Blog
1 cat, 1 three-legged raccoon, lots of crime…
I love crime fiction and I love Louisiana music, so it makes sense that I'd love James Lee Burke's Dave Robicheaux series, right? Therefore, it should be no surprise that I've been blown away by Burke's latest,"The Tin Roof Blowdown." What did surprise me is how many...
The Cat Underground Railroad?
A most interesting newspaper article in my hometown paper today talks about an "underground railroad" for pets facing euthanasia in shelters. I gather the idea is not unique, and often includes transporting unwanted animals to new owners who will love them, but who...
But what about crime?
Faithful blog readers may be wondering, where's the crime?If I've been cat happy lately, readers, it's not because death (fiction) has taken a holiday. I'm actually hard at work on a mystery project (hinted at a bit lower down), and I hope to be able to tell you more...
It was inevitable…
The outing of Oscar has led to the revelation that there are other "death cats," like this cutie, Buckwheat, resident cat in a Seattle nursing home. Now, I prefer "change-of-state-sensitive cats," as a label, myself. But hey, I'm keeping my eye on Musetta. Everytime...
The New York Times weighs in
Yesterday's Op Ed page had this to say about mandatory spay-neuter laws. Usually, I adore Verlyn Klinkenborg. He is a wonderfully lyrical writer on other subjects. But this time, I think he may have missed the point. What do you think?
Musetta’s fifteen minutes
Musetta, with her editing hat on (metaphorically speaking, though wouldn't that be cute?) has made it into Galleycat today. She's not alone, and it's a toss up whether this book-industry blog is forging some kind of a comment on the popularity of pets as authors'...
The Death Cat of Providence
Meet Oscar, the death cat of Providence. A cat who roams the halls, cuddling up to those who have reached their final hours. Sounds spooky, doesn't it? But in reality, the Providence mentioned is simply the capital of Rhode Island, which while nice is not divine. And...
Murder in the stacks?
Why do writers love libraries? Maybe a better question would be: how could we resist? All those books, all that quiet, all those lovely little corners to hide away in. I recently found that I could get a limited pass to Harvard University's storied Widener Library...
Okay, so it’s jazz and cats, and no crime…
Jazz great Charles Mingus's greatest contribution to the world at large may just have been the following detailed instructions, in his own words, on how to train a cat to use a human toilet. . Yes, really.
Summer Mystery Reading Challenge!
Do you feel like you're in a rut? Want to discover some new authors this summer? Take the Summer Mystery Reading Challenge. Hosted by Liz Clifford on her blog Reviewed by Liz, the challenge dares you to read six new authors by summer's end. Not sure where to start?...