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!
Is a certain vet detective about to become an
endangered species?
It’s been over a decade
since Jessica Popper spoke to vet-school friend Erin
Walsh. So when Erin calls out of the blue, Jess agrees to
meet her. When Erin doesn’t show, Jessie begins to suspect
that her old pal was making a monkey out of her—until she
learns that Erin was murdered.
Jessie can’t resist
getting involved, but her sleuthing quickly pulls her into
a jungle of suspects. Did Erin’s husband, Ben, kill her –
or was it the eccentric lizard-loving coworker with whom
she may have been monkeying around? Was Ben’s outrageously
wealthy new partner trying to cover up some monkey
business? Or was it Erin’s ambitious boss, a distinguished
primate specialist determined to remain top banana in her
field? With the killer going ape to stay hidden, even
Jess’s animal instincts might not save her from a fate
more fatal than a barrel of monkeys.…