"Booking the Crook" A Bookmobile Cat Mystery By Laurie Cass: Review/Giveaway

by Cynthia Chow

Details on how to win a copy of this book at the end of the review and links to purchase it.

For someone who doesn’t much like change, librarian Minnie Hamilton is certainly experiencing a lot of it. Her aunt Frances is getting married, there’s a new Chilson District Library director, and Minnie is moving from her beloved houseboat into boyfriend Rafe Niswander’s home. So it’s something of a relief to focus on satisfying the needs of her bookmobile clients, always accompanied by her bookmobile cat Eddie. When one of her most reliable bookmobile patrons fails to pick up her requested books, Minnie feels compelled to deliver the items directly to Rowan Bennethum’s doorstep. It turns out that Minnie was right to be concerned, as she and her library assistant Julia discover Rowan collapsed in her driveway, the cause later determined to be poison.


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Minnie could almost have followed the orders of Detective Hal Inwood’s orders to leave matters to the Sheriff’s Office if not for the pleas of Rowan’s devastated college-age children. Anya sees her brother Collier spiraling into depression, and they beg Minnie to once again help and track down their mother’s killer. Feeling more than a little guilty for not finding Rowan sooner, and sympathetic to Anya and Collier’s pain, Minnie begins her own queries that lead to a mysterious maple-flavored packet found in the home of the sugar-detesting Rowan. It’s the first clue in the murder of the loan officer, whose job denying and approving bank loans gave her the power to destroy lives, and may have ended her own.
Image Source Berkley

This seventh in the series continues to be a delight for book and library lovers, incorporating so many details unique to a library setting. Minnie herself is a librarian through and through, one who delights in finding the perfect book for a patron and unable to conceive of a life without reading. Of course Minnie has a library association-related coffee mug, and she spends a considerable amount of time discussing her investigations with the feline Eddie.

Minnie’s reluctance to leave her houseboat is played out through her phobia of hardware stores, more specifically the very relatable feeling of being overwhelmed with choices that seem so permanent. Quirky humor shines through, not just through Minnie and her friends but through her loyal patrons. The Meta commentary on conventional stories delivers a few giggles as well, with a medieval adventure reader having a very feminist viewpoint of the conventional fairy tale while Minnie herself uses suspense movie twists to convince a witness to provide testimony. The use of creativity and wit elevates this series above so many others, building up to a conclusion that will surprise readers as much as it does to Minnie. A happy ending perfectly designed for a bookmobile librarian ensures that this series will satisfy what is a deservedly growing fan base of the Bookmobile Cat series.

To enter to win a copy of Booking the Crook, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line "crook,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 31, 2019. U.S. residents only. If entering via comment please include your email address. If entering via email please include your mailing address in case you win, we will not use your address for any other reason. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section in Kings River Life and in our mystery category here on KRL News & Reviews. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. And check out our new mystery podcast featuring mystery short stories and first chapters read by actors.

You can use these links to purchase the book. If you have adblocker on you may not be able to see the Amazon link:




Cynthia Chow is the branch manager of Kaneohe Public Library on the island of Oahu. She balances a librarian lifestyle of cardigans and hair buns with a passion for motorcycle riding and regrettable tattoos (sorry, Mom).

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.



Comments

  1. Great series, my mother and I both like these.
    kozo8989@hotmail.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. Looks great. thank you.
    Marilyn ewatvess@yahoo.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thanks for the giveaway. doward1952(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  4. This sounds like a wonderful series. I love libraries and cats. ckmbeg (at) gmail (dot) com

    ReplyDelete
  5. A bookmobile and a cat, sounds good to me. Would really like to read.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a creative background for a book. I enjoyed the bookmobile as a kid and being able
    to check out books to enjoy during the week since I ddin't live near a library. Our bookmobile
    didn't have a cat but it would have been even more fun if it had. robeader53(at)yahoo(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love the cover! Thanks for the chance! JL_Minter(at)hotmail(dot)com

    ReplyDelete
  8. I would love to read this book; the review sounds delightful. I haven't read this author before. Thank you for the giveaway.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This sounds like such a unique mystery! Would love to read it! Thanks so much for the chance to win!
    faithdcreech at gmail dot com

    ReplyDelete

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