Night of the Were-Cat

Early in Watkins’s impressive sixth Cat Groomer mystery (after 2021’s Claw & Disorder), Cassie McGlone, the proprietor of Cassie’s Comfy Cats, and her veterinarian boyfriend, Mark, are about to leave the movie theater in Chadwick, N.J., when Mark receives a phone call from his partner at the Chadwick Veterinary Clinic, who reports that there’s been a drug theft at the clinic that appears to be an inside job. With the entire clinic staff under suspicion, Cassie is determined to finger the culprit. The drug-related death of a young woman at a house party adds to Cassie’s determination, and she and her friend Dawn Tischler agree to aid Chadwick’s police in checking out a bar where drugs are believed to be available. Suspects include Dawn’s new hire at her health food store and the entrepreneur who revived Chadwick’s lovely old theater. The stakes rise when it becomes clear a ruthless killer is on the loose and is targeting Cassie. Classic werewolf movie lore adds to the fun, and the cats don’t distract from the main action. Cozy readers will be well satisfied. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Mar.)