Interesting concept indeed. However, I found that the gender stereotypes and self-discovery twists were more of a distraction rather than a necessary part of the story. I had expected and hoped for a simple and enjoyable read, as I don't anticipate earth-shattering revelations in cozy mysteries. If one can overlook the few parts where the story seems to take itself too seriously and if you're not a cat hater, then it's worth giving a try. I'm curious enough to take a chance on the next installment in the series to see how it develops.

The gender stereotypes, for instance, might have been better off toned down or eliminated altogether. They seemed to add an unnecessary layer of complexity that detracted from the overall charm of the story. Similarly, the self-discovery twists felt a bit forced at times, as if they were shoehorned in to make the story more profound. But in a cozy mystery, sometimes simplicity is key.

Despite these flaws, there were still some redeeming qualities. The concept itself was engaging, and the characters had their moments. If the author can address these issues in future installments, the series has the potential to be quite enjoyable. I'm looking forward to seeing how it progresses and whether the author can strike a better balance between entertainment and depth.

I just couldn't get through this book. It was about cats who witnessed a murder and, incredibly, could also talk and read.

At first, I was somewhat intrigued by the concept. But as the story progressed and another character became a cat, that was the point where I gave up.

And it's not like I don't like cats. In fact, I do. But this book just took things a bit too far for my taste. The idea of cats being able to do all these extraordinary things seemed a bit too far-fetched and hard to believe.

I think if the author had toned down some of the more outlandish elements and focused more on the mystery or the relationships between the characters, it might have been a more enjoyable read. But as it was, it just didn't work for me.

Quick, easy read.

For some reason, the concept of talking cats didn't stretch my sense of disbelief too much. It was presented in a way that I could easily get behind and understand. However, when it came to the magic aspects in the story, that's where it became a breaking point for me.

The moment those magic elements were introduced, it felt like I was suddenly tossed right out of the story. I had a moment of, "What did I just read?" and from that point on, I simply could not get back into the story.

I'm an avid reader of fantasy, so I'm not entirely sure why the magic elements of this particular book were so disturbing to me. But there was just something about them that didn't sit right with me and disrupted my enjoyment of the story.

Perhaps it was the way the magic was executed or the lack of a clear explanation for how it worked. Whatever the reason, it had a significant impact on my overall experience of reading the book.

This was truly an extremely cute book. Joe Grey, a charming cat, one fateful night, witnessed a heinous murder. Coincidentally, around the same time, Joe astonishingly realized that he had the remarkable ability to speak, think, read, and fully comprehend the human language. It wasn't just the ordinary kitty meows and purrs, but he could understand every single word. And to make matters worse, the murderer was now after Joe and his girlfriend Dulcie, who had also seen the dreadful act. The story then unfolds in an exciting manner as the two cats have to constantly hide and try to figure out what exactly is going on. Of course, they also have the important task of protecting their beloved humans. It's a thrilling adventure filled with mystery and the unique perspective of two intelligent cats.

I'm not typically a huge enthusiast of books that demand a significant suspension of belief. However, within this particular book, I discovered Joe Gray, the cat, to be an exception to that rule.

I thoroughly relished the 'unbelief', the comprehensive understanding of cat behaviors, and an engaging and plausible mystery.

Joe Gray has led a truly magnificent life since coming to reside with Clyde, who found him nearly lifeless on the streets of Molena Point. Then, one day, Joe realized that he could speak and read like a human. This was somewhat intimidating, but it proved to be extremely useful after he witnessed a murder, and the murderer determined that the bothersome cat also needed to perish. Dulcie, the charming little girl cat down the block, has a similar tale, but she also enjoys pilfering beautiful, silky, soft items from the neighbors. The murderer is after her as well.

The mystery entails fancy automobiles, copious amounts of money, and adulterous affairs. Joe and Dulcie utilize their distinctively cat-like skills, interestingly combined with certain human traits, to make this an outstanding cozy cat mystery. This first installment in a series is followed by numerous more Joe Gray mysteries, so, hopefully, the fun and mysteries will continue to unfold!

I initially found the concept behind the plot of this cozy mystery quite charming. There's an intelligent cat character named Joe who takes on the role of a detective to rescue his owner, Clyde, from a murderous criminal who is also attempting to frame Clyde. But then, the story takes an unexpected twist. About a third of the way into the book, Joe the kitty has an Evangelical revelation of 'intelligent design'. After watching a caterpillar, he is suddenly struck by religious faith and realizes there must be a God.

Four-year-old tomcat Joe one day mysteriously discovers that he can read, write, and speak English, which freaks him out. He spends a day and night hiding in a comforting hole, thinking about this newfound ability. Eventually, he returns to his kitty life and the bed and hearth of Clyde, a human bachelor and auto mechanic. However, just as he is adjusting to being intelligent, everything starts to go wrong. Clyde's business partner, Samuel Beckwhite, is murdered. Joe was in the alley that night and saw a strange little man crack Beckwhite's head open with a tool belonging to Clyde! For some unknown reason, the killer also wants to kill Joe and somehow traces him to Clyde's house!!!

Sounds interesting, right?

