What do You think about Whisker Of Evil (2004)?
I actually like cozies, you know? And as befits any reader who cut her teeth on Valdemar, talking horsies (and kitties, and doggies) don't annoy me. I also sympathize with any author whose series goes on for longer than she may have originally planned or ever dares to hope.This one was actually pretty good. Better than Tail of the Tip Off, for damn sure. /shudderWhere this one really loses its fourth star and barely clung to its third for me was the constant, CONSTANT political whining about how the guv'mint just don't care 'bout no country people. Yes, yes, regulations are frustrating and we'd all be better off if everyone could just hand their (well-known) neighbors their mail instead of having to remember their post box keys. But the other complaints are largely the kinds of complaints people have when they don't quite understand how roads are maintained and policemen are paid. Also, Book 12 in a series is the damndest point for an author to forget about the fact that _no mystery reader ever_ cares about the percentage of bats with rabies, no matter how fascinated the author was when she encountered the fact. Nearly every character (and Brown's characters are wonderfully conceived and developed at this point) is forced to parrot some fascinating bit of Google-gleaned data, and such is the power of Brown's characterization that you pity them and want to tell them that you know they didn't really want to spout off those OTB statistics.
—Sanya Weathers
This book was a gift from my boyfriend, as advised by his mother, and I really wanted to like it, but this book is just overall disappointing.It has a very old-lady-esque feel to it... The animals being a part of the mystery solving has charm, I suppose, but the slow pace, drinking tea, dislike of city folk, and general cat lady-ness makes me believe that only lonely old ladies would find this book enjoyable.Plot-wise, the story was unimpressive. There were so many characters, it was impossible to keep track of them all. And the author seemed insistent upon calling each character by gender neutral or gender opposite names. It was very confusing. Granted, this is a book in the middle of a long series, but it's generally bad practice.I don't want to give any spoilers, but I also hate when mysteries choose the murderer seemingly at random, without much consideration to the underlying psychology of murder. I thought it was a sloppy resolution.All that said, I did finish the book, so it doesn't deserve one star. And I did find it enjoyable in a lazy Sunday, tea with Grandma kind of way. I just wouldn't recommend it to anyone under the age of 60.
—Christine
I checked this audiobook out several months ago to listen to on my way to/from work. However, I soon discovered that I am way too sleepy (mornings) or brain dead (evenings) to listen to audio books most days. I managed to make it about halfway through the book before I had to return it. (Someone else had requested it.) So, then I checked out a paper copy of the book, and finished the rest.This book was an interesting read/listen. There are LOTS of characters, and it was difficult for me to keep them all straight, especially when lots of time lapsed between times when I listened to the book. The main characters (and mystery solvers) in the book are supposed to be a couple of cats and a dog, but it really seemed like the animals just lay around for most of the book and did very little. By the time the audiobook was due, I was hooked enough that I wanted to know who the "bad guy" was, but I don't think I will be reading many more books by this author. (Note: the illustrations are very cute!)
—Ruth
