The Thing About Spies (And Why They Never Have Split Ends)
Here's something I've been thinking about lately: why do fictional female spies always have perfect hair? I mean, I can barely keep my blow-out intact during a light breeze in Manhattan, and these women are rappelling down buildings, engaging in high-speed chases, and somehow emerging from hand-to-hand combat looking like they've just stepped out of Drybar. It's ridiculous, really. Which is exactly what I expected when I picked up Lorraine Evanoff's "Walking the Cat" – another story about another impossibly perfect woman spy who probably never has to worry about her roots showing at precisely the wrong moment.
I was right about the spy part. I was wrong about everything else.
The thing about Louise Moscow – our protagonist who, yes, does have excellent hair, but we'll forgive her for that – is that she's exactly the kind of woman you want to have lunch with. Not because she's perfect (she isn't) or because she's a former CIA operative (though that would certainly make for interesting conversation), but because she's the sort of person who would tell you honestly if those pants really do make your butt look big, and then help you hide a body if necessary. Not that I'm suggesting she does that in this book. Although maybe she does. I'm not going to spoil it for you.
Let me tell you about Paris Fashion Week, which is where this whole thing starts. If you've never been, let me save you some trouble: it's exactly like high school, except everyone is thinner, richer, and wearing clothes that cost more than your first car. It's also, apparently, an excellent place to commit murder, which is something the fashion magazines don't tell you about but probably should. "Ten Best Places to Hide Evidence at Fashion Week" would make a much more interesting read than another article about French girl beauty secrets.
Moscow (and can we talk about that name for a moment? Because I have questions) gets invited to Fashion Week by an old friend, which is already suspicious because nobody gets "invited" to Fashion Week – you either claw your way in or you're Anna Wintour. But she goes, because apparently being a financial crimes expert doesn't keep you busy enough these days. And then a photographer turns up dead, which is inconvenient timing because Moscow was really looking forward to the Chanel show, and solving murders really cuts into your front-row time.
What follows is the kind of story that makes you realize two things: first, that the fashion industry and espionage have more in common than you'd think (primarily: trust no one and always wear comfortable shoes), and second, that Lorraine Evanoff probably knows things. The kind of things that make you wonder if she's watching you read her book right now. The kind of things that make you consider whether that woman at the next table who's been typing on her laptop for three hours is really just working on her novel or if she's actually documenting your coffee-drinking habits for some international intelligence agency.
The plot moves faster than a sample sale line on markdown day, taking us through Paris in a way that makes me deeply resentful of my last vacation there, which primarily consisted of me eating too many croissants and taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower. Moscow navigates the city like someone who actually knows where she's going, which is both impressive and slightly irritating to those of us who still can't figure out the Metro.
But here's what I really love about this book: it's smart without being smug about it. Moscow understands the stock market, which already makes her some kind of superhero in my book, but she's also refreshingly human. She makes mistakes. She has trust issues. She probably has to deal with frizzy hair in the Paris humidity, though this is never explicitly stated in the text. I choose to believe it's true.
The mystery itself is like a perfectly tailored Balmain blazer – structured, elegant, and full of hidden details that you only notice upon closer inspection. There are coded messages, because of course there are, and enough fashion references to make you feel both cultured and poor at the same time. The dialogue is sharp, the characters are sharper, and the whole thing moves with the kind of precision that makes you wonder if Evanoff timed it with a Swiss watch.
Should you read it? Well, that depends. Do you like books that make you feel simultaneously entertained and mildly paranoid? Do you enjoy stories where the fashion is as dangerous as the firearms? Are you the kind of person who's ever wondered whether you could fit a garrote wire into a Hermès bracelet? (This is a purely hypothetical question and should not be attempted at home, especially with authentic Hermès. The knockoffs, maybe.)
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should absolutely read "Walking the Cat." And if you answered no, read it anyway. At the very least, it'll make you feel better about your own hair.
Lorraine and Gloria, this review makes me want to drop everything, buy the book, and devour it in one go. A heroine, Paris, and espionage? An irresistible combination—even for those of us who couldn’t care less about fashion, let alone its exploitative and sexist industry roots.
Gloria, your take on spies and their impossibly perfect hair had me grinning. The idea of a protagonist who’s sharp, human, and refreshingly imperfect (even if she does have great hair) is exactly what I need. And the way you weave humor, intrigue, and just the right amount of skepticism into your review? It’s a masterpiece on its own.
