Pan pounces for Shearer's cosy crime cat tale

Pan Fiction has pounced on The Cat Who Caught a Killer, a “charming” cosy crime read by to L T Shearer.

Alex Saunders, commissioning editor, acquired world rights in a two-book deal direct from the author. The Cat Who Caught a Killer will be published on 27th October 2022.

The synopsis reads: “Meet Conrad. You’ve never met a cat like him before. Neither has Lulu Lewis when he walks into her life one summer’s day. Mourning the recent death of her husband, the former police detective had expected a gentle retirement, quietly enjoying life on her new canal boat, The Lark, and visiting her mother-in-law Emily in a nearby care home. But when Emily dies suddenly in suspicious circumstances, Lulu senses foul play and resolves to find out what really happened. And a remarkable cat named Conrad will be with her every step of the way.”

Saunders said: “The Cat Who Caught a Killer is the perfect kind of escapist fiction filled with warmth, humour and bags of personality, plus a murder or two thrown in for good measure. These also happen to be qualities which Conrad himself, the book’s feline star, has in abundance. Cosy crime fiction has experienced a huge surge in popularity in recent years and L T Shearer has written a novel which taps directly into that appetite.”

Shearer said: “I talk to my calico cat all the time and she often answers me with a ‘meow’. I started to wonder what life would be like if she actually talked back to me and that sparked the original idea for The Cat Who Caught a Killer. As I wrote the book she would sit by me offering moral support. I suspect she might be my biggest fan.”