Fear on Four Paws by Clea Simon

Reviewed by Jeanne

I always look forward to a new entry in the Pru Marlowe Pet Noir series. For the uninitiated, Pru works as a dog walker, animal behaviorist, trainer, and—more often than her on again, off again police officer lover Creighton would like—detective.  Pru has a bit of an advantage in some cases: she can communicate with animals psychically, an ability whose sudden and confusing onset caused her to check herself into a mental hospital.  It’s fear of being considered mentally unstable that causes Pru to keep her talent to herself, though Creighton has begun to suspect.

And while she can understand animal thoughts, the communication tend to be somewhat chaotic, to say the least, except from Wallis, Pru’s sardonic feline companion. 

This time around, Pru has been searching for Albert, the local animal control officer, who is not the most diligent public servant (to put it mildly).  She finds him passed out cold and an illegally trapped bear near by.   She doesn’t figure Albert has the gumption to be the brains behind such an operation, but a new complication swiftly arises in the form of a dead human in the same vicinity.  Albert’s pet ferret, Frank, is a probable witness but Frank isn’t talking.

Angered by the thoughts of what was probably in store for the bruin, Pru starts to investigate but she soon has more than one complication on her hands: pets are disappearing from an upscale neighborhood, and Greg the local game warden is interested in offering her a job—and maybe something more.

As usual, the animals take center stage.  I always enjoy Wallis, whose observations on human life in general and Pru’s in particular, give the books some zest.  Pru is a complex character who is suspicious of most of the human race and especially wary of emotional entanglements.  She is more attuned and compassionate toward animals, who suffer not only physical hurt from humans but indignities: Growler, a bichon she walks on a regular basis, is called Bitsy by his human and treated more like a stuffed toy than a living creature. Despite being confined most of the day, Growler knows most of what goes on in the neighborhood and is a good source of information for Pru though he, like Wallis, is disdainful of Pru’s lack of awareness of all the things that go on around her.

However, I have to say that Bunbury Bandersnatch stole the show this time.

This series is often called a cozy, though that’s not the label I would give it.  It’s a bit darker and grittier, not to mention that Pru is no chaste virgin maid.  I think of it more as a straightforward mystery with a light dose of social commentary and a dollop of supernatural.  It’s an excellent series and comes highly recommended.

While I think any of the books in this series could be read as a stand alone, I am one of those people who likes to start at the first and read in order.  The other books are:

Dogs Don't Lie (2011)

 Cats Can't Shoot (2012)

Parrots Prove Deadly (2013)

Panthers Play for Keeps (2014)

Kittens Can Kill (2015)

When Bunnies Go Bad (2016)

Fear on Four Paws (2018)

All are available from the library.

Full disclosure: I am acquainted with the author, but that did not influence my review.

 

I think Tessa was Wallis in a previous life.

East by Edith Pattou

Reviewed by Ambrea

In East, Edith Pattou tells the story of Rose, the youngest of seven children—and substitute child for the daughter who didn’t survive.  A misfit even amongst her closest family, Rose has never really fit in anywhere.  She’s different, out of place, but when an enormous white bear suddenly appears and asks her to leave in exchange for health and prosperity for her impoverished family.  Faced with the health and happiness of her family, Rose readily agrees.  But as she travels to distant shores upon the back of the white bear, she quickly discovers nothing is as it seems—and she’s soon in for the greatest adventure of her life.

East is a curious story that pulls directly from the Norwegian fairy tale, “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” but it appears to draw on everything from history, Beauty and the Beast, Greek mythology, and much more.  It’s intriguing and fascinating and strangely beautiful, and I enjoyed it immensely.  Truthfully, it’s quickly become one of my favorite books for young readers.

I loved the imagery in East, especially when Rose weaves her stories.  Don’t get me wrong, I liked reading Neddy’s and her father’s narratives, because both Neddy and her father offer insight into Rose’s personality as a child and give perspective to her unexpected journey.  They are an anchor that helps tether her wild adventure to the real world, keeping a line between their world and the magical world of the north.  However, I enjoyed Rose’s narrative best because she has a way of looking at the world that impressed upon me the beauty of the far north, a way of chronicling sensations and thoughts that allowed me to better envision her adventure.

Rose loved to see the world, and she loved beautiful things in nature.  She knew how to capture and convey their appearance, their subtle ferocity and their ethereal beauty, but she also knew how to describe the terrible chill of the snow and the cutting sharpness of ice, which I absolutely loved.  She weaves a beautiful story, literally and figuratively.  Rose creates beautiful works of art in the cloth she makes, the tapestries she weaves, and she has a similar talent for stringing together words to create a narrative that’s both evocative and fascinating.

I loved it.

Additionally, I loved the originality of East.  I realize it pulls directly from “East of the Sun and West of the Moon,” but Pattou manages to give the story an added depth by crafting complex characters and expanding upon the goblin myth.  Moreover, I liked that she pulled from all sorts of European myths, drawing out aspects of Beauty and the Beast (a French fairy tale, originally) and the story of Cupid and Psyche.  It was interesting to see all these difference influences come together to create a story that’s both compelling and enchanting, a novel that conveys a sense of history and myth—and, of course, magic.

Strangely enough, I also liked the pacing of East.  Pattou manages to convey a sense of elapsing time, making Rose’s adventure epic in scope.  Many months pass as Rose sets out with the White Bear, and many more months pass as she journeys to a place “east of the sun, west of the moon” to free him from the clutches of the wicked Troll Queen.  It makes for a long book, but, at least, the pacing is spot on.  The narrative has a natural progression that takes the readers on a wonderful journey from the French countryside to the coldest, most pristine reaches of the far north.

And I enjoyed every minute.