Susan Conant has been known for her "dog  lover" mysteries for some time
now.  Although I'm not a big d*g fan, I like her writing and find the world
of dog shows that she uses as a back drop for some of her work fascinating.
Susan is apparently branching out, as she has written a food oriented
mystery with her daughter and is branching out in other directions as well.

Scratch the Surface is Conant's first book in the world of cat mysteries.
The protagonist is a cat mystery writer who has never been owned by cats,
and comes home one night to find a dead body and a gray châteaux cat in the
vestibule of her house.  What happens from there is an intriguing and funny
look at a catslave in the making.  This one is not gory, the cat is not only
a part of the mystery, but part of the solution, the police are different
than one would expect, and the protagonist is 3/4 Scottish and somehow this
gets woven into the plot.

If you are into cat mysteries, this is a good one to check out from the
library.  Conant's writing is not for everyone.  Personally, I loved it.
However, I like a sense of irony, humor and a taste for the macabre in my
reading material.

Pam S. who gives it a three tails up