Beka and her younger siblings were orphaned several years ago. Beka feared they would be cast into the streets, but instead they were taken in by a nobleman who was also the Lord Provost, in charge of the Dogs who make up the city watch. Beka's brother and sisters are being trained in useful trades that will allow them to support themselves, but for years Beka's had her eyes set on being a Dog and patrolling the streets of the slums they used to live in. She knows that her ability to speak to the souls of the recently dead and to other spirits of the city will help her in that work, but she still has no idea what she's in for.
Together with Pounce, the magical black cat that has adopted her for reasons of its own, she joins the Watch and is teamed up with two legendary Dogs. It will take all of their power, skill and luck to survive the mean streets of the city and bring to justice the evil forces that are preying on the poorest and most helpless citizens, the people no one cares about. No one but Beka and her comrades.
There are three books in the series, all of them great reads. Start with Terrier, and I guarantee you'll want to continue on to Bloodhound and then Mastiff.
