The stakes are higher and more personal than ever for feline investigator Joe Grey when death comes to his beloved coastal California town in this twentieth installment of the enchanting cat mystery series.While new father Joe Grey is overjoyed to teach his three young kittens about the world, he misses his cop work -- secretly helping solve crimes alongside his human friends at Molena Point P. D. But when beautician Barbara Conley and one of her customers are found dead in the salon, Joe makes an exception, he heads for the crime scene. He has no idea that the kittens are following him, or how they will complicate the investigation.But this is not the only danger to the kittens. A stranger is lurking around the home of Joe's tabby lady, Dulcie, where the kittens were born. Both parents' backs are up and their claws out, ready to protect their babies and to protect Wilma Getz, Dulcie's human housemate. As the death of the beautician becomes entangled with a gang of thieves working the village, Joe, Dulcie, Kit and Pan are all into the investigation; and they are led to unexpected connections, to the building of the new cat shelter and to a neighbor who becomes suddenly an unexpected part of the tangle. Joe Grey fans will relish this latest installment following their favorite feline detective and his growing group of friends.

Awaiting the birth of his first kittens, feline P. I. Joe Grey, his companion Dulcie, and their furry sleuthing pals must unmask a killer preying on some of the most vulnerable citizens in the charming California coastal community of Molena Point.For Joe Grey and Dulcie, life is a bittersweet mix of endings and beginnings. While they joyfully await their first litter, they are also sad for their friend, the old yellow cat Misto, whose time on earth is drawing to an end. But Misto tells them an exciting future awaits: among the litter will be a little calico returned from the distant past who will be born with the same ancient markings, and the adventurous spirit of Joe Grey.While the proud parents await the birth of their babies, their humans have their hands full with projects of their own. Kate Osborne has bought the old Pamillon estate and Ryan Flannery is building a new cat shelter as part of their volunteer rescue project. The criminals are busy, too. The Molena Point PD has stepped up patrols to apprehend a mugger attacking the local elderly. The case becomes a homicide when one of the victims dies, leaving everyone in the town including Joe and Grey and his furry sleuthing companions on edge, just when the kittens are about to arrive. When Dulcie gives birth, her little calico is just as Misto predicted, as if she has come back to the world from mythic ancient times.But the celebrations will have to wait. A murderer is on the loose and neither young nor old is safe until the culprit is found."

"Wilma's in danger! You think I'm going to sit here polishing my claws?" When she first hears the news that convict Cage Jones has escaped from prison, Dulcie's fur stands on end. She knows he's after her human companion, Wilma, whom he blames for his stint in jail. She tries to enlist the help of her friend Joe Grey, but the tomcat's got his paws full investigating two local murders. It's only when Wilma disappears after an afternoon shopping trip-and Cage is found lurking at her house-that Joe realizes the two crimes might be more connected than he thought. Paw in hand with the unsuspecting cops, the fantastic felines must untangle Cage's devilish agenda and snare a killer if they ever want to curl up with their friend again and bring peace to their seaside village.

The beautiful, serene village of Molena Point, California is the type of place that evokes images of a quiet, traditional Christmas with family. But instead of singing carols and climbing into Christmas trees, the talking tomcat Joe Grey, Feline P.I., is faced with his most heartwrenching case yet, and it comes with a deadline. He employs the help of his girlfriend, Dulcie, and their tortoiseshell coated friend, Kit, to follow the trail. Kit has found a man shot dead beneath a Christmas tree, and the only witness is the child found clinging to his body.But there are no clues when the police finally arrive and the child is rendered speechless from shock. The police worry that they have hit a dead end. Luckily the cats have an advantage over the police in that they can follow suspects without being a detected threat. But Joe, Dulcie, and Kit have their paws full with a series of break-ins, robberies and Christmas parties. The savvy feline detectives find that everything is not as it first appears, after all, in small villages like Moreno Point, everything is connected...

Love--and murder--are in the air . . .

It took Joe Grey's human, Clyde Damen, nearly forever to pop the question to his girlfriend, Ryan Flannery, and what more romantic time to tie the knot than on Valentine's Day? But dark secrets from the past soon threaten to destroy everyone's happiness.

First, a body discovered many miles away reopens a ten-year-old cold case involving a man who disappeared days before his own wedding. Then another body is found closer to home on the grounds of a ruined estate, deserted save for a band of unusual feral cats.

