Clea Simon's Blog, page 6

Kirkus loves BAD BOY BEAT!

Bad Boy Beat, my new amateur sleuth mystery, doesn’t come out until May 7, but the advance reviews have started to come in. First up is Kirkus, known for its nasty “Kirkus kick.” Only this time the professional publication is full of praise, saying:

“Simon’s staccato prose sets a tense mood that keeps readers on the edge . . . New territory for Simon that’s definitely worth another chapter”

The full review will be in the April issue, which goes online March 9. But I’m sneaking you a preview below. And, yes!, you can pre-order Bad Boy Beat now. In fact, I hope you do!

BAD BOY BEAT
Author: Clea Simon
https://amzn.to/3TmXm9F
Review Issue Date: April 1, 2024
Online Publish Date: March 9, 2024
Publisher:Severn House
Pages: 224
Price ( Hardcover ): $29.99
Publication Date: May 7, 2024
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 9781448313044
Section: Fiction

Simon, noted for pet-themed cozies, turns her hand to something darker.

Buttercup, Emily Kelton’s cat, is a bit player, relegated to hunting for treats and twining around the legs of visitors. Instead of focusing on her feline, Em trains her sights on making her way up the ladder at the Standard, “Boston’s smaller, scrappier morning paper.” Still on probation, she keeps trying to offer her editors something juicy to print without breaking rules whose violation could get her fired. Her latest case on the police beat could go either way. The murder of a low-level drug dealer is sure to pique the interest of a crime-conscious public, even though there’s no name and no motive—yet. But poking at Ruiz, the beat cop, for details may alienate a valuable source of information. In the other direction, Em clearly runs the risk of becoming too close to tall, handsome detective Jack Harcourt, whose information comes at a price. As more murders follow, Em senses a pattern, but details that would confirm her suspicions are hard to come by. As she struggles to find her place in a male-dominated newsroom, Em runs the risk of spoiling her relationship with her best friend, city hall reporter Theresa “Roz” Roscommon, and missing the opportunity to bond with intern Krista Lolly. Simon’s staccato prose sets a tense mood that keeps readers on the edge as Em keeps threatening to go over it.

New territory for Simon that’s definitely worth another chapter.

“The cats steal the show…”

Talk about an embarrassment of riches! Yesterday, the Bristol Public Library book blog also weighed in on To Conjure a Killer. I encourage you to visit the original blog site (here: http://bristol-library-bookblog.blogspot.com/2024/01/to-conjure-killer-by-clea-simon.html) but I’m also cutting and pasting the full review. The kicker sums it up nicely:

“The characters are well drawn. Becca is an appealing protagonist, with her kind heart and empathetic nature. There are some intriguing supporting characters as well… But I have to say that the cats steal the show—as well they should.” THANK YOU, Jeanne Powers of the Bristol Public Library!!

Bookblog of the Bristol Library

Reviews by the Reference Department of the Bristol Public Library, Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee.

Monday, January 29, 2024To Conjure a Killer by Clea Simon

Reviewed by Jeanne

Becca Colwin, witch detective, is walking home from her job at the New Age shop Charm and Cherish when she sees a kitten darting into the street.  Becca springs into action, chasing the kitten into an alley to rescue it—and finding a dead body in the process.  It’s not just any dead body either:  the deceased is Becca’s former boyfriend, Jeff.  

Of course, that’s when the police show up.

While Becca isn’t arrested, she is a person of interest in the slaying. After all, she was found standing over the body.  In order to clear her name, Becca is going to have to use all her powers, supernatural or otherwise, in order to solve the case.  This means she’s going to have to find out about the people in Jeff’s life and about the software program he was working on—one that people are saying could have been an electronic game changer.

Fortunately for Becca, she’s not the only one on the case.  Her three cats also have a vested interest in keeping her out of jail—and her cats are the ones with actual supernatural powers.

