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    Lending a Paw
    Lending a Paw
    Lending a Paw
    Audiobook9 hours

    Lending a Paw

    Written by Laurie Cass

    Narrated by Erin Bennett

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    With the help of her rescue cat, Eddie, librarian Minnie Hamilton is driving a bookmobile based in the resort town of Chilson, Michigan. But she'd better keep both hands on the wheel, because it's going to be a bumpy ride . . .

    Eddie followed Minnie home one day, and now she can't seem to shake the furry little shadow. But in spite of her efforts to contain her new pal, the tabby sneaks out and trails her all the way to the bookmobile on its maiden voyage. Before she knows it, her slinky stowaway becomes her cat co-pilot!

    Minnie and Eddie's first day visiting readers around the county seems to pass without trouble-until Eddie darts outside at the last stop and leads her to the body of a local man who's reached his final chapter.

    Initially, Minnie is ready to let the police handle this case, but Eddie seems to smell a rat. Together, they'll work to find the killer-because a good librarian always knows when justice is overdue.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateDec 14, 2017
    ISBN9781977370563
    Lending a Paw

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    Reviews for Lending a Paw

    4/5

    133 ratings20 reviews

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    • 5/5
      When I was young, we lived on a farm several miles from town. I remember the Bookmobile coming to our corner and how excited I was. That was my first introduction to the world of books. Imagine my excitement when I find a book that talks not only about bookmobiles, but adds a cat to the story; cats being another passion of mine. There’s nothing better than mixing books and cats, so I sat down to read. Little did I know that 7 hours later (at 3:45 AM) I finished Lending a Paw. Yes, it’s that captivating. Minnie is a fascinating young woman who lives on a houseboat and Eddie is a priceless feline rescued from the local cemetery. I was so sad when Minnie’s benefactor gets murdered, but Eddie’s participation in finding the culprit will make you laugh until your sides hurt. Ms. Cass book is humorous, sometimes touching, and always very entertaining. I can’t wait to read the next book in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series.~ Linda Thompson, Host of TheAuthorsShow.com
    • 5/5
      Michigan librarian Minnie Hamilton is driving the bookmobile on its inaugural run when she and her rescue cat Eddie come across a body. Turns out Minnie knows the dead man – he donated the money for the bookmobile. Minnie had become friends with Stan Larabee and she feels she must try to find who murdered him. And of course, Eddie is helping. Finding the culprit becomes an imperative when the two police detectives on the case seem zero in on a fellow library employee as the main suspect. Minnie begins snooping – but when she shares her information with the cops they seem uninterested. Is she treading on dangerous ground? Of course she is. That’s part of the fun until it’s no longer fun. Lending a Paw is a lovely cozy mystery – and Minnie is a GREAT cozy heroine. I picked up four books in the series from the used bookstore at my public library – and plan to do a bit of binge-reading.
    • 4/5
      What a wonderful beginning to a new cozy mystery series!

      Love the combination of a public library bookmobile, a librarian named Minnie who is a sleuth that Nancy Drew would be proud to call a friend, and an extraordinary and handsome cat named Eddie.

