Veterinarian Jessica Popper has her hands full planning for her fast-approaching wedding, so when a friend from her years at vet school calls wanting to meet, she's temped to brush her off. It's Erin Walsh's request to talk to "someone like her" that has Jessica agreeing to a breakfast meeting, and she's more than a bit put out when Erin stands her up. Learning Erin has been found a short distance from their meeting place, murdered, shocks Jessica. Feeling she owes it to Erin, Jessica is determined to discover who's behind the death of her friend.

In between treating her clients in her office-on-wheels and taping her television show, Jessica begins looking into the death of her friend and finds herself drawn into a world of blackmail and black market animals. And there's any number of people who could have wanted Erin dead. Her idealist husband of long ago has gone corporate and his partner has some shady dealings in his past. The ambitious zoologist at the New York Zoo makes no secret of her dislike of Erin. Then there's the computer geek, with an odd assortment of creepy crawlies, who professes to love Erin. But Jessica wonders if his feelings are more obsession than affection. Jessica must use all of her deductive skills to discover who the murderer is before the killer turns his sights on her.

Cynthia Baxter's latest Reigning Cats and Dogs mystery is a well-written and intriguing mystery, my favorite to-date. Jessica matures with each story, her dilemmas when dealing with both two- and four-legged creatures amuses and are realistic, and the plotline is clever and fresh. As always, the supporting cast of characters moves the story along at a fast pace, the villains are appropriately evil and the four-legged and feathered friends are delightful. Jessica's inner struggle with her looming wedding adds extra depth to the character, and the end of the story had me eagerly awaiting the next installment. Fans rejoice -- this one's a keeper!