Mystery writer Caro Layton-Browning has a bad case of writer's block and boredom—a very dangerous combination. Looking for something to distract her, she pays a visit to her newest neighbor, Meredith Holmes, the proprietor of a kitschy bookstore called Murder by the Book. When Meredith confides in Caro concerning an on-going battle with the president of the Seneca Meadows Chamber of Commerce, Caro jumps at the chance to liven things up a bit. Vowing to give "the dragon lady," Lucia Scarantelli, a piece of her mind, Caro takes Meredith downtown to confront the issue head-on.
Apparently someone else had the same idea. When Caro literally stumbles over the body of a very dead Lucia, she becomes determined to find out who did it—before hubby, Gregory, returns from a business trip to England. Teaming up with Meredith, Caro starts an investigation that uncovers a stolen goods ring which stretches from New York City to Seneca Meadows.
With just enough information to make her a threat to the bad guys, Caro begins to worry that this could be her last case...and possibly the end of her life. [summary via Amazon]
I absolutely adored the first book in the Proverbial Crime Mysteries, see my review of A Bird in the Hand here. With the fourth book due out soon, I was eager to catch up with this series and I picked up the second book in the series, When the Cat's Away.
Dane McCaslin follows up a really strong debut with an even better second book in When the Cat's Away. We're taken back to Seneca Meadows, where Caro is trying to keep herself out of trouble, and work on her manuscript. However, it seems like trouble has a way of finding Caro when she stumbles across a dead body. Along with her new friend Meredith "Merry" Holmes, she gets involved in trying to find a killer. When the dead bodies start stacking it up, it looks like they may be in over their head.
I love Caro. She's impulsive and daring, and she runs headlong into trouble. When I first met Caro and Gregory in the first book, they reminded me very much of Agatha Christie's famous duo detectives, Tommy and Tuppence. Caro being the impulsive and daring female, that is bored unless she's solving a crime, and Gregory more being the voice of reason (as Tommy tries to for Tuppence). Of course this time Gregory has gone away, and it just leaves Caro to find someone else to help her investigate. Enter the just as impulsive and daring (maybe even crazy and wild) Merry. Together these girls get into adventures that would rival the adventures of Thelma and Louise - and I loved every second of it!!
The mystery itself was very interesting, that had me guessing to the end. Kudos to the author on a denouement that left me in awe of her genius deductive skills. I certainly didn't see it coming.
When the Cat's Away is a perfect follow-up in this series, and I can't wait to see what Caro gets up to next!
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