      Couldn't wait to read it and it delightfully satisfied all of my anticipation! Now to wait for "Tailing a Tabby" - Mystery #2.
    • 5/5
      Very good. Humor, excitement, crazy cat and a mystery, what's not to love?? Characters were well filled out and the storyline went from point A to point B which is always nice. Looking forward to the next one.
    • 3/5
      Lending a Paw is the first in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series by Laurie Cass. Set in a small Michigan town, local librarian Minnie Hamilton and her cat Eddie solve a mystery when they discover a dead body while out on their bookmobile route.This is a nice first installment in a typical cozy mystery series. Minnie is quite likeable, as are her friends in town, though I wasn't a fan of the detectives who pick up the case as they seemed rather condescending. Eddie the cat is adorable! Minnie needed to pay attention to him more as he helped solve the crime but I don't think she quite figured that out yet. I listened to the audio book narrated by Erin Bennett. She does a good job of bringing the characters to life. I especially enjoyed the extra nuance she gave to Eddie's "mrrrs" and "mrrows" to make it sound like he's responding to Minnie's questions.
    • 4/5
      Minnie Hamilton has been working in the job of her dreams, Assistant Library Director in the small resort town of Chilson, Michigan. Her latest proud achievement, in the face of her boss's cost-cutting preferences, is to get a bookmobile to service the areas no longer served by the now-closed branch libraries. She achieved this by getting a donation from uber-rich Stan Laraby, to purchase the bookmobile and fund the first year's operations. Stan has a reputation as a miser who gives money to no one, but he really values libraries (and, we later learn, other valuable public services), and not only provides the money, but works with her to plan the startup of services. And then, on her first day driving the vehicle, at her last stop on that day's route, she finds a dead body--Stan's. He's been shot.Minnie isn't alone when she finds Stan's body; she has a formerly stray cat, Eddie, that decided to move in with her. She expects Eddie to stay home on her bookmobile days, as he does when she's at the main library, but on that momentous very first bookmobile day, he manages to stow away in her bag, and emerges too late for her to take him home. And when the library volunteer who was supposed to accompany her has to cancel due to serious illness in her family, Eddie becomes her paper-thin excuse for telling her boss, Stephen (Wrangle? I listened to the audioboook, so I'm not sure of the spelling), calls and directly asks if she's alone in the bookmobile, that no, she's not alone. (She's supposed to have a volunteer with her, as much for insurance reasons as having two people to service their stops.) It's Eddie, taking an unauthorized off-vehicle excursion, who first finds Stan's body. Eddie is also a big hit with the library users who greet the bookmobile at each of their stops, because she can't persuade him to stay curled up out of sight. This alarms Minnie, because Stephen is looking for any excuse to shut down the bookmobile and sell it, even if it's for pennies on the dollar.Like a sensible person, at least at first, Minnie wants to leave the investigation of Stan's death to the police. Unfortunately, two things change this. One of Minnie's co-workers becomes a possible suspect, and when she does come across what might be relevant evidence, the detectives working on the case seem to be ignoring that evidence. This leads Minnie, with help, whether intentional or accidental, from Eddie, conducting her own investigation.And while she does try to be careful, she eventually makes one mistake too many.I have no experience with bookmobiles (I think I encountered one in real life just once), but I am a librarian, and Minnie comes across as a real librarian, as well as a likable, decent person, and, heaven help us, a pretty good fundraiser for the library (not just with Stan). The author clearly knows how libraries work and has decent idea of scheduling, the fine art of knowing what users will like when they don't know what to read next, and keeping clashing personalities on staff working fairly smoothly together.We also get a good feel for Chilson as a community, and Minnie's friends and acquaintances there.All in all, an enjoyable cozy mystery.Recommended.I bought this audiobook.
    • 4/5
      Minnie is practically living her dream. Not only is she a librarian, she gets to drive the new and expensive bookmobile, recently donated to the library by a wealthy businessman. She has also recently been adopted by a stray cat, Eddie. On the maiden voyage of the bookmobile, Eddie secretly stows onboard, dashes off at the last stop, and when Minnie finds him, he is sitting by a dead body. There is never a dull moment in this fast-paced cozy. The main characters are quite likable, especially Eddie, but you don’t have to love cats to enjoy the tale. This first book in the series has an entertaining mystery and does much more than just introduce the characters.
    • 3/5
      Not the type of book I usually read, but this is light summer fun following the adventures of a bookmobile librarian and her cat who both have a penchant for seeking out the mystery of murder. This was the first in a series.
    • 5/5
      A lighthearted fun cozy just perfect for a dingy day or a grumpy mood. New to sleuthing, Minnie is so impatient and jumps to conclusions too quickly but is a fun person and all of the characters certainly are. Do not confuse her with Sam Spade or even Miss Marple because none of this is meant to be so serious or even great literature. So just enjoy! I certainly did! Of course it was even better that it was on sale.Erin Bennett is the Chirpy narrator who made it even more fun.
    • 4/5
      Lending a Paw is Book 1 in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series. It was an enjoyable cozy with a believable suspect list and a few red herrings to point me in different directions along the way. Eddie, the mischievous cat, was a lovable character. I liked that he’s an ordinary cat with animal instincts and doesn’t possess any magical abilities. Here’s a little of the plot....Minerva (Minnie) Hamilton, a Librarian with the Chilson (MI) District Library, drives the Bookmobile with her naughty but decidedly helpful and intuitive cat, Eddie. Eddie followed Minnie home from the cemetery one day, and surreptitiously made his way onto the bookmobile on the day of its maiden voyage. Minnie is reluctant to bring Eddie along on the Bookmobile for health and safety reasons, until Eddie leads her to her friend’s dead body. Minnie was fond of Stan Larabee, a major contributor to the library. But further digging uncovers unfavorable accounts of Stan’s character and business dealings. Many people hated the man. Who really was Stan Larabee, and why were so many folks’ attitudes that of good riddance instead of poor Stan?This is my second book in the Bookmobile series. Admittedly, I had to get well into the book before it truly started to hold my attention. Once it did, I was eagerly anticipating the revealing of the killer. This was an audiobook and the narrator did a pretty good job as Minnie. Her voice sort of reminded me of Jane Fonda, and it took me a little while in the beginning to equate her to 33-yr. old Minnie. But after listening for a time I got used to her voice and it was fine. Overall, I liked this cozy and I would try another book in the series.
    • 4/5
      What a wonderful beginning to a new cozy mystery series!

