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23rd out of 72 books
—
33 voters
A Novel Way to Die (Black Cat Bookshop Mystery #2)
by
Ali Brandon
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...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
November 6th 2012
by Berkley
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Mar 06, 2013
Nancy
added it
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 chas...more
Darla Pettistone has inherited her Great Aunt's Brooklyn, NY book store and cat, Hamlet. In this second book of the series, we slip right back into the story as Darla finds new challenges to adjusting to her new life.
The book store is flourishing and Darla is making friends in her new life far from Texas. Darla needs a new part-time worker and the one obstacle is Hamlet who is very particular as to choosing his friends. Enter Robert, a young eighteen year old that has his own mysteries. Hamlet l...more
The book store is flourishing and Darla is making friends in her new life far from Texas. Darla needs a new part-time worker and the one obstacle is Hamlet who is very particular as to choosing his friends. Enter Robert, a young eighteen year old that has his own mysteries. Hamlet l...more
Book #4 Read in 2013
A Novel Way to Die by Ali Brandon
This is the second book in a great cozy mystery series. This series is set in a bookstore, owned by Darla. Living in the apartment below the store is Darla's friend Jake, a retired NYC cop. The other cast of recurring characters include James, the somewhat stuffy but literary store employee; Reese, the handsome NYC Detective and of course Hamlet, the bookstore's resident feline whom Darla inherited from her aunt along with the bookstore. In th...more
A Novel Way to Die by Ali Brandon
This is the second book in a great cozy mystery series. This series is set in a bookstore, owned by Darla. Living in the apartment below the store is Darla's friend Jake, a retired NYC cop. The other cast of recurring characters include James, the somewhat stuffy but literary store employee; Reese, the handsome NYC Detective and of course Hamlet, the bookstore's resident feline whom Darla inherited from her aunt along with the bookstore. In th...more
Although this is the second in a series, it is the first that I've read. I found it on display at the bookstore and having a black cat myself, had to pick it up. ;)
It was fun to read a story about a bookstore owner with a resident cat. The description of Hamlet, the cat, had me grinning frequently. The author did a great job of describing his personality. The storyline held my interest and the interplay between the characters was well done.
The most striking thing about this novel to me though, w...more
It was fun to read a story about a bookstore owner with a resident cat. The description of Hamlet, the cat, had me grinning frequently. The author did a great job of describing his personality. The storyline held my interest and the interplay between the characters was well done.
The most striking thing about this novel to me though, w...more
Jan 24, 2013
Kat Lebo
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
mystery lovers, cat lovers!
Recommended to Kat by:
me!
Very easy, fun to read book.
This is the second in the Black Cat Bookshop mystery series, the first being "Double Booked for Death." The main character, Darla Pettistone, is a born and bred Texan. However, having inherited a New York brownstone from her great-aunt Dee, including the thriving Pettistone's Fine Books complete with the bookstore cat, Hamlet, upper level home and lower level garden apartment and renter, she has uprooted from her native Texas and moved to the Big Apple.
This second i...more
This is the second in the Black Cat Bookshop mystery series, the first being "Double Booked for Death." The main character, Darla Pettistone, is a born and bred Texan. However, having inherited a New York brownstone from her great-aunt Dee, including the thriving Pettistone's Fine Books complete with the bookstore cat, Hamlet, upper level home and lower level garden apartment and renter, she has uprooted from her native Texas and moved to the Big Apple.
This second i...more
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...more
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...more
Ali Brandon's 2nd novel involving Darla & her cat Hamlet, "A Novel Way to Die", is a decent entry into this new series. In this installment, we find Darla looking for a new part time clerk who must meet both her & Hamlet's requirements & she lands Robert a teenage boy who worked for a local porn shop. When one of her regular customers Curt comes up dead, Hamlet helps guide the clues through the bookstore to a murderer/kidnapper. Brandon's story is easy to read & follows a path th...more
A terrific book! I will even venture to say it is better than the first in the series, Double Booked for Death...and that one was hard to beat!
