Review of CAT CROSS THEIR GRAVES by Shirley Rousseau Murphy (see her website) ****

A JOE GREY MYSTERY

HarperCollins, January 2005

Molena Point, California is an affluent community and proud of it's retired film star, Patty Rose. When Patty is murdered, the only witness is Kit, a tortoiseshell cat. Fortunately, Kit can talk--and dial the phone. Unfortunately, she doesn't get a good look at the killer--she's got to follow him and get the evidence. With Kit vanished, fellow talking cats Joe Grey and Dulcie worry--but Joe Grey has another worry--Dulcie has been keeping secrets from him. Could another Tom have moved into town?

The day after Patty is murdered, a woman's group turns up a child's skeleton--and evidence of more murder. And runaway child Lori hides in a secret basement under the library and worries about the strange twist in her father's reaction to her and about the dangerous people out there.

Author Shirley Rousseau Murphy (see more BooksForABuck.com reviews of novels by Murphy) tells a dark tale of murder--both recent and in the past. Once again, the three talking cats manage to do most of the detecting--informing the police by calling line-ID protected phones. Because although Patty is dead, the murderer(s) may be seeking more victims.

CAT CROSS THEIR GRAVES is not the usual fluffy cat mystery. Its darker themes of endangered children, deranged religious fanatics, and over-possessive paternal love are certain to disturb the reader. But the clever cats offset the dark tone and provide plenty of hope. Murphy's strong writing keeps the reader invested in the story and the cats are developing into fairly complex and three-dimensional characters.

CAT CROSS is a different cat mystery but in this case, that doesn't mean worse. I enjoyed this story very much.

Four Stars

Reviewed 4/15/05

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