This is the first of Murphy's books that I had read. I was drawn to it by the animals (cats) and because it sounded so much like Rita Mae Brown's Sneaky Pie books. I was not disappointed. The 2 cats solve mysteries for the police, although the police do not know that cats are phoning in the help. These 2 cats talk like humans, think like humans, but have all the extra senses of sight and smell that are not afforded humans. It is a good read without the gore of many murder mystery books. I highly recommended these for the fun and I will be reading more of them.
Imagine what would happen if a cat was able to understand written English, speak English and even read and type English? What if that cat was not alone but part of a group of three cats who had that ability? Now, take that group and put them together in a small village on the California coast and attach them to a small group of people who know their secrets. Finally, turn those cats into sleuths who enjoy solving murder mysteries and you understand the basis of the Joe Grey mystery series. This book is one of the books in that series.
In this particular volume, an elderly woman's house is ransacked in a robbery but a wounded man is left bleeding on the carpet. As it happens, the woman finds this out as she comes back from a walk on the beach. While she calls the police, the man manages to escape and disappear. Other strange events start occurring with some long time village residents as well as some newcomers or part time visitors. One thing leads to another and a murder is committed while another elderly woman is beaten and ends up in the hospital.
While all these strange events are going on, the cats get involved. Each of the three play their role in unraveling what is going on and we are treated to some harrowing episodes as the cats are attacked by Raccoons can cars. The cats also make friends with some of the police officers that they help and spend a lot of time talking to each other as they try to figure out what is going on. Eventually, the main hero, Joe, has a hunch which unravels the whole mystery. To convey his hunch to those humans who need to follow up, Joe lugs a cell phone and makes calls like a pro!
Since this is a single volume in an ongoing series, it is no surprise that the murder mystery elements are only one part of all that goes on in the book. The major part of the book is actually concerned with the evolving lives of several main characters that make repeated visits in the pages of this series. In this book we get treated with more information about the love lives of Clyde (Joe's "owner"), and Charlie. We get to learn more about Wilma's and Cora Ann's passions and interests, and see more of Max Harper, the police chief, and Ryan - Clyde's current love interest. In a sense, the murder mystery serves merely as a casing for the ongoing soap opera of the various characters lives.
The book is very well written and is very entertaining. While the mystery itself did not take much to figure out (I thought the main plot line was very obvious), there is much pleasure in tracking what is going on in the village and observing the interactions between the main characters. We get descriptions of the various restaurants in the village and their specialties as well as updates on the construction of the new police department building and a look inside the community theater.
As someone who has enjoyed other books in this series, I enjoyed reading this one. The mystery was not much of a challenge but getting to catch up on old "friends" and what is happening with their lives was fun. The main idea for this series (talking cats) is still fun and fresh.
The cats solve another case ...
Normally, Joe Grey and Dulcie have a murder to solve but this time they're just trying to figure out why Richard Casselrod assaulted Cora Lee at a yard sale and took the box she bought. Later the cats learn that Susan's house had been burgled that same morning and all the things the Senior Survival Club has bought to sell on eBay had been broken, tossed, or pawed through. The cats think the incidents are related and are determined to figure out what's going on.
Since this is the seventh in a series of books there's a lot of sub plots involved: Clyde is thinking of selling his house and that has upset Joe Grey; Clyde's girlfriend Kate Osbourne is not talking to him; Max Harper and Charlie are now an item; Garza's niece has moved to town and Clyde is attracted to Ryan Flannery; famous author Elliott Traynor and his wife Vivi have moved to Molena Point so he can oversee his play (Thorns of Gold); Vivi Traynor is alienating just about everyone in town; Cora Lee wants the part of Catalina in the play but so does Fern Barth.
As these threads intersect and twine about, Joe Grey, Dulcie and the Kit find themselves looking for a missing burglar, trying to find out why Elliott Traynor is avoiding his editor and seems to have lost his ability to write. That's when we finally get a murder and the cats race to find out who is to blame before one of their human friends is hurt.
Again the story is well told. The actions of these amazing cats is very catlike though crossed with 'human' level intelligence but then most cat lovers know how intelligent their cats are. While these are mysteries with a fantastical element in that the cats can talk, they are at heart about friendship, loyalty, and understanding.
Murder is the least of the mysteries
In a departure from Murphy's usual pattern, this seventh Joe Grey mystery doesn't really turn on a murder--there is one, but it doesn't occur till halfway through the book. Nevertheless, Molena Point is certainly suffering through some weird goings-on. Why is the famous author who has come to live in the village not writing up to his usual standard? Who vandalized Susan Brittain's home, and why? What is the attraction of a battered old wooden chest found in a local yard sale, for which a village antique dealer is willing to commit assault? And what does would-be stage star Fern Barth have on author Traynor to make him insist that she be cast as the lead of the Little Theater's production of his novel? Only Joe, his partner Dulcie, and their stage-struck protege Kit could assemble the information and put it together so the humans could act on the hidden truth. Meanwhile, Joe must put up with the angst of human housemate Clyde Damen, who has lost his casual girlfriend, Charlie Getz, to his lifelong buddy, Police Chief Max Harper, and is pondering the possibility of selling the cottage that has become Joe's beloved base of operations. Among the most delightful scenes in this book are those involving little Kit, who manages to nab a prominent part in the play. And Joe, with "the freewheeling approach [that only] a cat could employ," ends up with the last laugh indeed.
