A Novel by Shirley Rousseau Murphy and Pat J.J. Murphy, HarperCollins/William Morrow, Feb 2015.
* An ARC was provided by HarperCollins/William Morrow and Edelweiss for an honest review.
THE CAT, THE DEVIL, THE LAST ESCAPE is not a light-hearted read, nor is it a hard thriller. It is a good, somewhat serious mystery set after WWII involving small-time crook & former train robber, Lee Fontana, and a young father falsely accused of murder and bank robbery, Morgan Blake. The 60-ish Lee helps Morgan adapt to life in prison. They eventually hatch a plan to find the man who set up Morgan and bring him to justice. Though something dark and twisted follows both of the men, their morality and strength of soul fortify them against the devil and his minions.
Morgan's nine-year-old daughter Sammie is another major character in the book. She sees the future in her dreams and is targeted by the devil for this gift. She and Lee have a strong link through the ghost cat, Misto. Although the two humans live across the country from one another, Misto appears and comforts Lee and Sammie whenever they are sad or worried. They share another crucial link which is revealed as the story progresses.
Scattered throughout the book are wonderful tidbits about life in the mid-1900s: how people traveled the country, what the penal system was like, aspects of the early years of flight, how people coped during and after the war. The authors' use of these historical facts help ground the story in its time and place.
However, there are a few things keeping me from giving the book five stars. The various points of view (sometimes within the same chapter) might be hard for some readers to follow. Usually it is fairly easy to understand whose side of the story is being told, but there are a couple of scenes where I had to reread a passage to determine the correct point of view. Another issue is how the first chapter is written. It's a long narrative where Misto relates his backstory with Lee and brings the reader up to date on Lee's criminal history. It seems like a dump of information that could have served better sprinkled throughout the book.
Overall, I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good Columbo mystery, where it isn't about discovering who did the crime, but about how the real criminal is known, eventually reveals his part in the crime, and is finally brought to justice. It also might appeal to readers who enjoy stories set in the mid-1900s and who like a bit of paranormal mixed in with their mysteries.
If You Like This, You May Also Like: JOE GREY MYSTERIES by Shirley Rousseau Murphy,MIDNIGHT LOUIE MYSTERIESby Carole Nelson Douglas,MRS. MURPHY MYSTERIESby Rita Mae Brown,MAGICAL CATS MYSTERIES by Sofie Kelly,WHALES AND TAILS MYSTERIESby Kathi Daley,CATS IN TROUBLE MYSTERIESby Leann Sweeney,BLACK CAT BOOKSHOP MYSTERIESby Ali Brandon,CATS IN THE STACKS MYSTERIES by Miranda James, CATS AND CURIOS MYSTERIES by Rebecca M. Hale