Cat Spitting Mad: A Joe Grey Mystery

Cat Spitting Mad: A Joe Grey Mystery by Murphy, Shirley Rousseau. hardcover edition. ISBN: 0099455023009.

Cat Spitting Mad continues Shirley Rousseau Murphys acclaimed, uniquely charming mystery series featuring a pair of precocious cats who have the amazing ability to read, speak, use the telephone, and solve crimes. "I am a cat, Dulcie. A free spirit. A four-legged unencumbered citizen. I dont need to answer to any human." Joe Grey is mad enough to spit! No matter what Clyde, his irritating human "owner," says, hes not keeping his paws off this case, not when Max Harpers life and the future of law enforcement in the town of Molena Point are at stake. While Joe has certainly delighted in playing countless smug tricks on Max Harper, Molena Points head lawman, hes never had anything but respect for the dedicated cop. In fact, Harper is the one human who makes Joe and Dulcies sleuthing worth the trouble. Many of the culprits theyve tracked down ended up behind bars thanks to Harpers tenacity and shrewdness. Now Harper is in trouble. Big trouble. Two of his horseback-riding companions have been viciously murdered on the trail, and Dillon, the spunky young girl who accompanied them, is missing. All the evidence points to Harper, and he doesnt have a single witness -- at least not a human one! -- to vouch for his alibi. Joe knows Harper is innocent and is hissing to prove it -- and to rescue his young friend Dillon before it is too late. Finding answers, however, promises to be the biggest challenge Joe and Dulcie have ever faced. Theyve got to keep their night-eyes sharp and their soft paws moving to avoid both a vicious killer and a hungry cougar prowling around the towns hills. Then theres the tortoiseshell kitten thats been left in their care. Though she shares their wonderful abilities, the kits fearless curiosity takes them all into dangerous territory. But there is one silver lining to the terrible cloud hanging over pretty Molena Point. Kate Osborne, Clydes old girlfriend and close family friend of Dallas Garza, the outside investigator brought in on the Harper case, is back in town. To Joe this means an inside track on the murder investigation and -- almost as good! -- someone to distract Clyde from his dead-set determination to prevent feline meddling. To Dulcie, wise in the ways of womens hearts, it means Charlie, Clydes freckled, redheaded current girlfriend, is free to spend some quality time lifting Max Harpers spirits and helping out with a few things that even the most talented cats cant do on their own, like driving a getaway car! With backs up and claws bared, Dulcie and a spitting-mad Joe Grey must use all their cleverness and amazing talents to solve the case -- and keep their secret safe, too.