The Cat Saw Murder by Dolores Hitchens

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

 

I have been delighted with the reissues of classic mysteries of late.  Both British and American authors have been represented.  Some are old favorites, like Ellery Queen, or some that I have heard of, such as Craig Rice; others are completely new to me.  I’ve thoroughly enjoyed most of them.  When The Cat Saw Murder by Dolores Hitchens appeared, I just had to pick it up.

First published in 1939, the introduction tells us that this was a first in series book which may be the forerunner of the many cat inspired mysteries.  It also tells me a lot of other things, more about which later.

Miss Rachel Murdock lives with her sister Jennifer and a cat named Samantha.  When their niece Lily asks Miss Rachel to come and visit her for a few days, Miss Rachel is puzzled but complies.  She packs up the cat and heads to the rather run-down boarding house where Lily is staying.  It’s populated with a number of suspicious characters and Miss Rachel is definitely ill at ease.  She knows Lily is in some sort of trouble—Lily is often in some sort of trouble—but the girl is being evasive. She owes money, that’s for sure, but how much and to whom is the mystery.

Then Lily is brutally murdered in the same room where Miss Rachel is sitting.  And by brutally, I mean bludgeoned to death.  This isn’t a squeaky clean cozy where people determinedly died off in the margins, hiding some of the gory details, but neither is it glorified.  Part of the solution hinges on blood splatter, so it’s not gratuitous. Determined to find the murderer, Miss Rachel teams up with Detective Lieutenant Stephen Mayhew, who is more than a little dubious as to what help an elderly lady can offer. He’s soon to find out that she’ll be invaluable.

I was drawn straight into this mystery.  Part of it is that I grew up reading mysteries of that era: Rex Stout, Ellery Queen, Agatha Christie, Josephine Tey, etc., so I’m familiar with the conventions.  There can be a bit of omniscient foreshadowing, there may be some stereotypes that are no longer politically correct, and so forth.  I’m not unduly bothered by them because I know they are a reflection of a particular time and place, though I will admit I was a tad nonplussed by Ellery Queen’s descriptions of his elderly and decrepit father, only to find out that Dad was younger than I am.  Mayhew is a bit of an intimidating cop, and some of the things he does certainly wouldn’t pass muster today.  Miss Rachel is no shrinking violet, nor doddering little old lady. She has no intention of being the next victim and no intention of letting Lily’s murderer get away.  Her niece may not have been the brightest or nicest person on the planet, but she didn’t deserve her violent ending.

In fact, I probably wouldn’t have noticed some of these things if the introduction by Joyce Carol Oates hadn’t pointed them out. I’m sorry to say that after reading the aforementioned introduction, I almost decided not to read the book.  One other of the classic reprints I did in fact decide not to read after the intro which, like this one, pointed out all the book’s shortcomings and made little mention of any redeeming qualities.

But I forged ahead despite all these warnings and found it was indeed an entertaining mystery.  It was like watching one of those old black and white mystery movies, the ones where you can judge a character by his or her clothes or by the clichés. 

This isn’t a mystery that will be everyone’s cup of tea, but I enjoyed it. In fact, I’d like to read more by this author.

Nevermore: Cat Saw Murder, Jefferson's Sons, Uncle Tom's Cabin, Island, Snow Leopard, Tipperary, Island That Dared

 

Nevermore opened up with another recommendation for a mystery which has been making the rounds:  The Cat Saw Murder by Dolores Hitchens. Originally published in 1939 but recently reprinted, this delightful mystery features mature sleuth Rachel Murdock whose visit with her niece turns into a murder investigation.  Our reader added her positive review to the chorus, but noted that she was shocked that the 70ish Rachel was considered to be very elderly. 

Another book making a return appearance was Jefferson’s Sons by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley. Told from the point of view of three of Jefferson’s children by Sally Hemings, the book portrays the inconsistencies of Jefferson’s views and the inequalities experienced by his mixed race children. The book is both heartbreaking and enlightening.  Our reader was fascinated with the book, calling it both delightful and insightful. She highly recommends it for anyone with an interest in American history, or for anyone looking for a good story. The book is generally found in the Young Adult section, but adults will find it to be just as worthwhile.

 

This matched well with the next book, the classic Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe.  Our reader was enthralled with the book, finding it difficult to put down.  Stowe knew former slaves and so had first-hand accounts to describe the horrors of slavery.  Our reviewer feels that everyone should read this book.  

The next book had a very brief review.  The Island by Peter Benchley has to do with the strange disappearances of many boats along with the people on board.  Our reader called it “one of the worst books ever.” Enough said. 

 

The Snow Leopard by Richard Matthiessen is an older title, dating from 1978, but it still captured the attention of our reviewer.  The book chronicles Matthiessen’s journey to the Himalayan Mountains to study the blue sheep, but the journey is as much a spiritual one as it is a physical one.  Buddhist philosophy plays a large role, and Matthiessen does a brilliant job of blending the search for an elusive creature with the search for peace. 

 

Our next reader so enjoyed Frank Delaney’s novel Ireland that she decided to read Tipperary as well.  The latter book set during the late 19^th-early 20^th centuries has two narrators:  one is Charles O’Brien, a historian who tells of his life, including interactions with influential Irishmen such as James Joyce.  He falls in love with an Englishwoman many years his junior who wants to reclaim her Irish home, Tipperary Castle. There is a second narrator who purports to have found this memoir and who comments on it. Our reader said it was confusing in places but a really good book if you could keep track of the characters and events.

 

The Island That Dared by Dervla Murphy is an in-depth look at Cuba.  Murphy is a well-respected travel writer, and here she seeks to experience Cuba in much the same way as ordinary Cubans. She’s looking for the backwaters and areas tourists never see, and interacts with the Cuban people.  She also provides a wealth of historical background and insight, with certain conclusions that some people might view as controversial.  Our reviewer recommended it highly, and felt that everyone needed to read it in order to understand the whole historic and modern day Cuban situation.