Nowadays, there are many mystery series with some otherworldly touches, but this series stands alone in that, unbeknownst to her, Becca’s cats are the ones with magic.  In fact, Becca’s belief that she has powers is due to luxury loving Harriet deciding to conjure up a more comfy pillow.  Harriet and Laurel, the two older cats, are more concerned that Becca bring home the cat food and attend to their every need, while Clara is devoted to Becca as her person and tries to help in every way she can.  The new kitten adds a layer of intrigue to the story as well:  is she just an ordinary cat or is she a witch cat as well?

The characters are well drawn.  Becca is an appealing protagonist, with her kind heart and empathetic nature. There are some intriguing supporting characters as well, especially the enigmatic Elizabeth, whose sister owns Charm and Cherish. The suspect gallery in this one is quite good.  But I have to say that the cats steal the show—as well they should.

Conjure is “a treat”!

Librarian Lesa Holstine’s Lesa’s Book Critiques is a must-read for mystery fans, and I’m thrilled that she has weighed in on To Conjure a Killer, calling it “a treat for cat and cozy mystery lovers.” Here’s the full review, but please click through to her wonderful blog here (https://lesasbookcritiques.com/to-con...)

TO CONJURE A KILLER BY CLEA SIMON

I felt a little melancholy in reviewing Clea Simon’s fourth Witch Cats of Cambridge mystery, To Conjure a Killer. Sandie Herron reviewed the third one, A Cat on the Case, a couple years ago. Sandie should have been here to review the latest one.

Becca Colwin works at Charm and Cherish, and thinks she’s a witch who can cast spells. She doesn’t realize it’s her three cats, Harriet, Laurel, and Clara, littermates, who have the magical abilities, and do their best to keep Becca out of trouble. They’re not there, though, when Becca chases a tortoiseshell kitten down an alley. The police are. They find Becca with blood on her, and her ex-boyfriend, Jeff, dead in the alley.

When Becca tells her best friend, Maddy, and the women in her coven, that she’s going to investigate Jeff’s murder, no one is enthusiastic. Jeff cheated on Becca, and it has been a year since they were together. She’s shocked to learn he left his job as a software designer, and struck out on his own. Jeff’s former co-workers seem to think his latest software design was worth a great deal of money. But, did it lead to Jeff’s murder?

Since Becca is the primary suspect in Jeff’s death, she asks a few too many questions, ones that could get her in trouble. But, her three cats, along with the new tortie kitten, have their own plans to protect their person. 

Fans of mysteries featuring cats will enjoy Simon’s latest book. Anyone who enjoys Sofie Kelly’s Magical Cats, Owen and Hercules, will want to meet Clara, Laura, and Harriet, cats with their own magical powers. Add in the new mysterious tortie kitten, and To Conjure a Killer is a treat for cat and cozy mystery lovers.

Clea Simon’s website is https://www.cleasimon.com/

To Conjure a Killer by Clea Simon. Polis Books, 2023. ISBN 9781957957340 (hardcover0, 270p.

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The best gift!

As a very lovely solstice gift, Harvard Book Store (my favorite local indie) just sent me the link to the event a truly wonderful and generous group of local authors did of my new “To Conjure a Killer” on Nov. 15. (I was recovering from surgery so couldn’t do it). If you want to see the likes of Joe Finder, Caroline Leavitt, Vicki Croke, Kate Flora, Susan Oleksiw, Dana Cameron, Toni L.P. Kelner, and Leslie Wheeler tackle a cat cozy, here’s the link. (If it asks, the pass code is: %PYR1cZC ) The way they brought my little cozy to life just warmed my heart – and then this great group of writers engaged in a thoughtful discussion of mysteries and the craft of writing. That alone is worth the price of admission (which is free, by the way). What a wonderful gift!! And thanks as well to Gabriel Valjan for the lovely graphic.

