Undercover Cat

Undercover Cat #1

by The Gordons

For 30 some years, a goodly part of the world has taken to its heart the annals and antics and love of the Randall family--which includes a cat-person variously called Pancho, Darn Cat and, affectionately, D.C.

The story began when D.C., after prowling through the neighborhood, scratching on doors and begging for hand-outs, returned home one night with a wrist watch about his neck, placed there by a bank teller taken hostage by a couple of desperadoes.

Twenty-three-year-old Patti Randall, a model, calls the FBI, and agents place D.C. under surveillance. They theorize that the cat will return to a place where he had been treated well.

Their job is complicated by a younger sister, who "falls" for one of the agents, a brother, 12, who sets off rockets, a gossipy neighbor woman, a quick-tempered young attorney who lives across the street, and an assortment of escapades that the FBI Academy at Quantico had never prepared its agents to handle.

Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Cats, Animals, Humor, Childrens, Middle Grade

180 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1963

About the author

The Gordons is the pen name of the writing duo consisting of Gordon Gordon (12 March 1906 - 14 March 2002) and his wife Mildred Gordon (née Nixon, 24 June 1912 - 3 February 1979).

Probably best known for the novel that the Disney movie That Darn Cat , starring Hayley Mills, was based upon.

Gordon Gordon studied with Mildred Nixon at the University of Arizona and married her in 1932. After graduation, Gordon got a job on the editorial board of the daily newspaper Tucson Citizen. In 1935 he moved to the editorial office of the film company 20th Century Fox and remained there until 1942. From there he was hired by the Homeland Security Agency and Gordon worked in counterintelligence until the end of the war.

Mildred Nixon had studied pedagogy and worked as a teacher for some time after her studies. After her marriage, she began working for the United Press news agency. She also served as editor of Arizona Highways magazine for a time .

Gordon and Mildred Gordon's first literary attempts date back to their student days. After the first successful publications, their works appeared almost exclusively as a collaborative effort.

After Mildred Gordon died in 1979, Gordon Gordon remarried on March 16, 1980, to Mary Dorr.

Reviews

[Henry Avila · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cats enjoy this book a lot, they like stories which show how felines are smarter than people, very proud animals and rather independent creatures. In our novel the plot really starts when two bank robbers steal money and kidnap a hapless teller, the FBI becomes involved, it's their job. The G-Men need help after a week passes and no clues and frustration seeps through. Just in time comes a mysterious informant X-14. Also known as D.C., ( Darn Cat, maybe Damn ? ) who lives with Patti Randall, her younger sister Ingrid and younger brother Mike. "Orphans" as they call themselves while their parents are vacationing in Europe. Talk about the irresponsibility of adults and their children. Mike finds a watch around D.C.'s neck and after a serial number on it matches the missing teller's one, the FBI is called in. Zeke Kelso of the Bureau comes to investigate the strange case. How to locate the crooks before the bank employee is harmed is the problem. No problem, that "Darn Cat" the title of the film, will lead them to the secret way or will he? The cat likes roaming around the neighborhood in the dark of night and stealing a few inconsequential things as he rumbles in an apparent aimless course, a favorite spot is Greg's yard. He lives across the street and is constantly angry with D.C. and frustrated by him. Don't worry folks D.C. will save the day, felines believe this and I hope so. Quite different from the movie starring Hayley Mills, more of a vehicle for her and less about the animal, nevertheless a wonderful tale not to be taken too seriously, a warm view of family life with a few setbacks to make for a good leisurely read. My cat Damion liked it, and you can't quarrel with them humans would never win.

[Nandakishore Mridula · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one book I purchased because of the movie. The Disney movie "That Darn Cat" was, I think, the first English movie I saw and enjoyed - even though my mum had do a running translation for me, as I didn't know English then! But I fell in love with D. C. ("Darn Cat") Randall, and Patti and Zeke Kelso too. The villains were sufficiently frightening - a departure from the usual Disney style, where they are also played for laughs. And there was real suspense.

The book is very different from the movie: not in the essential story-line, which is more or less similar, but in the focus. While the movie is cat-centric and includes lot of zany humour, the book concentrates on human beings and most of its humour comes from the eccentricities of the Randall family and the neighbourhood they live in, and the very real difficulties the FBI face in tailing a cat.

