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* PlotAllergy:
** In book 2, both James Delacorte and his niece-in-law Eloise are deathly allergic to peanuts, and James doesn't allow them in the house because of it. This allergy is used to kill them.
** Similarly, in Ladies #2, [[spoiler:Estelle]] is murdered when someone puts ground-up peanuts, which she's allergic to, in her whiskey.
** In book 2, both James Delacorte and his niece-in-law Eloise are deathly allergic to peanuts, and James doesn't allow them in the house because of it. This allergy is used to kill them.
** Similarly, in Ladies #2, [[spoiler:Estelle]] is murdered when someone puts ground-up peanuts, which she's allergic to, in her whiskey.
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* WeaponizedAllergy:
** In book 2, both James Delacorte and his niece-in-law Eloise are deathly allergic to peanuts, and James doesn't allow them in the house because of it. This allergy is used to kill them.
** Similarly, in Ladies #2, [[spoiler:Estelle]] is murdered when someone puts ground-up peanuts, which she's allergic to, in her whiskey.
** In book 2, both James Delacorte and his niece-in-law Eloise are deathly allergic to peanuts, and James doesn't allow them in the house because of it. This allergy is used to kill them.
** Similarly, in Ladies #2, [[spoiler:Estelle]] is murdered when someone puts ground-up peanuts, which she's allergic to, in her whiskey.
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** While Charlie typically brings Diesel with him everywhere he goes (with the exceptions of places that would be ''very'' crowded and make the cat nervous as a result, like his church or large parties), there's one place in town that specifically bans animals -- the local hospital. Charlie fully understands this, and obeys the rules.
** Most restaurants ban animals due to health regulations, but Helen Louise's bistro lets Diesel (and, on one occasion, the poodle Dante) in anyway, and in book 9, an out-of-town restaurant permits him in so long as he, Charlie and Jack Pemberton use the back office instead of the main dining room (which they can understand).
** Most restaurants ban animals due to health regulations, but Helen Louise's bistro lets Diesel (and, on one occasion, the poodle Dante) in anyway, and in book 9, an out-of-town restaurant permits him in so long as he, Charlie and Jack Pemberton use the back office instead of the main dining room (which they can understand).
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** While Charlie typically brings Diesel with him everywhere he goes (with the exceptions of places that would be ''very'' crowded and make the cat nervous as a result, like his church or large parties), there's one place in town that specifically bans animals due to health regulations -- the local hospital. Charlie fully understands this, and obeys the rules.
** Most restaurants also ban animals due to health regulations, but Helen Louise's bistro lets Diesel (and, on one occasion, the poodle Dante) in anyway, and in book 9, an out-of-town restaurant permits him in so long as he, Charlie and Jack Pemberton use the back office instead of the main dining room (which they can understand).
** Most restaurants also ban animals due to health regulations, but Helen Louise's bistro lets Diesel (and, on one occasion, the poodle Dante) in anyway, and in book 9, an out-of-town restaurant permits him in so long as he, Charlie and Jack Pemberton use the back office instead of the main dining room (which they can understand).
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* NoAnimalsAllowed: Discussed more than once, and almost always sympathetically.
** While Charlie typically brings Diesel with him everywhere he goes (with the exceptions of places that would be ''very'' crowded and make the cat nervous as a result, like his church or large parties), there's one place in town that specifically bans animals -- the local hospital. Charlie fully understands this, and obeys the rules.
** Most restaurants ban animals due to health regulations, but Helen Louise's bistro lets Diesel (and, on one occasion, the poodle Dante) in anyway, and in book 9, an out-of-town restaurant permits him in so long as he, Charlie and Jack Pemberton use the back office instead of the main dining room (which they can understand).
** Book 4 mentions that Charlie leaves Diesel home when he has to go to the town records office, because the clerk there is highly allergic to cats -- she still ''likes'' them though, and apologizes for her problems.
** In book 7, Oscar Reilly -- Charlie's new {{Jerkass}} of a boss -- tries to impose a "no animals allowed" rule on the college library, claiming allergies. He's lying, and is soon killed by the book's villains; the college president, however, sees no problem with Diesel being on campus and revokes the ruling when he calls Charlie soon after Oscar's death.
** While Charlie typically brings Diesel with him everywhere he goes (with the exceptions of places that would be ''very'' crowded and make the cat nervous as a result, like his church or large parties), there's one place in town that specifically bans animals -- the local hospital. Charlie fully understands this, and obeys the rules.
