Customer Reviews

Cat on the Edge: A Joe Grey Mystery

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I started reading this book expecting another Koko or Louie type of mystery novel. To my surprise, I found was dealing with another beast entirely. Shirley Murphy has her own, unusual approach to the feline mystery story.

Joe Grey, the main cat of this book suddenly discovers two things. He can speak/think like a human, and he is the witness to a murder. Murphy handles this as the crisis it would be in a cat's life, and that's the first surprise the book has to offer. Joe no sooner adapts to being the only English speaking cat on the block when he discovers he is being hunted by the murderer. To protect his owner, Joe leaves home to handle this. We are actually treated to Joe calling his owner on the phone to explain why he has gone missing.

As the story progresses we discover that another cat, Dulcie, also witnessed the murder and can now speak and think in human. Needless to say, this is a match made in heaven. The cats immediately team up to bring the murderer to justice.

In the meantime, the murderer somehow turns a woman (Kate) who is an intended victim into a cat. He uses a kind of Welsh magic. This is never particularly well explained. She discovers her husband is invovled in the crimes and sets out to even the score.

As you can tell, there is a lot of willing suspension of belief going on. What is surprising is that Shirley Murphy comes very close to pulling it off. She treats each of the semi-feline characters with great respect and the develop really and enchanting personalities (well, the cats do, Kate comes out a bit flat, despite a big part). Other than the oddity of some characters being cats the story line is a typical thriller/crime novel, involving murder, car theft and counterfeiting. At first this approach gave me some trouble, but I finally got into the groove and stopped expecting the story to behave in a particular way.

The two cats, Joe and Dulcie, really are charming. Joe even manages to deliver a fine moral lesson that even a human could understand. While I still find the tale a bit peculiar, I've decided to continue reading the series to see how things work out.

Somehow, to his surprise and horror, Joe Grey has learned to speak, read and understand English. And to make matters worse, he's on the run from a murderer who will stop at nothing to kill the small grey tomcat. You see, Joe saw the killing, and he can identify the murderer. So Joe has had to leave his comfortable home, and hit the road in an effort to get the goods on the murderer and save his own skin. On the lam, he meets up with Dulcie, a female cat with the same mysterious talents as Joe, and a taste for soft human garments like sweaters and underthings. Dulcie, the other witness to the murder, is also on the run from the fiend trying to kill Joe. The two cats team up with a spurned wife who also has a few tricks up her sleeve to save the day and catch a killer.
This is a charming and interesting novel. Other than their amazing linguistic abilities (which are never really explained, but don't let that keep you from enjoying the story. Just go with the flow!), the cats are very true to life in every other respect. Dulcie is a particularly winning "cat"racter, I just fell in love with her from the moment she appeared on the page. If you like cats and cat mysteries and enjoy an element of fantasy in your reading, you'll have fun with Joe and Dulcie.

then you can't afford not to sample the Joe Grey mysteries, of which this is the first. Joe, a tough, stump-tailed tomcat, lives in the arty little California coastal village of Molena Point with Clyde Damen, who repairs and restores high-end and antique cars for a living, and Clyde's two dogs and three other cats. For several weeks he has felt a "strange identity change" taking place in him: he has gained the ability to understand human speech in all its nuances, then to speak it; he's also begun to think on a human level, analyzing, appreciating natural beauty, planning his day, speculating on metaphysical subjects. He's even, inexplicably, suddenly become able to read! On top of this shock comes another: he witnesses a murder in the alleyway behind a local deli. And the killer seems to realize that Joe could be a threat to him, since the very next morning he tries to break into Clyde's house. Forced to go on the run, Joe teams up with Dulcie, a charming little brindle female belonging to retired parole officer Wilma Getz, who is a long-time friend of Clyde's; Dulcie too has just realized that she shares Joe's talent. Trying to preserve their own lives, they realize, requires that they help the police nail the murderer--which, in turn, draws them into a stolen-car ring and a counterfeiting scheme.

Meanwhile, Kate Osborne, a friend of Clyde's, has discovered that she can change from human to cat shape and back again...

The twists and turns of the plot, while complex, are so well drawn that the story flows easily from point to point, and the cats, apart from their fantastic abilities, are recognizably felines who behave just as any housecat might, yet at the same time are distinct and well-delineated characters. The fact that Joe and Dulcie have to do their maneuvering behind the scenes--only their own people, and Kate, are allowed to learn about their new talents--adds a fresh angle to the so-often-repeated "amateur detective" motif. I've gone on to read the second book in the series and it maintains, if not exceeds, the quality of the first. Lovers of cats, mystery, and fantasy are sure to find this book a thorough delight. (Note: Murphy is also the YA fantasy novelist Sylvia Engdahl.)

