Cats Can't Shoot

January 5, 2009
Australian author Greenwood’s fine Phryne Fisher mystery combines suspense and humor with a taut race to unmask a master assassin before he can strike again. The irrepressible and defiantly unflappable Phryne Fisher decides to attend a lavish four-day celebration in Melbourne, “the Last Best Party of 1928,” despite anonymous and deadly warnings to keep away, which include a coral snake. One of the party’s hosts, Gerald Templar, becomes worried after Tarquin, the orphan boy he’s adopted, disappears. The connection between Tarquin’s vanishing and the escalating acts of violence from the killer who calls himself the Joker is far from obvious, and Fisher has no shortage of suspects to consider among the eccentric guests, including a man who’s modeled himself on Oscar Wilde. The Joker’s identity will surprise many readers, but as usual for this long-running series (Cocaine Blues
, etc.), the major pleasures come from Greenwood’s wry voice and the larger-than-life Fisher.

Starred review from April 15, 2012
The second Pru Marlowe mystery has the soon-to-be-licensed animal behaviorist defending a Persian cat that may have shot its owner with an antique pistol. Pru is convinced that cats can't shoot, but the cops sure think this one did. Normally, Pru would use her psychic abilities and ask the Persian what happened, but the cat ain't talking, leaving Pru on her own. Her first instinct is always for the animals, something the rest of humanity doesn't always understand. In fact, Pru's animals-first philosophy, combined with her nosy investigating, is giving her quite a reputation as an eccentric, but she doesn't care as long as she keeps her charges safe. Pru's strongest and clearest communication has always been with her own grumpy feline, Wallis, but she's expanding her range to actual conversations, which turn out to be a great boon for an investigation, as animals often have evidence no one else could gather. Between the vengeful widow and a strangely similar-looking mistress, Pru is dealing with some tough women. And when a Russian mobster arrives in town looking for one of Pru's sometime boyfriends, the tension escalates still further. Simon excels in creating unique and believable animal characters as well as diverse and memorable humans, and this sequel is just as good as Dogs Don't Lie (2011). A perfect read-alike for fans of Rita Mae Brown and Shirley Rousseau Murphy.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)