Clea Simon is the award-winning author of three feline-centric mystery series, the Theda Krakow mysteries, Dulcie Schwartz feline mysteries,
and Pru Marlowe pet noirs, the last two of which are ongoing. (She is also the author of three nonfiction books, including
The Feline Mystique: On the Mysteries Connection Between Women and Cats [St. Martin's]). Simon's latest books are
Grey Howl, the eighth Dulcie mystery (for Severn House), and
Panthers Play for Keeps, the fourth Pru Marlowe, which was just released by Poisoned Pen Press.
Last week I asked Simon about what she was reading. Her reply:
Because I have several TBR piles next to my desk and my bed, it's always a bit of a tossup what I'll read at any given time. Most recently, I finished Laura Lippman's The Most Dangerous Thing, which I picked up from Murder By the Beach, a great indie bookseller, because I heard Laura speak at Sleuthfest, a mystery conference in Orlando. She was so inspiring, talking about how 
we have to be proud of our genre – crime fiction – and how hard our work is, that I couldn't resist. And it was worth it – moody, atmospheric, and downright chilling, with great characters and a resolution that I did not see coming. After that, I was tempted by the new Robert Harris, An Officer and Spy, because I love him, but I think I'm now turning to Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings. It's gotten great reviews and my brother-in-law loaned me his copy, so I shouldn't hang onto it forever. Plus, when I Tweeted that I was torn between the two, Laura Lippman responded, pointing out that, like her TMDT, The Interestings deals with the intense friendship between a group of five teens. I started it last night, and I'm hooked. The fact that the protagonist is a shy redhead from LI who is a teen in the 1970s may have been a factor...
Visit
Clea Simon's website.
--Marshal Zeringue
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