Darla once again finds herself inserted into the middleof amurder investigation. And once again her black, picky, and often moody cat Hamlet brings his insight to the case.But will the humans catch on to his cues before it's too late?
In the meantime, Darla finds some new part-time help for the bookstore. There is a small cameo "appearance" by Mary Ann's e...more
Darla once again finds herself inserted into the middleof amurder investigation. And once again her black, picky, and often moody cat Hamlet brings his insight to the case.But will the humans catch on to his cues before it's too late?
In the meantime, Darla finds some new part-time help for the bookstore. There is a small cameo "appearance" by Mary Ann's e...more
This was a good read that kept me turning the pages. The author did a great job in keeping me suspense as to the identity of the killer and I loved how the story flowed towards that conclusion. Hamlet plays a pivotal role in this book and I enjoyed the results of his action. It was fun following along with Darla as she read the clues that Hamlet left and what she gleamed from other sources. I love the friendship she has with Jake, James and her newest employee, Robert who is such a sweetheart an...more
Pettistone's Fine Books is housed in a brownstone in Brooklyn and features an owner who is a transplant from Texas and a black cat named Hamlet. Darla inherited the cat, along with the bookstore,from her great aunt. Having survived the murder of a young adult novelist on her new premises within months of moving in, things are now beginning to develop a rhythm around commerce, friends and neighbors. So, of course, Hamlet manages to stick his paw into a ring of local metal thieves and a murder...
T...more
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I like this series although this particular book has 2 prerequisites: 1 - you must love cats; 2 - you must not be looking for a serious mystery. I like her writing style and I really like the characters. The mystery itself was going along well until the end when it became muddled and left all kinds of loose ends and things that didn't fit. It was as if there was a sudden deadline and she had to do the best she could in 15 minutes. I will definitely give the next one in this series a try when it...more
This is a Black Cat bookshop mystery, the cat in question being Hamlet, a large black haired cat that Darla, the bookshope owner has living in her bookshop. Hamlet does not like everybody and can easily scare away anyone that doesn't meet his approval. He also has the ability to help Darla discover clues by knocking books off the shelf that she must decipher what the clue is. When a customer of hers is found dead in the basement of a brownstone by Darla and the deceased's partner, everyone is wo...more
This was a good read if a bit long. I did cry toward the end so it almost got a 4 star. However, Brandon seems to be a bit wordy and I have to admit that I was getting that alright already let's speed this up a bit feeling 3/4 or so of the way through.
In the beginning Brandon actually has some of the exact verbage in introducing the characters that she had in book one. I hope this doesn't continue.
So far there are only two books in the series. I am looking forward to reading book three--and see...more
In the beginning Brandon actually has some of the exact verbage in introducing the characters that she had in book one. I hope this doesn't continue.
So far there are only two books in the series. I am looking forward to reading book three--and see...more
Ali Brandon has outdone herself this time. A Novel Way to Die,the second book in this series is light years beyond the first one. The character's have grown, and the addition of Robert to the cast with his youth and interesting comments went a long way towards adding to my enjoyment.
The plot line had more then enough twists and turns to keep me reading all day. I'm looking forward to Darla, Jake, James, and Robert's next adventure.
I am so glad my friend gifted me with this book.
The plot line had more then enough twists and turns to keep me reading all day. I'm looking forward to Darla, Jake, James, and Robert's next adventure.
I am so glad my friend gifted me with this book.
I have just finished this charming book and am very pleased with it-it is better than her first one even though I liked it too. It is a very cosy read and the second half just flew by! I love the book because of the people but also because of the antics and very cat like behaviors of Hamlet. I have a black cat named Mandy and she has exhibited the same attitudes as Hamlet. A very satisfying read!
