Jessica Popper is known for her skills as a veterinarian, but she is also pretty darn good at solving a mystery or two. So when her landlords Betty and Winston Farnsworth ask her to help them find out who murdered their good friend, millionaire Linus Merrywood, Jessica just can't say no. Although she is a newlywed, having recently married her best friend Nick Burby, Jessica accompanies the couple to the mysterious Solitude Island, where Merrywood made his home.

Once there, Jessica discovers a real-life game of Clue going on-- with a butler named Jives, a secretary named Scarlett, and a house that looks like it's straight from the set of "The Munsters." Jessica starts searching for clues among the twists and turns of the creepy house, only to find that, not only do all of the suspects have good reasons to "off" dear old Linus, but she likes most of them! Unless she finds the right key to the puzzle, Jessica could soon find herself the next on the killer's hit list!

In CROSSING THE LION, her ninth book in the Reigning Cats and Dogs Mystery series, author Cynthia Baxter continues the lively adventures of the mobile-vet, her loving new husband, and their menagerie of pets. I have enjoyed how Baxter progresses the story of Jessica and Nick's relationship throughout the series, and how with each story you can see how the young vet has matured. Baxter's use of lion-friendly quotes at the beginning of each chapter contributed to the continuity of a story that animal lovers and mystery fans alike will find enjoyable.

Book Summary

CAN A SMALL-TOWN PET DETECTIVE HUNT DOWN A BEAST OF A KILLER IN ITS OWN LAIR?

Veterinarian Jessica Popper is still basking in newlywedded bliss when neighbors Betty and Winston beg her to investigate the suspicious death of Linus Merrywood, king of the corporate jungle. On stormy Solitude Island, the Merrywoods have enjoyed the lion’s share of wealth for generations. But from the suspects to the surroundings, Jess feels as if she’s walked straight into an old-fashioned game of Clue—except here the stakes are life and death.

There’s the butler named Jives, a sexy assistant named Scarlett, teatime in the conservatory, and a house with secret passageways, moving walls, and a wailing aunt locked in the attic. With a storm raging around the island and Jess’s least favorite police detective assigned to the case, things are looking dire until Jess’s lionhearted husband, Nick, braves his way to Solitude to rescue her. Now it’s the two of them against a family steeped in secrets—and a killer on the prowl who’s ferociously determined to protect the biggest family secret of all.

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