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Jacques and Cleo: Cat Detectives #2
The Cat's Pajamas
Readers of mysteries and cat–lovers alike will devour this second whodunit in the Jacques & Cleo, Cat Detectives series by bestselling author, Gilbert Morris.
Hollywood comes into the lives of the newest residents of Gulf Shores, Alabama. Jake Novak and Kate Forrest have settled into the beautiful beach house left to them by a distant relative. Cat–hating Jake busies himself working on his novel in his upstairs apartment, while Kate gets involved in a beach ministry to young people.
When New Leaf Productions arrives to film a movie, the locals are fascinated by the glamour of the actors. But when a cast member is murdered, followed quickly by a second killing, the town of Gulf Shores becomes worried.
Jacques the Ripper has solved one murder and when he and Cleo are recruited to be in the movie, Jacques throws himself into nosing around for clues—and a murderer.
About this series: For years, mystery readers and cat lovers alike have devoured the suspense novels by Lillian Jackson Braun, Rita Mae Brown and others, in what has developed into the bestselling cat–mystery genre. Now, veteran fiction author Gilbert Morris joins the ranks of those prestigious novelists with his Jacques and Cleo, Cat Detectives series, destined to become a welcome addition to this genre by feline fanatics everywhere.
251 pages, Paperback
First published March 1, 2007
4 people are currently reading
130 people want to read
About the author
Gilbert Morris
550 books562 followersalso published under the name Gilbert L. Morris
Gilbert Morris was one of today's best-known Christian novelists. He lived in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with his wife, Johnnie. He is the father to Lynn Morris and Alan Morris
Series:
* Adventures of Kerrigan Kids
* American Century
* Appomattox Saga
* Barney Buck
* Bonnets and Bugles
* Cheney Duvall, M.D. (with Lynn Morris)
* Cheney and Shiloh: The Inheritance (with Lynn Morris)
* Chronicles of the Golden Frontier
* The Creole (with Lynn Morris)
* Danielle Ross Mystery
* Daystar Voyages
* Dixie Morris Animal Adventures
* Far Fields (with Robert Funderburk)
* House of Winslow
* Jacques and Cleo: Cat Detectives
* Katy Steele Adventures (with Alan Morris)
* Lady Trent Mystery
* Liberty Bell
* Lions of Judah
* Lone Star Legacy
* Omega (with Lynn Morris and Alan Morris)
* The Price of Liberty (with Robert Funderburk)
* Reno Western Saga
* Seven Sleepers
* Seven Sleepers: The Lost Chronicles
* Singing River
* Spirit of Appalachia (with Aaron McCarver)
* Too Smart Jones
*
Gilbert Morris was one of today's best-known Christian novelists. He lived in Gulf Shores, Alabama, with his wife, Johnnie. He is the father to Lynn Morris and Alan Morris
Series:
* Adventures of Kerrigan Kids
* American Century
* Appomattox Saga
* Barney Buck
* Bonnets and Bugles
* Cheney Duvall, M.D. (with Lynn Morris)
* Cheney and Shiloh: The Inheritance (with Lynn Morris)
* Chronicles of the Golden Frontier
* The Creole (with Lynn Morris)
* Danielle Ross Mystery
* Daystar Voyages
* Dixie Morris Animal Adventures
* Far Fields (with Robert Funderburk)
* House of Winslow
* Jacques and Cleo: Cat Detectives
* Katy Steele Adventures (with Alan Morris)
* Lady Trent Mystery
* Liberty Bell
* Lions of Judah
* Lone Star Legacy
* Omega (with Lynn Morris and Alan Morris)
* The Price of Liberty (with Robert Funderburk)
* Reno Western Saga
* Seven Sleepers
* Seven Sleepers: The Lost Chronicles
* Singing River
* Spirit of Appalachia (with Aaron McCarver)
* Too Smart Jones
*
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
October 14, 2022
Cute mystery by Gilbert Morris. Cats who talk to each other and other animals. Includes a small dose of Christianity. Love these books.
September 20, 2021
Kate Forrest is still amazed that she and her son are living a totally different life than they had in Memphis. Having inherited a fabulous beach house left by to her by a distant relative, her world has changed for the better. However, there was a second heir to the Gulf Shores beach house. Chicago detective turned novelist, Jake Novak, has certainly put a twist into the good fortune of family inheritance. Kate and Jake have worked out the living arrangements (per inheritance stipulations) and have settled into sort of a regular routine. However, her cats, Cleo and Jacques, are a problem for Jake. Jacques is ready to slice and dice Jake should the opportunity present itself.
