Murder on Thin Ice by Laurie Cass: ARC Review | Bookmobile Cat Mystery #14

Read time: 4 minutes

📱📖 Read on Kindle | 📃 336 pages | ⏱ 5 hours
🏷️ Publisher: Crooked Lane Books | ARC by Netgalley
Release Date: October 6, 2026

Book Blurb:

It’s deep winter in northwest lower Michigan, and bookmobile librarian Minnie Niswander and her beloved cat Eddie are keeping cozy, until a kind, housebound patron named Gerald Arnold stops answering his door. When police discover Gerald’s body beneath the surface of a frozen lake and rule it an accident, Minnie knows better. Gerald was careful. Gerald was cautious. Gerald did not just fall through the ice. As Minnie and Eddie dig deeper into the truth, they unearth a decades-old cold case tangled up with the people she loves most — and the uncomfortable reality that justice, when long overdue, rarely arrives quietly.

Let’s talk … murder!!!

Here’s the thing about Minnie Niswander: she is DEEPLY, unapologetically me. The way her brain wanders off mid-crisis, the way she finds herself caring about seventeen different things when she’s supposed to be focused on just one. I feel seen in a way that should probably concern both of us. Fourteen books in, Laurie Cass still writes Minnie like someone she genuinely loves, and it shows on every single page.

The surrounding life in this book is what kept me completely hooked. Aunt Frances attempting to teach Minnie to cook is one of the most CHAOTICALLY DELIGHTFUL reading experiences I’ve had this year. Disasters in the kitchen have never been this funny or this oddly moving. Then there’s the nickname game Eddie’s humans are playing with each other, trying on pet names the way you try on ridiculous hats in a shop, sweet, funny, and somehow deeply romantic without trying too hard. The bookmobile scenes, the library drama, Eddie’s absolute refusal to behave: all of it is warm and lived-in and wonderful.

The mystery, though, that’s where I have to be honest. The central case leans heavily on decades of backstory and a web of connections that felt more complicated than compelling. I wasn’t bored, but I wasn’t riveted either. The resolution was tidy, which I appreciated, but getting there felt more like wading through archives than chasing a killer. When a book’s actual mystery is the LEAST interesting thing in it, that’s both a compliment to the writing and a gentle nudge to the plotting. Still, Minnie, Eddie, and Chilson, Michigan will always get four stars from me.

Would I recommend it?

If you’ve been following Minnie and Eddie from the beginning, Murder on Thin Ice is the cozy, heart-full installment that reminds you exactly why you started. The mystery runs a little cold (pun intended), the plotting leans heavy on history and tangled connections that don’t quite ignite. But the warmth of this world more than makes up for it. Add this to your TBR, especially if you need a book that feels like a weighted blanket in novel form.

Read Next

If Murder on Thin Ice hit the right notes for you, here’s what to reach for next:

• Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto — Okay, wildly different vibe, but the family chaos and the comedy-wrapped-around-genuine-heart gives you EXACTLY the same feeling as Aunt Frances in the kitchen. You’ll see.
• Cats in Trouble Mystery Series by Leann Sweeney (starting with The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse) — A widow, a small town, and three very opinionated cats who somehow always end up at the centre of the crime. If Eddie’s personality is what keeps you coming back to this series, Jillian’s cats will have the same hold on you.
• Cat in a Crimson Haze by Carole Nelson Douglas — Vintage cozy cat mystery energy with a feline protagonist who absolutely has opinions. For readers who are deeply invested in what the cat is really thinking.
• Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton — A gloriously messy protagonist in a small English village, stumbling into murder while also stumbling through life. Perfect for fans of Minnie’s chaotic-but-loveable energy.
• The Secret, Book & Scone Society by Ellery Adams — Small town, tight community, secrets with roots going back decades. If the cold-case element of Murder on Thin Ice intrigued you even a little, this series delivers that in spades.

Cold Case, Warm Heart: What’s Your Take?

Has a series ever held your heart SO completely that you forgave a weaker entry without a second thought? Tell me which series has that kind of permanent real estate in your reader heart. Drop it in the comments! And if you’re already a Bookmobile Cat fan, I NEED to know: are you Team Eddie or Team Minnie?

Book Links

Want to purchase this or any of your favourite books while supporting a local bookstore? These sites work with independent local bookstore owners to fulfill your book orders. #SupportLocal

Indiebookstores.ca | Bookshop.org
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