Murder in a Hurry — Frances Lockridge; Richard Lockridge

A pet-shop owner is killed in his store, and Mr. and Mrs. North take it personally

A smart businessman would never think to open a pet shop in the inconspicuous patch of Greenwich Village known as West Kepp Street, but J. K. Halder isn't here to make money. A millionaire animal lover, he keeps the shop as a hobby, even though it's fate hangs perpetually in the balance. As it happens, Halder won't see it through the end. He has just opened the shop for the day when his final customer enters. Halder knows the visitor by sight, and he also knows that nothing he can say will save his life. There are dozens of witnesses to the murder, but luckily for the killer, animals don't talk.

It will take a peculiar kind of detective to unravel this unusual murder, and there's no sleuth more peculiar than Pamela North. She and her husband love animals nearly as much as Halder did, and they'll go to any length to avenge his death.

Murder in a Hurry is the 14th book in the Mr. and Mrs. North Mysteries, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.