People read murder mysteries for the same reason they like mom’s home cooking — they serve as a relaxation tool. Most mysteries follow the same formula, with a few twists to call their own.

“Cat’s Eyewitness: A Mrs. Murphy Mystery” is no different. The human-cat team credited with writing the book gives readers a taste of the familiar in the pair’s latest offering in the Mrs. Murphy series.

While the book provides entertainment, the story lacks the excitement and pull necessary in murder mysteries.

The Mrs. Murphy series centers on the exploits of Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen and her beloved animal companions: Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, cats, and Tucker, a Welsh corgi. In this installment, a statue of the Virgin Mary located at a local monastery begins crying tears of blood while Harry and her friend Susan are praying for guidance. Soon after, Susan’s uncle, a monk, is found dead at the base of the statue.

The monk’s death doesn’t spark immediate suspicion except in the minds of Harry and her animals. After the murder of a local news anchor covering the story of the statue, the mystery picks up speed to a slightly predictable, but sufficient, ending.

Brown does not build her story around a tightly woven plot. The appeal of the novel lies in the likable characters and the dilemmas they face. Indeed, much more of the novel deals with the personal struggles of the characters than the mystery.

The deaths and mystery surrounding the statue come almost as an afterthought throughout most of the story.

One of the novel’s traits that differentiates it from its contemporaries is the conversation of the animals. Brown has her animals converse with one another without humans being able to understand them. The dialogue is cute, but hearing the animals sermonize will get old by the end of the book.

Brown shows no fear in attacking standard societal conventions in her novel. Neither religion nor lesbianism find themselves off-limits for some idealistic commentary from the book’s characters.

As often as not, the characters making the comments on social mores are the animals themselves. Brown attempts to use the animals to show how silly human actions may appear from the outside. This doesn’t always work very well.

One of the highlights of the book is when the novel focuses on the monks. Watching the monks interact with each other as real people, not always through the lens of their faith, is one the most interesting parts of the book. The chapter in which the angry and frustrated Brother Handel, prior of the monastery, engages in a duel of biblical passages with some of the monks, shows the real potential of the novel. Unfortunately, these passages of more depth are few and far between.

Make no mistake — for light, shallow reading, “Cat’s Eyewitness” is very enjoyable. But, anyone seeking a hard-hitting mystery that will force them to keep turning the pages will find only disappointment.

Your best bet is to wait for “Cat’s Eyewitness” to come out in paperback and read it on your next vacation. If any book was meant to be enjoyed while relaxing on a beach somewhere tropical with a nice margarita, it’s “Cat’s Eyewitness.”