Jillian Hart has been sent to the home of Ritaestelle Longworth, leading citizen of neighboring Woodcrest, to determine if it is a safe environment for Ritaestelle’s cat, Isis. Isis had been found wandering along the highway and brought to Shaun’s animal rescue shelter, but he will not return Isis without knowing he is putting her back in a good home. While Jillian is there she discovers that Ritaestelle has problems but she does not know what is happening. One night Ritaestelle escapes and finds her way to Jillian’s in Leann Sweeney’s The Cat, The Lady and The Liar, the third book in her Cats in Trouble Mystery series. While Jillian is trying to get Isis out of tight spot in a basket, Ritaestelle goes onto Jillian’s dock where she finds the body of her assistant, Evie. Why is Evie at Jillian’s? Who killed her? What did Ritaestelle drop while Jillian was trying to pull Evie out of the water?

The Cat, The Lady and The Liar is a wonderful read. I like Jillian and her cast of friends and family more with each book of this series. Her three cats, Chablis, Merlot, and Syrah, become more human each book. They have definite personalities and their quirks are endearing. I loved the button batting they did after spilling Jillian’s button box. I enjoy watching the relationships grow between Jillian, Tom, Kara, and Candace. Some new characters are added this time that I think we will see more of in future books. I look forward to watching the dynamics between the characters grow and change.

The murder mystery held my interest. I hated putting The Cat, The Lady and The Liar down. I was drawn in from the beginning. I wanted to know what was going on in Ritaestelle’s home with her extended family living there and why they kept her isolated. Those questions and others kept me enthralled with this book. Ms. Sweeney did a very credible job with the mystery. It was plausible and, unfortunately, too true in some quarters.

I will be back to read more of the Cats in Trouble Mystery series. I adore the cats and the series.