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D. C. Randall, the Randall family's five-foot, twenty five-pound Siamese cat is a neighbourhood thug, permanently at loggerheads with Greg Balter, their next-door neighbour for the atrocities done to his garden, dog and the spoils from his fishing and hunting. After one disturbed night when D. C. steels a duck from Balter's porch, Patti Randall, the eldest daughter of the family, discovers a watch around the cat's neck. Her brother Mike points out that it is similar to the one owned by a kidnap victim, a bank teller who was taken as hostage in a bank robbery a week ago. A call to FBI confirms it, and Agent Zeke Kelso and his team are soon in the Randall household setting up a stakeout.

Of course, this plays havoc with the whole community. Since the Randall children are alone in the house (their parents are away on vacation in Europe), the nosy Mrs. McDougall next door decides Patti is taking the occasion to carry on with a young man. Greg who has a love-hate relationship with Patti is incensed. And the FBI agents prowling around tailing a cat with phosphorescent paint on his tail doesn't exactly promote peaceful nights.

The villains, meanwhile, have decided to murder their hostage and run. It now all depends on D. C. to catch them before they carry out their nefarious deed...

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I understand Gordon Gordon, co-author of his book along with his wife Mildred Gordon, worked in the FBI for a time. His experience shows, as there is a genuine veneer of authenticity to the investigation. The humour stems not so much from the incongruity of the situation, and it is perfectly balanced by the real tension about the probable outcome of the victim's fate and the creepy villains.

A short and enjoyable read.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a favorite of mine. I loved the original 1965 Disney film. The dialogue is very snappy and the villains are unlike the villains in any other Disney flick. These criminals are real serious and scary. They’re planning to kill someone. Pit this situation against a neighborhood of crazy characters and you have a delightfully dangerous romp .
The fact that the screenplay was written by the authors of the original novel helped a lot. Very little was lost in the translation. Gordon and Mildred Gordon have a long list of crime drama novels to their credit. Gordon was an FBI counter-intelligence agent during World War II for three years. So when he writes about the bureau he draws from experience. This novel has a lot of fun taking the structure of the regimented force and tipping it on its ear.
The story has the two sisters Patti the older and Ingrid the younger, with a troublesome younger brother Mike. (He was replaced in the film with a troublesome boyfriend Canoe). Their parents are vacationing in Europe and the kids are manning the house alone. When the family cat (DC short for Damn Cat) comes back from a night time prowl wearing a wrist watch on his neck, Patti believes this to be the wristwatch belonging to a kidnapped bank teller. She alerts the FBI. The FBI assembles a team of agents to tail the cat during his night time prowls in hopes that he will lead them to the kidnappers/bank robbers.
Zeke Kelso is the presiding agent and hero of this yarn. Unlike the hero of other Gordon novels John Ripley, Zeke is more amiable and bumbling. His attempted no-nonsense demeanor is shredded by his allergy to DC, and his obvious attraction to Patty.
The book has two sequels: The Undercover Cat Prowls Again, where DC is used to get a message to a kidnapped FBI informer. And Catnapped, where DC himself gets kidnapped. The Cat Books are a charmingly suspenseful corner of the Gordon’s literary legacy.

Interesting notes:

In the earlier editions a reference is made to the TV show Dr. Kildare. In later editions the reference is changed to the TV show The Partridge Family and David Cassidy.

There is also a reference made to the movie Experiment in Terror, which is a movie based on the book of the same title. Both the book and its screenplay were written by The Gordons.

The movie reversed the names of the sisters Making Ingrid that older sister and Patti the younger one.

If you watch the original 1965 movie you will see a copy of the book on the nightstand next to the bed in Ingrid’s room.

[Kelly K · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars.

The original 'That Darn Cat' film is one of my all time favorite movies. In fact, this has prompted yet another re-watch. There's quite a few differences between the book and the movie and while I think the movie is better, the book was also a blast. This was also written by a husband and wife so that's freakin' awesome.

[Carrie Brownell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this book for approximately forever but only ever thought to look it up under it's original title. (If you do that, you'll see the price and consider waiting on the read. It should have occurred to me to look it up under the film title but, alas.) I stumbled across this book at Goodwill one day and was over-the-moon elated after years of hunting for it! I just finished reading it and while I was not 100% enamored, I also didn't outright hate it.

It was written by Gordon Gordon - (gotta love those types of parents!) - and his wife, Mildred. He worked for the FBI during WW2 and she was a teacher/author. Together they wrote several spy stories, including this one. They also wrote the screen play which is why if you grew up watching Hayley Mills, this book falls a bit flat. They kept the story tight between book and screen.

