This is one of the few "cozy" series that I follow anymore. Most of them have been leaving me less and less interested with plots that don't really challenge a reader. However, I've stayed with this series, and this book continued to reinforce my decision. The first book in the series, "The Cat Sitter's Pajamas," introduced the reader to Dixie Hemingway (no relation to that other Hemingway at least as far as she knows), a pet sitter with a sad past.



Dixie had been a police officer, wife and mother until her husband and their three year old daughter had been killed by a 90 year old driver who hit the gas pedal instead of the brake. Every book has delved a little deeper into Dixie's psyche. Dixie lives in an apartment attached to the home in which she grew up with her older brother, Michael, and her grandparents. Her father was killed when she was just nine, and her mother abandoned them to their grandparents' care.

Now Michael, a firefighter, and his partner, Paco, a police officer specializing in narcotics, live there. Dixie likes having her own apartment, but she can't resist the charms of her brother's gourmet cooking. Michael took care of her during the dark days after her husband and daughter's deaths and continues to try to take care of her. However being a pet sitter seems inevitably to lead Dixie to a dead body here or there. She has also gone through one love affair and is now in another relationship although she keeps him at arms length as she did the last one.

This book centers around Dixie's newest client Barney Feldman and his caretakers, the Kellers. Barney's caretakers are away on a trip to Italy. Dixie is an early riser since her business requires her to visit the pets she is caring for twice a day. She has her regulars as well including a retired grayhound owned by an accountant who helps Dixie with any business accounting in return for giving the dog the exercise it needs.

On this particular morning, Dixie notices that the newspaper delivery guy, an old high school friend named, Levi, is next to her house for a longer time than he should be. She wonders if he is having car trouble, but then he drives away. She goes off to the Keller's house to see to Barney. During that time someone hits her on the head. She awakens briefly to see an open door, candles and a strange being with red feet. When she calls the police, they convince her that she must have fainted and hit her head and had a bad dream. Things go downhill - or perhaps for the reader, uphill? - from there. Interwoven through this book, we learn more about Dixie's frame of mind when she lost her husband and child as well as the darkness that still exists for her despite having a man in her life who adores her.

The books were started by Blaize Clement who died after two books had been published. The franchise was continued by her son who, apparently, worked with her without his name as a co-author. She was in her 80's when she wrote the series. I can't help but wonder if he wanted her to pursue the darkness that lies within Dixie, but perhaps she didn't want to do so. However, as the series continues. and he is the author (although her name appears on the book jacket), it seems as if he intends to bring more of this out. There are no happy endings in this book, just a satisfactory one. There is also an intriguing plot twist that I liked a lot. I'll be looking forward to the next one.