Shirley Rousseau Murphy Books In Order

Joe Grey Books In Publication Order

  1. Cat on the Edge (1996)
  2. Cat Under Fire (1996)
  3. Cat Raise the Dead (1997)
  4. Cat in the Dark (1998)
  5. Cat To The Dogs (1999)
  6. Cat Spitting Mad (2000)
  7. Cat Laughing Last (2001)
  8. Cat Seeing Double (2003)
  9. Cat Fear No Evil (2004)
  10. Cat Cross Their Graves (2005)
  11. Cat Breaking Free (2005)
  12. Cat Deck the Halls (2007)
  13. Cat Pay the Devil (2007)
  14. Cat Playing Cupid (2009)
  15. Cat Striking Back (2009)
  16. Cat on the Money (2010)
  17. Cat Coming Home (2010)
  18. Cat Telling Tales (2011)
  19. Cat Bearing Gifts (2012)
  20. Cat Shout for Joy (2016)
  21. Cat Shining Bright (2018)
  22. Cat Chase the Moon (2018)

Children of Ynell Books In Publication Order

  1. The Ring of Fire (1977)
  2. The Wolf Bell (1979)
  3. The Castle of Hape (1980)
  4. Caves of Fire and Ice (1980)
  5. The Joining of the Stone (1981)

Dragonbards Books In Publication Order

  1. Nightpool (1985)
  2. The Ivory Lyre (1987)
  3. The Dragonbards (1988)

Lee Fontana Books In Publication Order

  1. The Cat, The Devil, and Lee Fontana (2014)
  2. The Cat, the Devil, the Last Escape (2015)

Standalone Novels In Publication Order

  1. The Sand Ponies (1967)
  2. White Ghost Summer (1969)
  3. Wind Child (1973)
  4. Poor Jenny, Bright As A Penny (1974)
  5. The Grass Tower (1976)
  6. Silver Woven in My Hair (1977)
  7. Soonie and the Dragon (1979)
  8. Elmo Doolan and the Search for the Golden Mouse (1982)
  9. The Flight of the Fox (1983)
  10. Valentine for a Dragon (1984)
  11. Medallion of the Black Hound (1989)
  12. The Song of the Christmas Mouse (1990)
  13. The Catswold Portal (1992)
  14. Unsettled (2011)

Picture Books In Publication Order

  1. The Pig Who Could Conjure The Wind (1978)
  2. Tattie’s River Journey (1983)

Anthologies In Publication Order

  1. Motherhood Is Murder (2003)
  2. Christmas Cats (2005)

Joe Grey Book Covers

Children of Ynell Book Covers

Dragonbards Book Covers

Lee Fontana Book Covers

Standalone Novels Book Covers

Picture Book Covers

Anthologies Book Covers

Shirley Rousseau Murphy Books Overview

Cat on the Edge

It’s been quite a week for Joe Grey. First the large, powerful feline discovers that, through some strange, inexplicable phenomenon, he now has the ability to understand human language. Then he discovers he can speak it as well! It’s a nightmare for a cat who’d prefer to sleep the day away carefree, but Joe can handle it. That is, until he has the misfortune to witness a murder in the alley behind Jolly’s Deli and worse, to be seen witnessing it. With all of his nine lives suddenly at risk, Joe’s got no choice but to get to the bottom of the heinous crime because his mouse hunting days are over for good unless he can help bring a killer to justice.

Cat Under Fire

A big, powerful, gray feline, Joe Grey is perfectly content with his remarkable ability to understand and communicate with humans especially now that he has company. A mysterious accident similar to the one that enabled him to speak and read has transformed his friend Dulcie as well. The trouble is, the cute tabby female not only hears human words, she believes them. Now she’s convinced the man who was jailed for murdering a famous local artist and burning down her studio is innocent simply because he says so and she’s willing to do whatever it takes to dig up the evidence that will exonerate the accused. Joe would much prefer just lazing around the house doing kitty things, but the lady cat is determined. And Joe must admit that he is curious…
though everyone knows what that can lead to!

