The Case of the Campus Cat

by Judith Woolf

A breakthrough in paediatric medicine. A battle-scarred tomcat. A tribe in the South American rainforest.

How could they possibly be connected?

Lesbian literary scholar Morgan Byrd has no time for babies, or cats. But when the disappearance of her university’s resident tomcat is rapidly followed by baby snatching and murder, Morgan is drawn into the police inquiry, alongside ten-year-old Oliver Cresswell, a maths prodigy turned boy detective with a man-sized secret to hide.

While their input is not always welcome, Detective Inspector Burdock soon finds that he needs their unorthodox assistance to unravel his investigation, filled as it is with red herrings, tumultuous twists and eccentric characters, from academics to members of a closed religious sect.

As for Alka-Seltzer, the disreputable campus cat, the circumstances behind his grisly end will offer an unexpected glimpse into a political heart of darkness…

Genres: Mystery

298 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2024

Reviews

[Fleurtje Eliza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I quite liked the three main characters - Lin, Morgan and Ollie - being eccentric and outspoken in their own personal ways. However, there were quite a bit of characters to take in. And I marveled at some of the other people in this story, their behavior... their lack of understanding and yet unexpected empathy, all of them turning out unexpected: the bossy Octavia not understanding the pain the nanny was going through, Libby in the end.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.

[Miki Jacobs · Rating 4 out of 5]

When Child Prodigy Oliver goes to feed Elspeth's cat, it's not there. He reports it to the Police and gives them the description and details of the car he sees leaving, but they ignore him. When Baby Ben goes missing they step up, but Oliver is sure the two things are connected. He decides to investigate himself.
There is a lot that Oliver hasn't told the Police, mainly because it's private and also that he knows they won't believe him.
A tale of some very strange characters, but very enjoyable.

[Megan]

2.8
This book is a bit of an oddity because the main protagonist is a 10-year-old genius, Oliver Cresswell. He provides the only connection between three crimes: a catnapping, a kidnapping, and a murder. But it is the lesbian couple, Morgan and Lin, that use their special knowledge to help solve them.

The plot has quirks and turns and herrings throughout, but never really held my interest. Although the second half is more exciting than the first, the book never extablishes a comfortable rhythm. Morgan’s cynicism is refreshing and Lin’s deafness is an unusual plot device, but much of the solutions of the crimes doesn’t ring true. The story of the cat and the murder, for instance, is never really solved and the main criminal is an outwardly respectable citizen that just happens to be secretly insane.

For the first time in my life, I agree with those reviewers who complained that the author introduces too many characters with too many similarities too quickly. Truly, it is only in the last chapter that I was able to actually place them all. As a quick read for lovers of academic mysteries, this will probably be at least a semi-enjoyable read; for others, maybe not so much.

I read the ebook version of this novel that was available on Amazon in January, 2025.

Note: This review is included in my book The Art of the Lesbian Mystery Novel, along with information on over 1250 other lesbian mysteries by over 400 authors.