A charming story about a cat who appears to have human-level intelligence -- and a pretty smart human at that. It's told by a Yankee staying at the furnished apartments building where James resides. I hadn't read the first book. We learn so little about the narrator, aside from his work and tastes in food and drink, that I spent this sequel assuming the narrator was female until I read another review.

James' adventures include helping to find lost art, matchmaking, improving his friends' croquet skills, foiling theft, and assisting dancers to behave like cats. I enjoyed all of his improbable antics, but the scene where one of the human characters used the phone during a thunderstorm made me cringe.

The reader will have suspend his/her disbelief more than when reading a Mrs. Murphy mystery, but I think cat fans will find James worth the effort.

Note: the back flap of the dustjacket states 'illustration by Robert Goldstum (sic)'. In a private e-mail, Robert Goldstrom confirmed that he did the cover art, but not the interior illustration of James that appears at the head of each chapter. ( )