The Cat is the Only Witness
Liza Johnson, at loose ends on summer break from teaching fifth grade is drawn into intrigue when her 84-year-old neighbor Mrs. Wilkens insists that Ramona, Liza’s former GED student has been murdered. Everyone assumes Ramona, a recovering addict, died of an accidental or intentional overdose, but Mrs. Wilkens is out to prove them wrong. Liza is urged to act when the voice in her head of her twin sister Charlee who died at age four tells her, Help Mrs. Wilkens. Spurred by the irrepressible Mrs. Wilkens and Charlee, Liza finds herself embroiled in an investigation involving a failing church, a very ill pastor’s wife and a secret within the walls of the parish house. Adding to the intrigue, she becomes the begrudging caretaker of Goldie, Ramona’s cat—the only witness to her death.
In Linda Norlander’s engaging novel, THE DEATH OF GOLDIE’S MISTRESS, intrepid sleuth Liza Johnson—with some help from a delightfully persistent octogenarian, a cat named Goldie, and a voice from within—unravels the mystery behind a suspicious death in a shady church congregation. An excellent start to a new series.
— Alan Orloff, Anthony, Agatha, Derringer, and two-time Thriller Award Winning Author of SANCTUARY MOTEL
“Death of a Starling, the second novel in Linda Norlander’s delightful A Cabin by the Lake mystery series, offers something compelling for every reader. If you’re partial to sense of place, Starling delivers a wonderful evocation of Minnesota’s great Northwoods. Interesting characters, some quirky, some very dark, jump from the pages of every chapter. There’s a bit of romance, a lot of suspense, some fine inclusion of elements of the Ojibwe culture, and a wonderfully serpentine plot that’s sure to keep you guessing to the end. I can’t think of a better read at a summer cabin or in front of roaring winter fire.”
— William Kent Krueger, author of the New York Times bestseller, This Tender Land
