Sunday, April 14, 2013

Parrots Prove Deadly-Clea Simon

Parrots Prove Deadly


Clea Simon

Poisoned Pen, Apr 2 2013, $24.95

ISBN 9781464201042



In Beauville, to the shock of no one working at the LiveWell retirement complex as she was very ill, octogenarian Polly Larkin dies in her Room 203. Polly’s fiftyish daughter Jane asks pet guru Pru Marlowe to retrain Polly’s roommate, foul-mouth African grey parrot Randolph Jones.



However, Pru listens to Randolph’s mimicry and concludes the parrot is repeating Polly’s last words. The psychic animal expert further thinks Randolph witnessed a murder instead of the natural death that staff Dr. Wachtell insists happened and that someone wants the parrot silenced forever. Pru and her animal team (Wallis, Buster, Frank and Growler) investigate what each believes was the murder of an elderly woman.



The third Pru Marlowe Pet Noir (see Dogs Don’t Lie and Cats Can’t Shoot) is an enjoyable psychic mystery as the heroine “talks to the animals” in order to seek their guidance on solving the case. Though the whodunit solution seems obvious in spite of several viable suspects, fans will appreciate this fun anthropomorphic investigation.



Harriet Klausner



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