Customer Reviews

Probable Claws (Theda Krakow Mysteries (Hardcover))

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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).

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.

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

Clea Simon has once again created a captivating story involving murder, cats, and rock 'n' roll. The characters and their interactions are realistic and interesting, and the club scenes are like being there.

I have loved everything Simon has written, and this mystery, starring fascinating feline Musetta and set against the Boston music scene is just fabulously entertaining. While Theda wrestles boyfriend problems, she begins to suspect someone is poisoning pets at the local animal shelter run by her friend. The plot thickens into a delicious stew, the characters are quirky and alive, and the writing just shines.

I love reading murder mysteries that feature cats, and this series is one of my favorites. "Probable Claws" is the fourth in the series, the other three are "Mew is for Murder", "Cattery Row" and "Cries and Whiskers". All feature cat and rock and roll loving freelance writer Theda Krakow and her black and white tuxedo cat Musetta.

In "Probable Claws", Theda finds herself the prime suspect for the murder of a shelter veterinarian, with Musetta as the only witness to what really happened. Theda is released on bail thanks to the connections of her former cop boyfriend Bill. Now she has to find the real killer before she and Musetta become the next victims.

The plot is exceptionally well-crafted, the characters are multi-dimensional and likeable, and you find yourself wanting to savor the story while at the same time wanting to race to the finish to find out who did it.

You might want to consider reading the entire series from start to finish. One of the things I enjoyed about all four books, almost more than the actual plot lines, was the character development. By the time you're into the second book, you feel like you're reconnecting with old friends. I sure hope that "Probable Claws" won't be the last in this series.

Once again, Clea Simon skillfully brings together the various aspects of Theda Krakow's complicated life. Not every author can intertwine cats, the rock music scene, and the problems at today's newspapers. Over the course of this series, though, Simon has managed to build sympathy for Theda, a woman who often alienates even the people who love her, as she gets so caught up in her current story or passion, whether it's cats or rock music, that she neglects her personal life. Readers who appreciate complicated characters, and intricate plots, will appreciate Simon's latest crime novel, Probable Claws.

Freelance journalist Theda Krakow normally covers Boston's rock music scene, but she would always agree to help a friend, and the cats they both love. When cats at the Helmhold Home for Wayward Cats receive poisoned cat food, Vi asks Theda to investigate. Before she knows it, she's way over her head in the fourth book in Clea Simon's Theda Krakow series, Probable Claws.

It doesn't seem too difficult to try to track a bag of cat food. But, there could be a number of reasons for poison, everything from jealousy, accusations of witchcraft, to local politics. As Theda digs deeper, her editor at Boston's Morning Mail shows some interest in the story since it could link to the city shelter. But, suddenly Theda finds that she's alienated the vet who is a friend, her boyfriend, Bill, and, even Vi. Her questions appear to be accusations, and before she can redeem herself, she's found with a bloody scalpel and a body. Now, her own cat, Musetta, is her only witness, and she has to find a killer since the cops are convinced Theda herself is their culprit. Theda Krakow's persistence makes her an excellent amateur sleuth and journalist, but, in Probable Claws, it just might lead her to tragedy.

When a donated bag of cat food sickens some of Violet's cats, Theda offers to help her trace the source. The search leads back to a local shelter where their vet works but before Theda can do any real digging, the vet is found murdered.
By Theda.
Who just happens to be covered in the vet's blood.
And whose prints are on the murder weapon.
As if that weren't enough, the newspaper for which Theda works is undergoing a shake-up and Theda and her boyfriend have hit another rough patch.

This is the fourth entry in Simon's mystery series featuring music critic/reporter Theda Krakow and her friends. As with the others, this one is solidly plotted and well-written, with a good cast of supporting characters; Simon manages to update regular readers without spending so much time that newcomers would be bored, subtly underscoring how her friends are all settling down while Theda tries to remain a free spirit. Theda's involvement with the music scene is still an important part of the book as is her on and off relationship with Bill. Not being a rock music person, most of those descriptions are wasted on me, though Simon does her best to make the groups sounds appealing.

One interesting aspect of the book to me was how Simon portrayed Theda's view of events while presenting an alternate view from her friends. For example, Theda sees her conversations with a character as just pleasant chats while others feel she's flirting with him at Bill's expense. Usually in a book we only have the undisputed view of our main character. The newspaper's reorganization was also well done and made me feel I had a bit more insight as to what's going on around the country as papers struggle to stay afloat. The part of the plot involving animals was topical but not in a way that it's going to be dated any time soon, and touched on several hot topics among animal lovers and cat fanciers: food safety, vaccinations, no-kill shelters and healthy diets. As someone who's conversant with some of these, I longed to add a comment or two but realized this isn't a discussion, it's a story! Discussion not pertinent would just bog it down-- something I've seen happen in other books in which the author is anxious to present one point of view by having an argument between two characters until the reader wants to say, "Enough already! Move along!"



Musetta the cat is her usual adorable self. She also is an emotional focus for Theda who remains ambivalent about her relationship with Bill: in some ways she wants to rebel against the stabililty he represents, in other ways she takes him for granted. She has the same reservations about work, wanting security on the one hand and freedom on the other. It'd be interesting to see a story told from another's pov about Theda. As Burns said, "O wad some power the giftie gie us To see oursel's as ithers see us!"

While cats and animals play an important role in Simon's books, they're portrayed as dear friends and companions. They aren't anthropomorphized, don't solve mysteries and we don't see the world from their point of view. Those who prefer straight mysteries will enjoy this; animal lovers will enjoy the interaction between people and animals; and mystery fans who love animals will enjoy it all.

I'm looking forward to Simon's new series as well.

While this was the first of this series that I had read, I had no trouble getting into the story and enjoying it immensely. I love cozy mysteries--don't get me wrong--but so many of them center around older women. Theda, however, is a young, hip woman whose life centers on music, her friends, her lover, and her cat, Musetta. And like most of us, she has the usual problems with job, relationships, life, etc. One thing I found interesting too about this mystery is that the author brings in current events as part of the mystery, making it timely and to animal lovers more horrifying. If you want a younger, hipper, animal-loving mystery, definitely check out Probable Claws!

Is this plug and write? Short of depth of characters and I've now read all three and I'm finding I've given it a chance as a new series but just won't be continued. Oh she may write more but it's no Joe Grey with little richness of people or cat character. And the first two books seemed like they were the same book just lets plug in a slightly different plot. Then book 3...oh not again. Book 4 yeah.....I could care less to hear the Theda is putting on yet another dirty yet tidy pair of jeans to go out yet again to the bar scene and perhaps having centered it around Violet might have been a better choice she seems to have more depth to her and still you never quite find it...it's as if this writer leads you to the pool but then is scared to take you in and backs right off quickly with the same ole same ole routine. So no satisfaction. She's got talent she's almost breaks through but then within a few pages if not right there at a critical moment she gets cold feet and is back to superficial boredom. I hope this artist keeps trying but she needs to try harder and see how it frustrates readers when she won't take chances. Won't get nitty let alone gritty. Where is Nevada Barr......I'm off to see when her next book about her mystery people is coming along. See I enjoy good writing and mysteries not just cat ones.