Maudie Toola’s son and daughter-in-law were murdered in Los Angeles. Hoping to find relief from the trauma, she and her grandson have moved back to her home town, Molena Point. She does not know the killer has followed her. Nor does she know that the quiet little seaside village has had a series of break-ins and assaults on single women. The peace she seeks is not in Molena Point.
The break-ins and assaults are obviously related in some way but with no real clues the police are nowhere in the investigations. Enter the anonymous snitch, who has helped them solve crimes in the past, with no hint of who he is. The snitch, or snitches, are three talking cats, Joel Grey, Dulcie, and Kit. There are a few in Molena Point who know of the cats unique ability to talk but no one on the police force does.
This time around the cats are joined by an old Tom cat, new in town, who has important news for the police chief. As the cats work on solving the crimes, they call in their tips to the police; the police are puzzled by the mystery identity of the caller and how he always seems to be one step ahead of them.
Of course, the crime is solved, much to the amusement of the three Molena cats and their new friend, Tomcat, who has a new home in the village. The stories Murphy writes are always a fun read. Who wouldn’t love a book about crime fighting informants that just happen to be talking cats?
Black Cat Book Review 