Edited by Lindy Cameron
Publisher/Year: Clan Destine Press/2021
Publisher description
Who Sleuthed It? is the book you want when you want a book about animals helping their animal friends – or their human sidekicks – solve a host of diabolical crimes and whimsical mysteries.
Why, let us tell you about it in rhyme:
Penguins and humans and dogs run by
Magpies, hawks, owls and pigs that fly…
Weredogs and cats and rats are why…
Dragonflies, starlings, and cockies flash by
Foxes and spiders and bats… oh my
Fingers and wings and paws, all solving…
Mysteries and crimes and…
Ectoplasm?
Good grief
This forthcoming anthology from Clan Destine Press features a host of Australian, American, and Irish authors
Cover illustrated by Judith Rossell
Reviewer: Alexia Leigh
Who Sleuthed it? is a unique and cosy collection of short stories sure to transport you back to your childhood when furry and feathered friends alike; talked, worked, played, protected, and even solved murders.
This collection has been written for adults though many stories are suitable for children. Parents should be aware some of the stories do have paranormal themes and I recommend reading the stories personally before sharing them with younger minds.
There were many brilliant stories but I’ll touch on just a few.
In ‘The Flotilla,’ Meg Keneally successfully transports you back to 1900 where you follow the journey of Jean, an underappreciated plague nurse battling not only a pandemic, but murder most foul, with the help of some feathered friends.
In ‘Time Spent With a Cat,’ Chuck McKenzie plunges you into a wonderful wild world where the human conscience is projected outside the body taking a unique form for each human. Now, PI James Carpenter has to solve a murder, find a vanishing murder weapon and do it all in eleven hours, while being shadowed by his ever-vocal conscience that has taken the form of a cat. James hates cats.
In ‘Cats Are Better Than Humans,’ Livia Day introduces us to the feline detectives this online murder-solving band has no idea that while they gossip about true crime and solve mysteries over zoom their cats are always one step ahead. But what will these clever felines do when their human pets start dying one by one.
These were just a few of the nineteen unique and engaging stories in this collection. Like all collections, some shone to me. I loved the thorough research in ‘The Flotilla,’ the voice of Monty the golden retriever in ‘When The Chips Are Down.’ The playful spin on Sherlock Holmes in ‘A Rascal In Academia,’ and the moral contemplations raised by ‘The Tidings.’
Some stories didn’t pique my interest simply because the genre was not one I enjoy, but that is the beauty of a collection of short stories. Some stories don’t reach you, some stick with you forever but every reader will have a different favourite. Why don’t you find yours?