Cat Fear No Evil

by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Book Overview

What's the perfect read for fans of New York Times bestselling mystery authors Lilian Jackson Braun and Rita Mae Brown? This delightful ninth Joe Grey Mystery from award-winning author Shirley Rousseau Murphy.

When antiques and valuables begin to disappear from residents' homes, Joe Grey, Feline Detective, knows that something is very wrong in sleepy Molena Point, California. Lost are a five hundred thousand dollar painting, a diamond choker,...

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0061015601
• ISBN13: 9780061015601
• Release Date: December 2004
• Publisher: William Morrow & Company
• Length: 368 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 4.2" x 6.8"

Customer Reviews

An old enemy returns, a young friend needs help

When a fully restored antique Packard roadster disappears from Clyde Damen's locked auto shop--the latest in a series of baffling burglaries plaguing the little coastal town of Molena Point--Clyde does the sensible thing: he gets his cat. Joe Grey, the stub-tailed tomcat, is an experienced detective who can speak and read English and reason with the best of them; over the years since discovering this gift he has decided that "if you were given extra talents, you were committed by the power that made all life to give back in kind"--which is why he helps the cops. But even Joe doesn't realize the truth until, walking the roofs in the wee hours of the morning, he picks up a familiar and hated smell. It soon turns out that Azrael, the sinister tomcat who shares the gift of sentience with Joe and his friends Dulcie and Kit, is back in town and up to his usual tricks. (Strewn through the first 22 pages are hints of what he's been doing since we last saw him; to me they suggest a story that Murphy has not yet told.) But there's more to the situation than meets the eye--even feline eyes that can see in the dark. Why is someone so interested in acquiring the antique jewelry inherited by shapeshifter Kate Osborne? Is Azrael connected? And what's to be done about young Dillon Thurwell, who at 14 has fallen in with a bad set and taken to shoplifting? Meanwhile, little Kit detects a gas leak in a neighborhood cottage--and there's a dead man inside. And a young and apparently healthy waiter suddenly drops dead in a village cafe. Then word comes that Kit's human "parents," the octogenarian Greenlaws, have died when their RV hit a semi-truck and burned. But are they dead after all? Facing off repeatedly against their old foe, Joe and his friends struggle to find the solutions to these mysteries (which, as always in Murphy's complex and skillfully plotted tales, turn out to be connected), and along the way begin to get some hints about their own powers. (Azrael is deeply interested in returning to what he deems the original world of the sentient cats, a mysterious underground realm that may have an entrance in San Francisco.) Joe may not fear evil, but evil definitely lurks in this fascinating entry to the series.

An old enemy returns, a young friend needs help

When a fully restored antique Packard roadster disappears from Clyde Damen's locked auto shop--the latest in a series of baffling burglaries plaguing the little coastal town of Molena Point--Clyde does the sensible thing: he gets his cat. Joe Grey, the stub-tailed tomcat, is an experienced detective who can speak and read English and reason with the best of them. But even Joe doesn't realize the truth until, walking the roofs in the wee hours of the morning, he picks up a familiar and hated smell. It soon turns out that Azrael, the sinister tomcat who shares the gift of sentience with Joe and his friends Dulcie and Kit, is back in town and up to his usual tricks. But there's more to the situation than meets the eye--even feline eyes that can see in the dark. Why is someone so interested in acquiring the antique jewelry inherited by shapeshifter Kate Osborne? Is Azrael connected? And what's to be done about young Dillon Thurwell, who at 14 has fallen in with a bad set and taken to shoplifting? Meanwhile, little Kit detects a gas leak in a neighborhood cottage--and there's a dead man inside. And a young and apparently healthy waiter suddenly drops dead in a village cafe. Facing off repeatedly against their old foe, Joe and his friends struggle to find the solutions to these mysteries (which, as always in Murphy's complex and skillfully plotted tales, turn out to be connected), and along the way begin to get some hints about their own powers. Joe may not fear evil, but evil definitely lurks in this fascinating entry to the series.

A most unusual cat

How often do you get to travel and live inside the mind of a cat? In this story you do; you are there as he escapes danger, helps his friends and solves the crime. All the Joe Grey mysteries are fun reads.

Go Joe Grey

The evil one is back in this riviting book. I was disappointed the Kate did not have her "skills" among her this time. But a very satisfying read! i have all her books and re-read often.I highly recommend The Catswold Portal if you can get a copy. It is a out of print book.

Exciting Cat Mystery

When jewelry and antiques begin disappearing from the homes of Molena Point, California residents, and then a waiter dies at the feet of renowned artist, Charlie Harper, during the opening of her new solo art show, feline detectives Joe Grey and Dulcie know that there is something seriously wrong taking place in the sleepy town. Then, just a few miles north in the city of San Francisco, Joe Grey and Dulcie's human friend, Kate, a clever woman concealing a troubling secret, is not only followed and robbed, but also has her apartment invaded by a rogue, yet very tough tomcat named Azrael. Now, with the help of Joe's owner, Clyde Damen, Joe Grey and his partner in crime (or solving crime), Dulcie will begin clawing out the truth to uncover this frightening new mystery.This was the first book that I have read by Shirley Rousseau Murphy, and I am quite pleased with the outcome. Joe Grey is a witty character, who's personality can change from funny to serious in the matter of seconds. Dulcie is adorable, even though she is a bit hard-headed. And Clyde is a fun character whom is lead around by the nose by two mischevious cats. Overall this was a fabulous mystery that will capture the hearts of all fans of a good animal-narrated story. Fans of Lillian Jackson Braun and Rita Mae Brown will relish in the likeness of Shirley Rousseau Murphy's plot and characters. A must read.Erika Sorocco