CAT SHOUT FOR JOY by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Life is filled with transitions. Some are joyful and some are not. Known only to a few humans, the small circle of cats with the special ability to converse with humans are going through their own cycle of life transitions. In the charming vacation town of Molena Point on the California coast, Misto, the old yellow tomcat, is nearing his end and his humans, veterinarian John Firetti and his wife, are doing their best to keep him comfortable.

Also keeping watch over Misto are Dulcie and Joe Grey, two more of the unique breed of cats who can talk, read, and use phones and computers. When not with Misto, the two cats have been busy patrolling from the rooftops and the ground to get new clues. Joe uses special "cop-thinking" and detection abilities to anonymously keep Max Harper, the Police Chief, in the loop on important information they discover, especially on a series of unusual and seemingly senseless attacks on very vulnerable people. Their good feline friends, Kit and Pan, are off on a long journey and so Dulcie and Joe are doing more patrols. This is making both cats tired, but Dulcie has another reason for slowing down a bit more. She is nervous about telling Joe her secret... How will he react to finding out she is having kittens and he is the father? What will happen when she tells him?

Lovingly written by the talented Shirley Rousseau Murphy, CAT SHOUT FOR JOY is the nineteenth book in her well known Joe Grey mystery series. Murphy's many fans are sure to love this latest addition to the series as well as the introduction of some new intriguing little kitten characters. Yet, CAT SHOUT FOR JOY also is a delightful stand alone mystery, especially for readers who love cat and/or cozy mysteries. The characters, both feline and human, are realistic in thought and action and spring vividly to life. The plot is well-developed with an exciting ending with just enough to leave the reader wanting to read on and find out more about the antics of this unique breed of cats.

I particularly enjoy how Murphy easily moves between the perspectives and interests from the cats' to human points of views and how Joe, Dulcie, Pan and Kit ferret out what they need to know and how they pass on the info they gain. The cats have their worries about too many humans finding out about their abilities, and Joe is concerned if Max is on to him or is now trusting him. Trust me, if you like cat mysteries, you will find joy in CAT SHOUT FOR JOY!

Awaiting the birth of his first kittens, feline PI 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. Their friends Pan—the red tom—and
tortoiseshell Kit, are off on an adventure to the magical
netherworld deep beneath the earth. While Dulcie and Joe
Grey joyfully await their first litter, they are also sad
for Pan’s father, the old yellow cat Misto, whose time on
earth is drawing to a close. But their friend isn’t afraid.
He is about to step into a new life in a bright new realm
where all souls journey after their time in this world.

Misto tells Dulcie not to grieve, that an exciting new
future awaits her and Joe Grey. Among the litter of their
three kittens will be a little calico girl—a feisty spirit
returned from the distant past whose likeness and unique
markings appear in ancient tapestries and paintings but who
will possess 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 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. When Dulcie gives birth, her little calico is just
as Misto predicted: as if the calico had 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, human or feline, is safe
until the culprit is found.