WHAT THE CAT SAW

A fill-in job lands a young woman right in the middle of a murder case.

Nela Farley’s life is in ruins since the death of her fiance and the loss of her job as an investigative reporter. So it’s easy for her to take her sister Chloe’s place while she goes on a once-in-a-lifetime vacation. Chloe, who works for the Haklo Foundation in Craddock, Okla., has everything arranged for her sister, including a garage apartment behind the mansion of Haklo trustee Blythe Webster. The apartment was used by Marian Grant, who ran Haklo until she was killed in a fall over the apartment railing. When Nela looks into the eyes of Marion’s cat Jugs, she reads his thoughts, which indicate Miss Grant’s death may not have been an accident. She’s barely settled in the guest room before an intruder enters the apartment, though her call to the police chases him off. Nela cleans up, buys a doorstop and makes the shocking discovery of a diamond necklace in Marian’s purse. Nela’s work at the foundation is easy, but things are not right there. Numerous incidents of vandalism have occurred, and staff members are at each other's throats. When more trouble dogs Haklo, the police suspect Nela and Chloe. Only Steve Flynn, who runs the local newspaper, believes in Nela’s innocence and promises to help her discover the killer before she becomes the next victim.

Veteran Hart (Death Comes Silently, 2012, etc.) launches a new series with a combination of red herrings, romance and what some readers will consider the bonus of a psychic cat.