Doodled to Death

A CAT'S CRADLE OF CRIME, A DOODLE TO DIE FOR, AND A GEM OF A COZY...

Two murders before lunch is a pretty bad day in anybody's schedule, but when your sister's a suspect, you just want to howl at the moon. Thankfully, that would hardly be noticeable in Barkview, the dog-friendliest town in America, where it's starting to look as if humans are the endangered species.

Cat Wright (wrong name, wrong pet preference for Barkview) has barely had time to regret a good deed that just got punished when her younger sister Lani takes time out from performing mouth-to-mouth on an unconscious friend to give her an emergency call.

First murder first-Cat's just learned she stirred up a dogfight when she nominated a distinguished female ancestor for the Aviation Hall of Fame. But here's the rub-nominees have to be investigated and as a result, Barkview's beloved hometown heroine now stands accused of the murder of a notorious rumrunner.

To add more intrigue, Cat's ancestor's also accused of stealing the Douglas Diamond, the fabled lost treasure of Barkview, to finance her flying adventures. That's Page One news in this town and Cat feels terrible about accidentally tarnishing a hero's legacy.

She's just read the headline when she gets the call from Lani, who in short order is accused of killing Peter Gallardo, her friend and prof who, Cat's starting to see, was probably Lani's boy friend as well. And wouldn't you know, Peter may have been one of many on a quest to find the famous gem.

A regular cat's cradle of crime! But this is Barkview and so the co-star, as always in a Cat Wright mystery, is an irresistible pooch, in this case G-Paw, a fuzzy doofus of a golden doodle who'll keep you laughing chapter after chapter-and who just about converts Cat to the canine side.

Add a few ancient diaries, plus Cat's persistent investigative style, and soon author Wilson's woven these seemingly disparate strands into a complex village puzzle mystery wrapped up (thanks mostly to G-Paw) in a comic confection inside a delicious contemporary cozy.

Fans of animal cozies will love the mix of humor and intricate plotting-and they'll go nuts for G-Paw.