What do you think?
Rate this book
Joe Grey #13
Cat Deck the Halls
The cats who saved Christmas . . .
The charming seaside village of Molena Point, California, leads one to expect a quiet traditional Christmas surrounded by family and friends—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.
At midnight in the deserted gardens of the shopping plaza, a stranger lies dead beneath the village Christmas tree; the only witness to the shooting is a little child. But when the police arrive, summoned by an anonymous phone call of feline origin, both the body and the child have disappeared. As police scramble for leads, the grey tomcat, his tabby lady, and their tortoiseshell pal, Kit, launch their own unique investigation.
Together Joe Grey, Dulcie, and Kit face their most heartbreaking case yet as they care for the child who may be the killer's next target. Trying to sort out perplexing clues amidst the happiness of the season, they shadow a cast of colorful characters. But neither the police nor their unknown feline assistants are aware that they might have stumbled over the murderer and never known it, until an electrifying final scene when the killer's identity is revealed.
For years Shirley Rousseau Murphy has written tales that have delighted readers and critics alike. With her lyrical prose and fast-paced plotting, Murphy has created another delightfully absorbing trip to a magical place populated by unforgettable characters whom readers have come to think of as friends.
The charming seaside village of Molena Point, California, leads one to expect a quiet traditional Christmas surrounded by family and friends—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.
At midnight in the deserted gardens of the shopping plaza, a stranger lies dead beneath the village Christmas tree; the only witness to the shooting is a little child. But when the police arrive, summoned by an anonymous phone call of feline origin, both the body and the child have disappeared. As police scramble for leads, the grey tomcat, his tabby lady, and their tortoiseshell pal, Kit, launch their own unique investigation.
Together Joe Grey, Dulcie, and Kit face their most heartbreaking case yet as they care for the child who may be the killer's next target. Trying to sort out perplexing clues amidst the happiness of the season, they shadow a cast of colorful characters. But neither the police nor their unknown feline assistants are aware that they might have stumbled over the murderer and never known it, until an electrifying final scene when the killer's identity is revealed.
For years Shirley Rousseau Murphy has written tales that have delighted readers and critics alike. With her lyrical prose and fast-paced plotting, Murphy has created another delightfully absorbing trip to a magical place populated by unforgettable characters whom readers have come to think of as friends.
343 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
102 people are currently reading
493 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Rousseau Murphy
64 books516 followersShirley Rousseau Murphy is the author of over 40 books, including 24 novels for adults, the Dragonbards Trilogy and more for young adults, and many books for children. She is best known for her Joe Grey cat mystery series, consisting of 21 novels, the last of which was published when she was over 90. Now retired, she enjoys hearing from readers who write to her at her website www.srmurphy.com, where the reading order of the books in that series can be found.
Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. After attending the San Francisco Art institute she worked as an interior designer, and later exhibited paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows. "When my husband Pat and I moved to Panama for a four-year tour in his position with the U. S . Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write," she says. Later they lived in Oregon, then Georgia, before moving to California, where she now enjoys the sea and views of the Carmel hills.
.
Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. After attending the San Francisco Art institute she worked as an interior designer, and later exhibited paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows. "When my husband Pat and I moved to Panama for a four-year tour in his position with the U. S . Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write," she says. Later they lived in Oregon, then Georgia, before moving to California, where she now enjoys the sea and views of the Carmel hills.
.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
December 26, 2018
I thoroughly enjoy this series and what a treat to have this Christmas story for the holiday season. Of course a fantastical story of cats but it is nice to see the humans evolving too. Just believable enough to not tip the ridiculous scale.