PS – If you want to support Harvard Book Store as a way of thanking them, here’s the direct link to CONJURE: https://shop.harvard.com/book/9781957957340

Of if you want to see the reading and prefer to. (Again, if it asks, the pass code is: %PYR1cZC)

Conjure is “irresistible”!

That’s the verdict of Purrs of Wisdom, Ingrid King’s superlative all-things-cat blog! Here’s her glowing review in full:

To Conjure a Killer is the fourth book in Clea Simon’s charming Witch Cats of Cambridge series, and like the other books in the series, the combination of mystery with a touch of the paranormal is irresistible. And is this not the most adorable book cover?

Protagonist Becca, a fledgling witch detective and employee at the New Age shop Charm and Cherish, is coming home from her job when she sees a tortoiseshell kitten run down an alley – leading to a dead body, which turns out to be Becca’s former boyfriend. Becca becomes embroiled in the investigation both as a person of interest, and by using her detective skills to try to solve the case. Meanwhile, the little tortie kitten seems to have some powers of her own, much to Becca’s three resident cats’ dismay.

As is the case with all of Clea’s books, her trademark descriptive writing style makes this book a pleasure to read. She excels at writing both human and feline characters that you just can’t help but fall in love with.The cats, including the little tortie, are delightful, each with a very distinct and unique personality, and each lending their mystical gifts to helping Becca solve the murder and clear her name.

If you enjoy feline-centric mysteries, fantasy, and a touch of magic, you will love this book. It can be read as a standalone, but why not treat yourself to the whole series?

How wonderful! Thank you, Ingrid! And thank you, Purrs of Wisdom!

Tonight! Harvard Book Store Zoom event

HOW GENEROUS IS THIS? I can’t do my own event for the launch of “To Conjure a Killer,” but an extremely talented bunch of my fellow/sister authors are doing one for me! (Thank you so much to Sisters in Crime New England’s Kate Flora for organizing!) Won’t you join us online on Nov. 15? It’s free (and online) but you do have to register: https://www.harvard.com/event/virtual_event_to_conjure_a_killer/

Happy CONJURE day!

Today’s the publication day of my new Witch Cats of Cambridge cozy cat mystery, To Conjure a Killer!

When Becca chases a stray kitten into an alley and stumbles over a body, you know things will get tense… especially when she brings that stray kitten into the apartment she shares with three bonded sister cats! Won’t you join us as the fun and fur flies?

Clea-TourDownload

CONJURE in the house!

They’re here! TO CONJURE A KILLER, the fourth witch cats of Cambridge cozy cat mystery, officially comes out next week – Nov. 14 – but you can pre-order yours here or here!

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Thank you, Booklist!

The first review for my upcoming (Nov. 15) TO CONJURE A KILLER is from Booklist, which gives a fun synopsis of the book before concluding: “Becca is a likable sleuth, though her successes are due to her feline companions. Readers who live with cats may find the cats’ paranormal powers believable.” I kind of think that’s the point of these books, but maybe that’s just me! What do you think?

What about the cat cozies?

WHAT’S UP WITH THE CAT COZIES? While I’m so proud to have announced that Severn will be publishing my psychological suspense THE BLUE BUTTERFLY and the rookie reporter-turned-amateur sleuth BAD BOY BEAT (which we’re hoping will launch a new series), you might be wondering, “what’s with the cat cozies”? Well, there’s a plan! As I read through the page proofs for TO CONJURE A KILLER (witch cat #4), I was realizing how much I adore Clara, Becca, and all the rest… and so I chatted with my agent. Severn House is willing to work around any new Polis “witch cat” books, and I’m willing to write them. SO — if Polis (the “witch cat” publisher — agrees, we’ll keep going. THAT SAID, I don’t have a contract for any more witch cat books, so if you like them and want the series to continue, please consider pre-ordering TO CONJURE A KILLER:  Pre-orders are what get books into bookstores and libraries, and those are what convince publishers to continue series!