Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Biographer for Joe Grey, PI, the sharpest feline sleuth on the mystery scene--one cool cat, a clawed and formidable enemy of crime.
 |
STARRED REVIEW!
Publisher's Weekly, on Cat Fear No Evil:
"[S]uperior cat cozy, the ninth entry in Murphy's popular series... As
usual, the relationships between the lively human characters and the talking
cats in whom they confide their problems provide as much interest as the
crime solving. The intricate and absorbing plot keeps the reader in suspense
throughout."
Booklist, on Cat Fear No
Evil:
"Once again the delightful mix of humans, sentient cats, mystery, and
humor remains true to the preceding books in the series."
Kirkus, on Cat Laughing
Last:
"[T]he series premise remains delicious, executed with wry pungency and
affection for life's small pleasures."
Publisher's Weekly, on Cat
Spitting Mad:
"Cat lovers will cuddle right up to Joe and his pals, but the story
has plenty of murder and mayhem for those who take their detective
fiction straight up."
 Available Oct. 2008 Preorder it online! |
But the more joy we see, too, and joy can help balance the scales! When Dulcie and I watch Kit, who is a grown cat now, turning flips and racing up trees like a wild kitten in her heady celebration of life, we take heart again even after a bad turn. Evil is with us, always -- and always to be crushed. But Joy is with us, too, and even small pleasures can help to heal us.
And, folks, who could be more joyful than newlyweds? Or than a couple reviving an old love, a pair of humans struck the second time by Cupid’s arrow? Seems as if love was everywhere this spring, from the moment of Clyde and Ryan’s wedding, on Valentine’s Day, and the reunion of Ryan’s dad with a beautiful murder suspect, to the romance between Kit and her kittenhood companion -- more romance, for a while there, than yours truly could stomach.
But the romance was balanced out by a couple of old, unidentified corpses. By our shocked discovery of another human who knows our carefully guarded secret. By a rare literary volume from England that tells way too much of that secret -- and by Rock’s and my very clever coup, which deceived nearly everyone.
Now, we at last have the killers sorted out and on the way to prison, the rare book is guarded where no one else will see it, and our dilemmas and anxious moments have subsided -- for the moment. And we three cats are prowling the gardens and rooftops, lolling in the sunshine wondering what will happen next in our small and surprising village.
Folks, Cat Playing Cupid won’t be out until just about Valentine’s Day, 2009, a long time to wait, we know. Meantime, we cats, and Murphy, are enjoying your email questions and comments.
If you have a question about the stories or about Shirley Rousseau Murphy, be sure to look at the FAQ Page to see if it's answered! Click on "Author FAQ" below.
If you're a MySpace member, please visit Joe Grey's MySpace page and be his friend!
Shirley Rousseau Murphy is not online, but if you send e-mail to her at
murphy@joegrey.com it will be promptly forwarded via fax modem, as will the comments in the Guest Book.
Your pals, Joe Grey, Dulcie, Kit and the feral clowder.
You can see the jackets and descriptions of all the Joe Grey books in reverse order of publication, with the newest first, by clicking on "Cat Mysteries" below. To see the order in which to read them, begin at the bottom of the list.
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
| 
|
|
If you've been looking for The Catswold Portal, the new paperback edition, which was published in 2005 after the book had been out of print for a long time, is still available. Click on "Fantasy Novels" below for details!
or Order a Signed Copy 
|
All of the Joe Grey books, plus The Catswold Portal, are in print. If you can't find them, any bookstore can order them for you--just ask! Independent bookstores in particular are happy to provide this service for their customers.
Order Signed Copies
Signed copies are available from
You can now order signed copies of my in-print books by e-mail or phone from this charming new bookstore near Carmel, California, where I live. The Works is managed by Pam Hensley, who managed Thunderbird Bookshop until it closed. Pam knows books, has a fabulous memory for old titles that you may have forgotten, and is happy to special-order any books you would like. She will be able to mail you my signed books just as she did at Thunderbird. The Works has a sunny and welcoming coffee shop, too, and we look forward to another fine browsing and meeting place for many years to come. Send e-mail orders to pbbear@sbcglobal.net, phone 831-372-2242, or mail to The Works, 667 Lighthouse Ave., Pacific Grove, CA 93950.
Also, M Is for Mystery in San Mateo, California will take orders for signed copies of the new hardcover Cat Pay the Devil and unsigned paperbacks of all the Joe Grey books and The Catswold Portal. Toll-free phone 888-405-8077; e-mail info@MforMystery.com.
| Cats Magazine has been discontinued, so it didn't publish the last 4 parts of the serial mystery Cat on the Money. For those of you wondering who the murderer is, the whole story is now here at this site! Just click on the title. |
|
The Joe Grey books have won seven Muse Medallion awards! |
| For best cat novel of the year from the national Cat Writers' Association, presented at their annual conferences. |
| Cat Under Fire
Cat Raise the Dead Cat in the Dark | 
| Cat Spitting Mad
Cat Laughing Last Cat Seeing Double
Cat Cross Their Graves | | ||
| If you would like to be notified when my next book becomes available and are not already on my mailing list, or if your e-mail address has changed, please fill out this form. Your information will be seen only by me and my webmaster. |
(Please don't use the cat silhouette at any other website--it's an illustration from the Joe Grey mysteries, copyright 1996-1997 by HarperPrism.)