Though the police investigate, only Joe Grey suspects that the crimes are related. And when he barely escapes alive from a deadly chase, Joe and his friends, Dulcie and Kit, know they'll need to use their powers of feline perception to bring justice to the small town of Molena Point . . . and save Valentine's Day

From award-winning author Shirley Rousseau Murphy comes the next charming mystery in the critically acclaimed Joe Grey series ...Joe Grey and Dulcie are thrilled to be awaiting their first litter, but their joy is bittersweet. They are also sad for Pan's father, the old yellow cat Misto, whose time on earth is drawing to a close. While the proud parents await the birth of their babies, the criminals are busy, too. The Molena Point PD has stepped up patrols to apprehend a street prowler who has been attacking the village's elderly citizens. Neither the police nor the cats have a clue about the culprit's identity or what is motivating the attacks. There are no witnesses, and even more puzzling, the assailant has left no clues behind at any of the scenes, not even a trace of evidence-no hairs or fabric particles, not even a lost button. It's as if the perpetrator is a ghost. The case becomes a homicide when one of the victims dies, leaving everyone in the town-including Joe Grey and his furry sleuthing companions-on edge, just as the kittens arrive ...

In the 15th book in the Joe Grey mystery series, the feline P.I. and his friends thwart a clever killer who is seeking to destroy the lives of the cats' human companions.

"Joe Grey and Dulcie aren't your ordinary feline detectives. Murphy's raised the stakes of the feline sleuth genre."--Kirkus Reviews"These Joe Grey mysteries will stay popular for many years to come."--Tampa TribuneMystery fans and cat lovers alike rejoice. The infallible feline sleuthing team of Joe Grey, Dulcie, and Kit return in Cat Telling Tales--author Shirley Rousseau Murphy's seventeenth ingenious whodunit that once again gives readers a cat's eye view of crime, murder, and mayhem. Already honored with nine Cat Writers' Association Muse Medallions for her series, Murphy takes us back to Molina Point, California in Cat Telling Tales, as a suspicious fire, a tragic death, and a rash of unanticipated houseguests, both human and feline, inflame the investigative curiosity of our furry detective trio. If you're already a fan of Lilian Jackson Braun, Rita Mae Brown, and Carole Nelson Douglas, you'll find Shirley Rousseau Murphy's Tales purr-fectly wonderful!

A Joe Grey Mystery

A ghost cat, the Devil, a deceitful criminal, a father framed for murder, and a vulnerable young girl combine in this magical tale from the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of the Joe Grey feline mysteries, Shirley Rousseau Murphy, and her husband Pat J.J. Murphy.The Devil has been up to no good . . .Brad Falon, one of Satan's longtime puppets, orchestrated a deadly robbery and set up his old friend Morgan Blake to take the fall. Now, Morgan has been sentenced to life in prison, and his wife Becky and young daughter Sammie are devastated. Alone and afraid, in need of comfort and a friend, Sammie turns to Misto, the ghost cat.Behind bars, her father Morgan makes fast friends with an old con named Lee Fontana who knows a few tricks about outwitting evil. They plan a wily escape to bring the real killer to justice and clear Morgan's name for good. All it will take is outsmarting the Devil one more time. . . .

To the devil, the span of a human life is as brief as spit on the wind. But the challenge of playing with flawed humans, like a cat toying with a mouse, is endlessly amusing. If the devil loses a wager, though, he will harass a person's descendants until he eventually gets his due. Which is why he's tormenting Lee Fontana.

The night before Lee, a train robber, is paroled from jail, Satan terrifies and tempts the thief with the promise of one more successful heist. Struggling to live an honest life working on a farm in Southern California with old friends, opportunities to get rich quick seem to appear at every turn and the temptation becomes too much to bear. But Lee has a secret ally looking out for him. The prison cat Misto, a yellow-tabby ghost, will tail the ex-con on his dangerous mission--an adventure that will leave a long legacy for everyone's favorite sleuthing cat, Joe Grey, and his pals in the charming California coastal town of Molina Point.

On the twisting road home from San Francisco, tortoiseshell Kit and her elderly housemates, Lucinda and Pedric Greenlaw, are hurt in a terrible car crash. The accident is terrifying enough, but then two dangerous men steal the Greenlaw's town car, making off with a hoard of jewels and gold carefully hidden in the car. As paramedics rush the Greenlaws to the emergency room, a badly shaken Kit hides from hungry coyotes, waiting for Joe and their human friends to rescue her.

Back home in Molena Point, Joe Grey and his tabby lady prowl an abandoned stone cottage where they've discovered two rough-looking men hiding. Determined to help the Greenlaws, Kit follows the two housebreakers: one badly injured, the other eager to end his partner's misery in order to make off with more wealth than he realizes. But the cats' investigation is in trouble as they claw their way to the truth, hoping that tomcat Misto and his unfailing memory might provide some answers to their questions.

Escaping Los Angeles and the ugly memories of her son's recent murder, Maudie Toola returns to her childhood home of Molena Point, bringing her orphaned grandson, whom she must now raise.

But she's unaware that the killer has followed her, nor does she know that the small seaside village is dealing with a series of brutal assaults.

