Cattery Row

Theda Krakow #2

by Clea Simon

Spiky freelancer Theda Krakow has fallen on a bare patch. Changes at the newspaper have cut her regular assignments and magazine work is slim. When a call comes in asking her to profile Cool, a gifted musician who's being oddly reclusive, it's welcome relief from both Theda's man and money troubles.
But even with work at hand, there are problems: Someone is stealing show cats. And both the feline-friendly Theda and her friend Violet, who runs the local shelter, are outraged. When a kindly cat breeder is implicated in the thefts, Theda resolves to uncover the culprits. But when a murder hits close to home, the circle of suspects widens to include family, an extortionist, and more....


Theda is a great guide to the city, whether hanging out in her Cambridge neighborhood or enjoying the latest bands in the clubs, particularly Violet's brand of riot grrrl punk. She's less adept at sorting out her own heart, which largely belongs to her kitten, Musetta, but as a sleuth, she's razor-sharp.

Genres: Mystery, Cats, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller, Fiction, Cozy

372 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 2006

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

[Chanele · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a cute, simple mystery involving catnappers, murder, and a little rock n roll. Cats in the greater Boston area are being stolen, and it culminates with the murder of one of the main character, Theda's, friends, a breeder of pedigreed show cats. Theda takes it upon herself to solve the mystery. That storyline is ok.. although the final expose was ... just weird.

What does this book wrong is all the other stuff that is going on in it. Maybe because it is part of a series, there are multiple stories taking place throughout - Theda's love life, Theda's professional life, the comings and goings of Theda's friends. At times it takes away from the central point of the novel. The author attempts to melt it all together, particularly tying Theda's journalism career with the murder mystery, but it doesn't always feel clean. And then there is the confusion of her love life.

Theda also felt unbelievable in a variety of reasons. She barely seemed like an adult, and her adult problems felt awkward and strange. There were aspects of the characters that reminded me of when I used to write stories as a teenager about what I thought it was like to be an adult. Theda didn't have much development, so it seemed like she did things, but it wasn't clear why.

It wasn't a terrible book, and I liked the characters, for the most part, but there was a bit much going on in such a short space.

[Betty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cat Problems

Catteries are being broken into and show cats are being taken and owner is found dead. There are no clues to the perps or what is happening to the cats. Meanwhile Theda life is changing and she is not sure what wants to do. Her ex-boy friend is back in town. Theda and Bill are having problems. Her work life is not going well. Theda turns her time for helping cats and her music. Violet is working on a Halloween party for cats. Theda drives Violet to a pet supply business for provisions. Good information on cat shows, pet warehouse and cat mills.

[Barb Radmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cattery Row is Clea Simon's second entry into the Theda Krakow Mystery series, the first being Mew is for Murder. Both are published by Poisoned Pen Press.

Theda Krakow was a reporter covering the music scene until a disagreement with her boss ended that job. So, with a dwindling bank account, a tangled relationship and aging by the day, she is pleased to get a free lance assignment to follow up on the women profiled in a previous article. She is especially happy to get an excuse to be back in touch with her old friend Cool, a best selling musician who is back in town after a long absence. She is distracted when a series of catnappings start to occur. But the catnappings become her focus when another one of the article's subjects, a cat breeder, is murdered. Theda and her cat loving friends must solve the crimes as more cats disappear and the suspects hit close to home.

This book is seems, at first glance, to be a common addition to the "cozy mystery with cats" that litters the current literature landscape. But Clea Simon has much more to offer. She has created main characters and settings that are evolved beyond the feline fanciers facade. The music setting adds a new, welcomed environment which she is able to bring to a colorful, rich focus. The world of girl bands, music clubs and the alternative Boston music , long known for producing great acts, is a different, interesting venue.

It is tempting to call this a feminist mystery due to its strong female characters; women who find love important but not all consuming, with careers they embrace and expand. They work together as friends and allies, supporting, aiding and abetting each other thorough life and future dreams. Competent female characters are a refreshing addition, cats and all. Theda and her friends, male, female and feline, are all well defined as individuals, each is given a role but not stifled into cardboard portraits.

