Author: Clea Simon
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc (audiobook) (April 2011)
Pru Marlowe isn't your
ordinary animal psychic. A tough girl on the run from her own gift, Pru
left the big city to return to her picturesque Berkshires hometown
looking for a little peace. Too bad that her training as an animal
behaviorist got her mixed up with Lily, a rescue dog, and Charles, her
person. Now Charles is dead, and Lily looks good for it. After all,
Lily is a pitbull, a fighting-ring dropout, and way too traumatized to
give Pru a clear picture of what she has witnessed. But Pru knows
something about bad girls trying to clean up, and, with a sense of
justice strong enough to overcome her dislike of human society, she
takes the case. Listening to the animals, Pru picks up clues—and learns
there are secrets in the pretty little town that make murder look
simple. Unable to tell anybody about her psychic abilities, uncertain
at times about her own sanity, Pru comes to realize that if she clears
Lily, she’ll likely become the prime suspect—or the next victim. While
the only creature she can totally trust is her crotchety tabby Wallis,
Pru’s got to uncover the real killer—and find a way to live with her
gift—before the real beasts in the town savage her and those she has
come to love.
Pru is a psychic who can hear animals thoughts. She has also been working toward her animal behaviorist degree when her gift showed up. One of her clients is murdered and she feels she must prove the dog didn't do it. I listened to the audiobook and at first I wasn't sure I was going to like it. The narrator's transition from Pru to animal was not always apparent to me. Once I got used to the very subtle difference in the narrator's voice for Pru and the one for animals, it went much more smoothly. I'm glad that I stuck with it. The mystery itself was a surprise. There are multiple suspects and I thought I had it figured out when the author threw in a twist at the end. That made me like it even more.
I liked the Pru and her ability to listen and talk to animals. I often wonder what my cat is saying to me. Wallis is amusing and in a way her best friends and confidant. One thing I had an issue with is that her cat seems to be the only one with whom she can have a full conversation. With all of the other animals, she must communicate using pictures and images in her mind. This is never fully explained or explored as the story mainly focused on the murder. I hope that in future books, the reason for the appearance of her ability and her strong connection to Wallis is explored further. I would also love to see it become stronger over time.
I do recommend this one. It was a quick "read" and I know animal and mystery lovers will enjoy it.
--Kari
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