However, after the author Shirley Rousseau Murphy decided that the suburban kitty, who has only read dog and cat food labels and a few newspaper articles up to now, and is in the middle of wondering where his next meal of mouse will come from, suddenly becomes mentally fluent in ontological philosophy, and in particular, completely up to date on the concepts of intelligent design theories (which requires knowledge of biology, physiology, anatomy, ecology, and theology, just to start with), I quietly closed my Overdrive audiobook, returned the file to the library, and banged my head on a table a few times. >: @

I am not entirely certain about my thoughts regarding this book.

I am completely in favor of talking animals, crime-solving animals, extremely intelligent animals, and even paranormal elements. However, there was something that felt a bit off to me in this particular book.

Perhaps it was the cat who had dreams of wearing lingerie. Or maybe it was the fact that the first half of the book repeatedly depicted Joe hunting and killing various prey. (I understand that this is natural behavior for a cat, but what I don't quite grasp is why so many people allow their cats to roam around and destroy habitats.)

I really don't know. In this book, a significant number of animals either die or are attacked, and it even manages to share with us stories of other animals that have been hurt or killed in the past, which have no direct connection to this particular story. It seems a bit strange for a cozy book.

Having said all that, I do think that the premise of this book has the potential to be enjoyable, and perhaps I will give this series another try in the future.

Really cute idea.

I was extremely excited to come across it, and I might even open up book 2.

However, my main concern with the story, and what made it a bit challenging to fully relish, is that we uncover the reason behind Joe Grey precisely when we are delving into the mystery.

The explanation turns out to be rather underwhelming, and it doesn't even fully account for Joe's special characteristics.

Perhaps the remaining stories in the series will do away with the need to explain the "why" and simply focus on the novelty of a mystery-solving cat.

That's what I'm hoping for, at least.

This way, readers can just enjoy the entertaining adventures of Joe Grey without getting bogged down by a lackluster explanation.

It would be great if the author could simply let the charm of the story and the unique abilities of the cat shine through.

After all, sometimes it's better to just go with the flow and have fun with a good story.

Meoawsome, which I don't think is a real word but it is now! Haha.

I gave this book 3 stars. The reason is that I truly enjoyed it, yet there were a couple of times when I almost wanted to give up.

This is a decent book that I would play while doing the washing up and other chores. It's a murder mystery where the detective is a cat. Since I love cats, I thought this idea was really clever.

At one point, I thought this was a PG-rated book and I would have given it 4 stars. However, then one of the chapters was rather sinister, which made me really confused about whether it was PG or not.

It would have made more sense to me if the rating was consistent. What I mean is, if the author is aiming for an adult audience, then they should stick to that. And if they are targeting a younger audience, then they should aim for that.

Nevertheless, I will read the next one as I do believe this series has good potential.

Joe Gray, a seemingly ordinary Tom cat, had an extraordinary transformation one day. Not only did he gain the ability to understand human speech, but he could also read. And to everyone's surprise, he could even speak! However, this newfound talent did not impress the other animals, especially his girlfriend.

One fateful night, Joe witnessed a murder by accident. Little did he know that this would set off a chain of events that would change his life forever. The murderer, somehow aware that Joe could expose him to the police, began to chase after him.

I have no problem with a good fantasy story, but Joe is not the only strange thing in this tale. The whole story is a complex web that weaves around a number of characters. It was quite challenging to keep track of them all and truly understand their motives and relationships.

Despite the difficulties in following the story, it still managed to hold my attention with its unique and imaginative plot. I found myself constantly wondering what would happen next to Joe and the other characters.

4-
This is a fantasy thriller that presents a rather unique world where cats have the remarkable abilities to talk, read, and shape shift.

Personally, it's not typically the kind of story that I would be overly enthusiastic about. I have a strong preference for realism in fiction, and I tend to get easily annoyed when an author expects me to accept paranormal events as the driving force behind the plot.

However, I was able to find a certain level of enjoyment in this book. The reason for this is that I never got the impression that the author was taking the "talking cat" aspect too seriously. It seemed as if she was also having a bit of fun with it.

The cats in the story had just the right amount of "catty" attitude in their outlook, which managed to make me smile and engage with the story to some extent.

That being said, I could have done without the human/cat transformations. For me, that was almost a step too far and stretched my suspension of disbelief a little too thin.

Nevertheless, the book is relatively short and has a good pace. It offers pure escapism, serving as a light and refreshing break after the two "serious" books that I had previously finished.

Audible provided this book for free, along with several others in the series. So, when I'm in the mood for something light and don't want to engage in any deep soul searching, I will give the next one a try. After all, I do like cats.

Ugh. Cats that can transform into people and then back into cats at will? What could possibly be worse than that? I really don't know because I just couldn't bring myself to keep reading.

This author has actually written a significant number of books within this series. Clearly, there must be an audience out there who enjoys this kind of story. However, I'm simply not a part of that particular group. And you know what? That's perfectly okay with me.

I have my own preferences when it comes to reading material, and this just doesn't align with them. It's interesting to see the variety of books that are available, but not every single one is going to be a hit with every reader. And that's the beauty of the literary world.

While I may not be a fan of this particular series, I'm sure there are many others out there who absolutely love it and can't get enough. And that's great. Everyone has the right to their own reading tastes and enjoy whatever type of books they choose.