Lorraine, if your writing is anything like this review suggests—smart, stylish, and full of surprises—I’m all in.
Lorraine, as I am in Germany I could not download that book for free. Amazon has this internal rerouting to the country where you are located (has always been totally annoying). I downloaded Book #1 and that is free in Germany as well (yet most likely only because you are an American Writer - in Germany we have non negiotiable fixed book prices). I haven't had time to start it though.
Great read. I have faith in many things, First, God—next the Democratic party. I believe that truths are what is best when times are the most difficult because it's easier to remember what one has said when you tell the truth.: Lies are harder to recall and can always trip one up. The people deserve to know nothing but the truth from politicians. They deserve security for their efforts and great benefits as well. What is taking place now is unheard of. In what once was a stable government. now has become something more like Al Capone and his cronies. America does not want to go backward. America always looks forward.
Nazi just deleted a post so I have to try to remember and start again, First. Greed is trying to take over America and we can't let that happen. They are obsessed with money. DJT is obsessed with seeing his name everywhere. Mush Face is just obsessed with money and wants status. The entire thing is nightmarish. Great people are showing up in groves. Some have finally realized that America needs hands and they are there for us. Many thanks to them. It's like the Alcoholic. One drink too many, a hundred not enough. Only in this case, one dollar too many, a trillion not enough.
Finished the prologue first thing this morning before I even got out of bed. What a way to start my day. Out of a helicopter! WOW! The timing of this novel is perfect. Later sweet friend.
I JUST CAME BACK FROM A LONG EYE EXAM AND CAN BARLY SEE BUT I HAD TO RESPOND. ONCE I GOT STARTED, I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING WITH IT OR IF IT WAS GOING TO MAKE ANY SENSE. I JUST WANYED TO GIVE IT A SHOT.
PS I ORDERED A PAPERBACK OF WALKING THE CAT! I LIKE BOOKS!
MY LAPTOP CAME UP FOR AIR AND I’M GOING TO TRY AND POST THIS. —-THE REPUBLICANS SHOULD ALL BE CONSIDERED AND CHARGED AS MASS MURDERERS SHOULD THERE BE A TIME WHEN INNOCUKATIONS ARE DENIED TO THOSE WHO NEED THEM. THIS IS BLATENT CRUELTY. UBELIEVABLE STUPIDITY. KENNEDY CAN E CONSIDERED A MURDERER IF HE DENIES ANYONE THE CARE NEEDED TO SAVE ONES LIFE. WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THEY THINKING? WE ARE DEALING WITH SAVING LIVES!
I shared with my friends what the cool people call the front row in Paris. Have to spread the cool words so we can be like Louise. Thank you for naming a character after me, Lolo
I would like all reporters to start asking for specifics. How and when will the refunds from DOGE recovered waste be distributed to those who paid taxes?
Please start demanding this “answer” from elected representatives AND ask the press to find out for us. Flood the zone, we demand to know …. force the FACTS
Hey, you pasted an image of Jamie…one of my all-time favorite resistance heroes! And certainly my favorite law professor and Congressman (I got to march with him in the Thanksgiving parade and see him afterwards, as I’m one of his constituents now. I’m trying to get up the courage to write about him one or another of these days. Thanks for the article, I appreciate it!
Aw, thanks! He took the time to glance at my blog, too. In law school, he once sold his services telling ghost stories for the public interest auction and hands-down raised more $ than any other law professor there. Our law school claimed to be big on public interest but was cheap on funding summer internships! Please do check out my stories and tell me what you think!
Well said. I have to think there were some brilliant minds that knew what was coming, knew that all might me scraped, and found a way to document and save offsite so as to reconstruct from bare walls however later on it might be. When the Pandemic started everyone was so freaked out to be isolated at home. Many people evolved during those times. Perhaps the dutiful civil servants saved enough to take this time off as a long siesta, a well-needed nap, a holiday of sorts, a time-out. He advertised exactly what he would do. Project 2025 described it department by department. Some sterling civil servants could read the writing on the wall and had an idea how to protect at some level we can't imagine. Yes, the dems and the courts are declaring it illegal, but Trump with the unSupreme court thinks he has nothing to worry about. Yes, the house of cards will topple. Not soon enough, but soon nonetheless.
