In the charming town of Molena Point on the California coast, Joe Grey, a wily and street-smart cat, loves his role as an investigative police informant. For this and other skills, Joe Grey has many fans; yet, the greatest of these are his three new kittens that his partner Dulcie gave birth to a few weeks earlier. They just squeal with delight when he comes to visit his family and gently wrestles with them with his large tomcat paws and lets them maul him all over. Both parents belong to a very small and special breed of cats that can talk, read, and use cellphones and speak to humans in English. The parents fiercely love their little female calico kitten named Courtney by the late Misto before her birth and her two very lively brothers, Striker and Buffin. While their little kitten eyes have opened and they each have started developing their own personalities, the parent wonder... will they have the ability to speak as well?

Meanwhile, life for the police and the town's residents have become difficult as a band of car thieves have been breaking into vehicles and stealing belongings and a few expensive cars have disappeared as well. Both Joe Grey and the local police have been frustrated about always arriving too late. How can the crooks always manage to get away without a trace to track them down? Can Joe Grey find a way to balance his new family responsibilities with his need for investigative prowls?

CAT SHINING BRIGHT is the 20th book in Shirley Rousseau Murphy's well-known and beloved Joe Grey Mystery series and in my opinion CAT SHINING BRIGHT is one of her best in the series. Murphy is a great story teller who skillfully weaves in small clues for those who like to figure out the WHODONEIT, but she doesn't give away the secret quickly, and her conclusion is very exciting and surprising. Murphy's many, many fans and readers who love cat and/or cozy mysteries will find CAT SHINING BRIGHT a true delight as well as any reader who loves a good story and a mystery to solve.

While CAT SHINING BRIGHT can easily be read as a stand-alone, this wonderful story is even more meaningful and richer if a few of the earlier books in the series have been read first. The talking cats have wonderful personalities and intriguing ways to pass on information to each other as well as to the police and humans they live with in varying ways. The cats are always mindful of how the humans would react and Murphy is very skilful in making both two-leggeds and cats authentic in the actions, attitudes and mannerisms. Truly, CAT SHINING BRIGHT is a feline reading feast to enjoy! So, get your paws on a copy and find out why the cat shines so bright!