The routine of normal existence takes a change when a Hollywood production company arrives to film a movie. This has the whole town in a razzle dazzle mode as the actors swirl among them. The movie crew wants to put a couple of felines into the new movie. Cleo and Jacques audition and get selected to put their paws on the screen. The dazzle becomes horror when one of the cast members is murdered and things quickly go from glamor to suspicion as a second murder victim pops up. Jacques and Cleo now have to figure out who killed who and bring the suspect to the law enforcement. This will be tricky, put Jacques loves it and will find the killer or else.
The Cat’s Pajamas is the second book in the Jacques and Cleo Cat Detective series. A well written tale of suspense that will keep the reader guessing to the end. The cats are more involved in this edition than the last and it’s refreshing to kind of get into the cat’s heads to see and hear what they are thinking and how they react to the situations they are put into. An excellent read for cat and mystery lovers.
The routine of normal existence takes a change when a Hollywood production company arrives to film a movie. This has the whole town in a razzle dazzle mode as the actors swirl among them. The movie crew wants to put a couple of felines into the new movie. Cleo and Jacques audition and get selected to put their paws on the screen. The dazzle becomes horror when one of the cast members is murdered and things quickly go from glamor to suspicion as a second murder victim pops up. Jacques and Cleo now have to figure out who killed who and bring the suspect to the law enforcement. This will be tricky, put Jacques loves it and will find the killer or else.
The Cat’s Pajamas is the second book in the Jacques and Cleo Cat Detective series. A well written tale of suspense that will keep the reader guessing to the end. The cats are more involved in this edition than the last and it’s refreshing to kind of get into the cat’s heads to see and hear what they are thinking and how they react to the situations they are put into. An excellent read for cat and mystery lovers.
September 14, 2015
T.G.I.F. - Thank God I'm finished. And that is not taking the Lord's name in vain; I am literally thankful to God that he gave me the strength and patience to finish this book.
If you are an agnostic or atheist or just don't like preachy people...skip this book and probably anything by this author.
If you are intrigued by the idea of cat detectives, you'd be better off reading The Cat Who Series by Lilian Jackson Braun or the Mrs. Murphy series from Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown.
I am a bit of a religious mutt, but if you ask me, I am Lutheran and a Sunday school teacher too boot. My promise to teach about the word and love of God is very important to me. I try very hard to love others as God loved me. Am I perfect at either task - no. I freely admit to having moments of hypocrisy, but that is because I also acknowledge that I am human with free will. What filled this book is ridiculous!
If you took out all the unnecessary preaching and unrelated scenes, it would have half as many pages (or less). Again, I am very thankful I was given the the tools to discern these scenes and skim over them. After a few chapters the scenes and conversations became repetitive and easier to spot. Many of them did include the characters pertinent to the mystery, but one in particular raised my hackles...Kate goes to the library where she and the librarian discuss unsavory book content and name drop a favorite author as an example of good writing. I'll tell you - I really like Jan Karon's style and characters and know for certain that Father Tim (from the Mitford series) would not only happily sit down with friends at Hooters (maybe be a bit uncomfortable) but he would bless the meal, pray for the employees, and probably try to help their server with a family problem. Not Kate. The Christian woman who asks blessing before every meal refused to say any prayers during a lunch at Hooters. That, my dear, is NOT Christian. In this library scene no clues were discovered, the librarian and the library had nothing to do with the Hollywood people, and we hadn't seen Kate go to the library earlier. Completely unnecessary.
In another unnecessary scene Kate's pastor asks her to head a mission trip to South America. This one is ridiculous because it goes against the term of the inheritance she lives off. Kate and Jake (the two main characters) were named heirs to an estate in White Sands, Alabama. To keep the money flowing, the two must live at the house and care for the pets of the late owner. As Jake is pretty much an animal hater this job falls to Kate - the animal lover. Add to that the fact Kate is a single mother of a young son - how is she supposed to go off to South America for a couple of months? The back cover blurb mentions Kate getting involved with a teen beach ministry - not once do we meet the kids involved; only a planning meeting with the pastor at the beginning.
Speaking of characters...
Kate (Mary Katherine), despite her sometimes holier-than-thou attitude, is a pretty nice woman. She has endured some stuff in her past and has grown stronger as she raises her son. She also takes decent care of the animals.
