I am in the process of reading all of the Joe Grey mysteries.
If you like cats and/or mysteries you will like these. I actually read the last in the series first and liked it so well I had to have the rest. If you do read them be sure to also read The Catswold Portal too.

****-1/2 Stars

I only recently learned of this cat series, having become slightly disenchanted with one other feline series I'd been reading. First off, it's always a good idea to read a series in order rather than coming in once the characters have been introduced & situations explained. In Cat on the Edge, Joe Grey, the gray & white Tom, who had been rescued from certain death by animal-loving bachelor, Clyde, discovers powers beyond the normal cat. The book opens with Joe witnessing a murder committed one night in an alley in a California seaside town. For some reason the murderer chases him, trying to kill him. After a couple more incidents, Joe decides that it would be best to leave home in order to protect Clyde & the other dogs & cats that live there. While he's fending for himself, he meets Dulcie & discovers that she too has the same powers that he has. Dulcie has also seen the murder & is running from the murderer. The wife of one of the accomplices has the ability to turn herself into a cat & back again. If all this sounds rather bazaar in the telling, Murphy manages to pull it off very well with her fluid writing & attention to detail. (I could have done without the detailed references to the eating of birds & mice however.) I was reminded somewhat of Watership Down & the portrayal from the rabbits point of view. I love the scene where Joe meets Dulcie & discovers that she can talk & understand. It is just so poignant.

The book is told almost entirely from the cat's point of view, though Clyde & Dulcie's "mom" (Clyde's friend) have their turn. It is strictly a "what if..." kind of story that pulls you into the mystical world of cats & we know who the murderer is from the start. The story centers on how Joe & Dulcie get the humans to discover what is going on. I must admit, since reading this book, I look at my five cats a bit differently, half expecting one of them to morph into a human or phone me in the middle of the night. I definitely enjoyed this book enough to continue on with the next.

You wouldn't believe that cats talked,thought, or had feelings like humans. Joe grey has that, and now he's solving a murder mystery in one of the most normal towns you would ever have heard of; never any big problems, just the mischeif of all the neighborhood cats. Joe was the only witness, he thought, to the murder, and the person who did it is after him because he knows Joe's secret. Hiding in the shadows was Dulcie. The second of the three witnesses, whom also walked on four feet with the mysterious talent. Dulcie and Joe both discover they are one of the same, and work together to find the victims killer.
This movie was a very suspesful and some parts breath holding. I highely recommend it to people who love murder mysteries. Even if you aren't much for animal stories, this is one to at least pick up. It changes your perception on animals and opens your mind to a whole new different world of thoughts. The book leaves you wanting more.

then you can't afford not to sample the Joe Grey mysteries, of which this is the first. Joe, a tough, stump-tailed tomcat, lives in the arty little California coastal village of Molena Point with Clyde Damen, who repairs and restores high-end and antique cars for a living, and Clyde's two dogs and three other cats. One day, to his astonishment, Joe discovers that he has inexplicably developed the ability to understand, speak, and read human speech. On top of this shock comes another: he witnesses a murder in the alleyway behind a local deli. And the killer seems to realize that Joe could be a threat to him, since the very next morning he tries to break into Clyde's house. Forced to go on the run, Joe teams up with Dulcie, a charming little brindle female belonging to retired parole officer Wilma Getz, who is a long-time friend of Clyde's; Dulcie too has just realized that she shares Joe's talent. Trying to preserve their own lives, they realize, requires that they help the police nail the murderer--which, in turn, draws them into a stolen-car ring and a counterfeiting scheme. The twists and turns of the plot, while complex, are so well drawn that the story flows easily from point to point, and the cats, apart from their fantastic abilities, are recognizably felines who behave just as any housecat might, yet at the same time are distinct and well-delineated characters. The fact that Joe and Dulcie have to do their maneuvering behind the scenes--only their own people, and one very special human, are allowed to learn about their new talents--adds a fresh angle to the so-often-repeated "amateur detective" motif. I've gone on to read the second book in the series and it maintains, if not exceeds, the quality of the first. Lovers of cats, mystery, and fantasy are sure to find this book a thorough delight. (Note: Murphy is also the YA fantasy novelist Sylvia Engdahl.)

Cat on the Edge is clever and whimsical. This is not great literature, but the "fun factor" is high! I loved it and have ordered every book in the series.

Joe Grey is a typical tomcat who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. He witnesses a brutal murder, and is seen by the perpetrator. The murderer seems to know something about Joe Grey that the tomcat hasn't even discovered himself yet--that he can talk.

The "characterization" of humans and felines is darn good, and the story is engaging if not believable. If you're ready to kick back and just enjoy a creative journey through the imagination, then this book will delight you.