, 2018

      Six Cats a Slayin’ is the 10th book in the “Cats in the Stacks” mystery series. Ms. James easily weaves a tale that both amuses and intrigues. Her writing style is fast-paced, smooth, with a sense of humor and intellect. This new addition to the series, like all the other books, has readers turning the page excitedly.

      The character of Charlie is not your average lead in a cozy, he is after all, a he. He is also not the young hunk that so many cozies insert as a love interest. Charlie is a grandfather, and a proud one at that. He has a family he loves, friends, and coworkers that insert themselves into his life when least expected but are always welcome. His love interest, Helen Louise has a way of showing up out of the blue and helping Charlie see reason and to keep a level head.

      Charlie’s cat, Diesel is a character all his own. If you didn’t know he was a cat you would assume he was a longtime friend of Charlies. Diesel knows everyone Charlie knows and even goes to work with him.

      Other characters in this book/series play an important part in Charlie’s life and solving the murder. Azalea, Charlie’s housekeeper is an intricate part of his life and household. She is also an amazing cook, and more than happy to have 5 new kittens in the house, even if she doesn’t really show it on the surface. Add a daughter-in-law who is suffering from postpartum depression with unachievable mom goals, two new grandbabies and a host of other characters, and you have the makings of a story that draws you in and never let’s go.

      Readers will worry along with Charlie and Helen about their loved ones, the kittens that were dumped on Charlie’s front porch, and the new mysterious neighbor who manages to get herself murdered just before the holidays. Charlie feels it is up to him to help solve the murder and the mystery of who the neighbor, Gerry was. When the identity of the victim is resolved, and the murderer unmasked the reader will thrill at the uniqueness of the motive and will understand the reason the killer felt there was no other option.

      This book, Six Cats a Slayin’ is warm and inviting, even with murder at its core. It is unique with just enough old-fashioned intrigue to make it a favorite for readers of all types. If there is any issue with the book it is that the reader may need some context on who the players are and what has gone on in the past. Over all, I highly recommend this book, and suggest readers go back to book one to enjoy more of the adventures of Charlie and Diesel.







    • 3/5
      Six Cats a Slayin' by Miranda James is the tenth novel in A Cat in the Stacks Mystery series. Charlie Harris has a new neighbor, Gerry Albritton who makes him uncomfortable with her overly flirtatious manor. Gerry is hosting a Christmas party to meet her new neighbors, and she sends over her assistant to make sure Charlie will be attending. Charlie will attend if his girlfriend, Helen Louise Brady can be on his arm (protection). Christmas is approaching, and it is Charlie’s first one as a grandfather. He is worried about his daughter-in-law, Alex who seems exhausted from work and taking care of a colicky baby. But Alex is not ready to accept help. Charlie opens the door one day to find a box of five kittens on his doorstep with a note asking him to keep them safe. Diesel decides it is his duty to keep the little frisky felines out of trouble. At Gerry’s Christmas party, the whole neighborhood has shown up. Gerry has been causing a stir with her attempts to buy up the houses on the street and her over-the-top outdoor Christmas decorations. There is quality champagne and inexpensive appetizers. Suddenly there is a loud crash and, when the crowd parts, Charlie sees Gerry collapses on the floor. Helen Louise performs CPR, but Gerry is pronounced dead by the EMTs. Gerry’s death is suspicious, and Charlie is curious which one of the party attendees is the killer (and will be getting coal in his stocking this Christmas). Charlie has two mysteries to solve and Christmas preparations to complete. Will he get is all accomplished before Santa slides down the chimney?Six Cats a Slayin’ is a light and joyful Christmas cozy mystery. Charlie is a unique main character for cozy mysteries because he is male. Charlie Harris is a librarian at the local college in the archive room. His cat, Diesel goes with him to work (and about town) and contributes with his little chirps which are so cute (and expressive). Diesel appoints himself guardian of the kittens which exhausts him since they are so busy. Thankfully, Charlie’s renters come up with an idea to keep the curious kitties contained. Gerry Albritton has moved into the neighborhood and is wasting no time making her mark. She has flirted with every man she has encountered and is now trying to buy up her neighbor’s homes. It is no surprise when when Gerry ends up murdered. Solving Gerry’s murder was a cinch. I was surprised when it did not occur until I was almost halfway through the book. One little detail gave me the identity to Gerry’s killer (I kept hoping it I would be wrong since I would have loved a twist). I did enjoy reading on to find out more about Gerry since she was mysterious about her background. The mystery surrounding the kittens was a puzzle and who doesn’t love cute felines. Six Cats a Slayin’ contains good writing with a gentle pace. Six Cats a Slayin’ contains Christmas preparations, taking care of the kittens (in detail), speculation on Gerry’s killer, shopping for Christmas presents, food preparation and eating, playing with kittens, Charlie talking about his weight and needing exercise, attempts to catch the kittens’ owner, time spent at work, and concern about Alex. Charlie has caring friends and a loving family. They rally round to help out when there is a need. Six Cats a Slayin’ is a merry cozy mystery that will have you laughing over the rambunctious kittens’ behavior.