"Double Booked for Death"

New from Berkley Prime Crime: Double Booked for Death (Black Cat Bookshop Mystery Series #1) by Ali Brandon.

About the book, from the publisher:

When transplanted Texan Darla Pettistone unexpectedly inherits her Great-Aunt Dee’s Brooklyn bookstore and the apartment above, she’s certain her worst headache will be dealing the store’s mascot. Hamlet, an oversized black cat with a personality to match, considers the four-story brownstone to be his own personal stomping grounds. He has a bad habit of terrorizing customers, claiming every sunny spot for his own, and, in general, acting like a small potentate.

The fact that Hamlet is smarter than the average cat makes dealing with him all the more difficult. But Darla is less sure that a series of odd incidents in the store—misplaced items, lights going on and off after dark—is his fault. In fact, the usually skeptical Darla soon finds herself seriously considering the possibility that her late aunt is now haunting the place.

Matters come to a head when a bestselling author of young adult ghostly fiction meets an untimely end during an autographing event at the bookstore. While the death is officially ruled accidental, Hamlet soon digs up a clue that seems to indicate otherwise. Now, Darla fears the murderer might be one of the author’s entourage—or even one of Darla’s own customers—and that she and her staff are in equal danger. Hamlet's interfering ways might just help point the paw at the culprit...that is, if he doesn’t lose one of his own nine lives in the process of solving the crime.

Visit Ali Brandon's website.