It's official!

Dulcie and Mr. Grey will continue! Just got the contract for a fourth Dulcie Schwartz mystery! Yay! In the meantime, some of the just-out British editions of Grey Zone, the third Dulcie feline mystery, seem to be making their way to these shores. US release date is April, but if you can't wait...

Thank you, Examiner!

Love the quotes she chose. Love the four stars, too!

Review of Dogs Don't Lie by Pamela Kramer, The Examiner:

Dogs Don't Lie by Clea Simon is a clever mystery sure to charm animal lovers who enjoy mysteries. Even lovers of mysteries who aren't animal lovers will enjoy the twists and turns that meander through this story, the first in the Pru Marlowe Pet Noir series.

Pru Marlowe, who is almost a certified animal behaviorist, finds her client dead and his rescued pit bull free in the house. Of course, public opinion (and that of the police) is that the dog did it.

What no one knows (except Pru's cat) is that Pru can communicate with animals. It's a skill that almost drove her crazy, but she has effectively come to terms with her special talent.

The story is told in first person narrative--a perfect choice for hearing Pru's voice clearly when she talks about her "talent" and communicating with the animals. A clever note is that the animals (including an opinionated ferret) have names for themselves which are not the same as the names that humans call them.

Pru's cat is another opinionated. character. She seems quite a bit more intelligent than the average cat, but then if one doesn't communicate with cats regularly, how would one know the relative intelligence of a cat? An example of Wallis's dialogue: "Dogs." Wallis hissed out the word, as close to a curse as she comes. "They lie."

Not heavy reading, this is a perfect book to curl up with on a cold winter night. Or a balmy summer evening. Visit Clea's website and read about her other titles. Cleverly titled, they are clearly all in a cat-egory of their own: Probable Claws, Mew is for Murder, Cattery Row, and Cries & Whiskers.

Lovers of Spencer Quinn's mysteries starring Chet the detective dog (Dog On It, Thereby Hangs a Tail, and To Fetch a Thief) will enjoy reading Clea Simon's stories.

GREY ZONE in the house!

The third Dulcie Schwartz mystery doesn't hit stores in the US until April. But it's now out in the UK, so I just got a lovely box from my publisher, Severn House. Here's my new desk set up, too.