“Cat lovers, even if not fans of the paranormal, will be enchanted,” says Booklist about AN INCANTATION OF CATS. I am overjoyed!

Full review as follows:

Advanced Review – Uncorrected Proof

Issue: December 15, 2019

An Incantation of Cats.

By Clea Simon

Jan. 2020. 288p. Polis, $26 (9781947993808)

Laurel, Harriet, and Clara are littermates, part of a long line of magical felines. They live with Becca Colvin in Cambridge, Massachusetts, assisting in her work as a witch detective, each cat using her own special powers. Clara, the youngest, has the power to shade herself into invisibility and is thus able to follow Becca around town. The day two women seek Becca’s assistance, the cats’ whiskers tingle. Gaia is convinced someone wants to poison her and produces as evidence a root that she believes to be wolfsbane, or aconite, which is highly toxic. Margaret, owner of the Charm and Cherish shop where Gaia works, is convinced that Gaia is stealing from her. Becca learns that Margaret’s husband, Frank, who is planning to leave her, has stolen her jewelry. Then Frank is found dead, and the police suspect poisoning. Becca (and Clara) crisscross Cambridge trying to piece things together, with Clara summoning assistance from her sisters, particularly Laurel, who has the power of suggestion. The cats are the real stars, working hard to protect their human companion. Cat-lovers, even if not fans of the paranormal, will be enchanted by the feline trio.

— Karen Muller