When Dulcie Schwartz hears a wolf late one night, on her way to pick up some papers from her office, she tries to dismiss it – but it’s too late for her peace of mind. The noises, the dark building and an unnerving sighting of her adviser – looking strangely unhuman in the moonlight – all combine to thoroughly give her the creeps.

"Simon expertly casts suspicion on one member of her tiny human cast after another ... for readers who want all cats, all the time." – Kirkus Reviews

"Cat lovers, even if not fans of the paranormal, will be enchanted," – Booklist

"A sweet fantasy of magical cats helping to find out whodunnit that’s perfect for a few hours of cozy escapism.” – Criminal Element

When two new clients seek Becca’s professional services, the fledgling witch detective is overjoyed. Finally, she can use her skills to help her magical community. But as the young witch finds the new cases intertwining, things grow more complicated. Becca’s three cats – the ones with the real power – can smell something is wrong with these clients. But not even Clara, the calico, knows what to do when a man ends up dead and a powerful and poisonous root appears – and disappears – in the case. To make matters worse, Clara and her littermates are feuding – and she can’t tell them about an unsettling interaction she’s had with one of the client’s sisters. Is it possible that some humans may have the same powers as the magical felines? What does that mean for Clara’s beloved Becca – and for the potent poison that has already taken one person’s life? In this second Witch Cats of Cambridge mystery, Clara and her sisters must learn to work together if they are to save the person they all love.

Things look bleak for cat-loving Dulcie Schwartz when she finds the body of an academic rival she threatened to kill just days before...

Now a Mass. Book Award "Must Read"!

"Provocative, moving, and suspenseful. Don't miss it."
―New York Times bestselling author of Last Girl Ghosted Lisa Unger

"In electric prose, Simon conjures the rock-and-roll world, its drink, drugs, and band-dynamics, and the twin seductresses of excess and success, as she makes a penetrating portrait of friendship."
– Nina MacLaughlin, Boston Globe

"Simon perceptively illustrates the sacrifices one makes for art. Simon’s tour of the Boston music scene will make readers wish “Hold Me Down” included a link to iTunes."
―Oline Cogdill, Sun-Sentinel

"A mystery that explores character motivations ... For fans of Alexander McCall Smith and Janet Evanovich."
―Library Journal

Could a missing book be haunted?

When a panicked stranger shows up at Charm and Cherish, Becca Colwin feels compelled to help. But when that stranger then disappears, leaving behind her heirloom violin the aspiring witch detective is drawn further into a web of deceit and intrigue complicated by a history that only Becca’s three magical cats truly understand.

"The plotting is tight … he action is nearly constant and the danger is real. ...It all makes for an exciting adventure with enough danger to keep you reading to find out what will happen next.” – Gumshoe Review

In this fast-paced story, Dulcie is trying to get through midterms, when murder interferes

"If you enjoy feline-centric mysteries, fantasy, and a touch of magic, you will love this book."  – Purrs of Wisdom

Becca Colwin is coming home from her job at Charm and Cherish when she sees a tortoiseshell  kitten run down an alley - leading to a dead body.

As a connection between Becca and that corpse is confirmed, Becca comes under suspicion — and is dragged into a cyberware scandal, thanks to her cheating ex, Jeff. The unfaithful computer geek and his high-power investor were working on stealth software designed to record and transmit personal data – a new form of spyware that would be of interest to everyone from the police and security agencies to cybercriminals. And when Jeff’s former friends and colleagues approach her, Becca finds the police aren’t the only ones watching her.

"Clea Simon paints a sweeping emotional cityscape that will stay with you long after you put the book down."

Dulcie she finds the body of a fellow graduate student on her adviser's front step. The ghost of Mr. Grey, her deceased cat, returns to offer his usual cryptic advice, and her new kitten takes a noncommittal stance toward crime-solving, leaving Dulcie on her own to try and find the real murderer before the killer finds her.

Boston Standard journalist Emily - Em - Kelton is desperate for a big story. As a new reporter Em covers the police beat, which has her responding to every crime that comes across the newsroom scanner. Despite the drudgery and the largely nocturnal hours, it's a beat that suits her - especially with her affinity for the low-level criminals she regularly interacts with and what she considers a healthy scepticism for the rules.

But she's sick of filing short news briefs about random street murders that barely merit a byline, and when she sets out to cover yet another shooting of a low-level dealer, she begins to wonder if these crimes are somehow connected.

With not much to go on but her instincts, Em sets out to uncover the truth behind these sordid crimes. But the more she investigates and uncovers a pattern, the more she digs herself into a hole from which she might not come out of alive . . .

Grad student and cat lover Dulcie Schwartz must fight to clear her name when she discovers Professor Fenderby dead in his office.