      Love the combination of a public library bookmobile, a librarian named Minnie who is a sleuth that Nancy Drew would be proud to call a friend, and an extraordinary and handsome cat named Eddie.

      Couldn't wait to read it and it delightfully satisfied all of my anticipation! Now to wait for "Tailing a Tabby" - Mystery #2.
    • 3/5
      Minnie is the assistant director of the library and the bookmobile lady. Eddie is her cat who stows away on the bookmobile. While out on their first day in the bookmobile, Eddie leads Minnie to a dead body. It is the man who provided the money for the bookmobile. His relationships from the past with those in town come to light and everyone is a suspect.I liked Minnie and Eddie. The cast of characters were interesting and relatable. The questions Minnie asks are good ones but I could not figure out how she figured out the murderer. Nor could I figure out the cops. They were clichéd. Even with the explanation at the end I had trouble following the train of thought that brought her there. I figured there were others who were guilty. Well, it's good I'm not a detective.While I didn't discover the murderer and could not see Minnie's train of thought, I would like to read more of the series because the characters were so comfortable. I'd like to see where some of the characters go, especially Eddie.
    • 4/5
      Idealistic librarian Minnie Hamilton has convinced her supervisor that providing bookmobile services throughout the county will enhance the library’s service to the community. But on her first outing, she discovers a body and is thrown into the middle of a murder mystery. Minnie is determined to track down the murderer, but when the bookmobile’s tires are shot out while she’s driving down the road, it’s suddenly very clear that someone wants to halt Minnie’s investigation for good.An enchanting cozy, this delightful tale is enhanced by the unflagging determination that drives the ever-resourceful Minnie. And readers are sure to enjoy the escapades of her furry friend, Eddie, the charming, almost-magical bookmobile cat. Recommended.
    • 3/5
      Very basic book 1 of a cozy mystery series. It was an average story. Characters are needing more in-depth coverage. I will definitely continue to the second book of the series.
    • 4/5
      Center Point brought out their large print edition of book two, TAILING A TABBY, first. I'd liked it, so I was glad to snatch LENDING A PAW from the new large print mysteries shelf.Assistant Library Director Minnie Hamilton has the misfortune to work for a bean counter who believes in a centralized library. I didn't like her boss, Stephen Rangle, much in the first book. In chapter three we learn that he convinced the library board that e-book lending meant they could shut down all of their small outlying libraries, I wanted to yell at the twit that he was disenfranchising patrons who didn't have cars or internet access. That the Chilson Library District has a bookmobile at all is thanks to Minnie and a generous donation from an elderly rich developer friend, Stan Larabee. Is Rangle grateful? No, he's looking for an excuse to get rid of the bookmobile. Minnie's handsome cat, Eddie, sneaks into the bookmobile on its maiden run. She's sure her boss will have kittens (pun intended) if he finds out, but the patrons like Eddie. Minnie intended it to be a one-time deal, but a sick little girl's longing to meet Eddie changes her mind. It's Eddie who discovers a murder victim. Eddie is very helpful about clues. Too bad Minnie isn't good at picking that up. Still, with her beloved aunt thinking she may have set up the victim through good intentions, and her best friend on the library staff high on the suspect list, Minnie is doing her best. Too bad the two local detectives on the case don't seem interested in the information Minnie brings them.There hasn't been anything going on the romance front for Minnie since she moved to Chilson, Michigan to take up her job. Neither of the matchmaking attempts made on her behalf have struck any sparks. One of them did land her a handy friend who just might be her ticket to meeting Mr. Right, assuming that Mr. Right doesn't turn out to be that good-looking deputy she meets during the investigation.There is a first date in chapter 14 that had me chuckling. Plenty of Minnie's encounters with locals and library/bookmobile patrons did that for me, too. Notes:1. Minnie calls her little microwave the 'Eddie Safe' because her cat loves bread and it's the only place she can keep hers safe. (No room for a bread box?) Chapter 1 (That's the same chapter where we find out what's on Cookie Tom's bakery sidewalk sign. It made me smile.)2. Look in chapter 10 for some of Stan Larabee's other donations to worthy causes.3. The oldest headstone in the Lakeview Cemetary is that of Mary Alvord, who was born in London, England in 1815, and died in Chilson, Michigan in 1877. Chapter 10 (Well, the cemetary is named in chapter 1, and nothing indicates that there's more than one cemetary in Chilson.)4. Aunt Frances knows Gwen, daughter of Stan Larabee's oldest daughter. Chapter 135. Stan's full name was Stanley Warren Larabee. He weighed seven pounds and ten ounces (3.458 kilograms) when he was born at home. His parents were named Silas and Belinda Larabee. Chapter 14 (Read further for Minnie's reaction to Stan's high school graduation photo, not to mention another newspaper announcement.) 