This book is pretty well written, although the author has improved her technique in later books of the series. This is the first book of the "Joe Grey" series. The two main characters are cats who have learned to understand and speak the English language. The cat characters are really well done, showing a good understanding of cat nature by the author. The human characters that the cats play off of are not quite so vivid, but reasonably believable. The irritating tendency to switch back and forth between different characters in each chapter is a pretty minor flaw and may be a plus to some readers. It does tend to highten the suspense. This is a "Fantasy Whodunit" that is different from any others I've read. I think it's a valuable addition to the "Whodunit" genre and is certainly of great interest to cat lovers. The books that follow, in this series, get better and better.

This is one of the more unusual mysteries I've read, but it's amusing and interesting as well as a good mystery. And it seems to haunt you afterwards. I read it on a lark, figured that was that when I finished it, but then I found myself eagerly seeking out the second book in the series. Joe, his girlfriend, and his humans are great.

I will be reading every book in this series. But I like occasionally the books that are'potato chips and beer' reading. This book was well written and the characters are loveable, believable and palatable. I reccomend reading aloud to your cats as they will laugh at the serious parts and become very dour at the humor. Might make you look at them a little differently when finished, also.

What a wonderful day when a new series of books is found which guarantees hours of reading pleasure ahead. such is the case with this delightful mystery series. I have just completed two of the books and am totally delighted. Cat on the Edge was my first and I unexpectedly loved it and had to have the rest of the series. I am more of a dog person but loved these cats! The author obviously knows cats well as Joe and Dulcie behave exactly as you would expect a cat to behave except......they find themselves having human feelings about various situations, and the ability to talk, read and understand human speech. Add mystery and murder to all of the above and you have a delightful, light reading adventure. I felt like the characters in this book were old friends when finished reading and could hardly wait to begin reading their next adventure.

You wouldn't believe that cats talked,thought, or had feelings like humans. Joe grey has that, and now he's solving a murder mystery in one of the most normal towns you would ever have heard of; never any big problems, just the mischeif of all the neighborhood cats. Joe was the only witness, he thought, to the murder, and the person who did it is after him because he knows Joe's secret. Hiding in the shadows was Dulcie. The second of the three witnesses, whom also walked on four feet with the mysterious talent. Dulcie and Joe both discover they are one of the same, and work together to find the victims killer.
This movie was a very suspesful and some parts breath holding. I highely recommend it to people who love murder mysteries. Even if you aren't much for animal stories, this is one to at least pick up. It changes your perception on animals and opens your mind to a whole new different world of thoughts. The book leaves you wanting more.

****-1/2 Stars

I only recently learned of this cat series, having become slightly disenchanted with one other feline series I'd been reading. First off, it's always a good idea to read a series in order rather than coming in once the characters have been introduced & situations explained. In Cat on the Edge, Joe Grey, the gray & white Tom, who had been rescued from certain death by animal-loving bachelor, Clyde, discovers powers beyond the normal cat. The book opens with Joe witnessing a murder committed one night in an alley in a California seaside town. For some reason the murderer chases him, trying to kill him. After a couple more incidents, Joe decides that it would be best to leave home in order to protect Clyde & the other dogs & cats that live there. While he's fending for himself, he meets Dulcie & discovers that she too has the same powers that he has. Dulcie has also seen the murder & is running from the murderer. The wife of one of the accomplices has the ability to turn herself into a cat & back again. If all this sounds rather bazaar in the telling, Murphy manages to pull it off very well with her fluid writing & attention to detail. (I could have done without the detailed references to the eating of birds & mice however.) I was reminded somewhat of Watership Down & the portrayal from the rabbits point of view. I love the scene where Joe meets Dulcie & discovers that she can talk & understand. It is just so poignant.

The book is told almost entirely from the cat's point of view, though Clyde & Dulcie's "mom" (Clyde's friend) have their turn. It is strictly a "what if..." kind of story that pulls you into the mystical world of cats & we know who the murderer is from the start. The story centers on how Joe & Dulcie get the humans to discover what is going on. I must admit, since reading this book, I look at my five cats a bit differently, half expecting one of them to morph into a human or phone me in the middle of the night. I definitely enjoyed this book enough to continue on with the next.

For those first starting out with the Joe Grey series, be prepared to get hooked.
Joe Grey is a cat. Not a handsome cat, and one with no tail besides that. But Joe has a secret: he can talk, he can read, he can deduce, and he is scared silly about it at first.
And, he soon finds out he will need every bit of cunning he has, both feline and his newly-acquired skills, to catch a murderer bent on framing his human, Clyde Damen. Aiding in his quest is--remarkably--another sentient cat, Dulcie, who helps him piece the puzzle without giving their secret and vulnerable position to the cops, especially Max Harper, chief of police of Molena Point.
It's quite a ride, and won't let you down; the reader will be deep into the story until the last page is turned....and I dare the reader not to want to know more about this redoubtable cat and take further part in his adventures!
Try CAT ON THE EDGE. If you love animals, especially cats, and feel there is more to them than meets the eye, you will find this book a treat.