The book definitely has more sexual inuendo. One only imagines that Disney insisted on more family friendly fare for the screen (back in the day!). I would say the book is NOT for kids at all as a result but it did not make for purely bad reading for an adult. I would say it was more curious than anything else, reading a book a beloved Disney film is based on. I would not read it again but I'm glad to have finally had the opportunity!

[Louise Culmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

D.C. (Darn Cat) is an unusually large black cat who lives with the adoring Randall family, and habitually prowls the neighbourhood at night being given food by various admirers. One night he surprises the Randalls by coming home with a woman's watch around his neck. The watch is identified as one belonging to bank cashier Helen Jenkins, kidnapped during a recent bank robbery. The FBI are called in to follow the cat on his nightly rounds in the hope that he will lead them to the bank robbers. But it doesn't turn out to be an easy case. this is an amusing suspence story with an unusual hero and some entertaing supportin characters, the Randalls are all interesting individuals. But it's D.C. who is the star of the story.

[Peggy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute, but dated. This is one case where I prefer the movie to the book (although D.C. Is charming in both).

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a true 1960’s time capsule and I enjoyed it for what it was. It was published in 1963 and I was reading my local public library’s copy from 1963…with the old date stamped check out card and some reader having censored phrases like “black lace panties” by crossing it out with a black pen. (Which by the way was in a joking conversation between a twelve year old brother and his twenty three year old sister!)

Informant X-14 was the key to the FBI’s last desperate hope of locating and apprehending two bank robbers before the fugitives could dispose of the teller they’d kidnapped as getaway insurance. But informant X-14 wasn’t talking….
He was purring.
Damn Cat, the twenty-five pound feline member of the Randall household, affectionately known as D.C., had become an official FBI informant after returning home from one of his nocturnal prowls with the kidnapped teller’s wristwatch around his neck. Patti Randall, at twenty-three the oldest of the Randall sibling triumvirate and head-of-the-house while their parents were in Europe, had dutifully called the FBI-who had, in turn, placed D.C. under constant surveillance. The theory was that the cat would surely return to a place where he’d been treated well, but even the FBI had underestimated the job of tracking an informant with a penchant for investigating garbage cans and crawling under parked cars.
Along with the tale of the cat, The Gordon’s tell a delightful story of Patti Randall, her sixteen year old sister and twelve year old brother, the neighbors, and the irate young man across the street who loves Patti at least as much as he hates D.C.

Undercover Cat was turned in to a Walt Disney film back in the day and I can see why. The large black cat is quite the character and the criminals felt so real…probably because they were written by an actual former FBI agent.

That’s right The Gordon’s are the husband and wife team of Mildred and Gordon Gordon. They began their writing careers on newspapers and magazines. During WWII, while Gordon was in counter-espionage for the FBI, Mildred wrote a suspense novel. In collaboration, The Gordon’s have produced a dozen Crime Club Novels, many of which have been made in to motion pictures. (Including “Experiment in Terror”) According to Mildred, they “find that in working together we come up with ideas that I’m certain neither of us singly would ever have. And we also see pitfalls and mistakes that we probably wouldn’t spot alone.”

The Gordon’s did an excellent job with their observations and a good example of that is the opening paragraph: “Patti Randall was slipping into a half world of drowsiness when the telephone aroused her. By the time she found the instrument on the floor, where her sixteen-year-old sister, Ingrid, had been using it earlier that evening, it gave one last half-ring gasp and died. Returning the phone to the stand…all evening she had been jangly, hearing noises stirred up outside by a wind busy hustling leaves in the September night. At times she would find herself listening intently, trying to sort out the sounds and identify them.” Anyone who has been left alone with their parents out of town as a child…knows about those sounds.

Patti as the oldest has been left in charge while her parents are on vacation in Europe (the father George Randall works for Lockheed and is the one who gave Damn Cat his full name because he “was always stumbling over him in the dark”. (It was not a name bandied about when their mother was within hearing.) To George, D.C. was still a “nuisance who stole his easy chair every time he got up and scattered his damn cat hairs all over everything. But he enjoyed the hoked-up enmity. He would have been as grieved as the rest of them if anything happened to D.C.” As for Mrs. Randall, “D.C. was the children’s cat, something a child needed while growing up, in the same category as the right books to read, the right school to attend.”