May 26, 2019
I have to ration myself on Joe Grey mysteries. They are so wonderful and I will eventually run out of them. “Deck the Halls” is set at Christmas, starting with a man’s murder beneath the town’s Christmas tree, witnessed only by the man’s mute five year old daughter and Kit, one of the trio of cat detectives in this series. The police try to keep the girl safe from being silenced permanently. In the meantime break-ins occur and a mysterious man lurks outside the local orphanage; is it all connected? Can Joe, Dulcie, and Kit figure out what is going on in time to prevent more tragedy? The author balances the suspense and horror of the girl’s danger with the longing for a happy holiday that our cat heroes and their humans feel amidst the decorations and treats. I loved this, and so would any fan of cat cozy mysteries.
December 25, 2015
I love this cozy mystery series because the cats are the ones who are instrumental in solving the mysteries. When tortoiseshell Kit finds a body under the village Christmas tree and a child the only witness to murder, it's up to her, tabby cat Dulcie and tomcat Joe Grey to help the police make sense of the crime. I read this now because it was a Christmas mystery but this is really a great series, especially if you are a cat lover!
December 18, 2014
Don't read this book. Not because it has talking cats and is implausible. Don't read it because this author takes ten words to say 'hello'. The book would make a decent short story
July 12, 2014
Fat and Fancy
Shirley Rousseau Murphy has done it again. This latest installment of the Joe Gray series focuses more on the human side of the cats, rather than the animal. Rich with plot twists and turns, Joe, Dulcie and Kit react to each new situation with the gamut of human emotions. As always, Ms. Murphy makes you leave the world of human fact and logic, and instead dwell in her superior universe of hard-core logic coupled with delightful fancy.
Shirley Rousseau Murphy has done it again. This latest installment of the Joe Gray series focuses more on the human side of the cats, rather than the animal. Rich with plot twists and turns, Joe, Dulcie and Kit react to each new situation with the gamut of human emotions. As always, Ms. Murphy makes you leave the world of human fact and logic, and instead dwell in her superior universe of hard-core logic coupled with delightful fancy.
November 24, 2014
Loved this book...plot and subplots were excellent.
I want to read all Of Ms. Murphy's books. Five stars!!! I wish cat talk too!! Very descriptive of the whole. Story.
I want to read all Of Ms. Murphy's books. Five stars!!! I wish cat talk too!! Very descriptive of the whole. Story.
July 19, 2017
A challenge for every armchair sleuth.
A superior mystery novel. Loaded with plot twists to entice even the most jaded reader.
The solutions all there, but easy to miss.
A superior mystery novel. Loaded with plot twists to entice even the most jaded reader.
The solutions all there, but easy to miss.
December 25, 2023
I'll start by saying this book was enjoyable, but would have been much more so had the dust jacket not telegraphed the big twist at the end. It is so unnecessary and thoughtless. This is not the first time I've experienced this; are the folks that write these blurbs abominably clueless or do they just not care about the reader's experience?
Anyway, the adventures of a trio of talking cats and their human friends in the small town of Molena Point continue. The setup works and works quite well, as author Shirley Rousseau Murphy smoothly blends a gripping plot with the distinct personalities of her (admittedly large) cast. The plot in Cat Deck the Halls begins with a terrible murder just before Christmas. The only witness is a six year old girl who refuses to speak, and the body of the victim vanishes before the police arrive. The trio of cats - Joe Grey, Dulcie and Kit - run their own investigation while the Molena Point Police Department does another. A second mystery also grabs the attention of both sets of sleuths...and this one is situated right next door to the home of one of the feline detectives.
While this series draws on science fiction, it is written with a sense of grounded logic. If such a thing as intelligent, talking cats were to exist the reader can reasonably believe events would occur as they do in these books. It is not all bliss, either; the cats and their human friends are constantly concerned with their shared secret being revealed and that undercurrent of tension adds to the suspense.
I am once again pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy these books.
Anyway, the adventures of a trio of talking cats and their human friends in the small town of Molena Point continue. The setup works and works quite well, as author Shirley Rousseau Murphy smoothly blends a gripping plot with the distinct personalities of her (admittedly large) cast. The plot in Cat Deck the Halls begins with a terrible murder just before Christmas. The only witness is a six year old girl who refuses to speak, and the body of the victim vanishes before the police arrive. The trio of cats - Joe Grey, Dulcie and Kit - run their own investigation while the Molena Point Police Department does another. A second mystery also grabs the attention of both sets of sleuths...and this one is situated right next door to the home of one of the feline detectives.
