"Missing humans, missing cats, what's the difference?"
A fire in the seaside village of Molena Point has left a
twelve-year-old boy homeless—and the body of his alcoholic
guardian is found in the smoldering ruins. A most curious
tomcat, feline p.i. Joe Grey wonders if escape was really
impossible for the elderly woman or if something more
sinister occurred. And when boisterous Debbie Kraft descends
uninvited on the Damens' home with her two children,
claiming that her ex-husband has left her destitute, Joe
really smells a rat—especially when he discovers Debbie is
carrying loads of cash . . . and that the dead woman was her
estranged mother.
This case—a nasty mix of missing persons, abandoned pets,
real-estate scams, and murder—has Joe's fur standing on end.
But it's not until Debbie's left-behind housecat shows up
that Joe and his furry detecting pals find the biggest, most
troubling clue of all: a grave that the cops somehow have
missed.