Jake (not the one from State Farm), is not religious. In many ways he seems to be a good guy. He cooks, enjoys things prepared properly (i.e., he's a bit of a foodie), and is neat and tidy. However, he is not an animal lover and some of the comments he makes to and about them early in the book are a real turn off. His vulnerability shows over the course of the book and some of his more positive qualities are shown.
Jeremy, Kate's son, is great. I loved him and his concern for others especially Rhiannon, her grandfather, and Ocie.
Rhiannon, she's interesting. If you're a Big Bang Theory fan, think 10-year old, female Sheldon Cooper who has embraced theology as well as other subjects.
Ocie (the drunk), Mason (Rhiannon's grandfather), Bev (Lord Devon-Hunt), and Enola (the vet) round out the small main group. They do not add much to the mystery, but add opportunities to discuss, "Are you a Christian?"
Now onto the four-footed characters. Here the author got lazy. Apparently only Savannah and Ragdoll cats can communicate with each other and no other species. (I much prefer Rita Mae Brown's technique of having all the animals talk with each other.)
Jacques the Ripper, the main feline character. He's a large, black Savannah and, honestly, he's an egotistical bully. He scratches anyone (human or four-footed) and anything he wants when he wants. Kate does nothing to stop him.
Cleo is a beautiful ragdoll who tries, to no avail, to keep Jacques from being mean.
The rest of the four-footed characters include Trouble, a lovable pit bull; Miss Boo, a lop-eared rabbit (who chews on chords and routinely gets shocked - a true caregiver would rabbit proof the wires; Bandit, a raccoon; Abigail, a ferret; Bad Louie, a foul-mouthed parrot; a snake; and two betas in a divided aquarium.
The mystery itself is pretty decent. One you might see on Murder, She Wrote or Diagnosis Murder. A Hollywood production team sets up down the beach from Kate and Jake. They are filming a movie - turns out the star is Jake's ex. The producer is a tyrant. His one, the director, is not interested in movies but is put there by his father. The star is a heartbreaker. One of the minor characters is jealous of the star. The wrong person ends up dead and the killer tries to fix things. I bet you can guess who the killer is.
If this book was just the mystery, I could have given it three stars. That portion evolved well and even had a decent resolution. During the celebratory dinner another major flaw in writing jumped out at me. Jake, the man who has to have coffee from freshly ground beans says he likes his steak well done. No foodie likes steak well done. Some chefs even refuse to prepare steak that way.
The character development was decent. A couple of the minor-major characters could have used a bit more depth, but overall not too bad.
This book is not staying in my collection. At one point I thought I knew who to give it to...now not so sure if even she would like it.
If you are an agnostic or atheist or just don't like preachy people...skip this book and probably anything by this author.
If you are intrigued by the idea of cat detectives, you'd be better off reading The Cat Who Series by Lilian Jackson Braun or the Mrs. Murphy series from Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown.
I am a bit of a religious mutt, but if you ask me, I am Lutheran and a Sunday school teacher too boot. My promise to teach about the word and love of God is very important to me. I try very hard to love others as God loved me. Am I perfect at either task - no. I freely admit to having moments of hypocrisy, but that is because I also acknowledge that I am human with free will. What filled this book is ridiculous!
If you took out all the unnecessary preaching and unrelated scenes, it would have half as many pages (or less). Again, I am very thankful I was given the the tools to discern these scenes and skim over them. After a few chapters the scenes and conversations became repetitive and easier to spot. Many of them did include the characters pertinent to the mystery, but one in particular raised my hackles...Kate goes to the library where she and the librarian discuss unsavory book content and name drop a favorite author as an example of good writing. I'll tell you - I really like Jan Karon's style and characters and know for certain that Father Tim (from the Mitford series) would not only happily sit down with friends at Hooters (maybe be a bit uncomfortable) but he would bless the meal, pray for the employees, and probably try to help their server with a family problem. Not Kate. The Christian woman who asks blessing before every meal refused to say any prayers during a lunch at Hooters. That, my dear, is NOT Christian. In this library scene no clues were discovered, the librarian and the library had nothing to do with the Hollywood people, and we hadn't seen Kate go to the library earlier. Completely unnecessary.
In another unnecessary scene Kate's pastor asks her to head a mission trip to South America. This one is ridiculous because it goes against the term of the inheritance she lives off. Kate and Jake (the two main characters) were named heirs to an estate in White Sands, Alabama. To keep the money flowing, the two must live at the house and care for the pets of the late owner. As Jake is pretty much an animal hater this job falls to Kate - the animal lover. Add to that the fact Kate is a single mother of a young son - how is she supposed to go off to South America for a couple of months? The back cover blurb mentions Kate getting involved with a teen beach ministry - not once do we meet the kids involved; only a planning meeting with the pastor at the beginning.