Cat Raise the Dead

Joe Grey can’t believe his human housemate Clyde would even consider volunteering him for the Animal Therapy program at the local nursing home, just when Joe was on the verge of solving the string of burglaries that has Molena Point residents shaking in their collective boots. But it turns out it’s Dulcie, Joe’s pretty little cat friend, who came up with the idea of subjecting Joe to the cooing attentions of a bunch of doddering old coots. Dulcie believes there’s more going on at the old folks’ home than the care and feeding of lonely seniors. And she needs Joe’s help in getting to the bottom of a conspiracy…
and a very suspicious set of deaths.

Cat in the Dark

‘Of course I worry. What if the cops witness a cat opening a skylight and masterminding a robbery? The tabloids will love it.’ There’s a new pair of thieves in Molena Point, California, a renegade yellow eyed tomcat with a cold disdain for the law, and a scruffy human partner who is no better. The two, clever and silent at their work, are bad news indeed to crime solving cats Joe Grey and Dulcie. But when Joe learns the pair’s connection to a good friend, and then an innocent couple turns up dead in the library garden, Joe and Dulcie must engage in some fancy paw work to unmask the deceptions and route the real killer before his brazen criminal crime spree careens madly toward them.

Cat To The Dogs

Cat To The Dogs is the latest entry in Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s acclaimed, uniquely charming mystery series featuring a pair of cats who discovered one day that they have the amazing ability to read, speak, and solve crimes.’For your information,’ said Joe Grey, ‘if that wreck turns out to be a murder, I’m the one who put the cops onto it. Me. The cat you are booting out into the cold for no reason!’Joe Grey kicked out of the house? Ever since the earthquake, things have been going from bad to worse in Molena Point. There was the car ‘accident on Hellhag Hill, which looked well fishy, to Joe’s night wise eyes. And there was the suspicious but not unwelcome death of the town philanderer, Shamas Greenlaw. Soon the little coastal California town was filled with greedy relatives and Shamas’s brazen young mistress, all looking to share the widow’s grief and her rumored gold. Every earthquake has its aftershocks, and now even Dulcie, the library cat, is getting weird. She’s going to the dogs, literally. She’s taken to mothering two orphaned pups discovered at the scene of the crash. And worst of all, there’s Clyde, Joe’s erratic but lovable human. He thinks cats should stay out of police work as if humans could handle it on their own!, and to make his point, he’s locking Joe and Dulcie out of the house when Officer Harper come over to play poker. Clyde is afraid the two will give away their secret that a few select cats can not only talk, but read and even use the telephone. Where does Harper think those anonymous tips are coming from after all? But Joe is not about to give up the chase. Not until the ‘ghost’ of Hellhag Hill is tracked down and brought to justice. Mice are nice, but what cat can resist the chance to stalk a real killer?

Cat Spitting Mad

Hell hath no fury like a feline enraged. Though Joe Grey and Dulcie are merely housecats, they each have a strong sense of justice to complement their uncanny ability to read, speak, and use the telephone. And they’re furious that Max Harper, police chief of Molena Point and preferred target for Joe’s harmless pranks, has been accused of a gruesome double murder. The fleet footed sleuthing duo is intent upon restoring an old friend’s good name. But finding the missing little girl who was sole witness to the crime won’t be easy especially with a hungry cougar on the prowl, a cat killer on the loose…
and the kittenish antics of Joe and Dulcie’s playful new ‘ward’ causing big trouble that could take more than nine lives to survive.

Cat Laughing Last

When the local village yard sales invite theft and murder, feline sleuths Joe Grey and Dulcieare into the case with their claws sharp. And when the two sleek detectives investigate the prime suspect’s house, where the police have no cause to enter, and pass the information across the continent to the New York PD Joe Grey’s tomcat instincts nail the killer before the cops have a clue. Cat Laughing Last Violence and theft at a yard sale?Murder because of an eBay auction? The body on Susan Brittain’s breakfast room floor and all her treasured purchases flung about and broken are not a good start to Susan’s day. However, the criminal involvement is wider than she imagines, and may disrupt the lives of many others as well. Joe Grey and Dulcie suspect as much. With their unique ability to break and enter where the cops can’t, the two cats begin gathering evidence. Meanwhile the cats’ human friends deal with a famous author and his ill tempered wife as they try to produce his play without coming to blows. And several senior ladies seek an innovative solution to retirement security, using their revenue from eBay and yard sales. But as Joe Grey and Oulcie dig into California history, they discover that certain artifacts, appearing at those same sales, hold the key to the puzzle. The crudely carved antique casks the legacy of a Spanish bride two hundred years dead are the link the cats have been searching for. Yet it is the young tortoiseshell, Kit, fascinated by the delights of theater production, who nearly gives away the cats’ greatest secret. Kit, with her own surprising venture, almost alerts the entire village that these cats can speak and are more perceptive and sharper ofwit than most humans could ever imagine.

