Arsenic and Old Books: A Cat in the Stacks Mystery

In James’s diverting sixth cozy featuring librarian Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel (after 2014’s The Silence of the Library), Mayor Lucinda Long donates a set of Civil War–era family diaries to the archives of Athena College in Athena, Miss. Interest in the volumes is surprisingly high—so high that they disappear from Charlie’s locked office. Politics enters the picture when rumor has it that the diaries contain a Long family secret that could affect the race Lucinda’s son, Beck, is running against an old family rival for the state senate. Soon the books mysteriously reappear, and everyone’s attention turns to the murder of an unpopular Athena faculty member who was involved with the diaries. What could be so shocking in the Long family history that someone would kill for it? Once again, series fans will learn that the library holds more than dusty tomes, besides enjoying a visit with their favorite oversized cat. Agent: Nancy Yost, Nancy Yost Literary Agency. (Feb.)