Cat Laughing Last: A Joe Grey Mystery [Hardcover]

Shirley Rousseau Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Joe Grey Mysteries | Publication Date: December 24, 2001

When the local village yard sales invite theft and murder, feline sleuths Joe Grey and Dulcieare into the case with their claws sharp. And when the two sleek detectives investigate the prime suspect's house, where the police have no cause to enter, and pass the information across the continent to the New York PD --Joe Grey's tomcat instincts nail the killer before the cops have a clue.Cat Laughing Last

Violence and theft at a yard sale?

Murder because of an eBay auction?

The body on Susan Brittain's breakfast room floor and all her treasured purchases flung about and broken are not a good start to Susan's day. However, the criminal involvement is wider than she imagines, and may disrupt the lives of many others as well.Joe Grey and Dulcie suspect as much. With their unique ability to break and enter where the cops can't, the two cats begin gathering evidence. Meanwhile the cats' human friends deal with a famous author and his ill-tempered wife as they try to produce his play without coming to blows. And several senior ladies seek an innovative solution to retirement security, using their revenue from eBay and yard sales. But as Joe Grey and Oulcie dig into California history, they discover that certain artifacts, appearing at those same sales, hold the key to the puzzle. The crudely carved antique casks -- the legacy of a Spanish bride two hundred years dead-are the link the cats have been searching for.

Yet it is the young tortoiseshell, Kit, fascinated by the delights of theater production, who nearly gives away the cats' greatest secret. Kit, with her own surprising venture, almost alerts the entire village that these cats can speak and are more perceptive and sharper ofwit than most humans could ever imagine.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Joe Grey, remarkable tomcat and sleuth last seen in 2001's Cat Spitting Mad, returns in Murphy's seventh cute feline mystery of theft, intrigue and murder. When famous novelist Elliott Traynor and his wife, Vivi, 40 years his junior, move to Molena Point to oversee the production of Traynor's play at the local theater, strange happenings begin to plague the usually quiet California coastal town. First, dog-owner Susan Brittain's house is vandalized, prompting Joe, aided by furry comrades Dulcie and Kit, to embark on an investigation that will take them from the houses and shops, over the roofs of the town and into a murder scene. True to form, the cats supply the information necessary for the police to solve the crimes. Meanwhile, a multitude of subplots involving the human residents of Molena Point muddle the mystery. The Senior Survival Club (Mavity, Cora, Lee, Gabrielle and Susan) are concerned with their plan to buy a communal house for their old age; Clyde is still perplexed over his ex-girlfriend, Ryan; and Max Harper and Charlie are trying to work out their relationship. Poetic descriptions and miraculous cats who not only talk, make telephone calls, advise humans but also love to read good books and are as comfortable eating rats as they are caviar make this more fantasy than mystery. While constant references to past crimes and events will inform new readers, committed fans may be disappointed in what fails to meet the standards of prior outings. (Jan. 5)Medallion for three years in a row.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Felines Joe Grey and Dulcie (Cat Spitting Mad) investigate a murder in the home of Joe's human friend Susan. This event coincides with the temporary presence in town of a famous novelist. Fun fare for cat fans.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1st edition (December 24, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 006620951X
• ISBN-13: 978-0066209517
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #919,924 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Shirley Rousseau Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. She attended the San Francisco Art institute. Shortly after graduation, she married and worked as an interior designer while her husband attended USC. "When Pat finished school, I promptly quit my job and began to exhibit paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows," Murphy explains. Her work could be seen in many traveling shows in the western States and Mexico. She continues, "But when we moved to Panama for a four-year tour, in Pat's position with the U.S. Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write."

She has published sixteen children's books, a young adult fantasy quintet, the Dragonbards fantasy trilogy, and The Catswold Portal. "It was while working on this adult fantasy that I knew I wanted to explore further the fascinating world of sentient cats. I began to see the gray tomcat, whom I knew well in real life, as a feline detective with a brash attitude--and the die was cast. I launched into the Joe Grey mystery series. I like discovering anew with each book how the three cats interact with their close-knit world of human friends--Joe Grey in-your-face abrasive, Dulcie of a gentler nature, and Kit wildly imaginative."

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Probably Murphy's Best to Date, January 6, 2002

By A Customer

This review is from: Cat Laughing Last: A Joe Grey Mystery (Hardcover)

I've read all the Joe Grey and Dulcie mysteries but this is one that has been most satisfying. I kept thinking "Hey, this ought to a movie!" The Senior Survivors, the romances of Charlie and Clyde and other human-related goings on keep the pace of the book from dragging which some of the earlier books tended to do, because Ms. Murphy is a fine writer with great descriptive abilities BUT that tends to be romantic and contrary to all good mysteries. Unfortunately those flowery passages in the past have been overlong in my estimation, frustrating my reasons for reading mysteries - finding the clues. Happily that hasn't been the case here. The end is a surprise and the cat's continued meddling in police affairs doesn't disappoint those of us who know that felines are really just people with fangs and fur. She still writes with great flourishes, bolstering and adding to the mystery's atmosphere rather than overpowering the plot. All in all, I loved the book and recommend it to all cat lovers who crave mysteries!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Teriffic addition to the series, January 2, 2002

By 

Harriet Klausner - See all my reviews
(#1 Hall OF FAME REVIEWER)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat Laughing Last: A Joe Grey Mystery (Hardcover)

Renowned author Elliot Traynor and his wife Vivi move from New York to Molena Point, California, so that the dying writer can finish his final novel and direct his only play, Thorns of Gold. However, the Pacific community residents quickly abhor the outsiders as Vivi's air of superiority gets on everyone's nerves and Elliot's health does not allow him to smooth the relationships.

However, the townsfolk soon have deeper concerns than the nasty comportment of the Traynors. Someone attacked the two actresses competing for the lead female role in Thorns of Gold. Cat detectives Joe Grey and Dulcie, already intrigued by the Traynors, decide to investigate the assaults that left one actress dead. Neither feline realizes how close they will come to losing a life or two.

The seventh Grey and Dulcie tale continues the same style humor and who-done-it that makes this one of the top or perhaps the best feline amateur sleuth series today. The two charming cats perform in a myriad of roles ranging from detective, counselors, and psychologists to their erratic human pets. CAT LAUGHING LAST is an amusing two tail tale that fans of award winning Shirley Rousseau Murphy's series will fully enjoy.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Murder is the least of the mysteries, September 30, 2004

By 

Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Cat Laughing Last (A Joe Grey Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

In a departure from Murphy's usual pattern, this seventh Joe Grey mystery doesn't really turn on a murder--there is one, but it doesn't occur till halfway through the book. Nevertheless, Molena Point is certainly suffering through some weird goings-on. Why is the famous author who has come to live in the village not writing up to his usual standard? Who vandalized Susan Brittain's home, and why? What is the attraction of a battered old wooden chest found in a local yard sale, for which a village antique dealer is willing to commit assault? And what does would-be stage star Fern Barth have on author Traynor to make him insist that she be cast as the lead of the Little Theater's production of his novel? Only Joe, his partner Dulcie, and their stage-struck protege Kit could assemble the information and put it together so the humans could act on the hidden truth. Meanwhile, Joe must put up with the angst of human housemate Clyde Damen, who has lost his casual girlfriend, Charlie Getz, to his lifelong buddy, Police Chief Max Harper, and is pondering the possibility of selling the cottage that has become Joe's beloved base of operations. Among the most delightful scenes in this book are those involving little Kit, who manages to nab a prominent part in the play. And Joe, with "the freewheeling approach [that only] a cat could employ," ends up with the last laugh indeed.