“A fun addition to the series … with some interesting twists that bode well for future books in the series.” – Gumshoe Review
Writing for mystery journal Gumshoe Review, Gayle Surrette gives an in-depth rave to AN INCANTATION OF CATS (Witch Cats of Cambridge #2) over at: http://www.gumshoereview.com/php/Review-id.php?id=6760
And remember A Cat on the Case (Witch Cats of Cambridge #3) is now on sale on Amazon for $1.99.
An Incantation of Cats (Witch Cats of Cambridge #2)by Clea Simon
Cover Artist: Mimi Bark
Review by Gayle Surrette
Polis Books Trade Paperback / eBook ISBN/ITEM#: 9781951709310
Date: 05 January 2021
At the end of A Spell of Murder, Becca Colwin has decided to use her powers for the benefit of those who she can assist with her magical detective skills instead of applying for a research position. Her cats were a bit upset by this decision as they knew she didn’t really have any psychic or magical powers. When this story begins, readers learn that she’s solved a few missing item cases but it has been a while and she needs a new case … soon.
Luckily, Gaia Linquist hires Becca to find out who tried to kill her. She brings a root she found in her tea which she believes is wolfsbane, a highly poisonous plant. She also believes someone is stalking her and it is probably her boss who hates her. It’s not too long after her initial visit with Gaia that Margaret Cross makes an appointment to ask her to help prove her employee is stealing from her. Shortly, thereafter Becca learns Gaia works for Margaret. Not only is there an ethical conflict taking on both cases but the two cases seem to be even more entwined than they initially seemed.
Becca is new at the detective business so it appears that she’s just blundering around repeatedly going over ground she’s already covered. However, she’s also a trained and skilled researcher so she’s really in the process of learning how to approach people to gather the data she needs rather than searching online database resources. She’s aware she needs to share her information with the police but tends to want to wait until she has a complete picture first. A problem most amateur investigators have.
Meanwhile, readers are seeing most of the story from the point of view of the small calico cat, Clara. She follows Becca when she leaves the apartment, reporting to her two littermates, and discussing with them how to help Becca. The cats are charged with watching over their human but they seem to have different ideas as to what that charge requires. The cats do not solve the crimes but they do keep the reader up on what is happening.
An Incantation of Cats is the second book in the Witch Cats of Cambridge series by Clea Simon. I found it a fun addition to the series with a plot that was a bit more complicated, and with some interesting twists that bode well for future books in the series.