Cat Seeing Double

Multiple award winning author Shirley Rousseau Murphy once again brings us Joe Grey and Dulcie, the most cunning set of feline sleuths ever to stick their paws into crime solving. Always a loner, Charlie Getz never expected to fall in love with anyone, let alone the chief of police of Molena Point, California. So her wedding on a perfect, sunny day is all the more joyous especially when two of the honored guests are four footed pals, feline detectives Joe Grey and Dulcie. However, two unexpected visitors a young boy and an old man hidden in the shadows are preparing to bomb the soon to be filledlied church. The lone witness, a small tattercoat kit crouched beneath the oak branches, warns Joe’s owner, Clyde; then, with claws and teeth, she stops the two would be murderers. But the shock of the near disaster that might have killed half the village is only the beginning. The next morning Charlie’s good friend, building contractor Ryan Flannery, awakens to find her estranged, philandering husband dead in her garage…
and her own gun is missing. With suspicion falling squarely on Ryan’s shoulders, Joe Grey, Dulcie, and Kit use their skills of break and enter to prove her innocence. But a stranger’s sinister push into her life is as unexpected as the arrival, on the morning of the murder, of a handsome purebred hunting dog, a homeless stray who seems determined to move in with Ryan. Whatever hateful force has descended on the small seaside village, the three cats are soon paw deep in a tangle of jealousy, greed, and carefully planned retribution. So they work the case as only cats can, passing information anonymously to the cops, making a heroic feline effort to nail the killer and catch the wedding bomber, and hoping to see the silver hunting dog settled safely into his new home.

Cat Fear No Evil

What’s the perfect read for fans of New York Times bestselling mystery authors Lilian Jackson Braun and Rita Mae Brown? This delightful ninth Joe Grey Mystery from award winning author Shirley Rousseau Murphy.

When antiques and valuables begin to disappear from residents’ homes, Joe Grey, Feline Detective, knows that something is very wrong in sleepy Molena Point, California. Lost are a five hundred thousand dollar painting, a diamond choker, and most shocking to Joe, his owner Clyde’s vintage Packard roadster. But even a seasoned tomcat like Joe isn’t prepared for the return of a yellow eyed, sinister black cat who had terrorized him and his girlfriend Dulcie years before. The acid tongued Azrael had paired with an old crook to loot the town and spread fear among the unsuspecting residents. Could Azrael and his partner be connected to this new set of crimes? But when a local waiter dies mysteriously at the art opening of one of Joe and Dulcie’s closest human friends, the pair know that someone much more powerful and evil than Azrael’s aging human friend is involved. And when miles away in San Francisco the cats’ friend Kate a woman with a mysterious, troubling secret is followed by a stranger and robbed, the cats dig in their claws and investigate. Along with their tattercoat friend Kit, they pass clues to the police, and under the often sceptical eye of Clyde, slowly begin to sniff out the truth.

Cat Cross Their Graves

The beautiful, serene village of Molena Point, California is the type of place where people go to get away from the harsher realities of life which is what attracted classic film star Patty Rose to buy the village inn, and settle down to enjoy her golden years. But as the town gathers to celebrate and honor the beautiful, aging actress with a festival of her old films, Patty is brutally murdered to the horror and shock of this peaceful burg.

A gentle tortoiseshell cat, Kit, has been enjoying a retreat to the animal loving actress’s inn, where she’s spending time with her feline friends Dulcie, and the slick tomcat sleuth, Joe Grey. But her relaxation is cut short when she hears the gunshots that end Patty’s life, and sees her dead body sprawled on the inn’s front steps. She glimpses the killer racing into the parking garage, and soon follows his trail.