We've had words since 9/11 growing in wisdom & analysis & expertise, growing us through the most tumultuous decade of our lives. What is so great, so inspiring to see now is how today's writers are beginning to show real guts & a fighting spirit that was"so-well-intended" but unfelt.
Thank you for this small step forward. Each one will help to bring this current juggernaught of brutal indecency to an end. We -- all of us together in action -- can do it.
I am trying to figure out how Dems could DO ANYTHING w MAGA in control 2022 on. What could they pass even if Biden would sign, since Johnson wouldn't let a thing into the House. We did not learn about P. 2025 until 2024. Biden did what he could. What else could be done? This is on the voters who either did not vote or didn't vote for Harris. WE WARNED them. They simply didn't believe it. Now it's all hands on deck, MANY actions from MANY quarters. No saviors. No one and done plans. This is the long haul. Voters put us here. Nobody else.
The Thing About Spies (And Why They Never Have Split Ends)
Here's something I've been thinking about lately: why do fictional female spies always have perfect hair? I mean, I can barely keep my blow-out intact during a light breeze in Manhattan, and these women are rappelling down buildings, engaging in high-speed chases, and somehow emerging from hand-to-hand combat looking like they've just stepped out of Drybar. It's ridiculous, really. Which is exactly what I expected when I picked up Lorraine Evanoff's "Walking the Cat" – another story about another impossibly perfect woman spy who probably never has to worry about her roots showing at precisely the wrong moment.
I was right about the spy part. I was wrong about everything else.
The thing about Louise Moscow – our protagonist who, yes, does have excellent hair, but we'll forgive her for that – is that she's exactly the kind of woman you want to have lunch with. Not because she's perfect (she isn't) or because she's a former CIA operative (though that would certainly make for interesting conversation), but because she's the sort of person who would tell you honestly if those pants really do make your butt look big, and then help you hide a body if necessary. Not that I'm suggesting she does that in this book. Although maybe she does. I'm not going to spoil it for you.
Let me tell you about Paris Fashion Week, which is where this whole thing starts. If you've never been, let me save you some trouble: it's exactly like high school, except everyone is thinner, richer, and wearing clothes that cost more than your first car. It's also, apparently, an excellent place to commit murder, which is something the fashion magazines don't tell you about but probably should. "Ten Best Places to Hide Evidence at Fashion Week" would make a much more interesting read than another article about French girl beauty secrets.
Moscow (and can we talk about that name for a moment? Because I have questions) gets invited to Fashion Week by an old friend, which is already suspicious because nobody gets "invited" to Fashion Week – you either claw your way in or you're Anna Wintour. But she goes, because apparently being a financial crimes expert doesn't keep you busy enough these days. And then a photographer turns up dead, which is inconvenient timing because Moscow was really looking forward to the Chanel show, and solving murders really cuts into your front-row time.
What follows is the kind of story that makes you realize two things: first, that the fashion industry and espionage have more in common than you'd think (primarily: trust no one and always wear comfortable shoes), and second, that Lorraine Evanoff probably knows things. The kind of things that make you wonder if she's watching you read her book right now. The kind of things that make you consider whether that woman at the next table who's been typing on her laptop for three hours is really just working on her novel or if she's actually documenting your coffee-drinking habits for some international intelligence agency.
The plot moves faster than a sample sale line on markdown day, taking us through Paris in a way that makes me deeply resentful of my last vacation there, which primarily consisted of me eating too many croissants and taking selfies in front of the Eiffel Tower. Moscow navigates the city like someone who actually knows where she's going, which is both impressive and slightly irritating to those of us who still can't figure out the Metro.
But here's what I really love about this book: it's smart without being smug about it. Moscow understands the stock market, which already makes her some kind of superhero in my book, but she's also refreshingly human. She makes mistakes. She has trust issues. She probably has to deal with frizzy hair in the Paris humidity, though this is never explicitly stated in the text. I choose to believe it's true.
The mystery itself is like a perfectly tailored Balmain blazer – structured, elegant, and full of hidden details that you only notice upon closer inspection. There are coded messages, because of course there are, and enough fashion references to make you feel both cultured and poor at the same time. The dialogue is sharp, the characters are sharper, and the whole thing moves with the kind of precision that makes you wonder if Evanoff timed it with a Swiss watch.
Should you read it? Well, that depends. Do you like books that make you feel simultaneously entertained and mildly paranoid? Do you enjoy stories where the fashion is as dangerous as the firearms? Are you the kind of person who's ever wondered whether you could fit a garrote wire into a Hermès bracelet? (This is a purely hypothetical question and should not be attempted at home, especially with authentic Hermès. The knockoffs, maybe.)
If you answered yes to any of these questions, then you should absolutely read "Walking the Cat." And if you answered no, read it anyway. At the very least, it'll make you feel better about your own hair.
WOW WOW WOW!
Gloria, you really get me AND Louise Moscow.
This review is GOLD. Please let me quote for a blurb or three.
You also give me ideas for my next novel. Genius woman!
Love you!
P.S. For the record, Louise Moscow is caught embarrassed to be wearing her hair is "a messy top knot" with Martina Navratilova checking her out. LOL!
The review is yours! Do whatever you want with it.
Just promise me there is another book coming soon.
Thank you for posting it to Amazon, Gloria. One of my proudest moments. 🥰
It’s my pleasure.
My excuse is I bought your book on November 29, read it immediately and my world has tilted since then!
P. S. I’m jealous of your, well, everything!
Mutually jealous, beautiful lady.
Lorraine and Gloria, this review makes me want to drop everything, buy the book, and devour it in one go. A heroine, Paris, and espionage? An irresistible combination—even for those of us who couldn’t care less about fashion, let alone its exploitative and sexist industry roots.
Gloria, your take on spies and their impossibly perfect hair had me grinning. The idea of a protagonist who’s sharp, human, and refreshingly imperfect (even if she does have great hair) is exactly what I need. And the way you weave humor, intrigue, and just the right amount of skepticism into your review? It’s a masterpiece on its own.
Lorraine, if your writing is anything like this review suggests—smart, stylish, and full of surprises—I’m all in.
Oh Wild Lionesses I hope you were able to download the free e-book in time.
Otherwise start with Louise Moscow Book #1, which is perma-free! 🥰
Lorraine, as I am in Germany I could not download that book for free. Amazon has this internal rerouting to the country where you are located (has always been totally annoying). I downloaded Book #1 and that is free in Germany as well (yet most likely only because you are an American Writer - in Germany we have non negiotiable fixed book prices). I haven't had time to start it though.
Lorriane’s books are fabulous!
when it comes to hair the less you do to it the better wash it and put it in a pony tail. or braid. Keep it simple.
That's Robert's fave look, ponytail is classic.
For me, it depends on the occasion.
Great read. I have faith in many things, First, God—next the Democratic party. I believe that truths are what is best when times are the most difficult because it's easier to remember what one has said when you tell the truth.: Lies are harder to recall and can always trip one up. The people deserve to know nothing but the truth from politicians. They deserve security for their efforts and great benefits as well. What is taking place now is unheard of. In what once was a stable government. now has become something more like Al Capone and his cronies. America does not want to go backward. America always looks forward.
Beautifully said, Samantha. They can't control their lies and the house of cards will topple.
Nazi just deleted a post so I have to try to remember and start again, First. Greed is trying to take over America and we can't let that happen. They are obsessed with money. DJT is obsessed with seeing his name everywhere. Mush Face is just obsessed with money and wants status. The entire thing is nightmarish. Great people are showing up in groves. Some have finally realized that America needs hands and they are there for us. Many thanks to them. It's like the Alcoholic. One drink too many, a hundred not enough. Only in this case, one dollar too many, a trillion not enough.
I'm glad that you get where I'm coming from. We're kinda from two different generations but we are both from Chicago, that must count for something.
What really matters is that I love my country and the people and hope that we can make things work out well for all.
Finished the prologue first thing this morning before I even got out of bed. What a way to start my day. Out of a helicopter! WOW! The timing of this novel is perfect. Later sweet friend.
My laptop seems to have recovered from heatstroke and is up and at-em again. Did Floofles return? Hope you are doing okay. XOX
I JUST CAME BACK FROM A LONG EYE EXAM AND CAN BARLY SEE BUT I HAD TO RESPOND. ONCE I GOT STARTED, I DIDN’T KNOW WHERE I WAS GOING WITH IT OR IF IT WAS GOING TO MAKE ANY SENSE. I JUST WANYED TO GIVE IT A SHOT.
PS I ORDERED A PAPERBACK OF WALKING THE CAT! I LIKE BOOKS!
