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Dulcie Schwartz #7
Grey Howl
A prestigious literature conference is convening in Cambridge and Dulcie Schwartz is the university liaison for the event, meeting and greeting some of the finest minds in her field.
But events do not run according to plan when one scholar's presentation is sabotaged while another visiting professor disappears. As Dulcie and her boyfriend Chris struggle to solve problems and soothe egos, a strange apparition starts to haunt the bi-annual event. And even Mr Grey, the ghost of Dulcie's late, great cat, appears to be overwhelmed, leaving Dulcie to manage an increasingly backstabbing crew of professional rivals, one of whom may be a killer.
But events do not run according to plan when one scholar's presentation is sabotaged while another visiting professor disappears. As Dulcie and her boyfriend Chris struggle to solve problems and soothe egos, a strange apparition starts to haunt the bi-annual event. And even Mr Grey, the ghost of Dulcie's late, great cat, appears to be overwhelmed, leaving Dulcie to manage an increasingly backstabbing crew of professional rivals, one of whom may be a killer.
- GenresMysteryMystery Thriller
208 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2014
About the author
Clea Simon
64 books410 followersBoston 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
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
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
March 25, 2014
Grey Howl
By: Clea Simon
Copyright: March 2014
Publisher: Severn House
A prestigious literature conference is convening in Cambridge and Dulcie Schwartz is the university liaison for the event, meeting and greeting some of the finest minds in her field.
But events do not run according to plan when one scholar's presentation is sabotaged while another visiting professor disappears. As Dulcie and her boyfriend Chris struggle to solve problems and soothe egos, a strange apparition starts to haunt the bi-annual event. And even Mr Gray, the ghost of Dulcie's late, great cat,,appears to be overwhelmed, leaving Dulcie to manage an increasingly backstabbing crew of professional rivals, one of whom may be a killer.
Dulcie’s life feels like it’s spinning out of control. She is going to be presenting a paper at the conference taking place at her university so of course the department chair has decided that she also has to be in charge of taking care of everything else also. Meeting the visiting scholars, making sure they have what they need while still trying to have a life of her own is in a word daunting.
Things start going sideways when one of the scholars asks for help retrieving the file that supposedly contained her notes for her presentation, and claiming that someone has sabotaged her computer. Finding out that everyone in the visiting group has a past that crossed lines over the years (and also having affairs with each other) is making it difficult for her to keep them in line.
Add in some possible poisonings, a dead body, and once again being seen as a person of interest by the police is making Dulcie wonder why she ever let her boss push her into being liaison to the visiting trouble makers.
Clea Simon, in each succeeding book in this series is proving that she is up there with the greats. Her stories bring to mind authors like Dame Agatha Christie, John Sandford and J.J. Marric. Her ability to juggle so many people and multiple crossing plots make her books a genuine pleasure to read, collect and share with friends.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher who only asked for a fair and impartial review.
By: Clea Simon
Copyright: March 2014
Publisher: Severn House
A prestigious literature conference is convening in Cambridge and Dulcie Schwartz is the university liaison for the event, meeting and greeting some of the finest minds in her field.
But events do not run according to plan when one scholar's presentation is sabotaged while another visiting professor disappears. As Dulcie and her boyfriend Chris struggle to solve problems and soothe egos, a strange apparition starts to haunt the bi-annual event. And even Mr Gray, the ghost of Dulcie's late, great cat,,appears to be overwhelmed, leaving Dulcie to manage an increasingly backstabbing crew of professional rivals, one of whom may be a killer.
Dulcie’s life feels like it’s spinning out of control. She is going to be presenting a paper at the conference taking place at her university so of course the department chair has decided that she also has to be in charge of taking care of everything else also. Meeting the visiting scholars, making sure they have what they need while still trying to have a life of her own is in a word daunting.
Things start going sideways when one of the scholars asks for help retrieving the file that supposedly contained her notes for her presentation, and claiming that someone has sabotaged her computer. Finding out that everyone in the visiting group has a past that crossed lines over the years (and also having affairs with each other) is making it difficult for her to keep them in line.
Add in some possible poisonings, a dead body, and once again being seen as a person of interest by the police is making Dulcie wonder why she ever let her boss push her into being liaison to the visiting trouble makers.
Clea Simon, in each succeeding book in this series is proving that she is up there with the greats. Her stories bring to mind authors like Dame Agatha Christie, John Sandford and J.J. Marric. Her ability to juggle so many people and multiple crossing plots make her books a genuine pleasure to read, collect and share with friends.
FTC Full Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher who only asked for a fair and impartial review.
May 19, 2014
Mystery. Intrigue. Broken romances.
Yes, these are the hallmarks of an academic conference.
I've presented at one, and while in our case most of the broken romance was between the speakers and the owners of the subject baseball team, I could definitely relate to the confusion and pressure of a hall full of strong-minded speakers all running about in Dulcie Schwartz's new tale.
The surveillance cams and prescient pets must be helping, because the Harvard body count in this book is one of the lowest I've encountered. Yet there are other crimes, and apparent crimes, and non-crimes to be solved, and the poor policeman who once again gets tagged with solving them all must be praying that Dulcie get a tenured position someplace else before too much longer.
A few of the recurring characters are becoming a little too pat after several volumes in to this series, but one of them grows nicely in helping to solve things at the end. There's also the usual menagerie of animals who either help or annoy the humans- sometimes both at once.
