True Grey

Dulcie Schwartz #5

by Clea Simon

When Dulcie Schwartz stumbles across the body of Melinda Sloane Harquist, a visiting scholar whose upcoming book threatens to ruin Dulcie's thesis and who she threatened to kill, in jest, just days before, it's creepily reminiscent of the nightmares that have been waking her for the past week. And with boyfriend Chris distant and preoccupied, and both the ghost cat Mr Grey and her kitten Esme strangely cryptic in their advice, it's up to Dulcie to prove herself innocent, before it's too late...

Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cats, Cozy Mystery

Audio CD

First published December 1, 2012

About the author

Boston Globe-bestselling author Clea Simon is the author of The Butterfly Trap, a sinister slow-build "he said/she said" that will definitely surprise you.

This follows Bad Boy Beat a fast-paced amateur sleuth mystery featuring a novice crime reporter with a nose for news who is convinced a series of street-level killings are connected.

In a different mood, Clea's most recent cozy is The Cat's Eye Charm, the fifth in her "Witch Cats of Cambridge" series.

She is also the author of the psychological suspense novels, Hold Me Down and World Enough, both named "Must Reads" by the Massachusetts Book Awards, as well as the dystopian Blackie and Care black cat series (The Ninth Life), the Dulcie Schwartz feline/academic mysteries (Shades of Grey), the Pru Marlowe pet noir mysteries (Dogs Don't Lie), and the Theda Krakow cats & crime & rock & roll mysteries (Mew is for Murder), as well as three nonfiction books: Mad House: Growing Up in the Shadow of Mentally Ill Siblings; Fatherless Women: How We Change After We Lose Our Dads; and The Feline Mystique: On the Mysterious Connection Between Women and Cats.

The recipient of multiple honors, including the Cat Writers Associations Presidents Award, she lives in Somerville, Massachusetts, with her husband, Jon Garelick, and their cat, Thisbe. Find her at Clea Simon.com

Reviews

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're into cats, both earthbound and paranormal, that sometimes talk to a human, you'll feel right at home in this college mystery. I enjoyed the academic setting.
Lots of leads to possible murder suspects and one mystery left unsolved.
Simon has written at least 8 other feline mysteries, including one titled Shades of Grey (well ahead of the current bestseller). I would happily read the earlier works.
The hardback cover is a plus (beyond just the paper one)and the choice of cover very apropos.
Not much romance but definitely touches on cooperative work relationships and friendships that made me relate to the characters in a believable way.
I'm sure cat owners would get a kick out of the story.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dulcie Schwartz finds herself a suspect in a murder as she also finds herself caught in an Academic nightmare. Nightmares are nothing new to Dulcie as she seems to be channelling a Gothic author that is the subject of her Doctoral thesis.

Author Clea Simon writes a true modern day Gothic mystery as good as the famed Georgette Heyer, in my opinion. The catch is that she successfully merges the writings of two hundred years ago with historic colonel America, then we are fully aware of being in the twenty-first century as well.

There is the required Gothic paranormal aura surrounding the tale, (5th book in series,) with ghost cats and mortal cats being able to communicate with Dulcie (at their convenience of course,)which adds quite a cozy feeling to the mysteries.

This is an outstanding series. It is for Gothic mystery readers even more than cozy mystery readers. The depths which the author takes the reader makes this series a modern day classic in my home. I look forward to Dulcie's further strives living in the Academia of Harvard or elsewhere.

[Sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Maybe you've never had a cat talk to you from the beyond, which might make this mystery seem far-fetched to you. Since I have, well, that aspect of the book didn't surprise me much.

Harvard PhD candidate Dulcie Schwartz is working on a paper about an anonymous 17th C. author. She's on the verge of a huge breakthrough when the dean shuts her research down so that a visiting scholar can access the same materials. However, when that scholar is murdered, Dulcie becomes the prime suspect. She has to prove her innocence, and her beloved ghost cat, Mr. Grey, has to help.

The book was two-thirds fair play puzzle and one-third thriller, as additional problems arise along the way and it becomes apparent that Dulcie, and some of her colleagues, are in the killer's sights.

I'm not overly familiar with Boston, but I'm sure those who are will recognize restaurants and othe locations. I felt like I could see the city through Dulcie's eyes.

I was absolutely charmed by this book and plan to read more in the series.

[Nora-adrienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

True Grey
By Clea Simon
Copyright December 2012
Publisher Severn House

Things look bleak for cat-loving Dulcie Schwartz when she finds the body of an academic rival she threatened to kill just days before . . . When Dulcie Schwartz stumbles across the body of Melinda Sloane Harquist, a visiting scholar whose upcoming book threatens to ruin Dulcie’s thesis and who she threatened to kill, in jest, just days before, it’s creepily reminiscent of the nightmares that have been waking her for the past week.
And with boyfriend Chris distant and preoccupied, and both the ghost cat Mr Grey and her kitten Esmé strangely cryptic in their advice, it’s up to Dulcie to prove herself innocent, before it’s too late . . .