3.5 stars
Overall, this was a very enjoyable cozy mystery. I had one problem with it, and that's that a cliche of the cozy genre gave away the killer to me in the beginning of the book. If I wasn't so familiar with the genre, it probably would have taken longer to figure out.
The characters are coming along nicely. As long as the author doesn't introduce a love triangle in the next book, I'll keep reading.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable cozy mystery. I had one problem with it, and that's that a cliche of the cozy genre gave away the killer to me in the beginning of the book. If I wasn't so familiar with the genre, it probably would have taken longer to figure out.
The characters are coming along nicely. As long as the author doesn't introduce a love triangle in the next book, I'll keep reading.
Bookseller Darla Pettistone is going out on a lunch date with a new guy, when they stop off at the house he's rebuilding and find his partner dead in the basement. Darla's bookstore cat Hamlet resumes his habit of knocking pertinent books off the shelf, but the titles/authors don't seem to give her any coherent clues. Then Hamlet disappears. Does he know who the murderer is?
These are fun books with two of my favorite things - cats & bookstores! The plot is interesting and has some fun and unexpected twists. The characters are developing nicely over these first two books in what is a series.
Darla has a great imagination, and a fun cast of friends. The books have mystery, some action, a hint of romance, and some great comedic moments. Can't wait for the next one!
Darla has a great imagination, and a fun cast of friends. The books have mystery, some action, a hint of romance, and some great comedic moments. Can't wait for the next one!
I started reading this with no great expectations, I was just hoping for a decent cozy. This has two of the elements that interest me -- books & cats. So I was quite pleased to read better-than-average writing with defined interesting characters who were NOT prone to doing ridiculous things just to move the plot along. Very enjoyable, I'll go back and read the first in the series now.
Darla becomes embroiled with another murder and Hamlet is on hand to offer a helping paw. I really like the characters in this series and enjoy the new ones that were added. Hamlet is the best! I can visulize him so clearly with every word I read. Great book for an afternoon read.
This was a really fun cozy mystery! I like that the cat is part of the plot and helps to solve the mystery. It got pretty exciting, especially near the end; it kept my on the edge of my seat!
- love Hamlet. That is one really cool cat. I think I will have to check out the first book of the series and I also hope that there will be some more books to come.
I liked reading about the Brooklyn bookshop that our heroine inherited and also the store's mascot (a black cat)who helps solve the murder
This was a cute, entertaining weekend read. I really enjoyed the new book shop worker, a goth teen to counter the stodgy old professor.
Fun mystery, liked the characters and just the right amount of cat (I'm a dog person). Will definitely read more of this series. I need to go back and read book one.
I didn't read the first book in the series but this one was good enough to make me want to go back and read the first one.
I wasn't sure about the first book in this series, Double Booked for Death, but it had enough elements I enjoy - cats, bookshops, mystery with a chance of paranormal, that I gave this second book a shot, and I'm not disappointed. A lot of improvement in the characters and the addition of Robert is a plus to the cast; he softens James' uppity-ness.
I thought the mystery plot was well done, the author does a very good job of leading the reader and I quite liked the ending, even though the use of t...more
I thought the mystery plot was well done, the author does a very good job of leading the reader and I quite liked the ending, even though the use of t...more
Pretty well put together, and I like the characters. Robert's a good addition, and Hamlet manages to be real-cat-like yet too-good-to-be-true all at the same time.
Dec 31, 2012
Regan
added it
Good read - not as good as book 1 because I wanted more of Hamlet's antics but that's just me.
It's a easy read, nothing to complicated but a fun little mystery story.
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DIANE A.S. STUCKART who also writes as ALI BRANDON, ALEXA SMART and ANNA GERARD, is a member of that proud breed, the native Texan. She was born in the West Texas town of Lubbock, home to Buddy Holly, prairie dogs, and Texas Tech University, where her mom once taught. Most of her formative years, however, were spent in Dallas with her parents and siblings: one younger sister and three younger brot...more
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