Joe and Dulcie must now follow the na ve Kit’s trail, and keep her from getting into serious trouble. To complicate matters, Joe discovers that Dulcie has been hiding a runaway child one of the lucky humans that these special cats choose to talk to who has now been kidnapped, likely by the same man who killed their famous friend. In the end, the little girl’s abduction leads them to Patty’s killer, and the feline friends are all united but they all must mourn a departed friend as they stand beside the newly laid grave of Patty Rose.

Cat Breaking Free

The fur starts flying when a gang from L.A. comes up to tranquil Molena Point, California, and begins breaking into the village’s quaint shops. The fur of Joe Grey, Feline P.I., that is. 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 into next to his 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 their tattercoat friend Kit, who used to be a stray herself, are deep into the investigation when they are able to release the three trapped cats. But as Kit leads them away to freedom, will she herself return to that wild life?

Cat Deck the Halls

Christmas in the charming seaside village of Molena Point, California, has always been a traditional affair but not this holiday season. Instead of singing carols and climbing into Christmas trees, Joe Grey, feline P.I., is faced with his most difficult case yet and that’s saying a lot for a wily tomcat who for years has been solving crimes the police can’t even crack.

A stranger lies dead beneath the village Christmas tree, with a little child the only witness to the shooting. As the police scramble for leads, the grey tomcat, his tabby lady, Dulcie, and their tortoiseshell pal, Kit, launch their own unique investigation. As they care for the child who may be the shooter’s next target, the cats realize they’re facing their most heartbreaking case yet and that they must catch a cunning killer if they have any hope of saving Christmas.

Cat Pay the Devil

‘Wilma’s in danger! You think I’m going to sit here polishing my claws?’ When she first hears the news that convict Cage Jones has escaped from prison, Dulcie’s fur stands on end. She knows he’s after her human companion, Wilma, whom he blames for his stint in jail. She tries to enlist the help of her friend Joe Grey, but the tomcat’s got his paws full investigating two local murders. It’s only when Wilma disappears after an afternoon shopping trip and Cage is found lurking at her house that Joe realizes the two crimes might be more connected than he thought. Paw in hand with the unsuspecting cops, the fantastic felines must untangle Cage’s devilish agenda and snare a killer if they ever want to curl up with their friend again and bring peace to their seaside village.

Cat Playing Cupid

Clyde, owner of the talking tomcat Joe Grey, Feline P.I., has never been eager to jump into commitments, but with Valentine’s Day nearing, he is finally marrying his longtime girlfriend, Ryan. But Joe doesn t have long to celebrate the nuptials because a dead body shows up that the chief of police can t know about, and only Joe and his feline friends have the expertise to find the killer without being detected. So, while the rest of Molena Point is falling in love even Kit, Joe s best friend Joe is hard on the case instead of romancing his girlfriend, Dulcie. Searching high and low for clues, he stumbles upon a second unidentified body, and, even more intriguing, a rare book that holds the secret of the cats history a threat that could take away all of the cats ability to speak. Love makes everything more complicated, and nothing is as easy as it seems now, it is up to Joe to stop a serial killer, and, ultimately, save Valentine s Day .

Cat Striking Back

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.

Cat Coming Home

Cats can’t come home again…
or can they? Escaping Los Angeles and the ugly memories of her son’s recent murder, Maudie Toola returns to her childhood home of Molena Point, bringing her orphaned grandson, whom she must now raise, with her. Mourning for her son, she’s not looking forward to the holidays but feels she must make them positive for the child. But Maudie is unaware that the killer has followed her, nor does she know that the small seaside village is dealing with a series of brutal assaults. A team of criminals is stalking single women, hiding their attacks behind spectacular break ins to divert the cops. And this time there’s not even a phone call from the four footed snitch to give the cops a lead. Meanwhile, a new tomcat appears on the scene, a wise and elderly wanderer who bears an important message from a state prisoner for the chief of police. But this cat has a personal agenda too as does Maudie, who harbors her own secret about her son’s killer. As the lonely prison cat provides the link between the mysteries, Joe Grey and his pals, in turn, help him find a surprising new home, a safe retreat in time for the holidays. With a story both enchanting and suspenseful, Shirley Rousseau Murphy shows once again why her trio of feline sleuths are so beloved by her fans, and why the Joe Grey mysteries should be at the top of every cat lover’s Christmas list.

