Chip Weinert

A Curious Cat in a Dead Dog's Town Chip Weinert

In a parallel universe where humans evolved not only from apes but also cats, dogs, bears, weasels, and other animals, Duke Hazzard, a feline private eye, is hired to find the murderer of a prominent canine. It's a tongue-in-cheek, fun murder mystery. Think of it as Philip Marlowe meets Fritz the Cat.

The characters include Mathew "Duke" Hazzard, a feline who'd rather sleep or surf than do anything resembling work. We also meet his best friend, a big black lab that has an uncanny knack for showing up right when Duke's about to get into trouble. There's Gloria, a beautiful Siamese whose husband, Ralph, is found dead in his office at the local dog biscuit factory. Of course there's Police Captain Ursalik, a big old grizzly who has been counting the days to retirement since he joined the force. And let's not forget the de Katz brothers, who may or may not have been involved in the murder.

Set in the twin towns of CatsCamp and Dogstown that straddle the Beaver Butt River just as it meets the ocean, this fun story takes us in and out of the surf zone and the local taverns before it culminates in a comedic chase scene down the rugged "Left Coast." In the meantime, Duke gets into his share of scrapes--as any good tomcat does. He has to deal with a mother who thinks he's lazy--even by cat standards. He also falls into a one-sided love affair with a beautiful gal from back east.

You could never call Duke a successful cat, and it seems that few in town like him very much. All in all, we are torn between laughing at and crying along with our very reluctant hero, but we cheer for him in the end as he solves his first case.