Clea Simon has been able to combine her knowledge of journalism, music and cats into a strongly written mystery. It leaves hope that Ms Simon is hard at work writing the next entry into this series, two is not nearly enough.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Second in a series, protagonist investigates a murder resulting from suspicions about "kitten mills." Very well done, and the protagonist's career as a rock music critic lends an edginess to the story that keeps it from ever getting too cute.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Theda Krakow just got released from her job at the newspaper for (probably) being too old to cover night life in the city. She doesn’t know if she wants to keep her boyfriend Bill, and now her friend Rose Keller, who breeds cats, is receiving threatening phone calls. Theda accepts free-lance assignments and runs into cool, her old friend now a pop star, when she hears that Rose has been murdered. Against the advice of Bill, her cop boyfriend, she investigates while doing her stories and runs into Rick, her ex-boyfriend, who is back in town. Besides trying to solve a murder and get her job back, Theda has to decide which man is her “best man.”

I didn’t care for Theda’s character at first, but she grew on me and I now want to read a few more Theda Krakow mysteries.

[Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

A worthwhile read.
Enjoyable -- find the plot elsewhere in the reviews. Clea Simon is a good writer so the prose was good, plot good: I will read the first one and probably continue with the series.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly enjoyable. Cats, Cambridge, what’s not to like? Wistful for my younger days.

[Diana Coffey · Rating 4 out of 5]

It kept me interested and had just the right amount of cat in it. :)

[Sharon Kleban · Rating 4 out of 5]

Utterly enjoyable. Cats, Cambridge, what’s not to like? Wistful for my younger days.

[Peggy Collins]

Another Master Piece

I loved the first book in this series and was overjoyed to get the second one!
This book is well written, cozy mystery with a charming g warmth, yet full of intrigue and sure to keep you on Therese of your seat!
Gotta love Musetta! :)

[Kat Lebo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thoroughly enjoyed this second in the series novel. Once again Theda Krakow is on the loose, managing to be in the wrong place at the wrong time and landing herself and others in danger. Theda, a freelance writer, is as curious as the cats she loves. With her friends Bunny and Violet, she always manages to insert herself into the middle of a murderous mystery. This time the mystery has multiple layers which include not only cats and cat breeders, but people from past articles on which she has worked, including a longtime friend in the music business that is Theda’s greatest source of pleasure. Be prepared for many twists and turns in this fun read – both in the mysterious goings on and in Theda’s personal life.

As usual, one of the things I liked best was the fact that there were few mistakes in sentence structure, misspellings or wrong word usage. For instance, here’s the biggest one I spotted: when she is meeting Bill at the Casbah (about 44% on my Kindle) and states that his fisherman’s sweater “…felt marvelously scratchy against my check…” Only my fountain pen feels scratchy against my checks! :-) I’m always appreciative of the author who takes the time and expense to have his/her work competently proofread, allowing me to stay focused on being in the moment in the storyline!

And, of course, I loved the focus on cats – whether the everyday back alley variety in Violet’s shelter, the easy going Ragdolls which are the subjects of the book's cattery thefts, or the pampered Turkish Angora’s of the Rose Blossom cattery, it is always nice to see an emphasis put on the responsible, ethical treatment of our furry family members!

I’m looking forward to the third novel in this series. Guess it’s time for me to go shopping on Amazon.com!

[moxieBK · Rating 2 out of 5]

I bought this book because the first one, “Mew Is For Murder,” was a well written and fun piece to read. This one is disappointing. By the first fourth of the book, I was so angry that Theda’s best buds were trying to control her love life, and that they thought they knew her better than herself. It felt like she was being chastised for being single and having a mind of her own. I very rarely root against the protagonist’s friends, but by the middle of the book, I was doing just that.

I was so angry that this smart, witty, wonderfully independent woman had such overbearing friends, that it very nearly turned me off from reading the rest of the book.

And unlike the first book, although there were cats in the book, and it appeared they were prominent, they weren’t as front and center in this book as the first. That was disappointing too.

I found myself not as connected to the story as the first, and found my mind wandering, and I found myself speed-reading through parts in the middle that I felt were not central to the story.