While this series draws on science fiction, it is written with a sense of grounded logic. If such a thing as intelligent, talking cats were to exist the reader can reasonably believe events would occur as they do in these books. It is not all bliss, either; the cats and their human friends are constantly concerned with their shared secret being revealed and that undercurrent of tension adds to the suspense.
I am once again pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoy these books.
August 14, 2012
2007, #13 Joe Grey and Dulcie, Molena Point, Northern California; cosy, amateur sleuth, fantastical. A young child is found, mute and amneisiac, near the body of a dead man, and as Joe, Dulcie, and their humans try to find out what's going on in their beautiful little town at Christmastime, they discover the killer is after her as well, and doesn't care who he hurts in the process.
Not recommended as your first read in this series, but a lovely addition to it for those already enamoured of Molena Point and those cats, with Murphy's usual strong plotting and lots of interesting characters. She still seems to be recycling ideas and plot lines/threads, but this is one of my favorite series, and I always enjoy her writing.
I suspect she wants to wrap the series up but won’t be allowed to do soby her publishers. Heck, *I* don’t want her to end it. But she’s not doing anything new theme-wise here, and hasn’t done so for several books now. Well, there are MUCH worse things in the world! Her stories are still very enjoyable, and I hope I can read a new book in this series for several years to come, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if she’d throw in something *completely* different next time???
Not recommended as your first read in this series, but a lovely addition to it for those already enamoured of Molena Point and those cats, with Murphy's usual strong plotting and lots of interesting characters. She still seems to be recycling ideas and plot lines/threads, but this is one of my favorite series, and I always enjoy her writing.
I suspect she wants to wrap the series up but won’t be allowed to do soby her publishers. Heck, *I* don’t want her to end it. But she’s not doing anything new theme-wise here, and hasn’t done so for several books now. Well, there are MUCH worse things in the world! Her stories are still very enjoyable, and I hope I can read a new book in this series for several years to come, but wouldn’t it be wonderful if she’d throw in something *completely* different next time???
August 27, 2009
Nice little holiday present for the followers of this delightful series. First-timers will likely be very puzzled over the many characters and back-stories brought into the plot or mentioned here. Two mysteries get mixed together and sorted out and some significant actions take place with our regular cast.
January 17, 2018
I think maybe the reason this one didn't do it for me is because i wasn't familiar with the characters and it is book 13 in a series.
September 4, 2018
Murders a foot again in Joe Gray, Dulcie, and Kit's live. A cat cannot get a break not even at Christmas time. Amidst the decorations, the practices for the Christmas Play and the spirit of good cheers in a small town were good people reside they are always someone trying to get over with mischief. Thank Heaven the town has three swift footer informants or should I call them four footer detectives who can see the crimes at ground level. Can't wait to read the next installment.
September 29, 2008
The trio of talking cats is involved in another mystery that requires their peculiar brand of investigation. A chilling look at identity theft juxtaposed with the beauty of the Christmas season and the evolving relationships of the humans intertwined with Joe Grey, Dulcie and Kit. Another excellent addition to the series.
March 21, 2012
I have read others of this authors, and I have liked them all so far. True it is strange that cats can talk and use phones, but hey why not? It adds a little fun to the book, and that is what these books are for, a light, easy read with a bit of fun to them. If some one wanted a dose of reality, pick another book. :-)
June 16, 2015
I'm not sure why I love this series but I do. Maybe it's because the books address the intelligence of animals and that there is so much in nature that is not fully understood or appreciated. Maybe it's also because I used to live in Carmel and love going back there vicariously. I really like cozy mysteries and Ms. Murphy writes them well.
