The Cat, the Devil, the Last Escape: A Novel

A ghost cat, the Devil, a deceitful criminal, a father framed for murder, and a vulnerable young girl combine in this magical tale from the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of the Joe Grey feline mysteries, Shirley Rousseau Murphy, and her husband Pat J.J. Murphy.The Devil has been up to no good . . .Brad Falon, one of Satan’s longtime puppets, orchestrated a deadly robbery and set up his old friend Morgan Blake to take the fall. Now, Morgan has been sentenced to life in prison, and his wife Becky and young daughter Sammie are devastated. Alone and afraid, in need of comfort and a friend, Sammie turns to Misto, the ghost cat.Behind bars, her father Morgan makes fast friends with an old con named Lee Fontana who knows a few tricks about outwitting evil. They plan a wily escape to bring the real killer to justice and clear Morgan’s name for good. All it will take is outsmarting the Devil one more time. . . .

Todd David Schwartz, CBS Radio, Four Stars (Highest Rating) on Cat Coming Home

“This is delightful entertainment. It would be a true cat-tastrophe if you let it pass you by.”

Armchair Detective

“This is excellent reading, whether you believe or not. Not to be missed!’

From the Back Cover

A spirit cat, the devil, a deceitful criminal, an innocent man framed for murder, and a special young girl combine in this magical sequel to The Cat, the Devil, and Lee Fontana from Shirley Rousseau Murphy, the award-winning, critically acclaimed author of the Joe Grey seriesThanks to the help of Misto the ghost cat, thief and train robber Lee Fontana finally beat the devil, who has tormented his family for generations. Unfortunately, fairness means nothing to the evil wraith—the big, rangy ghost tomcat knows he will return. While Misto keeps an eye out for Lee's dark antagonist, he's also watching over nine-year-old Sammie Blake, his companion in a previous lifetime. Sammie is blessed with an extraordinary gift the devil covets: her dreams portend the future. Yet Misto senses there is something even more mysterious about Sammie—she has an inexplicable connection with Lee that the clever feline is determined to understand. Like Lee, Sammie has suffered from Satan's tricks: One of the devil's longtime puppets, a bad penny named Brad Falon, orchestrated a deadly robbery and framed her daddy, Morgan Blake, to take the fall. Though Morgan is behind bars, he isn't alone. He's met a new friend who knows a few tricks about outwitting evil: old con Lee Fontana, the devil's adversary. Together, they plan a wily escape to bring the real killer to justice and clear Morgan's name. All it will take is outsmarting the devil one more time. . . .

About the Author

Shirley Rousseau Murphy was the author of twenty-one mysteries in the Joe Grey series, for which she won the Cat Writers’ Association Muse Medallion nine years in a row and received ten national Cat Writers’ Association Awards for best novel of the year. She was also a noted children’s book author and received five Council of Authors and Journalists Awards.Pat J. J. Murphy spent his career as a federal probation officer in California and in Oregon, as well as the chief USPO in Panama and Georgia, where he retired as chief probation officer for the Northern District of Georgia. The Murphys retired to their home state of California, settling with their two lady cats in Carmel.

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