cover image The Cat Sitter and the Canary: A Dixie Hemingway Mystery

The Cat Sitter and the Canary: A Dixie Hemingway Mystery

Blaize and John Clement. Minotaur, $25.99 (304p) ISBN 978-1-250-05117-2

At the start of the Clements’ light-hearted 11th Dixie Hemingway mystery (after 2015’s The Cat-Sitter’s Whiskers), the Siesta Key, Fla., pet sitter and former deputy sheriff stops by the house of vacationing Caroline Greaver, who has left a cat and a rabbit at home. Accompanying Dixie is Charlie, a “fluffy-faced Lhasa apso who thinks he’s a much bigger, more athletic breed.” It’s Charlie who draws Dixie’s attention to a dead body lying in Caroline’s front hall. The detectives who subsequently investigate find a note on the body: “See you in hell, Dixie.” Despite the threat, Dixie maintains her normal schedule, including meeting the island’s so-called scarlet woman, Elba Kramer, who wants Dixie to care for her rare bird. A second body and a second note with a chilling message indicate Dixie is next. A near miss for Dixie sends her on the run. The surprise closing twist promises romantic complications for Dixie in the next installment. [em]Agent: Al Zuckerman, Writers House. (Dec.) [/em]