The ending felt really fleshed out, and it made sense, but all the irrelevant inside stuff, especially concerning hew love life, could have been better written (meaning: condensed and concise.) The latter made the book read longer than it ought to have. It felt like filler to make the story longer, but read blandly.

Aside from the irrelevant parts and the parts that made the protagonist appear codependent and no independent, the book was fairly well written, but had grammatical errors here and there.

I don’t see myself continuing this story; I really wanted to like the cat angle, but when the cats are as central as I felt they could have been, it just left me feeling like it wasn’t so fun to read.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hmm. Well, it was clear to me early on in this book that "round" "chubby" "generously built" and other references to overweight were favored adjectives. I found it somewhat distracting how much the author felt the need to remind the reader, repeatedly, that these particular characters are overweight. Really? Cuz I'm not attentive enough to catch that the first time, build a picture of the character in my mind, and move along with the story? Oooookay. Annoyingly, she continues to focus on "heavier" descriptors in the next book, which I'm reading as well. Here's the thing...it's distracting. Describe once and move on. I KNOW Violet has purple hair. I KNOW Bunny is pleasantly plump. The repetition of same interrupted the flow of the story for me. I'm finding the main character to be a bit ADD, especially in her relationship with the Very Stable Bill, and like so many of the cozy mystery heroine's, the constant self-questioning inner dialog gets tiresome, but overall, a readable book. Not one of my faves, but will continue. Just finished listening to a Sandra Dallas book, which makes the challenges in this story stand out a bit more. I think all cozy writers should read more actual character driven fiction and learn how to tell a story while weaving in the mystery. It can be done, and it can be done well. As this is the author's second book, I'm hoping as we move along the series, the writing tightens up. There's some solid potential. I remain hopeful!

[Diane Morasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cattery Row is Clea Simon's second foray in the Theda Krakow series.In this sophomore outting Theda's caught up in murder, extortion and cat thefts.In recent months, eight catteries near Boston have been broken into, and expensive show cats stolen.Theda is bewildered over these thefts. Afterall, without documents of their lineage, the cats are practically worthless, so why would anyone steal them?Her friends are having their own problems. Eccentric cat-breeder Rose has received a blackmail phone call. She doesn’t have the money they asked for. If she doesn’t pay, they will kill her cats.

Violet has had some sick kittens stolen from her shelter. Theda gets hired to write a follow up story. Her friend Rose is one of those women. When Theda goes to interview her, she finds Rose murdered.Thea speculates the blackmailer killed her. The police figure Rose was involved in the string of robberies of purebred cats.Cleo Simon definitely knows cats. Her knowledge comes through in the way she has them interact with the humans.

Ms.Simon ensnares you immediately from the first page. This series just gets better & better.

[Marlyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was spurred to read Cattery Row by some reviews on DorothyL. It wasn't until I was halfway through it that I realized it was the second in a series, so of course I immediately checked Mew out of the library. Theda (short for Theodosia) Krakow is a freelance writer. It's been a rough few months for her: her boyfriend Rick took a job in another state, and her longtime cat companion James died.

She is just starting to come out of her mourning period (mostly for her cat), and see her friends again. A fan of alt rock, she loves to check out the many underground clubs in the Boston/Cambridge area where she lives.

Happening upon what she thinks is a stray kitten one day, she follows it to a house inhabited by an elderly woman who, it turns out, has many, many cats, which gives her the idea that she might do a story about cat hoarders. But later, when she goes over to the woman's house, she finds her dead in her kitchen.

Although the police seem convinced that the woman fell and hit her head, Theda and her friend Violet are convinced that it was murder.

[Chazzi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read with some interesting characters.

Theda Krakow earns her living writing. Preferring the world of music but will take on bridal articles and an update on an article she wrote profiling prominent women in her area if that is what will pay her bills. One of the women in her update article is a local cat lady who breeds Turkish Angoras and has become a close friend. Another is a blues singer who has been missing from the music scene for quite a bit.

