Grey Expectations

March 12, 2012
Simon’s enchanting fourth Dulcie Schwartz mystery (after 2011’s Grey Zone) finds Harvard grad student Dulcie still at work on her doctoral thesis on late 18th-century gothic fiction and still trying to identify the anonymous author of “her long-time favorite adventure,” The Ravages of Umbria. Esmé, Dulcie’s telepathic tuxedo kitten, provides distraction. When an 11th-century manuscript, the Dunster Codex, goes missing from the rare book collection in the Widener Annex, suspicion falls on Dulcie’s brash Victorian studies friend, Trista, whom the police already suspect of having something to do with the disappearance of visiting scholar Roland Galveston. Dulcie, aided by her ghostly cat, Mr. Grey, and her live-in boyfriend, Chris Sorenson, seeks to solve the puzzle, which soon takes a murderous turn. Fans of academic paranormal cat cozies will be in heaven. Agent: Colleen Mohyde, Doe Coover Agency.

In the fourth Dulcie Schwartz mystery, the gothic studies graduate student has a lot on her plate: possible identity theft, murder accusations, a haunted manuscript, and pressure from her advisor to complete her dissertation. Tavia Gilbert navigates the ups and downs of Dulcie's life with a bright, upbeat tone that highlights Dulcie's resiliency and a changing pace and tone that draw out the drama in the mystery. Gilbert also lends credibility to the more supernatural aspects of the story, including Dulcie's ghost cat, Mr. Grey. The biggest treat in the narration is the mesmerizing British accent that Gilbert employs when delivering the passages related to Dulcie's dreams--which take on all the drama of the gothic novels Dulcie studies. E.N. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine