Dulcie Schwartz and her feline friends get tangled up in this mysterious yarn . . . - Caught between a distracted supervisor and university politics, Dulcie’s doctoral thesis looks doomed. When she stumbles across the bloodied body of a fellow student, things couldn’t get any worse. Unless her mother’s dreams turn out to be premonitions and Dulcie’s work has all been in vain . . . With the ghost of Mr Grey – her wise and loyal late, great cat – strangely silent, and her new kitten refusing to speak, this time Dulcie might just be on her own.
Grey Matters (A Dulcie Schwartz Feline Mystery)
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Sluggish pacing mars Simon's second feline mystery starring Harvard doctoral candidate and nosy parker Dulcie Schwartz (after 2009's Shades of Grey). Outside the Cambridge home of her adviser, Professor William Bullock, with whom she just had an uneasy talk about her unfinished thesis on an obscure Gothic novel fragment called The Ravages of Umbria, Dulcie happens on the bloody corpse of handsome Cameron Dessay, a comp lit whiz who recently switched to English. Dulcie is understandably horrified, as is Professor Bullock's assistant, one of Cameron's many female admirers. Sussing out whodunit leads Dulcie and Mr. Grey, her ghost cat, into dangerous territory, while her romance with fellow grad student Chris Sorenson suffers. Though Simon scores with the spectral Mr. Grey and the likable Dulcie, some cozy fans will find Dulcie's constant fretting over her thesis distracting and wish for fewer details about the world of academia. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Simon’s second Dulcie Schwartz mystery picks up a few months after the end of Shades of Grey (2009), with Harvard doctoral student Dulcie deep into her fall semester, overloaded with grading papers and concerned about getting her advisor’s approval on her thesis. Then she finds the body of a fellow graduate student on her advisor’s front step. The ghost of Mr. Grey, her deceased cat, returns to offer his usual cryptic advice, and her new kitten takes a noncommittal stance toward crime solving, leaving Dulcie on her own to try and find the real murderer before the killer finds her. While the cats are an important part of the book, they are not an overwhelming presence; in fact, the academic setting is a much stronger part of the novel’s appeal, making this easily recommendable to readers who enjoy Lauren Willig’s Pink Carnation series or Jennifer Lee Carrel’s literary thriller Interred with Their Bones (2007), which also has significant scenes set in Harvard’s Widener Library. A solid follow-up to an entertaining debut. --Jessica Moyer
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More About the Author
Hi! Welcome to my Amazon Connect page. I don't know if you found me because you like fun feline mysteries you might be wondering about my mystery "Dogs Don't Lie." Yup, it's got a dog in it - but my new heroine, the animal psychic Pru Marlowe, couldn't function without her sidekick, an irascible tabby named Wallis. They both appear in "Cats Can't Shoot," and next spring, you'll get to read their third outing, "Parrots Prove Deadly." Meanwhile, I hope you are enjoying my Theda Krakow series - "Mew is for Murder," "Cattery Row," "Cries and Whiskers," or "Probable Claws" - and my Dulcie Schwartz series (think cats AND ghosts!) with "Shades of Grey," "Grey Matters," "Grey Zone," "Grey Expectations," or the upcoming "True Grey." Or perhaps we share some family issues, and you're looking at "Mad House" or "Fatherless Women." Or maybe you just love cats and are interested in my "The Feline Mystique." At any rate, good to meet you! I'm a writer and journalist, an avid reader, and am looking forward to making this page lively and fun.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By Ingrid King
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
Grey Matters is the second in Clea Simon's Dulcie Schwartz series and picks up a few months after the end of Shades of Grey. Dulcie is a doctoral student at Harvard university who is fascinated with 18th century Gothic novels. She is deeply immersed in the fall semester, hard at work on her thesis, and frustrated with her thesis advisor, who seems distracted and uninterested in her work. When she finds the body of a fellow graduate student on her advisor's doorstep, her life gets even more complicated.
Her best friend is busy with her own studies and a new man in her life, Dulcie's boyfriend is working long hours and seems to be withdrawn and distracted, she hits a significant snag in her thesis, and finds herself on her own as she gets caught up in investigating the murder. The ghost of Mr. Grey, her beloved deceased cat, returns to offer his wise and comforting, but often veiled and cryptic advice. Dulcie's new kitten is trying her best to make her way into Dulcie's heart, but since she doesn't "speak" to Dulcie in the same way as Mr. Grey's ghost, it's slow going on that front.
Immensely likeable and multi-dimensional characters, exceptional plotting, and a fascinating academic setting make this a highly entertaining and enjoyable read. The cats are an important part of the book. Unlike other cat-themed mysteries, they do not help with solving the crime, but rather, are an integral part of the story. I absolutely loved the ending of this book.
A real treat for cat lovers and mystery lovers alike!
Her best friend is busy with her own studies and a new man in her life, Dulcie's boyfriend is working long hours and seems to be withdrawn and distracted, she hits a significant snag in her thesis, and finds herself on her own as she gets caught up in investigating the murder. The ghost of Mr. Grey, her beloved deceased cat, returns to offer his wise and comforting, but often veiled and cryptic advice. Dulcie's new kitten is trying her best to make her way into Dulcie's heart, but since she doesn't "speak" to Dulcie in the same way as Mr. Grey's ghost, it's slow going on that front.
