Grey Expectations: A Dulcie Schwartz feline mystery    by Clea Simon Order:  USA  Can Severn House, 2012 (2012) Hardcover, CD    Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth Dulcinea Schwartz is a grad student working on her thesis. Feeling she has a good start on writing it after just about finishing her research, she is distracted by the disappearance of her friend Trista. Dulcie's live-in boyfriend shares a secret with her. Her last cat, Mr. Grey, was able to communicate with her – in English! - and helped her in a time of need. Now that Mr. Grey is gone, she has a new feline friend, a tuxedo kitten named Esme. Dulcie is beginning to suspect that Esme has the same abilities as Mr. Grey, who still appears in ghost form to give Dulcie advice from the other side. A valuable book has disappeared from the university library stacks and Dulcie somehow feels that she is going to be accused of purloining the old volume. One of Dulcie's colleagues is murdered, Trista is still missing, Trista's boyfriend Jerry is going ballistic, Dulcie's feline resources have dried up, and she's on the run from thugs. Another day in the life of a grad student. Clea Simon's Grey Expectations is one of her Dulcie Schwartz mystery series. I've always enjoyed Simon's other series but this one somehow falls short of my expectations. Off to a slow start, enough action follows, but with the sense that none of it is worthy of suspense. The novel does pick up at the end though and proves exciting. Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Mystery books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews