While Tinseltown bad boy Thad Perry is in town shooting a big-budget Western, Bernie and Chet have to keep him out of trouble. But soon they discover Thad has a mysterious connection to the Valley, and the only people who know his secrets keep turning up dead before they can talk.

As Bernie's love life goes long-distance and Chet's late-night assignations give rise to an unexpected dividend, it's all our two sleuths can do to keep the actor in their sights. Worst of all, Thad is a self-proclaimed cat person, and his feline friend Brando has taken an instant dislike to Chet.

Like the winning books before it, this fifth book in the series combines a topnotch mystery with genuine humor and a perceptive take on the relationship between human and dog that will stay with you long after the case is solved.