The dead don't keep pets. So when animal behaviorist Pru Marlowe gets a call about a kitten, she doesn't expect to find the cuddly creature playing beside the cooling body of prominent Beauville lawyer David Canaday. Heart attack? His three adult daughters angrily blame drug interactions, feline allergies—and each other. And begin to feud over their father, his considerable estate, and that cute ball of fluff. While the cause of death is pending, each sister has an axe to grind—with arguments that escalate when David's partner reads out the will.
Pru's special sensitivity to animals, which caused her to flee the cacophony of Manhattan for the quiet Berkshires, adds further problems. The local vet is overwhelmed as the animal hospital's money runs out. There's a needy Sheltie and some invasive squirrels, too. But the dead man's kitten, his former partner, and his troublesome family keep drawing "wild-girl" animal psychic Pru back in.
Despite the wry observations of her trusty tabby Wallis, now the wrongfully accused kitten's guardian, and the grudging compliance of her cop lover, this may be one time when Pru can't solve the mystery or save the kitten she wants to believe is innocent. A single witness knows the truth about that bright spring morning. How far can Pru investigate without risking her own hidden tale?
Industry Reviews
At the start of Simon's fluffy fifth Pru Marlowe mystery set in the Berkshires town of Beauville (after 2014's Panthers Play for Keeps), pet trainer Pru arrives at the home of David Canaday to find him lying dead on his kitchen floor with a tiny kitten playing nearby. The wealthy lawyer appears to have died naturally, perhaps of a heart attack. Or could he have suffered a fatal allergic reaction to the kitten, named Ernesto, whom one of his three grown daughters had recently dropped off at his house? Pru's own kitty, Wallis, grudgingly agrees to look after Ernesto, while Pru tries to prove the kitten's innocence, despite the amused misgivings of her boyfriend, Det. Jim Creighton. The solution to Canaday's mysterious death may be predictable, but cozy fans will enjoy spending time with Pru and her two- and four-legged friends. Agent: Colleen Mohyde, Doe Coover Agency. (Mar.)
