Cat Playing Cupid by Shirley Rousseau Murphy

I am really not a fan of books with talking animals.  I just have a lot of trouble with anthropomorthizing animals-- and that is the whole premise of Murphy's Joe Grey Mystery Series.

Joe Grey is a "speaking cat" who lives with several other like-gifted cats in the small town of Molena Point in coastal northern California.  Only a few people in this community know about this cat family's rare gift, and they are dedicated to keep the cats' secret. 

The secret is threatened by the discovery of a book about speaking cats buried with a dead body in the ancestral home of the family that first brought this cat family line from Wales.  The cats with their current people have to come up with a plan to get the body discovered after they have dragged away the offensive volume and without revealing the unusual talents of this family of cats.  Since no one in the police department is privy to the secret about the cats it is a matter of getting the police to find the body without becoming suspicious about the cats.

The other thread is the "love" story between a feral "speaking cat," Sage, and his half-feral litter mate, Kit.  Kit ultimately decides to stay with her people rather than to go back to the hard life of a wild cat.  I find this relationship too filled with sentimentality and anthropomorphic for my tastes.

There are sections of the book that are exciting and attention-grabbing, in particular the chase of the suspect (there's no surprise about who that is) and the clever way the animals and their people use to get the police to find the dead body in the Pamillion ruins.

This book will appeal to mystery lovers who enjoy animal characters and can suspend disbelief a bit in terms of what the animals think, say and do.

Liz Nichols

"Santa Clawed" by Rita Mae Brown

"Santa Clawed" is the 18th collaboration between Rita Mae Brown and her very wise cat, Sneaky Pie, in the Mrs. Murphy Series. This is one of those tried and true mystery series that you are always glad to read because you get to spend time with old friends in the process.

Harry Haristeen, her veterinarian husband, Fair, and their assortment of four-legged sleuths are always pleasant to revisit every few months.

The latest was published just in time for the Christmas season, and is set in the Haristeen's home town of Crozet, Virgina during the busy holiday preparations. A Christian brother is murdered at his order's Christmas tree lot, and there are eventually additional murders to turn the monastery and the town a little sour on the Christmas spirit.

As usual, Tucker the dog and his cat friends discover the murderer before their humans do. It's always interesting to to see how the animals get the message across to their owner when she is in the presence of one of the bad guys. The brave cats and dog always prevail.

A great holiday season read.

Liz Nichols

"The Cat Who Went Up the Creek" by Lilian Jackson Braun

I'm continuing to catch up on some of the mysteries I've been meaning to read for a few years. This one is part of Braun's cat tales from Pickax, UP, Michigan from 2002 and is a short, quick read for lovers of her character, Jim Quilleran, and his super cats, Koko and Yum Yum. Those who prefer his librarian friend, Polly Duncan, will be slightly disappointed in this novel because Polly and one of her crones is away on a grand tour of the eastern U.S.

Jim decides to take his own vacation at a nearby resort, the Nutcracker Inn, which experiences a plethera of murders while Jim is in residence. Of course, Koko and Jim solve the who done it and save the reputation of the inn.

For those who love this series, "The Cat Who Went Up the Creek" will be standard, entertaining fare. Others may want to pass it up for more substantial and recent works.

Liz Nichols

"Dewey The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World" by Vicki Myron

Dewey is a legend among library cats. In the world of library cats he reigns as the all-time champ because of the special characteristics that set him apart from all others. He consistently greeted every patron. He seemed to understand the needs and emotional state of everyone who came in, so he comforted the ones who needed his attention, and he stayed away from the ones who could not relate to him well.

Dewey arrived as a cast off someone threw into the Spencer, IA Public Library bookdrop on the coldest day of the year in January 1988. He was probably 2 months old and half frozen. Vicki Myron, Spencer Public Library Librarian, and her staff, nursed him back to health and gave him a home. For 19 years the regal Mr. Dewey reigned over the Spencer Public Library. He became a fixture not only of the library, but a symbol of the determination and will of the whole community. He became famous world-wide. Film companies from as far away as Japan came to tell his story.

When Dewey was felled by a tumor at age 19 the library received thousands of messages of sympathy from all over the world.

The book documents a remarkable series of stories about the life and times of Dewey the cat and his role within the community. While the book is about the cat, it also documents the relationship between a beloved pet and his caretaker, and her relationship with the community and her family.

It is a heartwarming, charming story in the tradition of "Marley and Me" (which I saw in the movie theater this weekend.) I highly recommend it to all cat lovers and library lovers.

Liz Nichols