Trouble?

In a small town, the son of a famous crime-solving cat builds relationships while helping solve a crime. Can he follow in his father's pawprints? Or will he just be Trouble? ( )

Familiar Trouble by Carolyn Haines is the first book in Familiar Legacy series. Tammy Lynn owns the Book Basket in Wetumpka, Alabama where she lives with her cat, Trouble. Tammy is at Rook’s Vantage stargazing when she hears a noise. She walks over, investigates and is attacked by a person in black. Tammy ends up unconscious. When she awakes, she finds that all four tires of her vehicle have been slashed. Deputy Aiden Waters transferred to Wetumpka six months prior. He is on the trail of the Silk Stalking Killer (SSK) who killed his wife. Debby Caldwell, a local bank worker, has disappeared and Trouble has found a vital clue near where Tammy was attacked. Did Tammy interrupt SSK the night before? Aiden has begun to care for Tammy and now her life is threatened. He does not want to lose another woman he cares about to this serial killer. Trouble puts his detective skills to work to help Aiden and Tammy catch the elusive SSK.

Familiar Trouble is a spin-off of the Familiar series by Carolyn Haines. In this series, we are introduced to Trouble, Familiar’s son who is a fan of Sherlock Holmes. I thought Familiar Trouble was an easy to read cozy mystery. I enjoyed the sections written in Trouble’s point-of-views. I found them entertaining and would have enjoyed more. My rating for Familiar Trouble is 3 out of 5 stars. I felt, though, that the characters lacked depth. The author did not provide enough background detail on Tammy Lynn (more detail is provided on Trouble than Tammy). The mystery idea was interesting, but I identified the killer before the first body turned up. There is a small suspect pool and one individual stood out. It would have been better if the author had included more action and had upped the suspense factor. The romance factor is prominent and moves quickly. I found many details repeated several times throughout the story (like the author was padding the story). If you are burnt out and looking for a little light reading, then take a look at Familiar Trouble. The next book in the series is Trouble in Dixie by Rebecca Barrett. ( )