Kittens Can Kill: A Pru Marlowe Pet Noir

At the start of Simon’s fluffy fifth Pru Marlowe mystery set in the Berkshires town of Beauville (after 2014’s Panthers Play for Keeps), pet trainer Pru arrives at the home of David Canaday to find him lying dead on his kitchen floor with a tiny kitten playing nearby. The wealthy lawyer appears to have died naturally, perhaps of a heart attack. Or could he have suffered a fatal allergic reaction to the kitten, named Ernesto, whom one of his three grown daughters had recently dropped off at his house? Pru’s own kitty, Wallis, grudgingly agrees to look after Ernesto, while Pru tries to prove the kitten’s innocence, despite the amused misgivings of her boyfriend, Det. Jim Creighton. The solution to Canaday’s mysterious death may be predictable, but cozy fans will enjoy spending time with Pru and her two- and four-legged friends. Agent: Colleen Mohyde, Doe Coover Agency. (Mar.)