Speaking of characters...
Kate (Mary Katherine), despite her sometimes holier-than-thou attitude, is a pretty nice woman. She has endured some stuff in her past and has grown stronger as she raises her son. She also takes decent care of the animals.
Jake (not the one from State Farm), is not religious. In many ways he seems to be a good guy. He cooks, enjoys things prepared properly (i.e., he's a bit of a foodie), and is neat and tidy. However, he is not an animal lover and some of the comments he makes to and about them early in the book are a real turn off. His vulnerability shows over the course of the book and some of his more positive qualities are shown.
Jeremy, Kate's son, is great. I loved him and his concern for others especially Rhiannon, her grandfather, and Ocie.
Rhiannon, she's interesting. If you're a Big Bang Theory fan, think 10-year old, female Sheldon Cooper who has embraced theology as well as other subjects.
Ocie (the drunk), Mason (Rhiannon's grandfather), Bev (Lord Devon-Hunt), and Enola (the vet) round out the small main group. They do not add much to the mystery, but add opportunities to discuss, "Are you a Christian?"
Now onto the four-footed characters. Here the author got lazy. Apparently only Savannah and Ragdoll cats can communicate with each other and no other species. (I much prefer Rita Mae Brown's technique of having all the animals talk with each other.)
Jacques the Ripper, the main feline character. He's a large, black Savannah and, honestly, he's an egotistical bully. He scratches anyone (human or four-footed) and anything he wants when he wants. Kate does nothing to stop him.
Cleo is a beautiful ragdoll who tries, to no avail, to keep Jacques from being mean.
The rest of the four-footed characters include Trouble, a lovable pit bull; Miss Boo, a lop-eared rabbit (who chews on chords and routinely gets shocked - a true caregiver would rabbit proof the wires; Bandit, a raccoon; Abigail, a ferret; Bad Louie, a foul-mouthed parrot; a snake; and two betas in a divided aquarium.
The mystery itself is pretty decent. One you might see on Murder, She Wrote or Diagnosis Murder. A Hollywood production team sets up down the beach from Kate and Jake. They are filming a movie - turns out the star is Jake's ex. The producer is a tyrant. His one, the director, is not interested in movies but is put there by his father. The star is a heartbreaker. One of the minor characters is jealous of the star. The wrong person ends up dead and the killer tries to fix things. I bet you can guess who the killer is.
If this book was just the mystery, I could have given it three stars. That portion evolved well and even had a decent resolution. During the celebratory dinner another major flaw in writing jumped out at me. Jake, the man who has to have coffee from freshly ground beans says he likes his steak well done. No foodie likes steak well done. Some chefs even refuse to prepare steak that way.
The character development was decent. A couple of the minor-major characters could have used a bit more depth, but overall not too bad.
This book is not staying in my collection. At one point I thought I knew who to give it to...now not so sure if even she would like it.
August 28, 2019
This is an easy read, fun cozy mystery. The main characters are rich with diversity. And the thought communication between these two polar opposite cats is hilarious. If anyone has owned more than one cat at a time, all the author has done is penned what you kind of wonder is being communicated between the two, by their behavior, etc. The flavor of the deep south Bible belt, is shown through a couple of characters off and on, Enjoyable
November 26, 2022
Enjoyed reading about the exploits of Jacques and Cleo. I also liked that the identity of the murderer was not telegraphed early in the story which would have ruined the suspense. I recommend this series.
September 30, 2025
Throw together Hollywood film making, 2 crazy cats, a couple of deaths, and it becomes a wonderful cozy mystery. This book is as fun as the first one, and is filled with some wacky humor and wonderful characters. Don't miss this cute cozy mystery series.
April 29, 2018
God read
November 13, 2022
Easy cozy mystery with a lot of cool characters and a lot of Jesus! I liked it.
May 20, 2023
i liked this one much better than the first 🙂🙂
July 27, 2014
I just finished 3 of the Cat Mystery books, and I accidentally did not read them in order. The Cat's Pajamas is #2 in the series but it was the third book. I don't know if Gilbert Morris has written #4, but I would read it.