** Most restaurants ban animals due to health regulations, but Helen Louise's bistro lets Diesel (and, on one occasion, the poodle Dante) in anyway, and in book 9, an out-of-town restaurant permits him in so long as he, Charlie and Jack Pemberton use the back office instead of the main dining room (which they can understand).
** Book 4 mentions that Charlie leaves Diesel home when he has to go to the town records office, because the clerk there is highly allergic to cats -- she still ''likes'' them though, and apologizes for her problems.
** In book 7, Oscar Reilly -- Charlie's new {{Jerkass}} of a boss -- tries to impose a "no animals allowed" rule on the college library, claiming allergies. He's lying, and is soon killed by the book's villains; the college president, however, sees no problem with Diesel being on campus and revokes the ruling when he calls Charlie soon after Oscar's death.
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* Cat #16: ''Requiem for a Mouse'' (announced for June 2024)
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* Cat #16: ''Requiem for a Mouse'' (announced for June 2024)2024)[[labelnote:Summary]]Charlie and Helen Louise are on the verge of marriage, but wedding preparations are interrupted when Tara Martin, a new employee at both the archives and bistro, is attacked. Consequently, Charlie must investigate her past and find out who's responsible.[[/labelnote]]
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** In book 4, Judianne Beuchamp and Henry Ainsworth Beuchamp IV are only referred to by their real names once each, in narration. They go by Sissy and Hank, respectively.
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** In book 4, Judianne Beuchamp and Henry Ainsworth Beuchamp IV are only referred to by their real names once each, in narration. They go by Sissy and Hank, respectively. Likewise, Morton "Morty" Cassity is almost never referred to by his full first name.
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%%* Cat #16: ''(to be announced)'' - ordered in November 2019, per the author's Facebook page.
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* OncePerEpisode: In each book Charlie is in, the narration (or Charlie himself) mentions that Sheriff Kanesha is related to Charlie's housekeeper Azalea.
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* HarassingPhoneCall: In book 2, Charlie receives a late-night phone call from someone who warns him to "Mind your own business, Harris. Stay away from the Delacortes if you want to stay healthy." Charlie laughs it off, but is more rattled when they deliver another threat: "You'd ''better'' take this seriously, or your family will regret it." before hanging up. Charlie responds by calling the sheriff's department to report it, including the phone number they called from... which ''really'' gets Kanesha's attention, because it turns out to be from the private line in James Delacorte's bedroom, which was supposed to have been sealed off. [[spoiler:It turns out to be Hubert Morris, who didn't want Charlie to catch on that he'd been stealing from James' rare book collection, and was able to make the call because he had a duplicate set of his uncle's keys.]]
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** In book 7, the main murder victim was killed partly because of this and partly out of sheer greed. [[spoiler:He'd uncovered the killers' own scheme and tried to blackmail them into sharing it, and they killed him to keep him quiet and keep their funds to themselves. And their next victim, who witnessed this murder, was killed for the same reason.]]
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** In book 7, the main murder victim was killed partly because of this and partly out of sheer greed. [[spoiler:He'd uncovered the killers' own embezzlement scheme and tried to blackmail them into sharing it, the money, and they killed him to keep him quiet and keep their funds to themselves. And their next victim, who witnessed this murder, was killed for the same reason.]]
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* BigShutUp: In book 2, when they catch Hubert Morris yelling at his cowering wife Eloise, both Sean and Deputy Bates roar "Quiet!" at him.
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* BigShutUp: BigShutUp:
** In book 2, when they catch Hubert Morris yelling at his cowering wife Eloise, both Sean and Deputy Bates roar "Quiet!" athim.him.
** Also in book 2, Q.C. Pendergrast lets out a big "Quiet. Immediately." at Hubert Morris and Stewart Delacorte when they start protesting James Delcorte's will, which left the house and the majority of his money to his butler rather than a family member (one of the few times the pair agree), informing them that if they turn it into a legal fight, they ''will'' lose. [[spoiler:At the end of the book, it's left up in the air as to whether said butler actually ''will'' get his inheritance after it turns out he killed James, since Mississippi law prohibits murderers from profiting from their crimes.]]
