The Cat Sitter’s Pajamas: A Dixie Hemingway Mystery

At the start of Clement’s engaging seventh Dixie Hemingway mystery (after 2011’s Cat Sitter Among the Pigeons), Dixie is surprised to find a nearly naked woman, supermodel Briana, at the gated Siesta Key, Fla., home of vacationing pro football star Cupcake Trillin and his wife, Jancey, whose cats Dixie’s pet-sitting,. After Briana claims to be Cupcake’s wife, Dixie steps outside and phones Cupcake, who tells her to call the police. When Dixie re-enters with Deputy Jesse Morgan, Briana has fled and there’s a dead woman lying in the living room. Briana later spins a tale of woe, and Dixie becomes enmeshed in the troubled model’s complicated mix of lies and truths. One of Dixie’s feline charges holds an important clue, though the final revelation will surprise few. Clement (1932–2011) left two forthcoming mysteries, and her son, John, has contracted to write more books in this animal-centric cozy series. (Jan.)