Cat Coming Home
by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
(Joe Grey Cat Mystery Series, Book 16)
Morrow (a HarperCollins imprint), 2010
Hardcover: ISBN 0061806935
Paperback: Avon, ISBN 0061806951
E-book: HarperCollins
Large print: Harperluxe, 0062002260
Audiobook: Download and digital rental (CD no longer available)
Winner of the Cat Writers' Association's
2011 Muse Medallion
Cats can't come home again . . . or can they?
Escaping Los Angeles and the ugly memories of her son's recent murder, Maudie Toola returns to her childhood home of Molena Point, bringing her orphaned grandson, whom she must now raise, with her. Mourning for her son, she's not looking forward to the holidays but knows she must make them positive for the child.
Maudie is unaware that the killer has followed her, nor does she know that the small seaside village is dealing with a series of brutal assaults. A team of criminals is stalking single women, hiding their attacks behind spectacular break-ins to divert the cops. And this time there's not even a phone call from the four-footed snitch to give the cops a lead.
Meanwhile, a new tomcat appears on the scene, a wise and elderly wanderer who bears an important message from a state prisoner for the chief of police. But this cat has a personal agenda too—as does Maudie, who harbors her own secret about her son's killer. As the lonely prison cat provides the link between the mysteries, Joe Grey and his pals, in turn, help him find a surprising new home, a safe retreat in time for the holidays.
With a story both enchanting and suspenseful, Shirley Rousseau Murphy shows once again why her trio of feline sleuths are so beloved by her fans, and why the Joe Grey mysteries should be at the top of every cat lover's Christmas list.
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The print edition can also be purchased at Amazon and is widely available in other bookstores, where it can be special-ordered if it is not in stock.
Quotes from the reviews
"The 16th Joe Grey book is sure to please veteran fans of the series. All the favorites are back -- Joe, Dulcie, and Kit -- and the heartwarming stories of an orphaned child and a stray cat at Christmas will tug on more than a few heartstrings." --Romantic Times, November 2010
"Deeply moving. . . . Yuletide cheer appear in the enchanting form of Misto, a wise old yellow tomcat who returns from a long sojourn in Soledad Prison, Calif., where he's thrilled to connect with cat sleuths Joe Grey, Dulcie, and Kit. . . . [A] marvelous gift of a holiday tale. --Publishers Weekly, October 18, 2010
"Because Murphy succeeds in weaving the holiday elements into her mystery plot seemlessly, this novel is every bit as strong as the other entries in the series--a rarity for so many holiday mysteries. A heartwarming and satisfying tale that shows, yet again, why the Joe Grey novels have won the Book of the Year award from the Cat Writers Association eight times." --Booklist, November 1, 2010
"This is delightful entertainment. It would be a true cat-astrophe if you let it pass you by." --Todd David Schwartz, CBS Radio
"Now at 16 titles, this series, featuring sentient cats with plenty of attitude, has been a hit with a broad audience including, of course, confirmed cat lovers who see traits of their own pets in the main feline characters. . . . [Cat Coming Home] keeps you reading even if you would rather turn out the lights and go to bed." --Bob Walch, Night Owl Reviews, November 10, 2010.
"Even though this is the sixteenth in the series, none of the charm has been lost with longevity, rather it has been enhanced as we watch how the people and cats interact and grow. . . . Absolutely deserves to be on everyone’s 'TBR' piles this fall." --Sandie Herron, ILoveAMysteryNewsletter.com, October 2010
Excerpt from the story
Fog as soft as a purr drifted among the twisted oaks and tucked down around the weathered roofs of the old hillside houses; on the twisted arm of a sprawling oak, the gray tomcat crouched above the rooftops licking at his fog-dampened fur. His claws kneaded idly as he watched the neighborhood below. The old homes, denizens from an age past, crowded close among their overgrown gardens, descending the hill with dignity, some perhaps still sheltering their original occupants. This early morning, the tomcat was concerned with only one house.
From the moment three days earlier, when Maudie’s Lincoln parked at the curb and then soon the yellow moving van pulled into the drive, Joe Grey had observed the grandmotherly woman with interest. He knew she had fled L.A., some three hundred miles to the south, after the murder of her son and his wife, but it was even more than the murder that piqued the tomcat’s curiosity; it was something about Maudie herself. Something out of keeping, an attitude that didn’t seem to fit, an occasional gesture or glance that seemed out of character in the soft little woman.
The tomcat had no clue that his interest in Maudie would soon involve a tangle of confusing events, that a stabbing soon to occur at the state prison and the brutal home invasions that had already descended upon the small village, would prove to be connected to Maudie. This morning Joe puzzled only over Maudie herself as he watched for an early light to blaze on in her kitchen.
Read a longer sample from inside the book
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