Homicide Investigation Involving Charlie and Athena's Cat Diesel

FIRST IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLING CAT IN THE STACKS MYSTERY SERIES!

In Athena, Mississippi, everyone knows Charlie Harris, the friendly librarian accompanied by his rescued Maine coon cat, Diesel. Despite intending to lose himself in books upon his return to his hometown, Charlie soon finds himself caught up in a real-life mystery. Godfrey Priest, a renowned author of gruesome bestsellers and former classmate of Charlie's, is revered in Athena, but Charlie remembers him differently as an arrogant and manipulative individual – a sentiment shared by others. When Godfrey's visit as a distinguished alumnus takes a disastrous turn, with a man hospitalized by lunch and Godfrey dead by dinner, Charlie, assisted by Diesel, must navigate through the town's grievances to uncover the killer before an overzealous deputy arrests the wrong suspect. With each of Charlie's friends and acquaintances harboring grudges against the deceased novelist, solving the murder becomes even more complex.