Tag: Miranda James

Something Whiskered (Cat in the Stacks Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
17th in Series
Setting – Ireland
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley
Publication date ‏ : ‎ July 29, 2025
Print length ‏ : ‎ 320 pages
Hardcover
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593199553
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593199558
Kindle
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593199565
ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0DLFT8L28
Audiobook ASIN B0F7CF25MH

A dead baron, an Irish castle, and an unexpected ghost . . . Charlie Harris, Helen Louise Brady, and their feline friend Diesel find themselves hot on the trail of a conniving killer in this delightful Cat in the Stacks Mystery from New York Times bestselling author Miranda James.

Charlie Harris and his wife, Helen Louise Brady, have arrived in Ireland for their honeymoon. After a few days in Dublin, they head to County Clare, ancestral home to Helen Louise’s extended family, the O’Bradys. Her cousin Lorcan runs Castle O’Brady as a bed-and-breakfast with his wife Caoimhe and their daughter and son-in-law. But upon arrival at the castle, the newlyweds are shocked to see a body falling from the roof.

The dead man is centenarian Finn, Baron O’Brady, Lorcan’s grandfather, which means that Lorcan now becomes the new Baron O’Brady. Was someone in a hurry for Lorcan to assume the title and ownership of the estate? Or is there another reason for wanting Finn dead? And why is a ghostly cat making an appearance in their room-is he trying to warn them? Charlie and Helen Louise must answer these questions and more as they realize the local garda can’t solve the crime alone. And along with Diesel they will have to investigate themselves or risk something wicked coming their way…

Dollycas’s Thoughts

It’s honeymoon time for Charlie and Heleb Louise, and Diesel gets to tag along. They have traveled to Ireland to meet the O’Bradys, Helen Louise’s extended family. The trip started with a few days in Dublin before heading to County Claire and Castle O’Brady. It is now a bed-and-breakfast run by Helen Louise’s cousin, Lorcan, and his wife Caoimhe. Their daughter and her husband also work at the B&B.

Charlie and Helen Louise arrive just in time to witness a horrific event: an elderly man plummeting to his death from the castle roof. The man, Baron Finn O’Brady, had just reached a hundred years old, and Helen Louise was so excited to see him and introduce him to Charlie. With the centenarian’s death, her cousin Lorcan takes over the title of Baron O’Brady.

No one believes the man took his own life, so who killed Finn O’Brady? And why? Without much confidence in the local garda, Charlie, Helen Louise, and Diesel start an investigation of their own. Soon, they are receiving threats and a mysterious feline ghost visiting their room.

Will Something Whiskered help catch the killer? Or will someone wicked get away with murder?

I love this series. Diesel stole my heart in book one, Murder Past Due, and with each new book, that love has grown. We had a Maine Coon cat with a crooked tail who looked a lot like Diesel that passed away in 2018. I had the privilege of hearing all the chirps and mews firsthand. Every sound Diesel makes brings back warm memories of our Wiley.

The big change in this story is that Charlie and Helen Louise are married. Close as ever and solving mysteries together. I love their relationship and how it grew organically. Being away from home for this installment meant that other core characters were not in the story, but they were mentioned and thought of. We did meet many interesting people in Ireland, and they became well fleshed out within the pages. Maybe some with come to Mississippi in the future.

Finn O’Brady was a down-to-earth kind man, “full of fun and the joys of life”. Helen Louise has many wonderful memories and couldn’t imagine anyone wanting to kill him. As an outsider, Charlie could look at all the suspects with clear eyes, while Helen Louise knew many of the people and could get them to open up. Diesel is a great judge of character, but there came a time when they had to decide to put Diesel’s safety over everything else. While hard on all three of them, it was the right decision. The mystery itself was solid with some clear and murky suspects. The reading of the will brought forth some interesting bequests and knowledge, and was interrupted by a surprising person. Then the autopsy report gave important information, and the clues started to come together. I found the ending to be satisfying, but it left some small questions unanswered. Nothing that would deter my enjoyment of the book.

Something Whiskered is a fabulous addition to this long-running series. A new setting, new characters, and a well-plotted mystery were very entertaining. It was a heck of a honeymoon for the newlyweds and our favorite feline. I am looking forward to returning to Mississippi, Charlie’s happy place, to see what mystery he, Diesel, their family, and friends get pulled into next in Book 18.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. Thank you to the Berkley and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.

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About the Author

Find out more about Miranda James and her books on her webpage here.

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Find the whole series here. 

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