Cat Striking Back: A Joe Grey Mystery (Joe Grey Mysteries) - Hardcover

Murphy, Shirley Rousseau

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061123994 ISBN 13: 9780061123993

Publisher: William Morrow & Co, 2009

Synopsis

Feline investigators Joe Grey, Dulcie and Kit track a killer whose plans soon entangle the lives of the cats' human companions, in a story where a feral-cat stranger leads Joe and his friends to an unlikely crypt that might have lain for generations undiscovered. 25,000 first printing.

About this title

Review:

“Magical.” (Publishers Weekly)

“[The] premise, a mystery that withholds the identities of both the victim and the perp, is intriguing.” (Kirkus Reviews)

“Joe continues to be one of the most entrancing (and effective) detectives in modern cozy mysteries.” (Booklist)

From the Back Cover:

Beware of the cat striking back . . .

On a lovely moonlit night, Joe Grey is minding his own business, carrying a gift of mice to a litter of kittens, when he stumbles upon a murder scene. Behind an empty house lies a swimming pool, its bottom covered with mud. There is also blood, the smell of human death, and drag marks. But there is no victim. Without a body, it's a crime that will be hard to prove.

With stubborn feline curiosity, Joe Grey sets out to investigate. As he, Dulcie, and Kit follow the killer's trail among four houses whose owners are on vacation, they discover that more murder has been planned for the small, close-knit neighborhood. They uncover evidence of conflict among the residents and multiple signs of breaking-and-entering, although nothing valuable seems to be missing.

With the help of two local ferals, the cats find the victim's hidden grave and learn of the violence that is yet to come. As they set out to alert the law, they discover the perfect way to thwart the killer—through that person's unnatural but powerful fear of cats.

Thus unfolds the next installment in Shirley Rousseau Murphy's beguiling series about the gray tomcat P.I., his feline friends, and human companions, as, skirting danger, they unravel events shaped by human frailty and by the darkest feline imaginings from the killer's past.

About this edition

• Publisher: William Morrow & Co
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0061123994
• ISBN 13: 9780061123993
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 319