Mew is for Murder

As a cat person as well as a Boston/Cambridge/Jamaica Plain (JP) person, I was delighted to not only find this book in a second-hand shop, but to find a signed copy! For me, this book was a delight. While I didn't recognize many of the clubs Theda, the protaganist, visited, I did recognize the feel of the places she wrote about; such as the hominess of Cambridge as well as the labrynthine streets of JP.
And the cats! Man, did I love the cats. Each and every one of them had their own wonderful personality. (As the mom of a tuxedo cat with an attitude, this is something I easily recognize.) And each personality played a vital part in the story.
She also wrote of the heartbreak of losing a pet with painful accuracy. All of these slices of show more life came together in a story where that mystery almost became secondary.
The mystery itself did give me several surprises, as every good mystery should. But I have to admit, the conclusion about "the treasure" did strike me as stretching the bounds of belief just a bit.
Still, aside from that, this was a thoroughly enjoyable book, one that I would highly recommend. But being that cat/Boston/Cambridge/Jamaica Plain (JP) person that I am, I might be just a little biased. :) show less

3.5 stars

Theda is a reporter and has an idea for a story on cat hoarders after she comes across an older lady in her neighbourhood who seems to have an abundance of cats. She may or may not be a hoarder, but the neighbour sure doesn’t like the woman or her multiple cats. When Theda comes around again, she discovers the woman dead. The police think she just fell, so it was an accident, but Lillian (the old woman)’s young friend and helper (and musician) Violet, doesn’t agree. She insists Lillian must have been murdered.

30-some years old and Theda’s still a bit of a partier, so I wasn’t crazy about that (I thought she acted way younger than her age). Wasn’t as interested in the bar hopping and the music, but loved the cats! show more So, it was up and down for how interested I was in certain parts of the book, but overall, I liked it enough to look into the next in the series. If it has more focus on animals, I’ll continue; if it’s more focus on music, it’s unlikely. (Another one with a cat title, so I will continue on.) show less

Theda Krakow is a writer who has quit a permanent job and taken a freelance one. After having an encounter with an older woman over a kitten, she asks her editor if she might write a story about her. She discovers the woman takes in unwanted cats and cares for them. Trying to decide if the woman is truly caring for the cats or a hoarder, she soon finds herself in the middle of a murder investigation when what the police think is an accident seems more like something else.

First off, let me state that I love books with animals, so I was really looking forward to reading this. But I just couldn't get interested in the plot nor in Theda. She seemed rather boring, honestly. And the plot, while intriguing, couldn't keep my interest. It took show more me several times to finish this book, and that's never a good sign.

While I know that Ms. Simon is a prolific author, and this is the first in the series, I'm hoping that others will prove to be better (as they usually are); I at least plan on giving one more a shot in the hopes I'm right. When we come to the end and all is discovered, it seemed okay, but sort of as if something was missing. Not one of my favorites, but perhaps others will like it better. show less

Loved this book! As a fellow redhead, I loved Theda's enthusiasm for music and cats. I was surprised at the end, although I thought I had it figured out earlier in the book. I am officially a fan of Theda Krakow and purchased the next book in the series right after I finished this book. If you love cats and music with a good mystery, check out this book!

Pretty decent mystery though Theda, despite her experience as a journalist, seemed peculiarly willing to trust what many people told her.

Pretty decent mystery though Theda, despite her experience as a journalist, seemed peculiarly willing to trust what many people told her.

I liked the book and the concept (I loved the kitten) until I realized who the bad guy was early on in the book so that diminished the rest of the book for me. I have ordered another of her books to try out so I will definitely give her another chance on this and one of her other series.