BLESS HER DEAD LITTLE HEART by Miranda James

Publisher:    Berkley

Published:   October 7, 2014

ISBN:      978-0425273043

Genre:    Cozy Mystery

Format:  Print    

Obtained via:  Publisher

Reviewed by name and email address:  Gina Gina@loveromancesandmorereviews.com

FOUR HEARTS

When Charlie Harris, a well-loved resident of Athena, Mississippi has the opportunity to take a well-deserved vacation, the Ducote sisters, An’gel and Dickce, offer to cat sit his Maine Coon kitty, Diesel.  What they do not anticipate is having an additional house guest when their sorority sister, Rosabelle Sultan turns up on their doorstep.  The news Rosabelle brings with her is startling to say the least—someone in her family is trying to kill her!

Being gentile southern ladies An’gel and Dickce open their doors to Rosabelle, but before they can absorb what their sorority sister has told them more visitors descend on them.  One-by-one the very people Rosabelle believes are out to kill her show up at the Ducote home.  Unable to, in good conscience, turn away Rosabelle’s family, despite her claims of their evil intent, the sisters invite the family to stay.  It isn’t long before all of the extended family are ensconced in the home before someone turns up dead.  It is not Rosabelle who lays at the bottom of the stairs, but one of the other family members.  Can the sisters find the killer before he or she strikes again?

I’m a huge Miranda James fan, mainly because of his cat character, Diesel.  The large Maine Coon cat is just a fun character to read.  James has cat catitude down to a science.  Cat owners can definitely see their own felines’ personalities in Diesel.  Since Diesel appears in James newest series, The Southern Ladies Mystery series, at least in the debut book BLESS HER DEAD LITTLE HEART I had to pick it up and read it. I’m glad I did!

I found the Ducote sisters charming in the earlier Cat in the Stacks series where we first met Charlie Harris and Diesel.  They are even more delightful in what I anticipate will be their own series.  In some ways they remind me of the old Helen Hayes TV series, the Snoop Sisters.  Each time you thought the wackiest of the characters has shown up, yet another one appears at the Ducote door.  Until the first murder happens they seem like just a bunch of ill-mannered relatives.  Once the first victim turns up the sisters’ personalities really start to crystalize. 

I was a little surprised at the not so pleasant thoughts An’gel and Dickce had about each other and their own bickering—but then that does happen with siblings.  It was well done how they ended up being on the same page with each other in each event.

I did want to know for sure what the outcome was for Peanut and Endora, but I got the distinct impression we’ll be seeing them – along with how Diesel interacts with them, in book 2.

James newest series if off to a fun start.

This is an objective review and an endorsement of this book.