Cat Telling Tales

Even the bright seaside village of Molena Point has been hit hard by the economic downturn, bringing a rash of foreclosures in which many residents are abandoning their family pets. While feline P. I. Joe Grey’s human friends join together to care for the starving cats, a fire leaves a twelve year old boy homeless. The body of his alcoholic guardian is discovered in the smoldering ruins, causing Joe to wonder if escape was really impossible for the elderly woman or if something more sinister occurred. Meanwhile, Debbie Kraft descends uninvited on the Damens’ home with her two children, claiming that her ex husband has left her with no money and nowhere else to go. But when Joe learns that the victim of the fire was Debbie’s estranged mother and that Debbie is not broke at all but carrying plenty of cash, his fur is on end with suspicion. As Debbie’s abandoned tomcat follows her all the way down the coast from Oregon with his own clues to add to the mix, Joe learns that Debbie’s Realtor ex husband may be involved in a number of intricate real estate scams. Furthermore, his sales partner may be missing, and while Joe and his pals prowl through the dead woman’s house, they discover that her reclusive neighbor has disappeared as well. But it’s not until Debbie’s tomcat arrives that Joe and his feline detective pals find the biggest clue of all: a grave that the cops have missed. And as the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, tortoiseshell Kit sees her own dreams coming true in the handsome new cat with whom she might share her life’s adventures.

Nightpool

Injured in battle with the Dark Raiders, sixteen year old Tebriel is healed by a colony of talking otters and sets out to fight the Dark and its forces of evil in the world of Tirror.

The Ivory Lyre

With the help of four shape shifting dragons, dragonbards Tebriel and Kiri are instrumental in inciting an uprising against the Dark and in locating the magical ivory lyre.

The Song of the Christmas Mouse

Rick’s efforts at capturing a beautiful wild mouse for a pet seem constantly thwarted by his willful younger cousin who has come to stay for Christmas.

The Catswold Portal

A striking new reissue of an epic fantasy by popular Harper author Shirley Rousseau Murphy, featuring a princess’s dangerous quest to reclaim her throne…
and, of course, cats! There is a door in an artist’s garden: an elaborate carved passageway into a realm ruled by a dark sorceress queen. There entities strange and wondrous roam the Netherworld yet none as astonishing as the shape shifting Catswold…
Raised by the oldwitch Mag, Melissa discovers a perilous secret. She has more than one form human girl and magical cat and once inhabited two worlds. And it is her destiny to return to a mystic realm of wonder and terror, to do battle for her people’s liberation and the crown that is rightfully hers. A man beset by tragedy, painter Braden West is intrigued by the calico cat who has charmed her way into his studio. But his ‘guest’ is more than she seems, and Braden’s very existence will be radically altered as he follows Melissa from the Hell Pit into the dread perils of an evil ruling court, thrust into the heart of a magical conflict with more at stake than he could possibly have imagined.

Motherhood Is Murder

Four of mystery’s reigning matriarchs have joined together to concoct a delectable stew of clues, corpses, and felonious hijinks all spectacularly seasoned with a mother’s loving touch! In this witty and winning quartet of all new mysteries, the incomparable Mary Daheim gives harried mom Cousin Renie from the bestselling ‘Bed and Breakfast’ series a triple dose of the murderous wedding bell blues; the inimitable award winner Carolyn Hart of ‘Death on Demand’ fame lets madcap mother in law Laurel Darling take a turn at the investigative chores; the remarkable Jane Isenberg sets menopausal mother Bel Barrett loose to solve a dastardly case of nanny cide; and the fabulous Shirley Rousseau Murphy whose ‘Joe Grey’ mysteries are the cat’s meow enchants once again, as a delightful duo of feline mamas sinks their clawsinto a murder investigation. So sit back and enjoy the Mother of All Mystery Collections!

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