A Tale of Two Kitties: A Magical Cats Mystery

Bestseller Kelly graduates to hardcover with her inviting ninth Magical Cats mystery (after 2016’s Paws and Effect). Kathleen Paulson, the director of the Mayville Heights, Minn., Free Public Library, owns two cats with unusual abilities: Owen, who can vanish at will, and Hercules, who walks through walls. When library intern Mia Janes’s paternal grandfather, Leo, is bludgeoned to death, the main suspect is Mia’s father, Simon. Father and son had argued bitterly, but there are others who might have wanted Leo dead: a mysterious woman from Leo’s past; a casino owner who believes Leo cheated him; and Leo’s estranged twin, Victor, who years earlier ran away with Leo’s wife shortly before she died in a car wreck. The problem is that Kathleen’s alternative suspects all have unshakable alibis. With some help from her gifted felines, Kathleen unravels the mystery in a leisurely but plausible fashion. Cozy readers will enjoy spending time with Kathleen, her cats, and the appealing residents of Mayville Heights. Agent: Kim Lionetti, Bookends Literary Agency. (Sept.)