Quite an enjoyable crime thriller involving an ex-policeman-turned-private detective.

A paediatric oncologist’s (Dr Lonigan) cat goes missing. So do other pets in her apartment block. She enlists the help of New York PI, Darla Barnes. When Lonigan suspects the pets are being preyed upon by an owl, to order, Darla enlists the help of PI Frank Pavlicek, who also happens to be a falconer. The case of the missing cat is more complex than either Frank or Darla could possibly have imagined. The oncologist is an animal rights activist; the residents of her apartment block are involved in a bitter dispute with its developer, who is very elusive about certain aspects of his other ‘activities’. Knives, guns, murders…all because of a missing cat and puppy? This is quite a case for Frank and his daughter, who is following in his PI footsteps. And when her life is threatened, it becomes seriously personal.

I did like this thriller, but the plot was rather complex, hurried in places, and ‘told’ rather than ‘showed'. It could have done with some extra room in which to manoeuvre—I did get a little lost and confused—and the ending was rather frantic. All threads were neatly tied up, but rather over-economically in more a less a sentence or two!

That said, it did hold my attention, it had some snappy, intelligent dialogue, and a good cast of contrasting and intriguing characters. The complexity of the plot left little room to get to know the main characters a little better, which was a shame, as I could feel a likeability for Frank and his daughter and would have welcomed a little more of their personal life and relationship to better appreciate their professional partnership.

Worth a read, nonetheless, despite many very annoying, avoidable, proofreading oversights. ( )

This is not your mother’s cat mystery. (With apologies to all you lovers of feline noir.)

No one would ever mistake Virginia private investigator and falconer Frank Pavlicek for Ace Ventura. But when the ex homicide detective is asked to return to New York City to help find a physician/animal rights activist’s missing feline, the stage is set for one of the most bizarre cases of Frank’s career.

Are the doctor’s accusations true? Has the eccentric developer of her luxury apartment building actually hired a hit man to kill her pet by stealing the poor creature and hunting the kitty down with a bird of prey? Turns out, the doc and some of her fellow apartment owners are embroiled in a rancorous legal dispute with the builder. Other pets are missing too and witnesses claim to have spotted a specter-like figure prowling Central Park at night carrying a giant owl.

With the help of his daughter Nicole, sometime partner Jake Toronto, and tough-nosed PI Darla Barnes, Frank soon discovers more is at stake than any of them had imagined. Chasing the mysterious falconer, they stumble upon an anonymous, half-dead child. Darla is shot and seriously wounded. To make matters worse, a reporter more interested in a bizarre story than in pursuing facts interferes along with competing camps of protestors. Not to mention Frank’s rekindled romance with erstwhile flame Marcia D’Angelo.

In the end, both the good doctor and the developer must come clean about their respective agendas, exposing a true evil that has escaped unnoticed. Overcoming such an evil will take every skill in Frank’s hunting bag, the courage of a most unlikely band of survivors . . . and a sacrifice by a heart as big as New York City and all outdoors. ( )