Immensely likeable and multi-dimensional characters, exceptional plotting, and a fascinating academic setting make this a highly entertaining and enjoyable read. The cats are an important part of the book. Unlike other cat-themed mysteries, they do not help with solving the crime, but rather, are an integral part of the story. I absolutely loved the ending of this book.
A real treat for cat lovers and mystery lovers alike!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Clea Simon's Dulcie Schwartz character returns in "Grey Matters", the second book of the series. Dulcie is deep in research trying to discover the author of a gothic novel that is the topic of her doctoral thesis and after a meeting with her faculty advisor stumbles upon the murdered body a fellow student.
Simon offers a look at life as a Harvard graduate student served with mystery, murder and a touch of romance. And, knowledge alert, Simon continues the reader's education of gothic literature and weaves in early feminist movement writings focusing on 'she-authors' like Mary Wollstonecraft. Bear with me as I quote a favorite passage: "Wollstonecraft wasn't alone. There was one essay - Dulcie found herself skimming it again and smiled - that seemed particularly modern. 'A Call for Practical Education', it spoke out against educating women solely for the roles of wife and mother. 'An idle mind is not merely an invitaion to sin' it read. 'It is a waste, displaying a rash disregard for the divine gifts with which, too, the female may be blessed.'" This passage reverberates my mother's teaching.
"Grey Matters" is very well written and Simon crafts layers of information into the story. The information may come from Mr. Grey, her spirit cat guide, her mother's visions or from the new kitten in Dulcie's life. That information may apply to Dulcie's thesis, approaching danger or life in general. The phrase "cool as emeralds" is a repeating phrase that takes on layers of meaning as the book progresses and provides a creative twist.
Now I'm hooked and ready for the continuing Dulcie Schwartz, Mr. Grey and Esme feline mystery series. Who's Esme? Well, now you'll have to read the book to find out, won't you.
Simon offers a look at life as a Harvard graduate student served with mystery, murder and a touch of romance. And, knowledge alert, Simon continues the reader's education of gothic literature and weaves in early feminist movement writings focusing on 'she-authors' like Mary Wollstonecraft. Bear with me as I quote a favorite passage: "Wollstonecraft wasn't alone. There was one essay - Dulcie found herself skimming it again and smiled - that seemed particularly modern. 'A Call for Practical Education', it spoke out against educating women solely for the roles of wife and mother. 'An idle mind is not merely an invitaion to sin' it read. 'It is a waste, displaying a rash disregard for the divine gifts with which, too, the female may be blessed.'" This passage reverberates my mother's teaching.
"Grey Matters" is very well written and Simon crafts layers of information into the story. The information may come from Mr. Grey, her spirit cat guide, her mother's visions or from the new kitten in Dulcie's life. That information may apply to Dulcie's thesis, approaching danger or life in general. The phrase "cool as emeralds" is a repeating phrase that takes on layers of meaning as the book progresses and provides a creative twist.
Now I'm hooked and ready for the continuing Dulcie Schwartz, Mr. Grey and Esme feline mystery series. Who's Esme? Well, now you'll have to read the book to find out, won't you.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Dulcie is back and Clea Simon doesn't disappoint in the second in the series. When she isn't discovering a dead body, dealing with office break-ins, and escaping a house fire, Dulcie is troubling over her thesis, her advisor, and her relationship with Chris. She feels a bit abandoned, even by Mr. Grey. There are a lot of suspects and inter-twined motives to keep Dulcie busy. Great characters. Great story. Another winner for Simon.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great read...
.... especially if you like books or cats. I have read the whole series. More words to meet the requirement
Published 2 months ago by K. M. Purcell
4.0 out of 5 stars
Four paws up!
Clea Simon has done it again with Grey Matters, the second book in the Dulcie Schwartz mystery series. Intelligent, clever, suspenseful... Read more
Published 14 months ago by Mary Kladnik
2.0 out of 5 stars
Grey Matters - Clea Simon [author]
Grey Matters (Dulcie Schwartz Mystery)
I've read Clea Simon's Theda Krakow Mysteries and enjoyed them. Which is why I bought the Dulcie Schwartz Mystery series. Read more
I've read Clea Simon's Theda Krakow Mysteries and enjoyed them. Which is why I bought the Dulcie Schwartz Mystery series. Read more
Published 20 months ago by PhyllisB
4.0 out of 5 stars
Return of Mr. Grey-- And Dulcie
Since it's well known that I am owned by multiple cats, it's no surprise that I'd seek out this series about a woman who receives messages from a ghost cat. Read more
Published on May 21, 2010 by beanbug
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cats, Harvard & Murder
Dulcie Schwartz is a doctoral candidate at Harvard. Getting her advisor, Professor Bullock, to approve her thesis concept on the gothic novel The Ravages of Umbria and its author... Read more
Published on April 26, 2010 by Dawn Dowdle
5.0 out of 5 stars
terrific academic amateur sleuth
Harvard doctoral candidate Dulcie Schwartz feels a bit overwhelmed as a third year grad student trying to get her adviser Professor Bullock to approve her thesis concept on the... Read more
Published on March 4, 2010 by Harriet Klausner
5.0 out of 5 stars
Wonderful Book
This book is for Mystery lovers and Cat lovers. It keeps you moving the entire book. The characters are great you feel like your right there with them. Read more
Published on February 25, 2010 by Cathy Dawson