Here are some more items that make this a real 1960’s time capsule…Patti works as a live model for the local department store where she goes every day to model “play suits” and other clothing in front of live customers. Her two siblings Ingrid (affectionately known as Inky) and Michael both want to please their sister. Mike, who is twelve, lets off bottle rockets in the backyard in the name of science. The sister complains about having to wait for the boy to ask her to the dance, “why can’t a girl ask a boy? Why must it always be the boy?” (The older sister replied with a very eloquent and ponderable, “It’s man’s last stand in a changing world. Something like Custer’s”. How is that for 1960’s wisdom?) The answer sometimes is “the Russians”. The neighborhood gossip, Mrs. Macdougall can scandalize the whole neighborhood by gossiping that Patti had a “man in her bedroom” and the single man Greg could want to live alone…

“The idea that a man would want a house complete to garbage disposal and flower gardens, but minus a wife seemed subversive to all womanhood. And the fact that he could cook, and make up his bed every day, which was testified to by the wife with a window that looked directly into his bedroom, was a frontal assault on womankind. The consensus was, therefore, that he should either get an apartment or marry.”

Yes, Greg is the disgruntled neighbor who we meet on the first night because he comes over to rail about DC stealing a duck that he had spent all day hunting off of his porch. Greg is a lawyer by day and a little infatuated by Patti at night…so much so he is paying her siblings to give him good pr with her. Patti says of Greg, “To stay mad at him would be like trying to hold a grudge against Cary Grant.”.

There is some fun humor in the book primarily from D.C. and the twelve year old brother Mike…like when he thinks he’ll cash in on their parents missing them by asking for a bike! But occasionally, Ingrid had some great one liners like:
“That school does everything except put numbers on our backs. It’s awful. But I don’t think it’s going to be there much longer with me in the chemistry lab.” To which our FBI agent, Zeke, replied “take it from an old veteran. They never blow up or burn down.”

D.C. added a sweet but affectionate voice…somehow in a very cat like manner (proving the Gordon’s must have owned some cats), “D.C. licked him appreciatively. He was very fond of this boy he had reared through the difficult pre-teen period, when a youngster lacked the maturity to recognize that a cat’s tail was a definite member of his body.”

The FBI agent put in charge of the case, Zeke, ends up being allergic to cats…but very good at his job, quiet, and a little bit wary of women. “Suddenly conscious that Ingrid was very much a woman-lovely, sweet, uncomplicated. He had no idea how they could become so calculating and devious by twenty-five.”…”Golly, he was thinking, I’d like someday to have a daughter like her. The trouble was, you never knew how they would turn out. If only they were returnable merchandise…” “And still, he gave an impression of quiet determination and singleness of purpose that would carry him plodding over any mountain.”

Oh! I learned that all FBI agents are attorneys, I didn’t know that.

Sound cones, tail painting, and a Beverly Hills psychiatrist specializing in cats and dogs, this is a fun and unexpected caper with some really realistic and dark bits surrounding the kidnapped teller, who after nine days is getting really listless.

I will leave you with a few quotes from the book starting with a sweet exchange between sixteen year old Ingrid followed by her twelve year old brother, Mike…
“you’re a doll to take the blame but I won’t let you, although I admire a man who protects a woman. Not many men do,”-Ingrid
“Horse-radish”-Mike

“I don’t know what this generation’s coming to.”-Mrs.Macdougall
“Same as the last. No damn good.”-Mr. Macdougall

“Cats! They’ve got everybody in Hollywood beaten seven ways to kingdom come for acting. They’re all fiends in baby clothes.”-Greg

“Patti followed him out of the room. One thing he had taught them well was to open doors on command.”-D.C.

“She was an incorrigible romantic, almost a paradox in an age when novels and movies and television shows emphasized the sordid in the name of realism.”-Patti

And my favorite…the reason for a young couple getting a divorce:
“Her husband doesn’t open car doors for her like he did before the were married, or light cigarettes, and carry the groceries. So she thinks he doesn’t love her anymore.”-Ingrid

(Two married school teachers on D.C.’s route…one of which is called Anne Gilbert who “thought D.C. was about the sweetest thing on four paws.”, do you think that was a hat tip to Anne of Green Gables?)

(Notes to self: look up the song “Sabre Dance” by Khachaturian and what kind of mystery illness is this “the prethers”)

[Alistair · Rating 5 out of 5]

Here's another one of my childhood books I borrowed from my grandma and never gave back. :)
I didn't know it was linked to a movie before reading some of the reviews on here, so I might have to check this out.

