Product Description

Cat to the Dogs is the latest entry in Shirley Rousseau Murphy's acclaimed, uniquely charming mystery series featuring a pair of cats who discovered one day that they have the amazing ability to read, speak, and solve crimes.

"For your information," said Joe Grey, "if that wreck turns out to be a murder, I'm the one who put the cops onto it. Me. The cat you are booting out into the cold for no reason!"

Joe Grey kicked out of the house? Ever since the earthquake, things have been going from bad to worse in Molena Point.

There was the car "accident on Hellhag Hill, which looked--well--fishy, to Joe's night-wise eyes. And there was the suspicious but not unwelcome death of the town philanderer, Shamas Greenlaw. Soon the little coastal California town was filled with greedy relatives and Shamas's brazen young mistress, all looking to share the widow's grief--and her rumored gold.

Every earthquake has its aftershocks, and now even Dulcie, the library cat, is getting weird. She's going to the dogs, literally. She's taken to mothering two orphaned pups discovered at the scene of the crash.

And worst of all, there's Clyde, Joe's erratic but lovable human. He thinks cats should stay out of police work (as if humans could handle it on their own!), and to make his point, he's locking Joe and Dulcie out of the house when Officer Harper come over to play poker.

Clyde is afraid the two will give away their secret--that a few select cats can not only talk, but read--and even use the telephone. (Where does Harper think those anonymous tips are coming from after all?) But Joe is not about to give up the chase. Not until the "ghost" of Hellhag Hill is tracked down and brought to justice.

Mice are nice, but what cat can resist the chance to stalk a real killer?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1491564 in Books
• Published on: 2000-01-01
• Released on: 1999-12-08
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Recommended only for dedicated cat lovers, this lackluster tale is the latest outing (after Cat in the Dark) featuring the feline Sherlock Holmes named Joe Grey and his companion, Dulcie. As usual, the cats not only outsmart most humans, but also make telephone calls, order take-out and speak perfect English, although only to each other and a few favored people. Hunting in Hellhag Canyon, Joe witnesses a fatal car accident that appears to be murder. While local police search for the victim's identity, Dulcie is keeping an eye on neighbor Lucinda Greenlaw's house. Just widowed, Lucinda, who's waiting for the funeral and a possible inheritance, has been surrounded by her husband's unsavory relatives. Joe and Dulcie suspect that Shamas Greenlaw's death while boating was no accident, especially when his black market business dealings come to light. Now it remains for the feline duo to lead human investigators to connect the suspicious car accident to some of the Greenlaw clan and to prove that the two deaths are related. Murphy's fifth novel moves at a snail's pace and the humans involved, such as Joe's housemate, Clyde, are mere window dressing. Cat fans may fancy the story in any case, but others won't enjoy the plot digressions into the history and mythology of felines. (Jan.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Joe Grey, the talking cat (Cat in the Dark), and friend Dulcie help police solve a suspicious fatal car accident. A special treat for cat mystery fans who like a little more feline participation.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews
Sleuthing cats Joe Grey and Dulcie (Cat in the Dark, 1999, etc.) are living at Molena Point, California, Joe with repairman Clyde Damen and Dulcie with librarian Wilma Getz. Theyre able to talk to each other and to their respective hosts, read the paper, and use the phone, among other things. At the moment, Dulcie is spying on the house next door, where widow Lucinda Greenlawwhose chronically unfaithful husband, Shamasdrowned two weeks before, is fending off the mostly rapacious Greenlaw relatives gathered in a nearby trailer park waiting for the funeral. Meanwhile, Joe is enjoying an early morning hunt in Hellhag Canyon when a skidding car from the road above comes hurtling down the cliff. Exploring the wreck, Joe finds the driver dead and a brake line obviously cut through. Back home, Joe does his best to keep Sheriff Max Harper alert to the murder possibilities, especially when its discovered the victim was a part of Shamass lucrative but mysterious business operations. It seems Shamass nephews Dirken and Newlon and cousin Sam Fulman were also part of those operations. Complications escalate with the appearance of Shamass last mistress, Cara Ray Crisp, and again with Newlons murder. It takes Joe and Dulcie, helped this time by a tiny, nameless feral cat, to bring the killer to justice. Only feline worshipers will enjoy Murphy's endless spins into cat adoration. But even ailurophobes will acknowledge that clever plotting and lyrical prose offer top entertainment. -- Copyright ©2000, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Customer Reviews

Best Yet in Series!
Joe Grey and Dulcie strike again. Murphy has written a real page-turner--I was up until 3 a.m. finishing it. Lots of suspense with the ongoing characters (will Harper find out about the cats or won't he?) and some new animal characters that add complications and humor. Murphy manages to make these cats that investigate (and talk) utterly believable.. Great setting, and good story. Not to be missed!

Feline Fantasy
Further into the story of talking cats Joe and Dulcie, Cat to the Dogs is another fantasy story in which two cats try to solve a crime that happened in Hellhag Canyon. This all takes place in Molina Point, California. Joe and Dulcie are able to talk to each other and their respective owners, as well as reading the newspaper and using the phone. Dulcie is spying on the house next door. This is where Lucinda Greenlaw lives. Two weeks before, her husband Shamus was drowned. She is trying to fend off Greenlaw relatives who are waiting for the funeral in a nearby trailer park. This is all happening when Joe is hunting on Hellhag Conyon when a car came skidding off of the street down a cliff. Joe studied the car and found the driver to be dead, and a break line to be cut through. Joe always tries to keep the sheriff, Max Harper, alert to the murder. Joe discovers that the victim was part of Shamus's business operations. Later it is found out that his nephews Dirken and Newlon along with his cousin Sam were also part of the business. When Shamus's last mistress Cara Ray Crisp appears, complications escalate. It takes Joe and Dulcie, helped by a tiny nameless cat to bring the killer of Newlon to justice. Clyde, the owner of Dulcie locks both of the cats out of the house when officer Harper comes over to play a game of poker. He does this because he thinks that cats should stay out of police business. He is also afraid that they will give away their secrets. That these cats can talk, read, and even use the telephone. Joe will not give up until the killer of Hellhag hill is brought to justice. Feline worshipers will enjoy countless situations of cat adoration in Cat to the Dogs. It is a book of feline fantasy and will meet up to the cat lover's standards.

An outstanding example of the best cat detective series
Joe Grey and his "girl friend" Dulcie are after the ghost of Hellhag Hill, who has already done several murders. Joe's human, Clyde is doing all the interfering he can, and the two feline eyes meet the Kit, who will be a character in future stories. Kit is another lovable feline character who adds a lot to this story and later ones. Joe and Dulcie are at their best in this well plotted whodunit. They actually take an active part in the detection and murder solving, unlike most of the other fictional Cat PI's, who are somewhat incidental to the real happenings. These cats are special! They are a little bit of a different breed and are able to understand, speak and read human language. They are highly intelligent, and highly capable of functioning in a human world. How they manipulate things and give clues to the human police is most interesting. This book is required reading for those who like cats and mysteries.