October 15, 2012
This is the book that got me into this series... Hate to say it, but I think I love these cats more than Midnight Louie's clan... o.k. maybe equally as well as Midnight Louie and company... If you haven't read any of these give them a try...
December 17, 2017
Another great Joe Grey story.
November 10, 2018
Joe Grey is by far one of my favorite sleuths. The fact that he’s a cat is just a bonus!
December 14, 2024
Cute stories.
May 15, 2020
Just once again, I must say how much I enjoyed this book. The imagination of Shirley Rousseau Murphy and her tales of Joe Gray and his pals are fun. This one kept me a bit on pins and needles. I never know what to expect when I listen to these stories. Suspense. Comic relief with the cats antics. Human drama.
Frankly, I have no clue as to what I would do if my old Kitty, Oscar spoke to me. But it is fun to listen to these tales. Thanks Shirley. And I love the Narrator Susan Boyce. Her cadence and voices are delightful! Thank you, too.
Frankly, I have no clue as to what I would do if my old Kitty, Oscar spoke to me. But it is fun to listen to these tales. Thanks Shirley. And I love the Narrator Susan Boyce. Her cadence and voices are delightful! Thank you, too.
September 7, 2019
This is the second book in this series that I’ve read (out of order though, of course), and it was a delight. I feel like it focused more on Kit than on Joe Grey, but that’s okay. I enjoyed Kit’s impetuous behavior very much and remained astonished at how well Murphy captures “cattitude” and related behavior yet still makes the anthropomorphization work well. Definitely not the last book in the series that I’ll be reading!
(Bonus info: my husband also is enjoying this series along with me!)
(Bonus info: my husband also is enjoying this series along with me!)
July 29, 2021
Why isn't there a notation regarding James Rice?
Why is there no notation Regarding James Rice, Who wrote the Santa story that takes place Using alligators instead of reindeer?We have several of his books As he was a neighbor and a friend. He and his wife were both extremely Talented.
Why is there no notation Regarding James Rice, Who wrote the Santa story that takes place Using alligators instead of reindeer?We have several of his books As he was a neighbor and a friend. He and his wife were both extremely Talented.
March 8, 2024
Everything that is enjoyable about a cozy mystery: atmosphere, lots of factors going into the whodoneit, most of the characters were very compelling, and the smartest folks in the room were the talking cats, as a marvelous bonus. Spoiler alert: it was deeply satisfying when the victim, who had been traumatized into losing her voice, found the courage to speak again at the conclusion.
December 10, 2019
Good book
Story line not unlike others in the series. However interesting enough to keep the action moving forward with no sense of plodding or dragging. Reader feels good at the end - which is satisfying.
Story line not unlike others in the series. However interesting enough to keep the action moving forward with no sense of plodding or dragging. Reader feels good at the end - which is satisfying.
January 4, 2020
A wonderful group of nonhuman sleuths! They rank right up there with Koko and Yum yum( The Cat Who series,) and Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, and Tee Tucker( the Mrs. Murphy series. ) A heartwarming story of humans and cats helping a traumatized little girl at Christmas time. Happy reading!🙂
December 4, 2020
A nice Christmas mystery with talking cats who do a lot of sleuthing. There were several missed editing items and it really bothered me that the author referred to the “coast of Arkansas”. Arkansas does not have a coast. They have a riverbank.
June 30, 2021
loved the story and tickled about the three feline "investigators" trying hard to eavesdrop on the people and not be obvious! too cute to not enjoy. even with the murder and vivid descriptions of mayhem, this is a cozy story to read without feeling spooked!
January 17, 2020
I feally enjoy reading about the adventures of Joe Grey, Dulcie, Kit and their human companions. This seties never lets me down.
February 25, 2020
I had read a different 'cat' mystery so I was very surprised by this one. I will need to go back and read the earlier books so I have a greater understanding of the characters.
May 5, 2020
Like how the cats help solve the crime. Good holiday read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews