Cat Deck the Halls

Christmas in the coastal village of Molena Point, CA, is a determinedly charming time, with shoppers swarming the upscale galleries and businesses, decorations everywhere, and white-robed carolers performing under the big tree in the main plaza. Clyde Damen, the human housemate of feline detective Joe Grey, has been looking forward to a quiet holiday of low-key suppers and relaxed parties with his extended family of friends and animals; he's even entertaining thoughts of proposing to Ryan Flannery. But everyone's plans get thrown for a loop when the little tortoiseshell Kit comes about as close to witnessing a murder as is possible without actually seeing it happen. "A dead man, dead with a shot in his head in the plaza under the Christmas tree and a little child in his arms scared and crying," she babbles to the police dispatcher over the phone. But when the cops get there, there's no body and no child. Kit and Joe soon find the child, but she's not talking, and the body remains elusive, though human blood is found at the scene and on the little girl's clothes. And soon a new mystery intrudes when Kit discovers a stranger hiding in the unused first-floor apartment of the house she shares with Lucinda and Pedric Greenlaw. Evina is watching the three people who live next door, convinced that one of them may have murdered her niece. Now Joe, Kit, and their calico partner Dulcie must try to get at the truth of this as well as protecting the silent child from a shadowy killer who may well try to make sure she remains silent permanently. Murphy's characters and setting (Molena Point is a thinly disguised version of Carmel, where the author lives) come alive as always in this excellent holiday mystery, and the fact that it's the Season of Good Cheer makes the tragic situation of the nameless child, and Evina's desperate quest for justice, all the more touching. In the end, with suitable twists, the truth comes out, justice is done, and a new surprise element enters the lives of the three sentient cats, boding well for future volumes. This is an installment not to be missed.

These three cats keep me wanting more. They are pure delight and there is a wonderful cast of "humans" to go along with them.

If only the police were as quick and competent as these cats are. This book is something that all cat lovers should read, especially around Christmastime. The team of three felines is delightful, and their care and concern for the child is heart-warming. This is the first Joe Gray book I've read, but I'll be reading more of them.

In Shirley Murphy's 'Cat Deck the Halls', Joe Grey and his feline companions have to help solve a Christmas murder and help friends figure out what is going on with their strange neighbors. The warmth of the setting, the unique characters, and the mystery sleuthing done by everyone provides for a short, funny, and entertaining light read. A must read by cat fans everywhere!

In the garden of a plaza in Molena Point, California, the assailant kills the man by the Christmas tree while a little girl clings to the victim. After the culprit fled the crime scene, Kit prowling the rooftop of one of the buildings in the plaza smells the blood and cordite. She traces the odor to the dead human and sees the frightened five or six year old (hard to judge specific age in humans as they all look the same) clinging to the dead man. By the time the cops arrive, the killer hid the corpse and Kit and her feline pals concealed the child to insure that the culprit did not come after the only witness. While his cat pals hide the little girl, ace detective Joe Grey investigates. Meanwhile the killer and perhaps some allies seek the child so they break into Kit's home and the studio of a famous artist at the Home for Orphan Children. However, these dangerous humans have never dealt with felines as clever as Joe Grey, Kit and the rest of their meowing carol singers. Shirley Rousseau Murphy proves that cats have at least fourteen lives as Joe Grey works his later caper while his partners keep the human girl safe. The whodunit is cleverly designed to keep the audience, the cops and the cats off balance until the final paw step. Fans of the series will appreciate this fun personification holiday mystery as the felines of Molena Point deck the halls with an entertaining mystery Harriet Klausner