Native American lore infuses a southwestern mystery featuring the indomitable Rachel Murdock and her cat, Samantha.
The notesβshort and sharpβseem to strike at the heart of each recipient's insecurities and darkest secrets. Signed "Kachina," they've been sent to a group of friends who met in college, including Rachel Murdock's goddaughter, Gail. When Gail wants to unmask the letter writer by inviting the group to her house in Arizona, she asks Rachel for help. Unable to resist, Rachel scoops up her cat, leaving her sister behind on a tour through the Southwest.
As the seven friends reconnect, familiar grievances and new resentments emerge. And when one womanβas prickly as the cacti dotting the desert landscapeβis killed by a rattlesnake bite, the party takes an even darker turn. A thunderous storm soon washes out the roads, and the group is left on their own with a dead body and a murderer in their midst. Now Rachel must use her knowledge of human nature to unmask a killer before another life is snuffed out.
"You will never regret having made the acquaintance of Miss Rachel Murdock." βThe New York Times
The Cat Wears a Mask was originally published under the pseudonym D. B. Olsen.
Praise for Dolores Hitchens
"High-grade suspense." βSan Francisco Chronicle on Stairway to an Empty Room/Terror Lurks in Darkness
"For those who enjoy Little-Old-Lady detectives, this should be a pleasing mystery, particularly if active LOLs are preferred. . . . Both interesting and unusual is the motive for murder." βMystery*File on Cats Don't Smile