In addition to her popular Joe Grey mystery series for adults, for which she has received eight national Cat Writers’ Association Awards for best novel of the year, Murphy is a noted children’s book author who has received five Council of Authors and Journalists Awards. She and her husband live in Carmel, California, where they serve as full-time household help to two demanding feline ladies.
"Magical whimsy and deft writing".-- Cats Magazine
Appearing for the first time in hardcover, this series (e.g., Cat Under Fire, HarperPrism, 1997) features cats who have emotions and intelligence, who talk to each other, and who investigate murder in a small California town. Depending on their frame of mind, readers will find this premise either silly and tedious or stimulating and charming, Two special felines, Dulcie and Joe Grey, spot the town's new, evil tomcat‘wily, partnered with human robbers, and prophetic of three killings. The cats' owners play out the plot on another level, of course, but the two converge when owners and cats converse. A special treat, then, for cat mystery fanciers.
YA-Cat lovers have long acknowledged the special qualities of felines, even those that don't speak, read, open locks, or act like private investigators. Joe Grey and Dulcie can do all of the above and more. While making a nighttime stroll around the quiet village of Molena Point, Joe and Dulcie witness a cat and a slovenly dressed man committing a robbery. The strange cat, Azrael, appears to be as evil as his name implies, and turns out to share the same unique abilities of Joe and Dulcie. The man turns out to be the brother of Mavity Flowers, one of the hard-working older women in the village. The two resident cats, faced with identifying the culprit, come across an investment scam, three deaths, and significant twisting of the plot. Human characters provide the realism in this mysterious fantasy that includes romantic interests and small-town squabbles. Dulcie's owner, Wilma Getz, and Joe's owner, Clyde Damen, serve as the major human players. As mutual friends their interactions bring the different parts of the plot together and provide a foundation for the series. The contemporary setting of Molena Point, complete with nightly fogs, adds just the right atmosphere for the midnight sleuthing of cats and dastardly humans. For teens who like fantasy, mystery, or cats, this title offers all three.-Pam Johnson, Fairfax County Public Library, VA Copyright 1999 Cahners Business Information.
"Magical whimsy and deft writing".
-- Cats Magazine
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