L'espion aux pattes de velours (or That Darn Cat! in English apparently) was sitting on a table, smelling old (I like smelling books alright) and dusty. A perfect afternoon occupation for me, then.
As I was quite young, it was a difficult read although it was in my native language. I was more used to books catered to youngsters, with very short sentences and simple words. Not that this book was a scientific paper filled with words I could never pronounce, but it was quite the ride to finish. Understanding what was going on and all that wasn't that easy.

It's a book I've read every year for the past almost 20 years. I'm very fond of the "vintage" look of the book, drawing style and the font style as well. Although I am not a vintage addict, I do enjoy old books, whether they are "handwritten by a scholar before the 1900s" old , or "owned by your grandma when she was young" old. I do have to say, the older they are, the more I keep them for aesthetic pleasure as the writing style irks my brain from time to time. I read to have a good time, not a headache.

The story in itself is quite simple but it has some plot twists I enjoyed. Since I have a very short memory, every time I read it, it's like I've never heard of that book before... So it's a complete new experience for me. I kind of remember bits here and there but don't ask me about the names of the characters. It's a very fun book to read, not too long either and can easily be enjoyed with a cup of warm beverage.

I will keep on reading that book once a year for sure, as it brings me back to childhood and how my love for cats started. Not sure who I would recommend this book to, and I will probably never lend my copy to anyone, but if you're curious about a spy cat doing shenanigans, this is a good pick.

[Evianrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

Came across this book at the library and decided to give it a chance. Interesting to read a piece of literature published 53 years ago. Loved it! I ended up reading to page 80 before I even left the library (or checked it out!) I would definitely recommend to cat lovers out there.

The story involves many characters, but mainly focuses on Damn Cat (also known as D.C.) and his role in finding two burglars and their hostage.

The characters are all lovable, Except perhaps Sammy, Dan, and Mrs. Macdougall of course , especially D.C. (the cat).

The humor in this book is fitting for the 60's and carries through to today. It reminds me of the type of humor you'd see in the well-known show Full House. There is also a small bit of romance in the story, I found myself rooting for one guy in particular Zeke. I mean, Greg was nice and I'm sure he meant well. But his mood fluctuations I wouldn't stand either

[Robert Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

That Darn Cat was That DAMN Cat in the original 1963 1st edition (Before the Disney censors got their paws on it.) A fun and enjoyable read, if a bit dated. In this edition, there is mention of "having lunch with President Kennedy at the White House." I wonder if this was revised in later editions?

[LobsterQuadrille · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the rare cases in which I think that most of the movie fans(the 1965 version, not the loosely based Christina Ricci remake) will also like the original novel, and the book purists will find the movie captures the tone and the heart even if it changes up some characters. I think both are great fun and make D.C. a believably stubborn but lovable feline(a major weakness of the '90s remake is that their version of the titular Darn Cat feels like an afterthought instead of the star he deserves to be).

I love the Gordons' writing style; it's breezy and funny but has just enough tenderness and humanity in the dialogue to make it sincere. The storytelling grabbed me right away and made every scene vibrant. I had no idea there were sequels and I would love to read those too if I ever come across them. One change I would have recommended is to make it a bit longer so that there could be a bit more on the criminals and Miss Jenkins. There was nothing about her directly after the rescue, and it would have been cool to wrap up with her reaction to the whole crazy story.

Equally fun might reading for any weather, any season!

[Alana Cash · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very simply written, easy-to-read book set in 1962 (before JFK was assassinated and reference is made to him as president). It is told by various points of view of pretty much all the characters in it - something I usually don't like, but enjoyed in this book. It is interesting to read because it gives a cultural view of the 1960s when women were still called "girls" and kids still mowed lawns and listened to record players. The premise is a bit silly, but it did make me laugh in a couple of places and amused me throughout. Light-hearted, innocent, and captures "cat mentality" pretty well.

PS: I have a first edition of this book and it is titled UNDERCOVER CAT (not Undercover Cat #1 or That Darn Cat), so I'm guessing the title changed for paperback.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

We have a cat with a lot of personality, so I could relate to the adventures of DC as he became an informant for the FBI. Our cat does not venture too far from the house though and does not steal from the neighbors.

