? for old timers,

[AmberLee]

This is NOT the book you want, but may enjoy instead -- Shirley Rousseau Murphy's The Catswold Portal. It's a fantasy series about an underworld Werecat race that could access the outer (our) world via a portal/doorway in a garden? I kind of remember that they needed to go to war with the outer world or that they came to the outer world for support during a civil war?? It's been too long, but I found it intriguing. This apparently triggered her cozy mystery series where the two main detectives are a Tom cat named Joe Gray and his beloved tabby, Dulsie. Both are sentient cats who are interested in right/wrong and can speak and read. They call in tips to the frustrated Chief of police -- it's a struggle to keep their skills mum. They live in an imaginary town based on Carmel, California and set in a similar location. The first title in the series is "Cat on the Edge". Joe has just learned of his skills and is struggling to figure out what's going on when he witnesses a murder and has to run for his life...

Just for fun are any of the books about her pets by Doreen Tovey. She and her husband lived in the Cotswold (?) area of England in the 50s - 70s and she wrote of their adventures with a series of Siamese cats, a donkey, a squirrel, and several other animals along the way.

So not at all the book you were looking for, but good reads anyway.

[Bengalz]

This is NOT the book you want, but may enjoy instead -- Shirley Rousseau Murphy's The Catswold Portal. It's a fantasy series about an underworld Werecat race that could access the outer (our) world via a portal/doorway in a garden? I kind of remember that they needed to go to war with the outer world or that they came to the outer world for support during a civil war?? It's been too long, but I found it intriguing. This apparently triggered her cozy mystery series where the two main detectives are a Tom cat named Joe Gray and his beloved tabby, Dulsie. Both are sentient cats who are interested in right/wrong and can speak and read. They call in tips to the frustrated Chief of police -- it's a struggle to keep their skills mum. They live in an imaginary town based on Carmel, California and set in a similar location. The first title in the series is "Cat on the Edge". Joe has just learned of his skills and is struggling to figure out what's going on when he witnesses a murder and has to run for his life...


Just for fun are any of the books about her pets by Doreen Tovey. She and her husband lived in the Cotswold (?) area of England in the 50s - 70s and she wrote of their adventures with a series of Siamese cats, a donkey, a squirrel, and several other animals along the way.

So not at all the book you were looking for, but good reads anyway.

I have read all of Murphy's books to date including Catswold Portal and enjoyed them immensely. She has a new coming out in November ... however, if you can't find them in your library try Amazon or Abebooks.

[AmberLee]

I didn't know there was a new Joe Gray mystery coming! Happy day!

I just reread my post: Sorry, Catswold Portal is a stand-alone book, not part of a series. I was half asleep typing my post last night.