Animal communicator Lili Goodweather has never
spoken to the witness of a murder before, but shortly after
moving into her new home in Benton, California, Lili meets
Fluffy, a marmalade male cat belonging to her next-door
neighbor, twelve-year-old Erika Rutland. Fluffy has been in
an unexplained state of terror ever since returning from a
romp in the woods the previous night, and Erika wants to
know why. Lili agrees to ask Fluffy what has upset him, but
when he flashes her images of a brutal murder, Lili is
horrified. Unfortunately, she's also unsure what she should
do; the local sheriff isn't likely to believe her if she
tells him a cat told her about a body in the woods, but
allowing a murderer to go unpunished isn't an option,
either.
Tanner Rutland is a take-charge, no nonsense man
whose mantra is "don't confuse efforts with results", an
attitude toward life which he has enforced with his
daughter, Erika, ever since his wife, Karen, died in an
automobile accident when Erika was two. Tanner doesn't
want to even imagine his daughter involved in a murder
investigation, so when Erika tells him about her visit with
Lili, he concludes that Lili is a charlatan, looking to
gain either publicity or emotional fulfillment out of
claiming she can talk to animals. He confronts her, but is
unprepared for the physical reaction he has to the free-
spirited and beautiful young woman who is everything he and
his daughter are not; easy-going, optimistic, and full of
joyous energy. Even worse, her natural joie de vivre has
him questioning his workaholic lifestyle, and the path he
has set for Erika. But when Lili decides to go in search of
the killer on her own, Tanner's deepest fears resurface,
and he must decide what he wants to protect most; Erika,
Lili, or his own heart.
The choice of an animal communicator as the focus
for IT MUST BE MAGIC is unusual, and gives the novel some
wonderful moments, particularly between Lili and her
beloved female feline companion, Einstein. Tanner's
continually domineering behavior makes him a fairly
unsympathetic hero throughout most of the novel,
particularly because Lili allows him to order her around
without much argument, which often makes her appear weak.
However, the supporting characters are wonderful, and Erika
is guaranteed to steal your heart. You also might have the
urge to visit your local animal shelter and adopt a feline
friend!
Widower Tanner Rutland couldn't believe it when he found
himself tiptoeing through a redwood forest looking for a
dead body. How could he think, even for a second, that
Fluffy had witnessed a murder? It was no use. One look into
her gorgeous eyes—Lili's, not Fluffy'—and Tanner was a
goner.
And when he finally kissed her…pure magic.
Now he had to decide if Lili's gift with animals really did
exist—or if she just had a screw loose. But deep down, his
heart was telling him to find the real killer and prove his
Dr. Dolittle was innocent.
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