A CHRISTMAS RIDDLE, A MURDERED CHEF,

AND A FESTIVE ANCIENT TREASURE…

In one of life’s great ironies, cat-person Cat Hawl has somehow ended up as the resident canine foster mom of Barkview, the dog-friendliest town in the country. But even Cat isn’t prepared to take on the double dachshunds of a murdered pastry chef.

It’s Christmas, the season of good cheer, so naturally Barkview’s having its annual gingerbread house competition— for dog houses only, made entirely of dog-friendly ingredients. The only possible Yule festival for Barkview! This year it’s a little different—Cat, the editor-in-chief of TV Station KDOG has unwittingly made it a national sensation, drawing pastry chefs from all over the country.

But the holiday mood takes a jarring downturn when a prominent local chef—a contestant of course, and previous winner —is found dead, leaving adorable Ginger and Spice in need of a temporary home and a murder in need of solving.

Cat’s up for both, but she has no idea how devilish two eight-pound balls of fur can be, and how complicated this case is. It’s no jealous chef or family feud or simple recipe theft—more like a twisty puzzle going back to the Civil war, with a hefty pile of money at the end of a treasure map—which happens to be a coded gingerbread recipe.

Dachshunds can be moody, as she learns from a Doxie fancier. Cat thinks Jekyll and Hyde might be more like it—one minute they’re as playful as kittens and as loving as labs, the next, as menacing as a a pair of mini-dobermans. But she has help-- unexpectantly, her usually allergic shiny new husband kind of falls for them.

As always, Wilson weaves an intricate tale that will bring joy to the world of dog lovers, and mystery fans will be right there with them. Admirers of Neal S. Plakcy, David Rosenfelt and Krista Davis will howl with delight.