A reality TV crew has come to town and brought librarian Kathleen Paulson and her two magical cats more than their fair share of real-life drama, in the newest installment of this  New York Times  bestselling series. Spring has come to charming Mayville Heights, and with it, some Hollywood glamour. The little town is abuzz because the reboot of a popular baking TV show is filming there. Librarian Kathleen Paulson is working as an advisor on historical facts for the show, local restaurants are providing catering for the camera crews, and Kathleen's faithful felines, Hercules and Owen, are hoping there is a cat treat challenge. But then Kathleen finds one of the judges dead. She has solved many-a-murder with help from the supernaturally gifted Herc and Owen, and with the whole town on tenterhooks, the talented trio will have to have all paws on deck to chase down this killer. Praise for the  New York Times  Bestselling Series   "Cozy readers will enjoy spending time with Kathleen, her cats, and the appealing residents of Mayville Heights."— Publishers Weekly   "Will delight fans of cat mysteries and Jenn McKinlay's Library Lover's series."— Library Journal   "Ms. Kelly continues her highly successful series with another winning tale...Lots of great characters and two adorable cats."—Fresh Fiction   "Owen and Hercules are a delight."—Kings River Life Magazine   "With great characters and an interesting story, readers will be in for a treat with this classic whodunit."— RT Book Reviews Sofie Kelly  is a  New York Times  bestselling author and mixed-media artist who lives on the East Coast with her husband and daughter. She writes the  New York Times  bestselling Magical Cats mysteries and, as Sofie Ryan, writes the  New York Times  bestselling Second Chance Cat mysteries. chapter 1   Dead?" Rebecca asked.   I sighed. "I'm sorry. Yes."   "That's what I was afraid of." She looked glum, which was surprising because Rebecca was a very positive person in general, and the dead thing we were looking at was a glass bowl filled with an inactive sourdough starter.   "How long have you had it?" I asked. Rebecca had been baking since she was a girl, so her starter was likely years old.   Two splotches of pink appeared on her cheeks and she ducked her head. "Less than a month."   "Oh," I said. That was a surprise.   Her blue eyes met mine. "Kathleen, when it comes to starters, I have to confess that I'm the kiss of death."   I smiled. "I find that hard to believe. You're a very good cook. No one makes piecrust as flaky as yours."   "Well, I do like to feed people," she said.   I glanced over my shoulder at my two cats, Owen and Hercules, sitting by the chrome kitchen table, their gaze fixed on Rebecca. "And cats," I teased.   Rebecca smiled. She kept Owen supplied with yellow catnip chickens and Hercules with tiny organic kitty crackers. They both adored her. "It seems feeding is the problem. According to Eric, I've been overfeeding my starter."   Eric was Eric Cullen. He owned a diner downtown, near the waterfront.   "Where did this one come from?" I picked up the bowl and gave the contents a swirl. It was an odd, unappetizing shade of pink and it had a funky smell of decay that just confirmed what my eyes were telling me.   "Eric gave it to me," Rebecca said. She took the dish out of my hands and poured it down the sink.   "Well, I'm sure he would be happy to get you started again," I said.   Eric wasn't just a great cook, he was also a very generous person, quick to offer his time and talents to his friends and to the community.   Color flooded Rebecca's face a second time. "I really don't feel I can ask him again. The third time may be the charm, as my mother used to say, but I think the fourth time would be just making a pest of myself." She rinsed the bowl and set it on the counter. Then she dried her hands and turned to face me. "I don't just need a bit of starter to get one of my own growing again. I need a lot. I need enough to bake with. I may have inherited my mother's love of feeding people, but I didn't get her way with a sourdough loaf. I need to practice my bread at least a couple more times. And I have to leave some free time because we're filming promos this afternoon."   Rebecca was one of the contestants on the revival of the television show The Great Northern Baking Showdown. Filming for the first season had begun here in town in April. Six episodes had been completed and there were just four more left to film. Mayville Heights had been chosen, among other reasons, because the show's executive producer, Elias Braeden, who had bought the rights to the show, was from this part of Minnesota. And he knew it would be very affordable to film here. Rumor had it that a major network and at least one streaming service were interested in the show, but as far as I knew it hadn't been sold to any outlet yet, so the filming budget was tight. Participants on the show came from Minnesota, Wisconsin and Illinois.