Mimi Lee Cracks the Code

In Chow’s fluffy third Mimi Lee mystery (after 2020’s Mimi Lee Reads Between the Lines), Mimi, the irrepressible owner of Hollywoof, a Los Angeles pet grooming salon, accepts the offer of a free weekend with her lawyer boyfriend at her benefactor Pixie St. James’s rental property on Catalina Island. They arrive to find the condo has been burgled and vandalized, and after a highly unromantic weekend, Mimi returns home to the news the rental’s previous tenant has been murdered, and the police have found a note from Pixie telling him to immediately vacate her property “on pain of death.” The police believe they have their woman, but Mimi is convinced the murder is tied to a string of property thefts on the island. So with plenty of help from her telepathic Persian cat, Marshmallow, and periodic pauses for a little dog grooming, Mimi bulldozes her way through L.A. and Catalina to confront every possible suspect and find the real killer. Chow offers original characters, clever banter, and a laid-back California vibe. This is perfect for lovers of crime-solving animal cozies. Agent: Jessica Faust, BookEnds Literary. (Nov.)