🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Shirley Rousseau Murphy is an American author, most well-known for her Joe Grey Mysteries, featuring an anthropomorphic cat detective. The first book, Cat on the Edge, was published in 1996. Cat Chase the Moon, #21 and the last in the series, was published in 2019. In 2020, Shirley turned 92. In March 2022, a note was posted on her website stating that due to advancing age and health problems, Cat Chase the Moon would be the last of the Joe Grey books. Shirley Rousseau Murphy was born in Oakland, California, in 1928. She grew up in Southern California, where she enjoyed riding and showing the horses that her father trained. Shirley attended San Francisco Art Institute and soon after graduation, married Marine veteran Pat Murphy.
All Book Series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
The Cat, The Devil, and Lee Fontana
Series opener · book 1 of 2 · published 2014
The Cat, the Devil, the Last Escape
Latest in the series · book 2 of 2 · published 2015
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Shirley Rousseau Murphy?
Shirley Rousseau Murphy is an American author, most well-known for her Joe Grey Mysteries, featuring an anthropomorphic cat detective. The first book, Cat on the Edge, was published in 1996. Cat Chase the Moon, #21 and the last in the series, was published in 2019.
Which Shirley Rousseau Murphy series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Children of Ynell series, the earliest of Shirley Rousseau Murphy's multi-book series: it opens with The Ring of Fire (1977) and runs to 5 books across 1977–1981, ending with The Joining of the Stone (1981). Shirley Rousseau Murphy's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Shirley Rousseau Murphy written?
Shirley Rousseau Murphy has 51 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1967 and 2018. 32 of them belong to 4 named series — the largest being the Joe Grey series with 22 books — and 19 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Shirley Rousseau Murphy's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Shirley Rousseau Murphy's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Children of Ynell (1977–1981, 5 books), Dragonbards (1985–1988, 3 books) and Joe Grey (1996–2018, 22 books), plus 1 more.
How are Shirley Rousseau Murphy's books organised into series?
This guide splits Shirley Rousseau Murphy's 51 books into 4 named series and 19 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Joe Grey (22 books, 1996–2018); Children of Ynell (5 books, 1977–1981); Dragonbards (3 books, 1985–1988); Lee Fontana (2 books, 2014–2015).