Animal behaviorist expert Pru Marlowe received a call from a woman who wanted Pru to stop by her elderly father’s home and help get a kitten settled in. The kitten was supposed to provide companionship to the widower, but instead Pru found it sitting by the man’s body lying on the kitchen floor. Between the phone call and her arrival, someone murdered David Canaday, a prominent local attorney.

Shortly after Pru made an emergency call regarding the dead man, paramedics arrived, followed by one of the three daughters of the victim. It didn’t take long before the man’s three daughters were haggling over his large estate.

Judith, the oldest daughter, lived in California and sent the kitten to her dad ahead of her arrival. Jackie, the local daughter, asked Pru to take care of the kitten before she knew her father had died. The youngest daughter, Jill, tagged along with Pru and Dr. Sharpe at the animal hospital.

All three were at each other’s throats much of the time, but especially after the will was read by David’s partner. Jill stood to inherit the bulk of her dad’s estate.

From the moment Pru arrived at the dead man’s house the little kitten began to talk to her and her cat, Wallis, sharing secrets the daughters were not aware of.

The big question is who murdered the attorney; the growing number of suspects range from the three daughters, the lawyer’s partner, an unhappy client, or even the little kitten that sat by his side. A question that it looks like not even Pru can figure out.

Kittens Can Kill, by Clea Simon, is her latest pet noir mystery. The prolific author has written seventeen mysteries in Theda Krakow, Dulcie Schwartz, and Pru Marlowe pet noir series.

Kittens Can Kill is an interesting cozy mystery with a number of likely suspects and a lot of help from the feline contingent. The characters are well drawn and comfortable in their own skin, the dialogue easily carrying the plot forward. Despite many clues and red herrings, the reveal at the end was still a surprise.

Despite police presence in the story, Pru carried the main burden of tracking down clues and solving the case, more so than in many cozies with active police departments even if the main sleuth disagrees with the way the investigation is conducted.

I’m sure this interesting who-done-it will have fans looking forward to the next installment.

If you are interested in purchasing any of Clea Simon's books, they are available at Amazon.com

A special thank you goes to Poisoned Pen Press for providing us with a complimentary copy of Kittens Can Kill.