Cat Playing Cupid (Joe Grey Mysteries) [Mass Market Paperback]

Shirley Rousseau Murphy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 29, 2009 | Series: Joe Grey Mysteries

Love—and murder—are in the air . . .

It took Joe Grey's human, Clyde Damen, nearly forever to pop the question to his girlfriend, Ryan Flannery, and what more romantic time to tie the knot than on Valentine's Day? But dark secrets from the past soon threaten to destroy everyone's happiness.

First, a body discovered many miles away reopens a ten-year-old cold case involving a man who disappeared days before his own wedding. Then another body is found closer to home on the grounds of a ruined estate, deserted save for a band of unusual feral cats.

Though the police investigate, only Joe Grey suspects that the crimes are related. And when he barely escapes alive from a deadly chase, Joe and his friends, Dulcie and Kit, know they'll need to use their powers of feline perception to bring justice to the small town of Molena Point . . . and save Valentine's Day!

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

“I’m a cop in cat skin, working undercover.” So says dedicated feline detective Joe Grey just before setting off to search a suspect’s condo, in this solid fourteenth entry in Murphy’s popular mystery series. This time Joe’s gruff but lovable housemate, Clyde, is on his honeymoon and thus not around to scold Joe for poking his paws into police business, leaving Joe free to investigate a skeleton found in some local ruins and a missing-persons case. The murders are even less of a focus than usual in this long-running cozy series; instead, the mystery of the wild talking cats and their connection with the ruins take up much of the storyline. Even so, this is still a quality mystery, with excellent pacing, ratcheting tension, consistent characters, and suitably nasty villians. The new developments in the story of the talking cats will please many series fans but may not make much sense to new readers. A must wherever the series has fans. --Jessica Moyer --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

“Murphy’s feline-loving fans will enjoy the latest in her long-running series.” (Kirkus Reviews )

“Murphy’s gentle blend of fantasy and mystery includes revelations about her unusually verbal cat detectives sure to please series fans.” (Publishers Weekly )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Avon (December 29, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061123986
• ISBN-13: 978-0061123986
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,106 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

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another enchanting Joe Grey mystery, February 10, 2009

By 

Sheila L. Beaumont (South Pasadena, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cat Playing Cupid: A Joe Grey Mystery (Joe Grey Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I love Shirley Rousseau Murphy's delightful Joe Grey series, and each book seems better than the last. Romance is the theme in this one, the 14th in the series, with Clyde Damen and Ryan Flannery tying the knot at last, on Valentine's Day. Also involved in this story are two murders in the past, and the discovery of a old, hidden book of "folktales" that could reveal the secret of the special talking cats, Joe Grey, Dulcie, Kit, and others living in the area who are feral.

This whole series, with its lovely small-town setting in coastal Northern California, and its lovable, interesting characters, feline, human and canine, is an amazing accomplishment. Murphy is a wonderful writer and storyteller who somehow manages to make the reader believe in these speaking, crime-solving cats. And there's a fascinating Celtic mythological background behind these special felines.

It's best to read this series in order, beginning with Cat on the Edge, because the characters go through many changes in their lives, and we meet lots of new ones as the series continues. I enjoyed these books so much the first time that I have started a reread of the entire series.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I Believe, February 9, 2009

By 

L. Rogers "MissLue"" (New Orleans, LA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cat Playing Cupid: A Joe Grey Mystery (Joe Grey Mysteries) (Hardcover)

How in the world does Ms. Murphy do that? Make you believe what you know is impossible? Do I think cats can talk? Well, no. Do I believe Joe Grey can talk? Absolutely! If you've never read about these three felines, Joe, Dulcie and Kit, before, go back and read a few -- or all -- the previous stories to learn not only to appreciate their abilities, but also to learn all about their humans, who are wonderful people to know. But this book, this is one of the best! Well plotted, well written, full of suspense and believable all the way. I admire how this author has created a lovely town, filled with interesting people, some who know about the cats and their abilities, and some who do not, and how everybody lives all unknowing while the cats sneak here and there solving the mystery. This is a keeper. I closed the book with a smile, went to bed with a smile and woke up with a smile. You can't ask for better entertainment.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Another delightful book from the pen of Shirley Rousseau Murphy, February 4, 2009

By 

Barbara Darrah (Monterey, CA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Cat Playing Cupid: A Joe Grey Mystery (Joe Grey Mysteries) (Hardcover)

This, the latest in the Molena Point Cat Mysteries, combines once again the delightful local color of Carmel -- and the entire Monterey Peninsula -- with another, almost believable, story of talking felines and the their involvement in solving local mysteries.
I love Shirley Rousseau Murphy's books for adults and children alike. The Joe Grey mysteries carry so much mythology that readers, especially adult ones, find themselves gobbling up slight-shiver-inducing, mysterious tales of the past while enjoying some splendid, modern who-done-it work at the same time.
May Joe Grey (along with his feline, canine, and human friends) and their creator stay around for a long time to come!
P.S. Read _The Catswold Portal_, if you want to sample more of Shirley's writing.