Spiky freelancer Theda Krakow has fallen on a bare patch. Changes at the newspaper have cut out her regular columns and magazine work is slim. An assignment to write a piece on Cool, a gifted musician back in Boston who is being oddly reclusive behind a screen of a fancy hotel and an entourage, comes as a welcome distraction from Theda’s money and man troubles. Somehow she and policeman Bill aren’t clicking.

But worse, someone is stealing show cats. Feline-friendly Theda, who helped set up a Cambridge cat shelter that is run by her friend (the former barista) Violet, is outraged. When a kindly cat breeder is implicated in the thefts, Theda resolves to uncover the culprits. But when a murder hits close to home, the circle of suspects widens to include family and an extortionist, and more….

Theda is a great guide to the city, whether running its streets, hanging out in her Cambridge neighborhood, or enjoying bands— particularly Violet’s brand of riot grrrl punk. She’s less adept at sorting out her own heart, though it largely belongs to her kitten, Musetta.

But as a sleuth, Theda is razor sharp.