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!