I think every cozy mystery lover’s dream is to run a super cute bookshop in an idyllic little hamlet rife with tourists, magical cats and murderous fiends. That must be why there’s a plethora of bookshop-themed mysteries with adorable kitties on the cover. As you can see by my book selections, this clever little marketing ploy works for a select target audience.  Slap a kitty or a haunted mansion—preferably both—on a cover and I’m in! So here’s a few hits and misses from my latest impulse buys, thus proving that the old adage rings true: Don’t judge a book by its cover.

Read This! Lending a Paw

I love this series for several reasons. One: the picturesque Upper Peninsula setting invoked my happiest summertime memories at Mackinac Island. Oh how I was craving homemade fudge while reading this thing!

Two: the leading lady, Minnie Hamilton, is a cat-rescuing, bookmobile-driving, crime-solving librarian. Enough said.

Three: Minnie’s rescue kitty plays a big role in nabbing the killer. I’ll stop right there before giving anything away, but I will say that this little hero has some seriously impressive sleuthing skills. It’s also very amusing when he responds to his humans with a resounding “merr.”

Four: There’s a twinge of spookiness when Minnie discovers her houseboat neighbors might be potential killers. How very Cape Fear! Okay, so maybe there isn’t a blood-soaked Robert De Niro clinging to the undercarriage of her car, but there’s still something very creepy about sleeping alone in a houseboat with a killer on the loose! And need I say that the story revolves around a library on wheels? What more could any cozy fan ask for?

Not That!  Murder at the 42nd Street Library

This book took me on a weird, herky-jerky ride that I was relieved to jump off. I feel really mixed up because the story was quite interesting, but the style was super painful to follow.

Told in third person, the story constantly hopscotches from one narrator to the other.  Just when I was getting into a scene—boom!—it would shift into a different narrative. I felt like I was trapped in a car with a driver learning how to use the stick shift. Somebody hit the cruise control already!

Other than the discombobulating ebb and flow, I found myself disliking all of the characters more and more. I knew it was all over for the main character, Ambler, when he reflected on how he used to have sympathy for abandoned animals and wingless butterflies before the evils of the world gave him a reality check. That did not sit well with me AT ALL. And then I learned about his hands-off parenting technique that led to disaster for his poor kid. I like my characters a little rough around the edges, but enough is enough.

I can’t deal with jaded, haunted protagonists with somber dispositions–and this book is riddled with them. I suddenly remember why I’m such a fan of the cozy mysteries. At least the amateur sleuths can lighten up and have a little fun. Plus there’s cute kitties and sweet little love scenes on the side. There seemed to be a little romance brewing between Ambler and Adele, but the spark just wasn’t there. They seemed more like sad and lonely middle-aged people in need of companionship.

And then there’s the rest of the crew who are all navigating their issues with adultery, negligent parenting, greed and other indiscretions that make me squirm.  Geez, if I wanted to feel depressed about mankind, I’d pick up another book by Gillian Flynn.

But hey, the murder mystery was actually pretty good. So if you like a well-plotted mystery with a cool Manhattan setting and enjoy this particular style of storytelling, I say go for it. This definitely isn’t my cup of tea.

Not That! By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates

Now don’t get me wrong, I love cute cozy mysteries filled with hunky detectives, crime-solving kitties and quaint little bookstores. However a little goes a long way and I got the sense that this author had to throw all of the ingredients into this undercooked stew of clichés. Let’s see, everybody loves lighthouses, so let’s turn one into a bookstore! Umm…how does this work exactly? Has the author even seen the tight quarters inside a lighthouse? And then there’s the love triangle among the sleuth, the beefcake cop and the boy-next-door. Throw in a crime-solving cat, a control-freak mom, a Machiavellian mean girl and some Jane Austen books and you’ve got yourself the perfect cozy mystery! Eh, not so much.

This book was just a little too cutesy for even me—and that says a lot. A murder mystery is tucked in there somewhere, but much of the focus was on the missing Jane Austen books and the mundane day-to-day motions of a small-town librarian. Lucy never really stepped up her game in the sleuthing department. She came across most of her finding by happenstance, not from gum-shoe detecting. Perhaps it would behoove her to set aside the Jane Austen drivel and pick up an Agatha Christie mystery. Just a suggestion.

To be honest, it’s hard for me to write this review because the book has practically vanished from my memory. So if you want a good library-themed mystery, I suggest picking up a title by Laurie Cass or Charlene Harris. You can’t go wrong with bookmobiles or Aurora Teagarden!