Catherine Raynes: Talking cat, serial killer and unsolved crime makes for an 'engaging' plot

The Cat who Cracked a Cold Case by LT Shearer

A crime gone unsolved for five years . . .

The life of Lulu Lewis, a retired police detective, took an unforgettable turn when Conrad first introduced himself to her. Unforgettable because:
a) Conrad is a special cat.
b) Special because he told her so.
Yes, that’s right, he can talk.

(For obvious reasons, this ability remains a closely guarded secret while they live together on her canal boat, The Lark.)

Visiting an old friend in Manchester, the pair stumble across a chilling news report about a trail of bodies found across the city that echo a string of cold case murders from Lulu’s past in London.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:07):
You're listening to the Saturday Morning with Jack team podcast
from Newstalks.

Speaker 2 (00:11):
The'd be twelve on News Talks. He'd be Catherine Rains,
our book reviewers. Here is she is every Saturday Morning
with her picks for the weekend. Hey Catherine, Good morning Jack. Okay,
let's start off with The Cat who Cracked a Cold
Case by Lt. Shearer.

Speaker 3 (00:27):
So this is a little bit bizarre maybe, and you do,
of course, have to suspend a lot of reality for this.
But it follows Lulu Lewis, who's a retired police detective
and life takes a very unforgettable turn for her when Conrad,
who's a very special talking cat, turns up into her
life and he introduces himself to her, and so, for
fairly obvious reasons, this ability remains a very closely guarded

(00:48):
secret and they enjoy their lives together. They live on
a canal boat called the Lark, and it's this very
easy companionship. But Lulu has this very keen investigative eye
and you follow Conrad the cat's very witty feline quips.
And in the latest escripage there's several mysteries rolled up
into one. So a serial killer from Lulu's past who's
murder again, but this time in Manchester, away from her
home in London. And a theft of some very expensive

(01:11):
figurines stolen from a fellow canal or boat owner who's
completely heartbroken about this as they had been given to
her by her late husband. And there's this very mysterious
suitor who is pursuing Lulu's widowed friend Jane. And so
Lulu and Conrad helped to solve all of these three
places along with the local police, and she discusses clues
with the cat and he's kind of really almost like

(01:33):
her alter ogos ego, sorry, as she's solving them. And yeah,
I don't I'm not really a fan of talking books
and animals, but somehow talking animals in books. But somehow
this really works together and you get this very well
constructed plot and all this strands come together and the
observations make a really enjoyable story. And it's termed what's
called in the books, termed what is called now cozy crime,

(01:55):
but it has that engaging plot and Conrad really is
the star of the book, and it's funny and entertaining
with crime thrown in there for good mix.

Speaker 2 (02:02):
Yeah, okay, cool. So that's The Cat who Cracked a
Cold Cake by Lt Shearer. At the very least, it's
the title. It's fun to say, isn't it. Next up,
tell Us about Diddley Squat Home to Roast by Jeremy Clarkson.

Speaker 3 (02:17):
So this is a collection of Jeremy Clarkson's columns from
the UK Sunday Times. But actually most New Zealanders would
recognize the stories from his Amazon Prime TV series. And
he focuses a little bit on this, on the whole
suffocation of the rural kind of spirit and planning departments
and national park authorities and environmentalists. But beneath all the

(02:38):
kind of funny moments and the banter, you have his voice,
and it's clear that he cares deeply about the country side.
And you know, he does point out that if he
wasn't backed by Amazon's millions, he would, like many farmers
in the UK and around the world, be close to
the end of his wits, really, you know, waifer thin
profit margins and endless regulation. And he also talks quite

(03:01):
a bit actually about the mental health problem and farming
and actually he doesn't really talk about this in the book,
but he's done very good work and highlighting it. But
actually he also funds a charitable helpline for farmers in
need of support, so he kind of puts his money
where his mouth is. But the book's funny. You know.
He talks about his right hand man Caleb Cooper, who's
the farm manager, and his girlfriend Lisa, and he has

(03:22):
his accountant Charlie, and Gerald, his termed head of security
with his very thick accent, and you know, you get
the uncoperative weather in the realities of the agricultural economy,
and the local planning department, which of course has been
the bane of his life through many seasons, and the
farm shop which is doing a completely rawing trade and
people queue for hours to buy all sorts of things.

(03:45):
But back on the farm, it's this kind of season
of disaster almost and you know this year they focus
on chickens and mushrooms and oats, and of course not
everything goes to plan or even close to a plan.
But yeah, as I said, what's very evident is how
much he and his partner Lisa care very much about
the farm and its success, but also the success of
the people around him and the farmers around them, and

(04:05):
they always want very much engage with the people who
are close to them and help support them as well.
And yeah, great stories and very funny and told with
that wit and humor that Jeremy Clarkson is well known for.

Speaker 2 (04:16):
So how funny is it.

Speaker 3 (04:19):
He talks, because he talks very well with the banter
that he's so good at. So he's funny, but informative
is probably the best way of you know, he doesn't
get really dry and into the detail, but he kind
of has a message and gets his point across about
red tape and planning and how difficult that makes it.
But told in his kind of.

Speaker 2 (04:38):
Style, typical Clark's and esque style.

Speaker 3 (04:41):
Yeah, yeah, he kind of almost makes it lighthearted, but
there's a very serious message and along with what he is.

Speaker 2 (04:46):
Yeah as well, yea.

Speaker 3 (04:48):
The show, as the show puts across, you're a fan
of the show, he does it very well in that
as well.

Speaker 2 (04:52):
Yeah, it's yeah, very good. Nice. Okay, that's Diddley Squatt
Home to Roost by Jeremy clarks and then Catherine's first book,
The Ones, but different is The Cat Who Cracked Cold
Case by Lt Shearer. Both of those, of course, and
all of the details up on the News Talks website

Speaker 1 (05:08):
For more from Saturday Morning with Jack Tame, Listen live
to News Talks at B from nine am Saturday, or
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