Clea Simon

Pru Marlowe has now been back in her home town of Beauville in western Massachusetts for months, and she has regular clients, a routine, and friends and colleagues. Her cat, Wallis, is still the only one she can talk freely to, because of course she can't tell any humans about her ability to hear and communicate with the minds of animals. But the ability gives her what others see as a "gift" in working with animals, so her animal behavior business is growing.

Then the local police, show more specifically sometime beau Jim Creighton, call her to the scene of a cat shooting. She's horrified and angry, until she arrives at the scene. Then she's astonished. The cat, a white Persian named Fluffy, has apparently accidentally shot and killed her owner.

The weapon is an antique dueling pistol whose provenance isn't apparent. The victim, Donal Franklin, is, it turns out, a retired mobster spending his time and money on good works. His friend and lawyer is Llewellyn McMudge, an occasional gentleman friend of Pru's--and he's not answering his phone. The widow, Louise Franklin, is behaving in odd and inconsistent ways. And the cat, Fluffy, the only real witness, is shut down completely, and Pru can get nothing from her. There's also the puzzle of Donal's apparent girlfriend, a young woman who looks remarkably similar to Louise Franklin, who seems to be the only person interested in the welfare of the cat.

Simon gives us a neat little mystery, with a good deal of personal angst for Pru. She's worried she's losing her always-problematic ability to communicate with animals, Wallis is being judgmental and unhelpful, and one of her more difficult ex-boyfriends appears from New York. Tom Reynolds, an always somewhat dirty, now ex, NYC cop, is working for an unnamed private client for some unspecified purpose, and wants an introduction to Llewellyn McMudge. Pru is pulled in multiple directions, not quite keeping up with events, and getting ill--very similar to the way she got ill in NYC when her pet psychic abilities first appeared. Can she keep things together long enough to find out what really happened to Franklin, what's going on with Fluffy, and who is doing what to whom?

It's an enjoyable light mystery, with good animal behavior substance, even if sometimes you'll want to whack Pru with a clue-by-four.

Recommended.

I bought this book. show less

Clea Simon’s latest suspense thriller, Hold Me Down, is set in a world I’m really fond of: the Boston local rock scene of the previous century. It was loud, and filled with all kinds of misfits and savants, and Clea has accurately and enthusiastically captivated the spirit of “la rock d’antan.”

Her protagonist, Gal, is a formerly-star-bound singer/songwriter who was nearly done-in by the lifestyle. But she comes out of her self-imposed exile to attend the funeral of a beloved show more bandmate. And that’s where the mystery begins. This is a richly detailed suspenseful thrilled with strongly developed characters, a shifting point-of-view (the ‘90s and the present).

Gal is a sturdy protagonist, curious and rough-edged. She’d spent her post-musician years away from urban life in the northern woods with an understanding boyfriend met at rehab. However, once Gal is back in the mix, figuring out the murder, she dives back in to the most compelling parts of her life as a musician. As she unravels the murder mystery, she finds new opportunities to understand her own demons and angels as a singer/songwriter.

Many chapters of Hold Me Down end with a cliff-hanger, and the growing cast of characters who may have been responsible for the murder are well-drawn and realistic. And Gal struck me as a character who could definitely sustain another storyline. Well done! show less

This review originally appeared on my blog at www.gimmethatbook.com.

Thanks to the author for this review copy! When I met her at BookCon 2015, she was signing copies of two books. Fans got to pick which one they wanted and Ms Simon graciously shared a few words with each person as she inscribed their copy. I was intrigued, since I never heard of “pet noir”, and knew right away I wanted to review this book.

Pru is an animal trainer who just happens to be able to “hear” thoughts in her show more head, thoughts that come from the animals around her, wild or tame. She’s also hovering on the edge of misanthropy, a trait that has carried her through dark times in her past. The author alludes to Pru’s past with tantalizing bits here and there, and the reader must put everything together, like a puzzle with a few missing pieces.

Pru’s tabby cat Wallis, is a typical feline: reticent, self centered, and slothful. She sneeringly communicates with Pru in such a way that her comments seem disingenuous, until Pru makes the connection and it all makes sense. This was a bit hard to get used to in the beginning, until I realized it was being written intentionally in that fashion–I wasn’t missing things due to lack of brain cells.

Simon’s attention to detail in writing about Wallis’ behavior is a joy to behold. She truly describes a cat’s attitude, movements (Wallis “delicately splays a toe” while grooming herself) and complete disinterest; exactly like every cat I’ve ever known! Some of Simon’s best writing is done as she leads the reader into the mind of various critters, such as ferrets, dogs and birds. It was so easy to believe their conversations and mannerisms were true renditions. Every little quirk of dogs sniffing trees or the flock mind of starlings was rendered perfectly. Perhaps this story written in a different way would have seemed surreal or silly. Not so here. I seamlessly moved through the story in a state of belief that yes, Pru could hear these thoughts and the animals could pick hers up as well. No cartoonish Dr Doolittle thing going on here—-this is excellent writing.

The author can render people well too: the tippling town gossip, the sweet talking bad boy, the vapid gum snapping kennel attendant are all easy to picture. And let’s not forget about the plot. There is drama, suspense, and lots of red herrings. Absolutely delightful.

I had a fun time reading DOGS DON’T LIE. It sounds like Ms Simon had a fun time writing it too. I’ll be picking up more of her work in the future. show less

I loved the writing perspective of this new series. I can't imagine the creativity of Clea Simon. She is amazing. This book is being told by a cat named Blackie. Never thought that I would be reading a cozy/thriller strictly narrated by a feline. BRILLIANT!
This is not your typical fun loving, romantic, cute cat cozy. There are a lot of tough issues discussed that are the basis of the story line. You have drug dealers, crooks, and hard core murderers in this book.
Care is a girl who lives on show more the streets and just lost her mentor, a PI named Fat Pete. He has taught her everything she knows to be a street smart kid. She finds a cat drowning and saves him from three evil men. She calls him Blackie. Little does she know that he can understand everything that she says and has sworn to protect her. But really who has saved who in this thriller??? A friendship is formed and a path of fighting for their lives begins. They must find out who killed her mentor before they are killed.
This book is a wonderful start to a new series. It will have you so intensely reading you will be drawn into their lives and cheering them on each step of the way.
I look forward to the next installment in this series.
I recieved this book from NetGalley for an honest review. show less