In the Cat's Pajamas the story of Jaques the Ripper, the cat detective and his companion Cleo continues. A movie is being shot in White Sands, and the producer needs cats. Enter Jaques and Cleo the movie stars (that is if Jaques the Ripper can keep from maiming someone on set). The cat's Person, Kate isn't sure how she feels about her cats being in a movie, but the cats would make more money in one week than she made all year working her two jobs back in Tennessee. Kate's housemate (thanks to a strange inheritance agreement), Jake (who the cats call the Intruder) goes with her and the cats to the scene and sees his old flame Avis, who has become a movie star. With the exception of Jake's reaction to Avis, everything is going well, bodies start dropping. With a movie set full of suspects Jaques has to help Jake and the police find the killer (yet again). Thank goodness curiosity hasn't killed this cat yet.
A fan of cats and the House of Winslow series by Gilbert Morris, I was excited to read this cat mystery with would obviously have a bit of romance and a good dose of God in the mix. I have to admit that the mystery was never quite the focus of the book. It was more about the relationships between the people as most of Morris's books are. But for a fun, quick read they were great. Plus I loved Rhiannon, the precocious, 10-year-old sesquipedalian.
In the Cat's Pajamas the story of Jaques the Ripper, the cat detective and his companion Cleo continues. A movie is being shot in White Sands, and the producer needs cats. Enter Jaques and Cleo the movie stars (that is if Jaques the Ripper can keep from maiming someone on set). The cat's Person, Kate isn't sure how she feels about her cats being in a movie, but the cats would make more money in one week than she made all year working her two jobs back in Tennessee. Kate's housemate (thanks to a strange inheritance agreement), Jake (who the cats call the Intruder) goes with her and the cats to the scene and sees his old flame Avis, who has become a movie star. With the exception of Jake's reaction to Avis, everything is going well, bodies start dropping. With a movie set full of suspects Jaques has to help Jake and the police find the killer (yet again). Thank goodness curiosity hasn't killed this cat yet.
A fan of cats and the House of Winslow series by Gilbert Morris, I was excited to read this cat mystery with would obviously have a bit of romance and a good dose of God in the mix. I have to admit that the mystery was never quite the focus of the book. It was more about the relationships between the people as most of Morris's books are. But for a fun, quick read they were great. Plus I loved Rhiannon, the precocious, 10-year-old sesquipedalian.
July 29, 2015
The Cat's Pajamas by Gilbert Morris is a Christian Fiction, cozy mystery about Kate and Jake, two strangers who inherit a house as long as they both agree to live there and take care of all the animals. In this book, the second of the series, a movie company is coming to town. However, there are soon a couple of murders on the set and everyone is a suspect. In addition, a family is being thrown out of their home. Jacques and Cleo, the two cats, have many discussions as to who the killer is and help to solve the mystery. There are some very unlikeable characters in this book, but part of this Christian novel is about why it is so important to have a strong relationship, belief and faith in God. Some of the chapters move along a bit slowly but fans of animal solving mysteries as well as Christian fiction, set in a modern beach town, will enjoy The Cat's Pajamas.
December 27, 2013
Second book in the Jacques and Cleo mystery series. The cats are hired to "star" in a movie being made down the beach from where they live. Kate and Jake take the cats over to film and discover that the star of the movie, Avis is an old flame of Jake's. When one of the young starlets is found dead, Jake is asked to assist the local police with the investigation. Can Jake find the clue to keep all of them safe from the murderer? Will he and Avis get back together?
August 14, 2011
This was a really fun book - an easy read. The cats have some real personality, and the people do, too. A worthwhile series, though one of the main characters is a bit church-y (warning to those who may not be!).
September 7, 2007
This is the second of a series about two cats who help solve mysteries, kind of like the 'cat who' books with Christian thoughts thrown in.
September 26, 2007
Continued mystery saga in White Sands, Alabama,
solved by the cat detectives, Cleo and Jacques
the Ripper.
solved by the cat detectives, Cleo and Jacques
the Ripper.
July 12, 2009
Cute stories
February 8, 2011
Fun, easy read with good Christian ethics and some evangelism that led to interesting situations!
July 19, 2011
In the belief everyone deserves a second chance I read this. Still find it dated in attitude and too sanctimonious for me.
August 6, 2011
Adorable. I loved this series. It was interesting, but also light-hearted and full of mischief.
January 8, 2013
While a little heavy on religion (I don't know if the other books follow this thread), it still was a very fun 'cat whodunit'.
December 16, 2013
The best part of the book was the cats but it is an okay mystery.
Plenty of suspects when a movie crew comes to town and one of them is murdered.
Plenty of suspects when a movie crew comes to town and one of them is murdered.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews