The Cats Don't Need Coffins

Elderly cat fancier Rachel Murdock, "an appealing Jessica Fletcher antecedent" (Publishers Weekly), tackles a puzzling case in this cozy mystery from a master of domestic suspense.

When sisters Rachel and Jennifer Murdock receive a letter from Miriam Hamilton, the daughter of the man who, decades earlier, swindled their father, inviting them to her luxurious home and offering financial amends, the sisters accept and head off with their beloved cat, Samantha, in tow. Shortly after they arrive, they meet their hostor rather, her body. Miriam has been murdered in her bed, and two things become clear: their invitation came with strings attached, and around the many corners of Miriams capacious home, strange things are afoot.

There is no shortage of possible motives for Miriams murder, given her ruthless business practices and greedy nature. The appearance and subsequent disappearance of a bloodstained doll, which Miriams two grown stepchildren from previous marriages seem to know more about than they want to let on, raises Rachels suspicion, but the involvement of the local sheriff investigating the case is what ultimately throws Rachel for a loop. No mattertogether with the reluctant Jennifer and curious kitty Samanatha, amateur sleuth Rachel is going to make sense of this befuddling case, even if things arent what they seem.

A delightful Golden Age cozy from a master of mid-century domestic suspense, Cats Dont Need Coffins engages playfully with genre conventions to entertaining and often humorous effect. It is the seventh novel in Hitchens long-running Rachel Murdock series (originally published under the name D.B. Olsen), which can be read in any order.