Yes, these are the hallmarks of an academic conference.
I've presented at one, and while in our case most of the broken romance was between the speakers and the owners of the subject baseball team, I could definitely relate to the confusion and pressure of a hall full of strong-minded speakers all running about in Dulcie Schwartz's new tale.
The surveillance cams and prescient pets must be helping, because the Harvard body count in this book is one of the lowest I've encountered. Yet there are other crimes, and apparent crimes, and non-crimes to be solved, and the poor policeman who once again gets tagged with solving them all must be praying that Dulcie get a tenured position someplace else before too much longer.
A few of the recurring characters are becoming a little too pat after several volumes in to this series, but one of them grows nicely in helping to solve things at the end. There's also the usual menagerie of animals who either help or annoy the humans- sometimes both at once.
March 3, 2019
Prestigious conference, in university where Dulcie is acting as a liaison between attendees and the university. However, everything doesn't go as planned, one presentation is sabotaged while one attendee is missing who later turns out to be dead. Dulcie is torn between her professional commitment and personal issues.
Dulcie seems is exactly like any doctoral candidate is. Though, she sometimes is stupider than a child, I mean if you are in dark room instead of stumbling over things she could have just used her phone for bit of light but she doesn't, that really got on my nerves. Having said that, I love her commitment for literature and academia. Mystery looming over, it's difficult to figure out who did it since everyone seems to be viable person with motive. I also got as confused as Dulcie.
Grey howl has a perfect gothic setting, cold weather, University seems to be secluded from rest of the world and having insurmountable problem. Having spectral friendly cat around to help our otherwise forsaken heroine is comforting. Minus few of Dulcie's stupid action it was a perfectly comfortable read for literature lovers and unlike.
Dulcie seems is exactly like any doctoral candidate is. Though, she sometimes is stupider than a child, I mean if you are in dark room instead of stumbling over things she could have just used her phone for bit of light but she doesn't, that really got on my nerves. Having said that, I love her commitment for literature and academia. Mystery looming over, it's difficult to figure out who did it since everyone seems to be viable person with motive. I also got as confused as Dulcie.
Grey howl has a perfect gothic setting, cold weather, University seems to be secluded from rest of the world and having insurmountable problem. Having spectral friendly cat around to help our otherwise forsaken heroine is comforting. Minus few of Dulcie's stupid action it was a perfectly comfortable read for literature lovers and unlike.
July 22, 2022
After reading a couple of Clea Simon’s cozy mysteries I searched until I found every book in several of her series. I’m currently reading the series where each book begins with Grey. I like them so much that I’ve been limiting myself to one book every few months because otherwise I would binge read them all at once and I prefer to savor them. If you like cats and you like mysteries these should make you happy.
April 19, 2018
It's surprisingly difficult book to read, so serious, nothing cozy or funny about it. Maybe spirit ghost didn't appear much in it, but either way I find this part a little bit spooky - not in a good way. All in all not bad, but I struggled through it.
January 26, 2018
I like this book. I just wish there was more interaction between Dulcie and Mr. Grey and Esme.
January 5, 2022
This felt very disjointed, but maybe that's what I get for starting with book 7 in a series.
March 20, 2016
I always enjoy the books in this academic/paranormal/cat mystery series featuring Harvard grad student Dulcie Schwartz. This one felt particularly fast-paced, especially towards the end. My only complaint with this particular title is
SPOILER ALERT
I didn’t feel the mystery of what is going on with Dulcie’s boyfriend Chris was satisfactorily explained. Perhaps I missed something in my gallop to the finish or am simply being obtuse, but I didn’t feel his episodes of wandering around with no recollection of what he had done or where he had been was something that could be explained either by a virus or by poison. Other than that, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
SPOILER ALERT
I didn’t feel the mystery of what is going on with Dulcie’s boyfriend Chris was satisfactorily explained. Perhaps I missed something in my gallop to the finish or am simply being obtuse, but I didn’t feel his episodes of wandering around with no recollection of what he had done or where he had been was something that could be explained either by a virus or by poison. Other than that, I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading the rest of the series.
December 19, 2014
Really nice read.
There is something comforting about Dulcie's adventures and this is no exception. Whether it's the weaving of cats into the stories or the background of the university, it's very relatable.
There is something comforting about Dulcie's adventures and this is no exception. Whether it's the weaving of cats into the stories or the background of the university, it's very relatable.
Read
June 8, 2017Miniseries: A Dulcie Schwartz Feline Mystery
March 27, 2017
I both did and did not like this one. A lot happens - the university is hosting a literary conference, a lot of interpersonal conflicts…
Plotwise, interesting.
But one character is really manipulative and just rubbed me the wrong way.
(I’ll still read the last one, as I want to know how the series ends, what Dulcie discovers about the author, but this was less enjoyable for me than the others due to the manipulation. Not sure if it is quite gaslighting, but I felt slightly ill - could also be due to the current political happenings and alternative truth fad.)
Plotwise, interesting.
But one character is really manipulative and just rubbed me the wrong way.
(I’ll still read the last one, as I want to know how the series ends, what Dulcie discovers about the author, but this was less enjoyable for me than the others due to the manipulation. Not sure if it is quite gaslighting, but I felt slightly ill - could also be due to the current political happenings and alternative truth fad.)
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews