Review: Into the Grey: A Dulcie Schwartz Feline Mystery

I have been a fan of Clea Simon’s Dulcie Schwartz mystery series, featuring the Harvard graduate student, from the very first installment, and with every book, the series just keeps getting better and better. In Into the Grey, the 10th book in the series, Dulcie is the prime suspect in the murder of a professor who had been questioning her scholarship.

Readers of previous volumes know that Dulcie can’t resist becoming involved in murder investigations, and this time, the stakes are even higher: her own freedom and academic standing are in danger. As in previous volumes, Dulcie’s tuxedo cat Esme and the spirit of her dear departed Mr. Grey are helping Dulcie by providing insights and clues along the way.

One of the things I love most about this series is the development of Dulcie’s character over the years. Clea Simon has a way to make you love her protagonist despite, or maybe because of, her weaknesses. I found this book hard to put down, and breathed a sigh of relief when I had reached the final pages. I won’t give away the ending, but the final paragraph of this book is so beautiful, it brought tears to my eyes.

As with all of Simon’s books, she provides enough back story so Into the Grey can be read as a standalone, but why deprive yourself of the joy of reading the entire series?