In a parallel universe where humans evolved not only from apes, but from dogs, cats, bears, otters, and seals, to name a few, Matthew "Duke" Hazard P.I. is hired to solve a murder. Duke, discovers, with the help from a friendly band of river otters, that a rogue gang of seals are stealing all the salmon and trout from the Wild and Scenic Beaver Butt river, and selling them on the black market to a cartel of ruthless muskrats for use in their slave-labor lutefisk factories.
Duke is a feline who, like most cats would rather curl into a ball in that sunny spot on the couch and take a nap, ends up being harassed - as well as helped - by the local government to expose a case of corruption that may have led to murder!
In this entertaining sequel to "A Curious Cat in a Dead Dog's Town," the action takes place on the water and on the shores of the Beaver Butt River which flows between the two towns of CatsCamp and Dogstown before emptying into the ocean. Duke gets into his share of scrapes as any tomcat would, and the story culminates in a hectic chase up and down the river before ending in a wacky stand-off in the forest where the murderer is surprisingly revealed.
Along the way we meet cast of wild creatures such as Leo Phieu, an old one-eyed, fish-smelling Burmese who has inhaled his share of gasoline, paint and fiberglass fumes over the years. We also meet his niece Faye who has a crush on Duke which Duke does not return. And then there's Butch and Ginger Larson, owners of the feline weekly paper, the CatsCamp Distorter. Don't forget Duke's mother's friend Helga Wigglebutt who makes Duke's life even more dangerous. There are otters, seals, and even a camco from a pair of fly-fishing frogs! Plus a few characters making an encore appearance from the first book in the series, such as Duke's buddy Gibson, Police Captain Ursalik, and Duke's mother who thinks Duke is lazy even by a cat's standards.
