A Novel Way to Die

Darla Pettistone may have inherited her great aunt Dee’s Brooklyn bookstore, but it’s the store’s mascot—an oversized black cat named Hamlet—who acts like he owns the place. And when someone turns up dead, Hamlet smells something rotten in Brooklyn… 
As the owner of Pettistone’s Fine Books, Darla is settling nicely into her new life, even reaching an uneasy truce with Hamlet. Unfortunately, when she needs to hire a new clerk, the finicky feline decides to lend a paw to the hiring process. He chases away applicants who don’t meet his approval, finally settling on an unlikely candidate: Robert, a book-loving Goth kid who has a secret only Hamlet knows. 
And Hamlet can’t seem to stay out of trouble. One of the bookstore’s regular customers, a man who is renovating a local brownstone, claims he’s seen Hamlet prowling the neighborhood. When the man’s business partner is found dead, Darla discovers that Hamlet may have been the only witness to what could be murder. With the crafty cat’s help, she wonders if they just might be able to pounce on a killer...

My favorite fictional cat is back! I'm a proud owner of a black cat, Boo.  The author's description of Hamlet both physically and personality wise is like describing Boo. Well, except for pulling out books...

Like the previous book of the series, Double Booked for Death, Hamlet is on the prowl for a murderer with a little help from his human, Darla, the owner of Pettistone's Fine Books. They also had some help from the usual gang, Jake, Professor and the newest member of their "family", Robert, a teenage ex goth book lover who has a soft spot for Hamlet.  I was completely surprised on who the murderer was, but the author tied up everything very well.  I hate when that doesn't happen.  I loved seeing Hamlet bond with both Robert and Darla, in his own stubborn cat way.  Cat owners will understand.

A Novel Way to Die by Ali Brandon (3.5/5) Mystery; Published: Berkley Prime Crime (11/2012); Series: # 2, A Black Cat Bookshop Mystery; New Release; Library; Books 2012 (56);