Claw & Disorder

In Watkins’s winning fifth Cat Groomer mystery (after 2019’s Gone, Kitty, Gone), Cassie McGlone, the owner of Cassie’s Comfy Cats in Chadwick, N.J., and her assistant, Sarah Wilcox, attempt to help a troubled elderly couple Sarah knows from church, Bernice and Chester Tillman, who suffer from poor health and live in a dilapidated house with too many cats. In particular, Cassie and Sarah seek to find new homes for at least some of the felines. After Bernice dies of an apparent asthma attack, and the autopsy suggests senile Chester smothered her with a pillow, Sarah implores Cassie to investigate. Meanwhile, Cassie must cope with an uptight pet owner, and gets entangled in assorted strange mishaps and another death. Unlike in similar cozies, the cats don’t solve crimes, and Watkins gives plenty of attention to her appealing cast of diverse human characters. Cat and mystery lovers alike will be charmed. Agent: Evan Marshall, Evan Marshall Agency. (Feb.)