** In book 2, when they catch Hubert Morris yelling at his cowering wife Eloise, both Sean and Deputy Bates roar "Quiet!" at
** Also in book 2, Q.C. Pendergrast lets out a big "Quiet. Immediately." at Hubert Morris and Stewart Delacorte when they start protesting James Delcorte's will, which left the house and the majority of his money to his butler rather than a family member (one of the few times the pair agree), informing them that if they turn it into a legal fight, they ''will'' lose. [[spoiler:At the end of the book, it's left up in the air as to whether said butler actually ''will'' get his inheritance after it turns out he killed James, since Mississippi law prohibits murderers from profiting from their crimes.]]
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* TheButlerDidIt: Literally in [[spoiler:book 2, where James Delacorte's butler Truesdale became his boss's primary heir and then killed him to speed up the process after finding out by means of a gossipy paralegal and her aunt, the latter of whom was having an affair with one of the other heirs and shared this information with Truesdale after learning of his status. Both Sean and Kanesha Berry are rather incredulous when Charlie figures out this must have been the case, especially since two other major suspects have just been arrested with evidence that they're involved in a different crime, but that doesn't stop it from being true.]]
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* TheButlerDidIt: Literally in [[spoiler:book 2, where James Delacorte's butler Truesdale became his boss's primary heir and then killed him to speed up the process after finding out by means of a gossipy paralegal and her aunt, the latter of whom was having an affair with one of the other heirs and shared this information with Truesdale after learning of his status. Both Sean and Kanesha Berry are rather incredulous when Charlie figures out this must have been the case, especially since two other major suspects have just been arrested with evidence that they're involved in a different crime, but that doesn't stop it from being true. After Charlie explains why he thinks this though, Sean starts to believe him, and it's confirmed soon afterward.]]
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** Newton Pittman Junior does it to his grandmother for her behavior in Ladies #1, treating her children harshly and then throwing a fit when they dare to object.
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** Newton Pittman Junior does it to his grandmother for her behavior in Ladies #1, treating her children harshly and then throwing a fit when they dare to object. She doesn't take too kindly to this.
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* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In book 8, [[spoiler:Gavin Fong's attempt to murder one of his blackmail victims via poisoned water backfires horribly. The would-be victim is suspicious and switches the tainted water with Fong's clean bottle, resulting in Fong's death.]]
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* HoistByHisOwnPetard: In Namedropped and discussed in book 8, where [[spoiler:Gavin Fong's attempt to murder one of his blackmail victims via poisoned water backfires horribly. The would-be victim is suspicious and switches the tainted water with Fong's clean bottle, resulting in Fong's death.]]
* ScrewTheRulesIHaveConnections: Book 2 features Hubert Morris as a character, who feels entitled due to his bloodlines (his mother Daphne is from the ''very'' wealthy Delacorte family, and encouraged him to feel he deserved anything because of it). Reality ensues when his attitude doesn't endear him to anyone, and he's never been able to hold down a job for more than a year at a time because of it, but he ''still'' thinks he deserves anything he wants, including the bulk of his uncle James' estate, simply because he's the oldest male in the family after James dies.
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In book 1, Charlie is mentioned as having a second boarder named Matt, who's spending his fall semester in Madrid in order to do research for his dissertation. He's mentioned all of once and then never comes up again; by book 2, set the following spring, the second room is available for Stewart Delacorte to move into, with no mention of its previous occupant.
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* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: WhatHappenedToTheMouse:
** In book 1, Charlie is mentioned as having a second boarder named Matt, who's spending his fall semester in Madrid in order to do research for his dissertation. He's mentioned all of once and then never comes up again; by book 2, set the following spring, the second room is available for Stewart Delacorte to move into, with no mention of its previousoccupant.occupant.
** A number of characters are featured in one book and simply never mentioned again, such as Charlie's coworker Willie Clark in book 1 (he isn't mentioned as still working in Athena College's library afterward, and it's never confirmed if [[spoiler:he got the rights to the books he wrote for Godfrey Priest]]) or the rest of the Delacorte family in book 2 (Stewart was on the outs with most of them, but he never even so much as mentions his cousin Cynthia, who played a key role in solving their great-uncle's murder, after the book's end).
** In book 1, Charlie is mentioned as having a second boarder named Matt, who's spending his fall semester in Madrid in order to do research for his dissertation. He's mentioned all of once and then never comes up again; by book 2, set the following spring, the second room is available for Stewart Delacorte to move into, with no mention of its previous
** A number of characters are featured in one book and simply never mentioned again, such as Charlie's coworker Willie Clark in book 1 (he isn't mentioned as still working in Athena College's library afterward, and it's never confirmed if [[spoiler:he got the rights to the books he wrote for Godfrey Priest]]) or the rest of the Delacorte family in book 2 (Stewart was on the outs with most of them, but he never even so much as mentions his cousin Cynthia, who played a key role in solving their great-uncle's murder, after the book's end).