While doing her research and talking with the ladies she finds there is a common secret behind each lady's private life; blackmail. The problem becomes more serious when cat lady friend is found dead and some of her expensive kittens are missing. Theda decides she will find out who the killer/blackmailer is.

To complicate her life, he ex shows up unexpectedly, and she has already been dating a new guy. Now she has to make a choice. Is the ex the one or is her current beau the one? Friends have opinions but Theda has to make the choice.

The music world, the cat show world combine to make interesting backgrounds.

[Kirsti · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series is much darker and grittier than your average cat cozy mystery. There is a real music angle too, one that I can't totally relate to due to my love for 90s pop hits and songs that remind me of my favorite movies. My partner, who is into more unique and interesting bands, often tells me I have a terrible taste in music, but meh. Still, I could relate to Theda's love of music by applying it to other things I love, like being in a fandom (kind of)

Despite the focus on music, there was still plenty to do with cats. I picked the blackmailer early on, but then was pleasantly surprised by the way everything tied in together. That is always the aim with these kind of books, to get that surprise in.

I actually ordered this book and book three in through my local book store, at the hefty price tag of $30 each for a paperback. They're a little more expensive than I would normally like, but still worth it. Four stars.

[Roberta · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book because it was (supposed to be) a mystery involving cats. Turkish angoras were specifically mentioned in the synopsis on the back cover but the cats actually involved in the mystery are ragdolls. The Theda Krakow is a freelance writer who writes about punk rock and has the seemingly required disfunctional relationships with two men. There were a few details about freelance writing that made the character seem real but I don't know any freelance writers who actually make a living at it who are as stupid about the business end of it as she is or write as little as she does. I probably won't be searching out any more books in the series.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book starts out slow. Theda wasn't a very likable character. I got tired of her internal struggle on which guy she liked. Tired of her talking about her "scene" and no one understands her. This character just seemed full of herself. The mystery got interesting after 1/3 of the book or so, but I couldn't get beyond my dislike of Theda. Happy to be done.

Also, it interested me that all the men had typical names - Bill, Rick, etc. and all the women had unique names - Theda, Cool, Violet, Caro, Bunny. The men in the story are obviously secondary and probably could have been left out. Might have been a better story without Theda's awful internal man debates.

[Sara Kuberski · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book jacket said this book was better than the first one in the series, but I disagree. Both started out extremely slow, however about half way through the first one picked up and I cruised through it. With this one I kept waiting for something to pick up but it never did. The book held my attn but just barely. I was very disappointed. The only reason I finished it was because I wanted to read book three, which I had read about in LJ. The book had a few moments but overall I was not impressed.

[Grey853 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Free lance reporter Theda can't seem to get or keep a job, but when someone kidnaps a pedigree kitty, she's on the case. Can she get the scoop and save the kitty?

That's about the level of the book, kitties everywhere. It goes rather slowly and the writing didn't really appeal to me. However, if you're into cats and the cutthroat business of fancy cat shows and breeding, this might be the book for you.

[Lois Hecksel · Rating 3 out of 5]

With a slow start, too much focus on unnecessary details (like her poor finances repeatedly mentioned), detailed cat information, and the sleuth talking to herself, this cozy mystery at first seemed like a slow schlep through the first half. Reading became easier and the plot more enticing in the second half of the book.

[Nora Ray · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like books with cats in them and this has several. It is number 2 in a series about Theda Krakow, a freelance writer with a fuzzy cat named Musetta. The characters were young and fresh; somewhat different than the run of the mill heroines. I felt it jumped a bit much and sometimes lacked continuity but over all it was a decent read and I will probably look for other books in this series.

[Annenz · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book.If you like non-verbal cats who do not solve crimes and you like music, this is a good series for you.
This is the second in the series.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

http://www.literaryfeline.com/2007/12...

[Diana Petty-stone · Rating 5 out of 5]

A freelance writer, a purple haired rocker who rescues cats and some very interesting characters all make this a very entertaining cozy mystery. 2nd in the series.

[Novita Sari · Rating 3 out of 5]

nice to read for cat lover

[Leslie Angel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Liked the first one better. A bit formulaic. Nice exciting ending.