All of the beloved characters are back in this ninth mystery starring Sammy Keyes. This time the 13-year-old sleuth is up against a cat burglar - literally! Cats are disappearing and Sammy is finding some of them in neighborhood garbage cans - dead! Just as Sammy discovers that her archenemy Heather is her "star" sister and shares her birthday, Sammy's mother arrives to inform her that she isn't really turning 14 - so it-'ís another year of unlucky 13! But the savvy sleuth has been up against a lot worse and come out on top so maybe this is the year Sammy's luck will change!