6. Stan's six older sisters were/are Sarah, Shirley, Stella, Sadie, Sylvia, and Sophie. Chapter 14 (The same chapter tells us that Audry Brant lives at 17981 Valley Road. The Brants' farmhouse has a 'Centennial Farm' sign out front.)7. See chapter 18 for a tidbit about Stephen Rangel's family. That's also where we learn that he never comes in on a Saturday and his reason for that.8. The answer to where Onaway potatoes originated is also in chapter 18.The only part about this cozy that I didn't like was Minnie's Aunt Frances Pixley's fretting over her latest matchmaking attempts not going as planned. I didn't like that in the second book, either. I wish I had book two in hand because a breakfast scene I remember from it seems to be contradicted by a sentence early in chapter 5. I mildly regret that Ms. Cass never channeled that 1955 Bugs Bunny cartoon, 'Hare Brush,' and informed us that Stan Larabee was a millionaire. He owned a mansion and a yacht. (No yacht mentioned, alas.)The Bookmobile Cat Mysteries are a pleasant way to pass some time. I look forward to book three.
    • 4/5
      This first installment of a cozy series featuring a librarian, Minnie Hamilton, who drives a bookmobile as part of her responsibilities and the stray cat Eddie who adopted her is a fun read. Eddie stows away on the bookmobile's first run. He makes an escape from the bookmobile. Minnie follows him to an old abandoned farmhouse where she finds the body of the donor responsible for the bookmobile. Minnie is afraid the detectives are focusing on the wrong suspects and promises her friend and fellow library worker that she'll investigate. The author does a good job of creating several viable suspects with motives. The characters in the little Michigan resort town by the lake are likeable and developed. This particular installment featured a little bit of genealogical research which I also enjoyed. I look forward to reading future installments in the series.
    • 3/5
      I normally dread writing 3 star reviews and now I'm also suffering from review-writers block; I'm staring at the screen and I got 'nuthin, even though I just finished the damn book not an hour ago! Lending a Paw is the first in a new series, and I admit when I first heard about the release, the title turned me off. I like punny titles, but this one just didn't tickle the funny bone at all, it felt too precious. But the book is about cats and books and libraries and well, really, it just wouldn't be fair to hold that title against the story. And overall, it's a good read; not a strong first but I don't feel like it's 7 bucks and 7 hours I'm never getting back again either. Minnie starts out so earnest, conscientious and anal retentive I'll admit I was concerned for my future reading enjoyment. She has a check list for her brand-new bookmobile that sounds like a pre-flight checklist, complete with a daily inspection of her turn indicators. ?!?! But she loosens up as the story progresses, and morphs into a smart, competent, independent MC. She's really the only character in the book the reader gets to know at all; the rest of the cast only makes entrances now and again. Minnie's partner in crime is Eddie, her cat. He stows away on the Bookmobile on it's maiden voyage and is suddenly a bigger draw than the books themselves, although he helps those fly off the shelves. Eddie, of course, rocks the book. He discovers the dead body and in a homage to The Cat Who... series, seems to have, in retrospect, pointed out clues to the killer. He doesn't act like anything more than what he is - a very smart cat. (And why mess with perfection?) If there's ever a book in a series where the murder plot should be the easiest to write, it should be the first one by virtue of the fact that all the characters are brand new to the reader and therefore none (should) stand out as obvious culprits. This book was a good example; we have a fairly good murder plot, a dead man with a bad reputation and lots of enemies discovered in an abandoned farmhouse. Until the very end, Minnie's detecting is done the way I prefer it - she doesn't interfere, she doesn't go off looking for clues or interrogating suspects (or at least not really; she starts to a time or two but gets side-tracked each time), she just gathers information from talking to people she knows or who share her grief over the death of someone she liked very much. The story does lose a star for the TSTL scene at the end. It sort of felt like the author got to a place where she didn't know how to catch the killer, and perhaps someone suggested the story needed more action and this scene was stuck on the end. I don't know, but I do know as I read it I was thinking "are you kidding me? seriously?". I'm hoping for better for book two, and I will definitely pick it up - I want to read more about Eddie.
    • 4/5
      Liked this one a lot! Yes, the police were still not as "smart" as the librarian but at least they came around in the end and were actually paying attention. Liked the idea of a bookmobile librarian and the characters were just odd enough that they were enjoyable. Eddie was great also.
    • 4/5
      A really cute new cosy mystery series. Minnie (Minerva) Hamilton is the Assistant Director of a library in Chilson MI. She lives on a houseboat with her cat, Eddie. So, books, cats, and a houseboat. What could be more fun?
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable new cozy series. Small town setting, librarian, bookmobile, mystical cat. Let's see how they grow.