Bye, Bye Love: A Cat DeLuca Mystery

Early in Larsen’s lively fourth Cat DeLuca mystery (after 2013’s Some Like it Hot), Cat, the owner of the Pants on Fire Detective Agency in suburban Chicago, and her dog discover a body in a local park. Tucked into the corpse’s pocket is a money-filled envelope addressed to Joey DeLuca, Cat’s uncle, a Ferrari-driving police officer with questionable ethics. The killer returns to the scene, shoots Cat with a Taser, and drugs her; when she awakens in the park, the body is gone. Despite warnings from the police, she investigates—while juggling family commitments. She initially appears so bumbling that her solution of the case, based on clues missed by savvy cops, seems unlikely. The loud, large DeLuca relatives are entertaining but one-dimensional supporting characters, and Cat’s devotion to dogs is endearing. Still, an overabundance of chick-lit tropes and too many similarities—including a cheating ex-husband and a car bombing—to Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series keep this title from standing out. [em](Apr.) [/em]