A Night’s Tail: A Magical Cats Mystery

Kelly’s pleasant 11th Magical Cats mystery (after 2018’s The Cats Came Back) finds Kathleen Paulson, the director of the Mayville Heights, Minn., Free Public Library, hosting her younger brother, Ethan, for two weeks while he and his band, the Flaming Gerbils, are in town. When Derek Hanson, one of Ethan’s bandmates, punches drunken businessman Lewis Wallace for kicking a disabled veteran’s service dog, Derek’s admirable deed makes him a murder suspect after Lewis turns up dead. Kathleen is determined to leave the investigation to her detective boyfriend, Marcus Gordon, until Ethan begs her to help clear Derek. With a nudge in the right direction by her two delightful and perfectly ordinary cats (save for the fact that one can walk through walls and the other can disappear at will), Kathleen finds several people around town who had the means, motive, and opportunity to do away with the unpleasant Lewis. Kelly stocks a charming small-town setting with plenty of colorful characters, mystical cats, and muffins. Cozy readers will be well satisfied. Agent: Kim Lionetti, Bookends Literary Agency. (Sept.)