Cat Shining Bright: A Joe Grey Mystery

Interaction between domesticated cats and their feral relatives is just one of the highlights of Murphy’s fun-filled 20th Joe Grey mystery (after 2016’s Cat Shout for Joy). Joe, who’s well known for his detecting skills in Molena Point, Calif., and his mate, Dulcie, now have three kittens: Courtney, a calico, and tomcats Buffin and Striker. When car thieves begin to target the town, Joe naturally gets involved, but so do the kittens, who grow up fast and demonstrate special talents in addition to sharing their parents’ speaking ability. Some dramatic tension lies in the divide between those people who know the cats can talk and converse with them, such as cat lover Charlie Harper, and those who don’t, such as Charlie’s husband, police chief Max Harper. A double murder raises the stakes, and the cats contribute to the crime-solving by phoning in anonymous tips, shadowing suspects, and planning a trap. Along the way to the resolution of the largely irrelevant mystery plot, Murphy’s talking animals provide her human characters some helpful advice on personal matters. [em]Agent: Martha Millard, Sterling Lord Literistic. (Aug.) [/em]