Tues. Dec. 11

Clea Simon and yours truly probably first bonded over rock 'n' roll - we were both rock critics, she for the Herald, me for the Globe - and later, well,  cats. I'm on the fourth Maine Coon cat, none of whom I've ever claimed has helped much in my writing pursuits. Not Clea. She emails us: "I am guided in all my writing ventures by my own little muse, Musetta (who is actually named for the mezzosoprano in "La Boheme," but takes the source of her name seriously)." Simon, who was a copy editor at the Globe after freelancing for the Herald, still does a radio column for the Globe. But that's not her main pursuit. She's a serial novelist featuring Theda Krakow, and, as you might have guessed what's been discussed here is a main factor: "My motto for the series is "cats & crime & rock & roll." (Astute rock fans, will note the play-on-words; Ian Dury wrote the classic "Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll.")
Simon will read from her latest Krakow mystery "Cries and Whiskers," Tuesday Dec. 11 at Brookline Booksmith at 7.

   The book, says Simon, "centers on the Boston-Cambridge club scene and the cats of those who love live music. It opens on a wild winter storm, when Theda is woken by an emergency phone call: A woman who has been working with feral cats has been hit by a car, and Theda and her buddy Violet (who plays guitar in a band) have to go out into the cold and see if they can free any trapped cats before they succumb to a New England winter. Along the way, Theda gets involved in the animal rights vs. animal welfare debate." Now, as much as we love cats (our wife even cares for a little backyard feral community), we have an aversion to the Cat Fancy lifestyle and the cats-are-the-cutest things mentality. So, is this cute? No. "Like my previous mysteries," says Simon, "'Cries and Whiskers'" is a traditional-style mystery, with clues buried in the plot. And although it features cats, it isn't cutesy - my cats don't talk and they don't solve the crimes. In fact, Partners and Crime in New York, where I gave a reading on Monday, called it a 'cat-friendly tough-girl crime novel.'  On Tuesday, Simon partners up to read with Karen Olson, who wrote "Dead of the Day."  Free.

279 Harvard St., Brookline 617-566-6660 www.brooklinebooksmith.com