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* YouGotMurder: Charlie receives a letter bomb in book 3. Luckily, Diesel detects that something's off about it, warning Charlie away before he can set it off, and he calls the sheriff's department right away so it can be safely disposed of.
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* YouGotMurder: Charlie receives a letter bomb in book 3. Luckily, Diesel detects that something's off about it, warning Charlie away before he can set it off, and he calls the sheriff's department right away so it can be safely disposed of.of.
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* BlackWidow: Discussed in book 9; when looking into Jack Pemberton's true crime novels, Charlie finds that one, ''Hell Has No Fury'', describes a woman of this type who married older and wealthier men and then killed them in order to inherit their money. Fortunately, her fifth husband proved harder to kill than the first four, and ultimately saw her in prison.
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* BlackWidow: BlackWidow:
** Discussed in book 9; when looking into Jack Pemberton's true crime novels, Charlie finds that one, ''Hell Has No Fury'', describes a woman of this type who married older and wealthier men and then killed them in order to inherit their money. Fortunately, her fifth husband proved harder to kill than the first four, and ultimately saw her inprison.prison.
** Also discussed in book 10; it's rumored that Deirdre Thompson, the neighborhood "grande dame", killed at least two of her husbands via causing them to get pneumonia so she could inherit their money, but it's never been proven.
** Discussed in book 9; when looking into Jack Pemberton's true crime novels, Charlie finds that one, ''Hell Has No Fury'', describes a woman of this type who married older and wealthier men and then killed them in order to inherit their money. Fortunately, her fifth husband proved harder to kill than the first four, and ultimately saw her in
** Also discussed in book 10; it's rumored that Deirdre Thompson, the neighborhood "grande dame", killed at least two of her husbands via causing them to get pneumonia so she could inherit their money, but it's never been proven.
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* DreadfulMusician: Downplayed with Charlie; his singing isn't ''painful'', but in book 10, he describes his musical ability as "my inability to carry a tune in a bucket". He figures it comes from one of his parents, both of whom were the same way, as he recalls. Subverted with Sean and Laura though, as they both have pleasant singing voices.
* DrivenToSuicide: In book 6, Charlie reads the diaries of Rachel Long, and learns of someone whom this happened to: [[spoiler:Rachel's husband, Andrew Long III, became horrified by what he saw during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. He deserted during Gettysburg, returned home and, soon after being scorned by his father for what the latter viewed as a cowardly act, went and hung himself from the rails of the staircase in the family's home.]]
* DrivenToSuicide: In book 6, Charlie reads the diaries of Rachel Long, and learns of someone whom this happened to: [[spoiler:Rachel's husband, Andrew Long III, became horrified by what he saw during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. He deserted during Gettysburg, returned home and, soon after being scorned by his father for what the latter viewed as a cowardly act, went and hung himself from the rails of the staircase in the family's home.]]
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* DreadfulMusician: Downplayed with Charlie; his singing isn't ''painful'', but late in book 10, he describes his musical ability as "my inability to carry a tune in a bucket". He figures it comes from one of his parents, both of whom were the same way, as he recalls. Subverted with Sean and Laura though, as they both have pleasant singing voices.
*DrivenToSuicide: DrivenToSuicide:
** In book 6, Charlie reads the diaries of Rachel Long, and learns of someone whom this happened to: [[spoiler:Rachel's husband, Andrew Long III, became horrified by what he saw during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. He deserted during Gettysburg, returned home and, soon after being scorned by his father for what the latter viewed as a cowardly act, went and hung himself from the rails of the staircase in the family's home.]]]]
** In book 10, [[spoiler:Gerry Albritton's killer ends up committing suicide by cyanide to escape arrest]].
*
** In book 6, Charlie reads the diaries of Rachel Long, and learns of someone whom this happened to: [[spoiler:Rachel's husband, Andrew Long III, became horrified by what he saw during UsefulNotes/TheAmericanCivilWar. He deserted during Gettysburg, returned home and, soon after being scorned by his father for what the latter viewed as a cowardly act, went and hung himself from the rails of the staircase in the family's home.
