Cat Striking Back: A Joe Grey Mystery

Rousseau takes a brand new road in this one. The focus is on the perp instead of the dectectives. A writer like Rousseau is always perfect--the book is a journey to remember. However the scenes that shine for me as a big fan are the scenes with kitties. Writer manages to bring excitement to cat life in this book even after so many successful who-done-its. For me the new kitties are more wondeful than the person. And you may agree. A Joe Grey mystery is always worth reading but I wamt more Joe, more Dulcie, more Kit, more Tansy, more Cotton, more more of my favorite characers in modern mystery history!

We always look forward to new books in this series, and this one was worth the wait. If you haven't read of these books, it would be best to start with the first one, but Shirley Rousseau Murphy writes each of them well enough as individual books that you can pick any of them up to start.

OK we love this series. We read a few others of her books then. I try to find a new series of fantasy or mystery every year we for Xmas that can help us get through the wicked snow fall season up here almost in Canada but not!!! This was the big hit last year and then I buy every new or used book to fullfill the series and bring us up to date following the first 1-2 books that satisfy us. I'd like to see her do some more along the lines of the first book of the underground kits that she did initially that launched this series probably. If you enjoy cats and fantasy and mystery series then you might enjoy these books. It's a treat this year as we bought her last one out last spring when it was published...two in the same year...oh my how fun. I've hid it from my husband till Xmas then. Once of course we've found a series we like...we are little piggies having to order the new one when it comes out......so much for being thrifty:)))) Books so many books so little time! And yes we've read all of them....and my husband enjoyed them enough to read all of them twice. That was my fault as I got him three other series last Nov. and these started coming in all out of order as I would find one I didn't have and get that one...he just devoured them too and I scolded him that it was fine if he read them but they weren't for him perse and he should wait until I managed to get them all. He didn't wait...and eventually handed me a print out of the whole series with those marked that I still hadn't tracked down...such thoughtfulness....indeed? So once they were here I sat down to enjoy from book one on through...he hadn't waited so he began from the beginning and read them all through again....not that it hurt anyone:)) Reading is one activity that you can do and do no harm and is relatively safe I believe:))) Enjoy and the cat's meow too you Joe Grey from our "Wolf" the huge kitty.

This is the 15th mystery in Shirley Rousseau Murphy's marvelous series, one that seems to get better and better with each book. In this installment, Joe Grey, bearing a gift of six mice to a litter of kittens, notices signs of a recent murder in an empty swimming pool, but there is no body to be seen. Joe and his two fellow feline detectives, Dulcie and Kit, investigate four neighborhood houses whose owners are on vacation. The challenge is to prove that there has indeed been a murder and to determine who the killer is. Occasional chapters are written from the anonymous killer's point of view, and the author cleverly challenges the reader to figure out which of the neighborhood men and women are, respectively, the culprit and the victim. I love this series. Molena Point, a fictional small town on the Monterey Peninsula in Northern California, is a lovely setting. The regular characters, both human and feline, are likable and intelligent. Even the dogs, who, unlike the talking cats, have no otherworldly talents, are wonderful characters. The plotting is always strong and complex. It's a good idea to read this series in order, as the characters go through many changes. In this book, longtime bachelor Clyde Damen has married Ryan Flannery, and the couple are embarking on new ventures. Charlie, who is married to Police Chief Max Harper, is contemplating selling her housecleaning and repair business to concentrate on her art. I've found this series to be very re-readable, and have lately been enjoying the earlier books for the second time. It's a special delight, however, when Ms. Murphy comes out with a brand-new book to be savored for the first time.

Out of all the cat cozy mysteries out there, Joe grey and friends are my favorite characters. I own the entire series and recommend it for anyone who loves animals, mysteries, and a delightful read.