In HISS ME DEADLY, sleuthing duo Charlie Harris and Diesel, his Maine Coon, want to find out who kills folks around Wil Threadgill, a singer-songwriter and composer returning to Athena for an honorary degree. The first murder targeted Will but instead electrocuted an old band buddy who drunkenly grabbed the microphone before Will could.

Ironically, Wil asks Melba to arrange a meeting with Charlie and Diesel when he arrives in Athena because things are “off.”  Wil’s concern centers around the unsettling sense he feels around the colleagues and staff traveling with him. Charlie believes the murder meant for Wil is serious and discovers the band members he left behind when he moved to California harbor hard feelings about how he left.

Zeb Jones, one of Wil’s current band members, is almost killed by an ice bucket full of glass. Then another old band member is the victim of a hit-and-run. Finally, Wil receives a report that documents embezzlement by Chelsea, his assistant, and discovers his business manager is part of the plot. And then Chelsea is found dead the next day.

In addition to the wave of murders, Charlie finds his son Sean and his wife Alex struggling with deciding where to live. Sean wants to restore the old family home in the country, and Alex feels more comfortable living in town. Charlie makes a few suggestions and hopes the young couple can work it out.

Meanwhile, Chief Deputy Kanesha Berry is on the case: murder, attempted murder, and possible suicide – all somehow related to Wil Threadgill.  As usual, Deputy Berry tries to keep Charlie and Diesel out of her way, but that isn’t proving easy since Wil asks Charlie for help based on Melba’s tales of his success in solving mysteries.

Miranda James keeps readers updated on the characters that make visiting Athena, Mississippi, an engaging and readable treat.  Charlie’s housekeeper, Azalea Berry, still takes care of Charlie and his tenants – Stewart, a professor at Athena College, and Haskell Bates, a deputy sheriff – along with Diesel and Diesel’s younger brother Ramses. Charlie also cut back on his volunteer work to spend more time with his new grandson, Charlie. Finally, Helen Louise Brady, Charlie’s fiancé, owns the local bistro.

The author crafts an engaging and complex mystery with a totally surprising ending. HISS ME DEADLY is an intriguing, complicated tale and a delightful read.