Hiss Me Deadly - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Hiss Me Deadly (A Cat in the Stacks Mystery #15) by Miranda James

Rating: Really Liked It (4 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Charlie Harris remembers Wilfred “Wil” Threadgill as one of the outsiders during high school in Athena. Although Wil was a couple of years ahead of him and his friend Melba Gilley, Melba had a big crush on Wil, who dropped out after his junior year. An aspiring musician, Wil hit the road for California and never looked back. Wil eventually became a star, fronting a band and writing award-winning songs.

Coming back to Athena to work for two weeks with students in the college music department, Wil is now the big man on campus. Not everyone is happy to have him back, however. His entourage have been the target of several acts of petty harassment. At first they are easy for Wil to shrug off, but the incidents escalate and become more troubling. When one of the band members is killed Charlie worries that Melba, now deeply involved with the man at the center of the attacks, could be in deadly danger. It is up to Charlie and Diesel to find out who hates Wil Threadgill enough to silence his song . . . forever!

Genre:  Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:  This series is one of my favorites so of course I had to pick this one up!

My Impression:  I have missed this  series and was so excited to revisit Athena, Mississippi and all my favorite characters.  I especially loved seeing Diesel and Ramses who is as usual up to his usual tricks.  The plot was an interesting connecting back to an old acquaintance from high school who is uneasy about coming back to his hometown.  Did trouble follow him or was it waiting for him?

I really liked that Melba is so personally involved in this book.  She's usually a side character but seeing her front and center and vulnerable was an interesting change.  There were so many possiblities for motive and murderer that I was kept guessing until just before the end.  The pacing was a bit slower than I usually prefer on a cozy but it didn't keep me from enjoying it.  As well, it didn't feel like Charlie was driving the investigation as he usually does but was instead going about his daily life and people were bring information to him which may have been why the pacing felt a bit slower.

While this probably wasn't my favorite in the series I did enjoy it.  The mystery was enjoyable and I always love seeing my friends in Athena (especially Diesel!).  

Would I Read More of this Series/Author? Of course!  I always enjoy the books I read by this author and am looking forward to reading more.  

Would I Recommend this Book?  I would!  I do feel like this would be better if you read earlier books in the series but it is still an enjoyable read.

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *