Book Review: One for the Money by D. B. Borton

One for the Money
Author: D. B. Borton
Series: Cat Caliban Mysteries (Book 1)
Publication: Boomerang Books (December 1, 2020)

Description: Meet Cincinnati's newest, oldest, funniest detective-in-training. After decades of marriage, motherhood, and grandmotherhood, Cat Caliban is looking for a new career. Detective work seems a logical choice. So, she sells her suburban house, buys an apartment building in a "transitional" neighborhood, and begins her training, only to discover a dead body in an upstairs apartment. What's the connection between a murdered homeless woman and the Golden Age of Hollywood silent movies? Cat must discover it before the killer can strike again. In this first book of the popular Cat Caliban series, Cat assembles her colorful cast of helpers and neighborhood hangers-on. This senior sleuth challenges stereotypical portrayals of older women generally and older women detectives in particular.

My Thoughts: Set in Cincinnati in the mid-1980s, this tells the story of recently widowed Cat Caliban who has decided that, since she has raised her children, it is time for a new career. She feels that years of motherhood have made her uniquely qualified to be a private investigator. She sells her suburban house and buys an apartment building in a transitional neighborhood.

Her first case comes when she discovers a body in one of her apartments. Street person Betty Bags has been stabbed to death with her own knife. Cat is unhappy about the police response to Betty's death and decides to look into the case for herself. She is aided by her other first floor tenant Kevin who is a gay bartender and her new second floor tenants Mel and Al who are apparently a lesbian couple with Al working for Legal Aid.

As Cat begins to ask questions, she learns that Betty was once a star in silent movies and was known as Leda Marrs. When her good friend and fellow street person is also murdered and searched, Cat becomes certain that Betty had secrets. Did she really have a hidden fortune that she wanted to leave to the daughter she gave up for adoption?

Cat is a great character. She smart and funny and has a potty mouth. She is building herself quire a crew of interesting side characters that I hope to revisit in later books in this series. .

The story is also filled with references to classic detectives and detectives current to the 1980s who were Cat's role models. References to Columbo and Kinsey and V.I. bring back that time period for me. There were also references to other characters who have gained in fame in the years since the 1980s too.

This was a fun beginning to a cozy series. 

Favorite Quote:

My generation of women didn't think much about divorce once the initial postwar flurry died down. We didn't expect marriage to be different with anybody short of Rock Hudson, who was even less available than we knew.

I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.