MY LAPTOP CAME UP FOR AIR AND I’M GOING TO TRY AND POST THIS. —-THE REPUBLICANS SHOULD ALL BE CONSIDERED AND CHARGED AS MASS MURDERERS SHOULD THERE BE A TIME WHEN INNOCUKATIONS ARE DENIED TO THOSE WHO NEED THEM. THIS IS BLATENT CRUELTY. UBELIEVABLE STUPIDITY. KENNEDY CAN E CONSIDERED A MURDERER IF HE DENIES ANYONE THE CARE NEEDED TO SAVE ONES LIFE. WHAT IN THE WORLD ARE THEY THINKING? WE ARE DEALING WITH SAVING LIVES!
TIHE REPUBLICANS ARE NOW THE PARTY OF DEATH-
Finished the prolog first thing before I got out of bed this morning. WOW! Out of a helicopter no less.
THANK YOU for working so hard to help us understand what is happening. AND, THANK YOU FOR WORKING SO HARD ALL YOUR LIFE.
Thanks for the encouraging words, mom. That means so much to me.
Great post!
Thank you Manuel 🥰
Thanks for the message of disappointment and hope. They can co-exist. Now if you'll excuse me, Lolo, I have a book to read about cats.
For me to even express disappointment is a lot, it's terrifying. But never give up.
Thank you Lolo. Can't wait for your thoughts on Louise Moscow! 🥰
I shared with my friends what the cool people call the front row in Paris. Have to spread the cool words so we can be like Louise. Thank you for naming a character after me, Lolo
I would like all reporters to start asking for specifics. How and when will the refunds from DOGE recovered waste be distributed to those who paid taxes?
Please start demanding this “answer” from elected representatives AND ask the press to find out for us. Flood the zone, we demand to know …. force the FACTS
Great point Moses!! Bookmarking. Thank you!
Hey, you pasted an image of Jamie…one of my all-time favorite resistance heroes! And certainly my favorite law professor and Congressman (I got to march with him in the Thanksgiving parade and see him afterwards, as I’m one of his constituents now. I’m trying to get up the courage to write about him one or another of these days. Thanks for the article, I appreciate it!
Oh Lois! You are now my hero for marching with Jamie. Can't wait to read your writing 🥰
Aw, thanks! He took the time to glance at my blog, too. In law school, he once sold his services telling ghost stories for the public interest auction and hands-down raised more $ than any other law professor there. Our law school claimed to be big on public interest but was cheap on funding summer internships! Please do check out my stories and tell me what you think!
Well said. I have to think there were some brilliant minds that knew what was coming, knew that all might me scraped, and found a way to document and save offsite so as to reconstruct from bare walls however later on it might be. When the Pandemic started everyone was so freaked out to be isolated at home. Many people evolved during those times. Perhaps the dutiful civil servants saved enough to take this time off as a long siesta, a well-needed nap, a holiday of sorts, a time-out. He advertised exactly what he would do. Project 2025 described it department by department. Some sterling civil servants could read the writing on the wall and had an idea how to protect at some level we can't imagine. Yes, the dems and the courts are declaring it illegal, but Trump with the unSupreme court thinks he has nothing to worry about. Yes, the house of cards will topple. Not soon enough, but soon nonetheless.
Great point about the pandemic, Lisa.
We have been conditioned and they will try to take advantage of that conditioning.
But you're right, Democrats might be more prepared than they make public now. We don't show our cards.
We've had words since 9/11 growing in wisdom & analysis & expertise, growing us through the most tumultuous decade of our lives. What is so great, so inspiring to see now is how today's writers are beginning to show real guts & a fighting spirit that was"so-well-intended" but unfelt.
Thank you for this small step forward. Each one will help to bring this current juggernaught of brutal indecency to an end. We -- all of us together in action -- can do it.
The problem is that we've been drowned out by the right-wing owned and controlled mainstream media.
The paradigm shift to independent media is happening but it's too slow. Thanks for contributing to that too Dorian.
I am trying to figure out how Dems could DO ANYTHING w MAGA in control 2022 on. What could they pass even if Biden would sign, since Johnson wouldn't let a thing into the House. We did not learn about P. 2025 until 2024. Biden did what he could. What else could be done? This is on the voters who either did not vote or didn't vote for Harris. WE WARNED them. They simply didn't believe it. Now it's all hands on deck, MANY actions from MANY quarters. No saviors. No one and done plans. This is the long haul. Voters put us here. Nobody else.
Such a great point Churchlady. Nothing ever gets through their cement skulls.
Are you doing well? Just asking.