Synopses & Reviews
Freelancer Theda Krakow is thrilled when she lands an assignment to write a piece on a gifted musician. She loves listening to bands-particularly her friend Violet's brand of riot grrrl punk. But her joy turns to outrage when feline-friendly Theda learns that someone is stealing show cats. Whether running Boston's streets or hanging out in her Cambridge neighborhood, Theda knows her city-and its music scene-well. So when a kindly cat breeder is implicated in the show cat thefts, Theda must put that knowledge to work to find the culprit before it is too late. Praise for Cattery Row...With the well-developed cast of characters and a multi-layered plot, this feline mystery is the cat's meow.-Publishers WeeklyCattery Row is a pleasant and diverting book. Simon clearly has talent. -Boston GlobeCat lover or not, this story should please.-Mystery NewsClea Simon is the author of the Theda Krakow (Probable Claws) and Dulcie Schwartz (Grey Matters) mystery series, as well as three nonfiction books. A recovering journalist, she lives in Massachusetts. www.cleasimon.com
Review
In Simon's satisfying second kitty cozy (after 2005's Mew Is for Murder), spunky Boston journalist Theda Krakow and her feline friend, Musetta, are plunged into a crazy quilt of cat-related crime. In recent months, eight catteries near Beantown have been broken into, and expensive show cats stolen. Theda is puzzled over these thefts—without documents of their lineage, the cats are practically worthless, so why would anyone steal them? Then, one of Theda's friends, eccentric cat-breeder Rose Keller, lets on that she's received some threatening phone calls. A few days later, Rose turns up dead. Meanwhile, a blues singer called Cool tells Theda that she's being blackmailed. Someone has evidence that Cool has been drinking and using prescription drugs. (This is the weakest strand in the plot—would a celebrity musician shell out big bucks to keep a little pill-popping secret?) With its well-developed cast of characters and a multilayered plot, this feline mystery is the cat's meow. --Publishers Weekly
Review
"With its well-developed cast of characters and a multilayered plot, this feline mystery is the cat's meow." --Publishers Weekly "A well done example of the traditional (or cozy") mystery,
Cattery Row is a pleasant and diverting book. Simon clearly has talent, and it will be interesting to watch how her writing develops" --
Boston Globe "The mystery's a winner, but the real appeal of Simon's work is Theda herself ...Cat-themed mysteries are often classified as "cozies," but Cattery Row is, if not hard-boiled, nowhere near cute -- except, of course, for the cats. Simon writes with grit, and in Theda, she has created a flawed and sometimes infuriating protagonist, one readers will want to see for many more lives." -- Jay Strafford, Richmond Times-Dispatch (10/29/2006)
Synopsis
Spiky freelancer Theda Krakow has fallen on a bare patch. Changes at the newspaper have cut her regular assignments and magazine work is slim. When a call comes in asking her to profile Cool, a gifted musician who's being oddly reclusive, it's welcome relief from both Theda's man and money troubles.
But even with work at hand, there are problems: Someone is stealing show cats. And both the feline-friendly Theda and her friend Violet, who runs the local shelter, are outraged. When a kindly cat breeder is implicated in the thefts, Theda resolves to uncover the culprits. But when a murder hits close to home, the circle of suspects widens to include family, an extortionist, and more....
Theda is a great guide to the city, whether hanging out in her Cambridge neighborhood or enjoying the latest bands in the clubs, particularly Violet's brand of riot grrrl punk. She's less adept at sorting out her own heart, which largely belongs to her kitten, Musetta, but as a sleuth, she's razor-sharp.
Synopsis
Someone is stealing show cats, and both the feline-friendly Theda Krakow and her friend Violet, who runs the local shelter, are outraged. When a kindly cat breeder is implicated in the thefts, Theda resolves to uncover the culprits.
Synopsis
Spiky freelancer Theda Krakow has fallen on a bare patch. Changes at the newspaper have cut her regular assignments, and magazine work is slim. When a call comes in asking her to profile Cool, a gifted musician whos being oddly reclusive, its a welcome relief.
About the Author
Clea Simon is a Massachusetts-based writer, journalist and a regular contributor to the New York Times, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle, Ms., Rolling Stone and Salon.com. She's the author of three nonfiction books, Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings, Fatherless Women: How We Change After We Lose Our Dads, and The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats. She lives in Cambridge, MA, with her husband, the writer Jon S. Garelick, and their cat, Musetta. Mew is for Murder is Simon's first mystery novel.