Out of Circulation: 01/01/20

Out of Circulation by Miranda James is the fourth book in the Cat in the Stacks mystery series. The Ducote sisters are hosting the annual library fundraising gala at their home. Vera Cassity, their loudest opponent ends up dead in a disused staircase and Charlie Harris's housekeeper, Azalea ends up being the prime suspect.

Even before Vera's death, Charlie learns of her reputation and sees some of her bad attitude in action. She was a harsh, demanding woman with a temper. She wasn't the genteel white former plantation owner family that everyone else wants.

Afterwards, though, Charlie comes to learn why she acted the way she did. He also learns some deep and long buried secrets involving the Ducote sisters.

The mystery hinges on genealogy, finances, and sex. Ultimately the murder is a crime of passion. Observant readers can pick out who the killer is early on. The clues are there if you pay attention. Then comes the fun of understanding why the killer did it (beyond Vera being a terribly annoying person).

The fifth book in the series is The Silence of the Library (2014).

Five stars

Comments (2)

Comment #1: Sunday, January 05, 2020 at 17:08:20

Laurie C

This sounds like fun!

Comment #2:

Pussreboots

It is but there' a bit of a plot arc. I recommend starting with book one, Murder Past Due.