It's autumn in cozy, idyllic Crozet, Virginia-a time for golden days, crisp nights.and murder. Mrs. Carla Paulson is one of the diamond-encrusted "come-here" set who has descended on Crozet with plenty of wealth and no feeling for country ways. She's determined to make her new house the envy of all her well-heeled friends-and enemies -and she's hired architect Tazio Chappers to build it. From the start, the project-and Mrs. Paulson-are a major headache for all involved. But no one could foresee that it would end with Mrs. Paulson stabbed to death at a gala fund-raiser with Harry's friend Tazio standing over her, holding the knife. Now Harry must solve what seems to everyone else an open-and-shut case. Her four-legged partners -sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter and corgi Tee Tucker-see it Harry's way. But will they have to choose between catching the purrfect killer and saving Harry?