Shirley Rousseau Murphy's Joe Grey Mysteries are always
excellent, and CAT TELLING TALES is no exception. The
mystery
involves a burned building, a homeless women, a family rift,
and webs of deceit, as befits all good mysteries. However,
other issues lurk beneath the surface: one involving where
the
son of a feline friend of Kit, Joe, and Dulcie might be, and
if the old cat will ever see his son again. As always, Joe
has
no need for the tales of far- gone lands and talking cat
mythology, but the tales provide a sense of community and
mystery beyond the mundane for the rest of the talking cats.
Although CAT TELLING TALES is a great book on its own,
reading
all of the way through the series is extremely satisfying:
watching the different feline police informants help solve
the
mysteries and seeing the relationships of the ever-expanding
circle of people who know the cats' secrets is delightful
and
rewarding.
Even the bright seaside village of Molena Point has been
hit hard by the economic downturn, bringing a rash of
foreclosures in which many residents are abandoning their
family pets. While feline P. I. Joe Grey\'s human friends
join together to care for the starving cats, a fire leaves
a twelve-year-old boy homeless. The body of his alcoholic
guardian is discovered in the smoldering ruins, causing
Joe to wonder if escape was really impossible for the
elderly woman or if something more sinister occurred.
Meanwhile, Debbie Kraft descends uninvited on the Damens\'
home with her two children, claiming that her ex-husband
has left her with no money and nowhere else to go. But
when Joe learns that the victim of the fire was Debbie\'s
estranged mother and that Debbie is not broke at all but
carrying plenty of cash, his fur is on end with suspicion.
As Debbie\'s abandoned tomcat follows her all the way down
the coast from Oregon with his own clues to add to the
mix, Joe learns that Debbie\'s Realtor ex-husband may be
involved in a number of intricate real estate scams.
Furthermore, his sales partner may be missing, and while
Joe and his pals prowl through the dead woman\'s house,
they discover that her reclusive neighbor has disappeared
as well.
But it\'s not until Debbie\'s tomcat arrives that Joe and
his feline detective pals find the biggest clue of all: a
grave that the cops have missed. And as the pieces of the
puzzle begin to come together, tortoiseshell Kit sees her
own dreams coming true in the handsome new cat with whom
she might share her life\'s adventures.
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