Meanwhile, a new tomcat appears on the scene, a wise and elderly wanderer who bears an important message from a state prisoner, for the chief of police. But this cat has a personal agenda too--just as does Maudie, who harbors her own secret about her son's killer. As the lonely prison cat provides the link between the mysteries, Joe Grey and his pals, in turn, help him find a surprising new home, a safe retreat in time for the holidays.

Feline P. I. Joe Grey and his friends pounce on three investigations that may connect to one larger mystery--including one case that is very personal--in this hair-raising installment in Shirley Rousseau Murphy's beloved, award-winning series. Joe Grey and his partner, Dulcie, are frantic when Courtney, their pretty teen-kitten goes missing. Aided by their two- and four-legged friends, they hit the streets of Molina Point in search of their calico girl. Has Joe Grey and Dulcie's only daughter been lured away by someone and stolen? Is she lying somewhere hurt, or worse? Courtney has no idea that everyone is desperately looking for her. Locked in an upstairs apartment above the local antiques shop, she's enjoying her first solo adventure. When she first met Ulrich Seaver, the shop's owner, Courtney was frightened. But the human has coddled and pampered her, winning her trust. Sheltered by her parents, her brothers, and her kind human companions, the innocent Courtney is unaware of how deceptive strangers can be. She doesn't know that Ulrich is hiding a dangerous secret that could threaten her and everyone in this charming California coastal village. With his focus on finding Courtney, Joe Grey has neglected his detective work with the Molina Point Police Department. Before his daughter disappeared, Joe found a viciously beaten woman lying near the beach. Now the police investigation has stalled, and the clever feline worries his human colleagues may have missed a vital clue. Joe is also concerned about a family of newcomers whose domestic battles are disturbing the town's tranquility. Loud and abrasive, the Luthers' angry arguing, shouting, and swearing in the early hours of the night have neighbors on edge and the cops on alert. One of the couple's late-night shouting matches masked the sounds of a burglary, and now a criminal is on the loose. Though the crimes are as crisscrossed as the strands of a ball of yarn, Joe Grey's cat senses tell him they may somehow be linked. It's up to the fleet-footed feline and his crime-solving coterie to untangle the mysteries before it's too late.

The beautiful, serene village of Molena Point, California is the type of place where people go to get away from the harsher realities of life--which is what attracted classic film star Patty Rose to buy the village inn, and settle down to enjoy her golden years. But as the town gathers to celebrate and honor the beautiful, aging actress with a festival of her old films, Patty is brutally murdered--to the horror and shock of this peaceful burg. A gentle tortoiseshell cat, Kit, has been enjoying a retreat to the animal-loving actress's inn, where she's spending time with her feline friends Dulcie, and the slick tomcat sleuth, Joe Grey. But her relaxation is cut short when she hears the gunshots that end Patty's life, and sees her dead body sprawled on the inn's front steps. She glimpses the killer racing into the parking garage, and soon follows his trail. Joe and Dulcie must now follow the naive Kit's trail, and keep her from getting into serious trouble. To complicate matters, Joe discovers that Dulcie has been hiding a runaway child--one of the lucky humans that these special cats choose to talk to--who has now been kidnapped, likely by the same man who killed their famous friend. In the end, the little girl's abduction leads them to Patty's killer, and the feline friends are all united--but they all must mourn a departed friend as they stand beside the newly laid grave of Patty Rose.

Ever since the earthquake, things have been going from bad to worse in Molena Point, usually the most traquil little town on the North California coast. It started with that suspicious "accident" on Hellhag Hill. The police might write it off to the night fog, but Joe Grey knows a cut brake line when he sees it--he my be a cat, but he's already solved more murders than your average police detective!

Then there's Clyde, Joe's erratic but loveable human. He thinks cats should stay out of police work (as if humans could handle it on their own!), and to make his point, he's locking Joe and his lady friend Dulcie out of the house when Officer Harper comes over to play poker. But Joe isn't about to give up the chase. Not until the "ghost" of Hellhag Hill is tracked down and brought to justice.

"I'm a cat," said Dulcie. "Of course I worry, Joe. What if the cops set up a stake-out? What if they witness a cat opening a skylight and masterminding a robbery? The tabloids will love it. Every nut in the country will read about the trained burglar-cat. Or, heaven forbid, the talking cat. . . ."

There's a bad new cat in sleepy little Molena Point: a renegade tom with a penchant for robbery, a scorn for his fellow felines, and a disdain for human laws. And he's masterminding a crime spree that's quickly escalating toward murder most foul.

Dulcie and Joe Grey both know the score--they've seen Azrael in action. But how can they expose the criminal without letting ordinary, untrustworthy humans in on the secret that certain select cats can think, and talk? Cats like them . . .