(Reviewed by Pat Luboff)
“I’m too tired. I just want to go to bed with a book.”
In Chapter 1, sixty- one -year-old Cat was asked what she was good at. She thinks: “Certainly not marriage or motherhood or housekeeping, despite my years of practice.” And she describes other things she’s not good at and notes that none of the friends she is with volunteers anything! A few paragraphs later, another friend calls to say her book club has “a real murder on our hands and we need your help. We want you to find the killer.” Her thought: “At last, something I’m good at.”
This is the third Cat Caliban mystery I’ve read and reviewed. I just “happened” to find my review for Five Alarm Fire while searching on my computer for another file. After reading it, I knew what I was missing in this book. Laughter.
In the tenth Cat Caliban book, Cat is nearing the end of her of her training to become an official detective. She reluctantly takes on a case that may or may not be a murder. As I predicted in my last review, Borton brings us into a whole new world of information. This time it’s book clubs, writers, publishers, and academia. I found that more interesting than the world of pottery from book five. I’m a writer, not a potter!
I did enjoy reading the book. It is like a meal of many courses. One needs to slow down and savor each sentence for its subtle wit and depth of insight. No big laughs, but a few chuckles along the way and lots of food for thought. Many theories of the crime are entertained. The ending is a surprise. It sheds further light into the world of literature and how it gets created and published.
I recommend Tenth Commandment for readers who enjoy taking their time to immerse in a new world of possibilities.