This book is taking longer to read than it should... Every time I reach a point of the story that upsets me, I have to close the book and walk away for a minute or longer. I do love the characters though and this new book is the most troubling of all so far. The actions taking place around our heroine are scary, very scary.
Besides the classes that Dulcie teaches, she is working very hard researching her thesis topic, and finally feels like she is making progress towards finding the identity of the unknown author. Thomas Griddlehaus, the Chief Clerk of the library’s famous Mildon Collection is helping her find the scraps of pages she needs to validate her thesis. He is a very quiet and nervous man who seems to enjoy being able to help her. So it pains him to have to inform her that she is being locked out of the library at the behest of the Dean, who is giving exclusive access to a visiting scholar… A scholar who appears to be searching for the very same scraps and author that Dulcie’s been spending five years researching.
Why is all this so upsetting to me, and scary? This academic scholar is a former student at the college and appears to be very close to the dean who gave her access. So with much trepidation Dulcie arranges to get access to her prior to her “coming out party”, Dulcie finds her dead in her rooms with her head bashed in. She is ignoring Mr. Grey’s advice and steps into the room thereby making her even more of a suspect then she would be anyway.
The many twists, turns, and possible enemies are piling up and Dulcie has no idea who to trust. Even her boyfriend Chris appears to be unavailable when she needs him most. You will be very shocked at the identity of our killer and their motives. This book will keep you riveted to your seat from beginning to end (unless, like me you need a break between shocks).

FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book as a gift from the author who hoped I would give it a fair and impartial review.

[Larraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

"True Grey" is the 5th in the Dulcie Schwartz series and is as fun as always as well as an interesting look into the world of academia and literary research. Dulcie is a doctoral student who has been writing a thesis on an obscure Gothic writer for years. The first book in the series introduced Dulcie and her late, much loved cat, Mr. Grey. She has another cat - a playful tuxedo kitten named Esme. However, Mr. Grey still hangs around giving both Dulcie and her cat advice. Yes, it's far-fetched, but the premise is kind of sweet. In this 5th book in the series, Dulcie is having a lot of weird dreams involving murder and blood. Of course, she's deep into her research and getting close to a break through. To me, that would be reason enough for weird dreams! However, she is disturbed by them. Then she learns that the materials she has been using have been put off limits to her because a visiting scholar has been given exclusive access. It turns out that she is pursuing the same line of research that Dulcie is pursuing. Then she is found murdered and Dulcie becomes the most obvious suspect. All in all, I enjoyed this book although, frankly, I find the extensive foray into doctoral research methodology to be a bit tiresome. It is a bit slow in spots. All in all though it's a fun series. Although if you haven't read the first four, a lot of things won't make sense.

[Shelby Nations · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book at a resale shop and admittedly just skimmed the back cover. I didn’t know at the time that it was part of a series or that the main character communicated with and was guided by the ghost of her dead cat. I think I would need to read the previous books in the series for that to make sense. It interrupted the flow of the book for me.

Overall though, I enjoyed the mystery! I liked the academic setting and I didn’t predict the ending. I wish the motivations of the villains were explained a little more but I enjoyed it.

[February Four · Rating 3 out of 5]

Boy oh boy, the crazy must be infectious. I skimmed a lot of this, and Dulcie's bad habit of getting entirely distracted non-stop would drive anyone nuts.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love enjoyable cozies featuring felines, you'll enjoy the fourth installment in the Dulcie Schwartz series by Clea Simon. In this one, Dulcie who teaches an English class at Harvard is stuck in a bind. First it started with a dream. Later, it turns out to be a terrible reality. While she works on her thesis, she discovers that someone else is writing the subject on her paper. But things gets complicated, when she learns about a visiting scholar is coming by the college, and came across her dead body. Now it's up to Dulcie and her friends to find out what's going on, while she's feeling the heat and pressure from the dean, and haven't seen much of her boyfriend Chris either. They believe she's a person of interest, when she's being framed by someone who has it in with her. We really see what Dulcie struggles and goes through, including some talks with her late cat, Mr. Grey, and her cat, Esme, to pose a thought or two for her. A little paranormal twist makes this a delightful feline cozy to read and enjoy.

[Phillis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was not one of her better books.It seemed to be building up to a WOW ending and all it did was end. It should have been called "Dark Grey" as it had very dark overtones.Not much of it made sense even after the unraveling of the whole mysterious death and Dulcie's dreams. Yeah its a bit confusing.

[LyD · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best of the Dulcie Schwatz series for me. Dulcie a real suspect needing to clear her name and the growing relationships with her two cats made for an another enjoyable read. The insights into higher education are completely realistic, revealing the side of faculty and staff rarely seen by outsiders. Great job.

[Kathei · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love the Dulcie Schwartz mysteries by Cea Simon. It's very interesting reading about a character who is a graduate student at Harvard University and about the methods of her research. Her studies always end up being connected to a murder investigation and Dulcie always manages to get involved with the investigation. I’m enjoying the series.

[Abbey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although I enjoy Clea Simon's other heroine, Pru Marlowe, I just can't get into this world of academia. Also, I have to admit, I'm a dog person through and through. Still, it's well written and a good series for all the cat lovers out there.

[Elly Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3* Cute! A fun read.

[Harlequin Books]

Miniseries: A Dulcie Schwartz Feline Mystery

[Amy Bradley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A new semester and Dulcie discovers that a visiting scholar will be living on campus. The focus of the scholar’s soon to publish book? The same as Dulcie’s not finished thesis. With all access to the rare books and manuscripts library given exclusively to the scholar, Dulcie is in a bind. Then, when she goes to visit the scholar on the sly before an afternoon tea, everything goes to pieces when Dulcie finds her dead -and herself the main subject..

Corruption, nepotism swirl around as Dulcie tries to figure out what is going on without getting into more trouble.