AS DARK AS MY FUR, by Clea Simon, Cat Writer

(Publish date April 1, 2017)

An orphaned girl makes an unlikely detective in a harsh, dystopian city. Aided by a cat with a past, she seeks answers to a cruel case. Traps are set; gauntlets are run, There is danger everywhere. Narrated by Blackie, an ancient cat who had once been human, the story loops and spirals to the final conclusion and leaves us ready for the next book. 

Simon is extremely cat-savvy to pull off this unconventional narration with such accuracy and feeling. Though Blackie, remembering the advantages of being human, sometimes resists his felinity, he is a cat through and through. 

As both a writer and reader of cat mysteries, and I hesitate to call “As Dark as my Fur” a mystery in the conventional sense. Because the story is told by Blackie and all perceptions are his, there is a fluid quality of introversion that might disappoint a reader who expects the usual formula plot. “Dark” seems more a noir study of an extreme human condition, one that I hope we never see.

Note: I love the cover art. I would snap this book off the shelf without even reading the blurbs because of it.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review. I appreciate the opportunity to get to know Blackie and Care in this inspired sequel to “The Ninth Life”.