** In book 10, [[spoiler:Gerry Albritton's killer ends up committing suicide by cyanide to escape arrest]].
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** In book 10, the two crimes -- the murder of Gerry Albritton, and the embezzling of funds from her business partner -- were committed by two people, as revealed in the last chapter. [[spoiler:Gerry was killed by her own sister, Betty Camden, while the embezzling was done by her assistant, Jincy Bruce.]]
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** In book 10, the two main crimes -- the murder of Gerry Albritton, and the embezzling of funds from her business partner -- were committed by two people, as revealed in the last chapter. [[spoiler:Gerry was killed by her own sister, Betty Camden, while the embezzling was done by her assistant, Jincy Bruce.]]]] A third crime, the sabotage of Gerry's Christmas decorations, turns out to be the doing of yet another person: [[spoiler:Gerry's brother Billy Albritton, who was trying to scare her out of the neighborhood]].
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** Mentioned in book 9, where such a murder is the subject of two of Jack Pemberton's true crime novels -- one where a BlackWidow kills her husbands to inherit their wealth, and another where a preacher killed some people who'd left their money to his church in order to speed up the inheritance so he could use it to pay off his gambling debts.
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* SinisterMinister: Mentioned in book 9, where Jack Pemberton briefly mentions one of his true crime novels is about a preacher who killed a couple of people who'd left money to his church, money he desperately needed to cover his gambling debts.
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* BlackWidow: Discussed in book 9; when looking into Jack Pemberton's true crime novels, Charlie finds that one, ''Hell Has No Fury'', describes a woman of this type who married older and wealthier men and then killed them in order to inherit their money. Fortunately, her fifth husband proved harder to kill than the first four, and ultimately saw her in prison.
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* Cat #15: ''Hiss Me Deadly'' (announced for July 2023) [[labelnote:Summary]]Wilfred "Wil" Threadgill, an upperclassman from Charlie's old high school and now a famous musician, returns to Athena. But not everyone approves, and when one of the band members is killed, Charlie must act to find the culprit before they set their eyes on Charlie's friend Melba, who's become close to Wil since his return.[[/labelnote]]
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* Cat #15: ''Hiss Me Deadly'' (announced for July (June 2023) [[labelnote:Summary]]Wilfred "Wil" Threadgill, an upperclassman from Charlie's old high school and now a famous musician, returns to Athena. But not everyone approves, and when one of the band members is killed, Charlie must act to find the culprit before they set their eyes on Charlie's friend Melba, who's become close to Wil since his return.[[/labelnote]]
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* OriginStory: ''When Charlie Met Diesel'', included as a bonus feature in book 6.
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* OriginStory: OriginsEpisode: ''When Charlie Met Diesel'', a short story included as a bonus feature in book 6.6. It's exactly what it sounds like, showing how Charlie found Diesel, wet and shivering in the parking lot of the library where he volunteers, and promptly took him to the vet to get checked out before adopting him.
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De-wicking "What An Idiot", merging with other entry.
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** The killer in Ladies #2 is revealed to be guilty of this in the final chapter, having failed to dispose of the murder weapon. Unusually for the trope, this fact is only revealed to the audience (and the characters in-story) ''after'' they gave themselves away with their other actions in the penultimate chapter.
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** The killer in Ladies #2 is revealed to be guilty of this in the final chapter, having failed to dispose of the murder weapon. Unusually for the trope, this fact is only revealed to the audience (and the characters in-story) ''after'' they gave themselves away with their other actions in the penultimate chapter.chapter, and the Ducote sisters lampshade it when they remark on how they already knew Sondra's killer was stupid, but then he ''really'' blew it when the police find he still has the murder weapon.
-->'''Dickce''': [[spoiler:"How many killers are actually dumb enough to drive around with the murder weapon in the trunk of their cars?"]]
-->'''Dickce''': [[spoiler:"How many killers are actually dumb enough to drive around with the murder weapon in the trunk of their cars?"]]
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* WhatAnIdiot: InUniverse, in Ladies #2, the final chapter has the Ducote sisters remarking on how [[spoiler:they already knew Sondra's killer was stupid, but then he ''really'' blew it when the police find he still has the murder weapon.]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Dickce''': "How many killers are actually dumb enough to drive around with the murder weapon in the trunk of their cars?"]]
-->[[spoiler:'''Dickce''': "How many killers are actually dumb enough to drive around with the murder weapon in the trunk of their cars?"]]