The book lists itself as a lighthearted story, and all the parts with the cat certainly is, but it contrasts sometimes a bit harshly with how ruthless the crooks in the story are. The description of how one planned to murder their hostage is pretty chilling.

Quick, fun read. Solid three stars.

[Good Manticore · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine book when you take away the dated bits. Things like Zeke saying that all Chinese people look the same, references using "Indian" (Native American) stereotypes, and the romanticization of verbal and emotional abuse. That Patti ultimately seems to get together with Greg in the end, despite him regularly threatening her and her cat, rubs me the wrong way.

The story was otherwise cute, especially the parts in D.C.'s (Darn Cat) perspective.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved 😍 ❤️ this book! My sister and I saw the movie not too long ago and we really enjoyed it. I was so happy 😊 when my sister found the book.
This cat 🐈 is so cute! He is also very smart. I like how in the book he we have the cat's point of view.
John Wayne (my favorite actor) said that you don't own a cat they own you. You can see that in this book 📖 too.
Siamise cats are one of my favorite types of cats too along with black cats 🐈‍⬛ also.

[Thomas R · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a youngster I saw the movie and loved it. The book was a lot like the movie (gasp) but had the extra ability to show the humor in many of the scenes better than the movie. Anyway, I enjoyed reading the book, but it is really only light entertainment. I can see how true cat lovers would rate this book higher than me. I do like cats, but in someone else's house.

[Ketti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve been reading Hayley Mills new good, which has prompted me to also watch some of her movies. I love That Darn Cat, the strange thing about the book is that it slows the movie exactly. Usually that’s just not the case. I felt as if I was in 5th grade while reading this book…so fun!

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute, & utterly believable. One reason I had a dog.

[Judy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some grammatical and spelling errors, but cute book!

[Roberta Van · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clever nostalgic trip into the 60s when the FBI helped people and manners were prized and hero’s existed even if they were black and furry.

[jaroiva · Rating 3 out of 5]

Oddechovka... žádná bomba, ale bavilo mě to. Film jsem neviděla, ani se nechystám.

[Eric Starr · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun, clever, a good read!
The movie changed around a few things (some for the better and some for the worse), though I can walk away saying I enjoyed both versions!

[Alyssa Skinner · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wasn't a huge fan of the movie, but thought the book might be better. . . it wasn't.

[Susan Molloy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Clever in its own way, though this did not hold my attention much.

🎥 Movie version.

[Shelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute and quick read. Knowing how cats act sometimes, I could completely see this happening....ha

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a delightful read. I have enjoyed the movie and decided it was time to read the book. The book had me laughing out loud at some parts.

[Ellie McCabe · Rating 4 out of 5]

So much more fun than I had anticipated.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a story I’ve loved since I was a little girl. The movie made from this story was especially enjoyed.
Bank robbers kidnap one of the tellers and DC, Darn Cat, makes his way into the house where they are holding her. The teller’s wristwatch around DC’s neck when he goes home is a major clue for the FBI. They try to follow the cat at night, with the hope he will go back to the place where it was put on him. Serious and funny, this is a good read.

I chose this book for the 2025 52bookclubchallenge, prompt “Plot includes a heist.”

[Frank Hickey]

The Gordon's blend suspense and comedy

wonderfully in this book.

Two crooks rob a bank and kidnap a

woman teller. They hide with her in an apartment

and plan to kill her soon. You feel her fear. It

scares you. This is hard to do in a book that

most readers find very funny. Somehow, the

Gordon's pull it off.

A local cat appears every night. The woman puts

her wristwatch on the cat as a cry for help.

The cat's family alerts the FBI. The FBI agents

identify the watch. The agents

have to follow this 25 pound, crafty

and belligerent cat through his nightly back-alley

prowls to save the teller's life.

The hero agent, Zeke, dislikes cats. They make

him squeeze.

The cat, named 'D.C.' for 'Darn Cat', senses

Zeke's feelings. He hisses, spits and claws

him. When Zeke follows FBI procedure and

tries to get paw-prints from D.C., the cat

resists and covers his regulation business suit

and white shirt with inked paw-prints. Try

washing them out.

D.C's mistress, Patti, develops a crush on

Zeke. So, there is a lot going on here. Romance

and comedy and the threat of murder blend

together well in this tale.

Whether you love cats or fear them, you'll

enjoy the ride.


+++Frank Hickey, writer of the Dancing Max

Royster crime novels about the world's only ballroom

dancing detective.