Cat Breaking Free

Book excerpt: In this cozy mystery, a talking cat and his four-legged friends investigate cat trappers and murder in smalltown California. The fur starts flying—the fur of Joe Grey, Feline P.I., that is—when a gang from L.A. comes up to tranquil Molena Point, California, and begins breaking into the village’s quaint shops. After all, Molena Point has been his home since he was a kitten eating scraps from the garbage behind the local delicatessen, and he doesn’t take well to marauding strangers. Joe even wonders whether the blonde who’s moved in next door to human companion Clyde could be a part of the gang—she’s been acting pretty suspicious lately. But when the strangers start trapping and caging feral cats—speaking cats, like Joe and his girlfriend Dulcie—it proves too much for the intrepid four-footed detective. And when one of the gang is murdered, and a second mysterious death comes to light, he has no choice but to try to stop the crimes. Joe, Dulcie, and Kit, who used to be a stray herself, are deep into the investigation when they are able to release the three trapped felines. But as Kit leads them away to freedom, will she herself return to that wild life? In this marvelous book that once again opens the door to the spectacular world of Joe Grey, meet three new cats—winning cats drawn from among hundreds of their owners’ entries and chosen at random to appear in this book—and join old friends and new in this ambitious and enjoyable entry in the series. Praise for Cat Breaking Free “Murphy’s 11th Joe Grey cat cozy . . . offers the usual winning blend of suspense and whimsy. . . . A complex, well-crafted plot and lively, credible characters will leave fans purring with pleasure.” —Publishers Weekly “[An] action-filled plot. As usual, the three cats are true to both their feline and sentient natures. This eleventh entry in the Joe Grey Mystery series . . . continues to enhance characterizations, both feline and human, all the while providing an intriguing whodunit for series fans.” —Booklist