A mystery told in the alternating voices of a fluffy orange cat, a former assistant librarian who may or may not be a ghost, and an 11-year-old boy centers on a forgotten library fire. A newly erected Little Free Library brings community reading and book exchange back to Martinville, and plenty of petting to Mortimer, the orange cat who stands sentry. Eleven-year-old Evan (white) borrows two books and discovers they’re both from the old library. The cards inside reveal one was last checked out by a now-famous mystery writer and returned on the day of the Martinville library fire 20 years earlier; the other was checked out by his dad. The ghosts of that library fire reside in the town’s history museum, unable to let go of the tragedy and find a way forward. Intrigued by one of his Little Free Library choices, How to Write a Mystery Novel, Evan begins to investigate the library fire and is surprised to discover a connection to his father and secrets of the past. With a hefty dose of ghostly intrigue but shy on scary chills, this short, entertaining novel offers satisfying puzzles and reveals, culminating in a win for fans of the both mysteries and the public library. (Ages 8-12)