Probable Claws (Theda Krakow Mysteries (Hardcover)) [Hardcover]

Clea Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 10, 2009 | Series: Theda Krakow Mysteries (Hardcover)

When cats start getting sick, feline-loving freelance writer Theda Krakow suspects an accident is to blame. But her shelter-owning rocker buddy Violet claims the contaminated kibble was poisoned.
When Theda starts looking at shelter politics she finds a number of people who could have happily committed this heinous crime. The city shelter may be backing down from a healthy pet initiative, a series of threatening letters suggests a darker motive, and old-fashioned jealousy may factor in as well. The pressure mounts as Thedaas editor grabs onto the idea of a hot storyaand dangles a prime job as bait.
But how can Theda investigate when feelings run so high?
As the music scene rallies to raise funds to save the cats, Theda finds herself on the outs with both her buddies and her longtime boyfriend Bill.
And when sheas caught at a murder scene, bloody scalpel in hand and only her beloved cat Musetta as a witness to what really happened, Theda must scramble to find the real killer before she, and Musetta, become the next victims.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Music journalist Theda Krakow once again proves a feisty and determined sleuth in Simon's lively fourth cat-themed mystery (after 2007's Cries and Whiskers). Theda alternates between the cat world, dominated by her pet, Musetta, and the Boston area music scene, about which she writes for local magazines and newspapers. When her retired policeman boyfriend, Bill, buys into a successful club that's a cop hangout, Theda can't help feeling a little jealous, though she admits she also has a problem with Bill's attitude—he's too patronizing. Meanwhile, contaminated cat kibble at the animal shelter run by her friend Violet may be the work of a poisoner. When Theda, guided by blood on Musetta's paw, discovers Rachel, a shelter vet, lying on the treatment-room floor with a fatal stab wound, she gets arrested for Rachel's murder. Well-drawn characters, a plot with many strings to unravel and plenty of appealing cats make this another winner for Simon. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Music critic Theda Krakow and her now hefty kitty, Musetta, are back in the fourth entry of the cozy cat series. In the running for a staff reporter job, Theda is pressured into investigating the poisoning of several of the cats at a no-kill shelter, which is how she ends up in the back rooms of the city shelter covered in blood, with a scalpel in her hands, and standing next to the body of the shelter vet. An otherwise solid mystery is made somewhat unbelievable when Theda is immediately arrested and charged with murder but has no contact with the cops after she’s out on bail. As usual, Theda uses her investigative-journalist skills to save herself and help the cats of Cambridge, all while keeping in touch with the rock-music scene and negotiating an increasingly serious relationship with boyfriend Bill. With lots of the story framed around Theda’s friends from previous books, this isn’t a great choice for newcomers, but it will please fans of the series. --Jessica Moyer

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 255 pages
• Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press; 1 edition (April 10, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159058564X
• ISBN-13: 978-1590585641
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #493,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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 upcoming "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. 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," or the upcoming "Grey Zone." 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

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read!, July 7, 2009

By 

M. Owen (Boise, ID) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Probable Claws (Theda Krakow Mysteries (Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

I'm a long-timer reader of mysteries and look for an engaging lead character; well-crafted major and secondary plots, credible relationships between characters, good pacing, and questions that keep me reading. Probable Claws more than met my expectations. It is fun to read, and refreshing to have a 30-something female (Theda Krakow) on the music club beat as the protagonist. Being a long-time cat owner, I also related to the cat/pet angle and the issues around animal shelters and no-kill policies presented in the book.

It's a "purrrr-fect" read (sorry, I couldn't resist).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Claws for Celebration, May 20, 2009

By 

Debbie (Ludlow, KY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Probable Claws (Theda Krakow Mysteries (Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

This is another good entry in this dependable series. Theda takes Musetta in to get her teeth cleaned, and when she goes to pick her up, finds the vet in a pool of blood on the floor. Theda's the obvious suspect, and Musetta's not talking. Don't worry-- the cat might have witnessed the murder, but female intuition, not feline, is involved in the solving. Clea Simon always takes on some social issue in human-animal interaction, and this time is the "no kill" shelter vs. the traditional pound. Readers won't be disappointed.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars fun cat caper, April 11, 2009

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Probable Claws (Theda Krakow Mysteries (Hardcover)) (Hardcover)

Helmhold House for Wayward Cats owners Violet and Caro are stunned when a donated batch of kibble is laced with poison. Neither can believe someone could be that cruel yet they assume it was deliberate. When their pal freelance writer Theda Krakow begs to differ as she assumes it was an accident, they become upset with her for trivializing their concerns; she takes a quick look at the shelter's processes to see what safeguards exists.

When her beloved cat Musetta needs a tooth brushing, she drops her off with the shelter's vet. When she returns she find Musetta soaked in blood and the vet Rachel dead with a scalpel wound. The police suspect Theda who investigates the murder to clear her name and regain her hope of a permanent position at the Morning Mail. She assumes the motive involves an irate sociopath opposed to the shelter combining the poisoned food with the vet's murder

Fans will definitely enjoy this fun cat caper. Musetta is not only the traumatized eye witness to the homicide, the feline wipes clean much of the crime scene as sticky red does not blend well with her tuxedo look. Cat fans will enjoy Theda's inquiry into the PROBABLE CLAWS behind the homicide.

Harriet Klausner