Pru Marlowe has now been back in her home town of Beauville in western Massachusetts for months, and she has regular clients, a routine, and friends and colleagues. Her cat, Wallis, is still the only one she can talk freely to, because of course she can't tell any humans about her ability to hear and communicate with the minds of animals. But the ability gives her what others see as a "gift" in working with animals, so her animal behavior business is growing.

Then the local police, specifically sometime beau Jim Creighton, call her to the scene of a cat shooting. She's horrified and angry, until she arrives at the scene. Then she's astonished. The cat, a white Persian named Fluffy, has apparently accidentally shot and killed her owner.

The weapon is an antique dueling pistol whose provenance isn't apparent. The victim, Donal Franklin, is, it turns out, a retired mobster spending his time and money on good works. His friend and lawyer is Llewellyn McMudge, an occasional gentleman friend of Pru's--and he's not answering his phone. The widow, Louise Franklin, is behaving in odd and inconsistent ways. And the cat, Fluffy, the only real witness, is shut down completely, and Pru can get nothing from her. There's also the puzzle of Donal's apparent girlfriend, a young woman who looks remarkably similar to Louise Franklin, who seems to be the only person interested in the welfare of the cat.

Simon gives us a neat little mystery, with a good deal of personal angst for Pru. She's worried she's losing her always-problematic ability to communicate with animals, Wallis is being judgmental and unhelpful, and one of her more difficult ex-boyfriends appears from New York. Tom Reynolds, an always somewhat dirty, now ex, NYC cop, is working for an unnamed private client for some unspecified purpose, and wants an introduction to Llewellyn McMudge. Pru is pulled in multiple directions, not quite keeping up with events, and getting ill--very similar to the way she got ill in NYC when her pet psychic abilities first appeared. Can she keep things together long enough to find out what really happened to Franklin, what's going on with Fluffy, and who is doing what to whom?

It's an enjoyable light mystery, with good animal behavior substance, even if sometimes you'll want to whack Pru with a clue-by-four.

Recommended.

I bought this book. ( )

Cats are talented, but could one really shoot her owner? Pru doesn't think so, but can she clear the cat and save its life? Pru can communicate with animals in a most unusual way - a way she can't readily share with others. The poor cat is so traumatized by the shooting, she really can't think about it. And, of course, the murderer is still lurking close by. Pru has her hands full as she races against time to save the cat and restore the cat's mental health. An interesting and entertaining tale, Pru is a likable character in an involved plot of mystery and intrigue. ( )

In Simon’s mystery novel, Pru Marlowe is an animal behaviorist and a pet psychic. When a lovely Persian cat named Fluffy is brought in to see her, Pru notices immediately that the cat is suffering from fear, stress and shock. The police suspect Fluffy of accidentally shooting her owner, Donal Franklin, by pawing an antique gun’s trigger in curiosity. As a pet psychic, Pru can’t explain why Fluffy is so traumatized she can’t reveal what really happened. To top things off, Franklin’s very vocal wife is anxious to be rid of the cat while his mistress fights for custody of the animal. When Franklin’s best friend, a gun-collector himself, dies suspiciously, Pru knows that the only way to clear Fluffy is to track down the activities of the humans in her life. As she uncovers a trail of lies and greed, she finds herself face-to-face with a killer who’s been hiding in plain sight and who has now set his sights on her.

Fast-paced, intelligent characters and a wonderful addition to the A Pru Marlow Pet Noir Mystery series. ( )

I really like Clea Simon's approach to pet murder mysteries. I won't say that it's great writing, but it's conforting for any pet lover. The recurring theme of "I'm not understanding what the animals are trying to tell me" was a little too repetitive this time though. ( )