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The global economic downturn is also making itself known in Molena Point, California. People are losing their jobs and their homes. Some are forced to move away, others cling to the edges of society, trying desperately to hold on to what little they have left. In addition to the human victims, cats and dogs suffer as well, and large numbers of cats are being abandoned by their human families, left to struggle and die in a harsh environment they were never prepared for. And where there are losers in any economic system, there are bound to be winners as well. A depressed housing market is a great place to shop for the future, especially if you're not too terribly concern with the letter of the law. With misery and profit going hand in hand, murder can't be far behind.

Product Description: Even the bright seaside village of Molena Point has been hit hard by the economic downturn, bringing a rash of foreclosures in which many residents are abandoning their family pets. While feline P. I. Joe Grey's human friends join together to care for the starving cats, a fire leaves a twelve-year-old boy homeless. The body of his alcoholic guardian is discovered in the smoldering ruins, causing Joe to wonder if escape was really impossible for the elderly woman or if something more sinister occurred.

Meanwhile, Debbie Kraft descends uninvited on the Damens' home with her two children, claiming that her ex-husband has left her with no money and nowhere else to go. But when Joe learns that the victim of the fire was Debbie's estranged mother and that Debbie is not broke at all but carrying plenty of cash, his fur is on end with suspicion.

As Debbie's abandoned tomcat follows her all the way down the coast from Oregon with his own clues to add to the mix, Joe learns that Debbie's Realtor ex-husband may be involved in a number of intricate real estate scams. Furthermore, his sales partner may be missing, and while Joe and his pals prowl through the dead woman's house, they discover that her reclusive neighbor has disappeared as well.

But it's not until Debbie's tomcat arrives that Joe and his feline detective pals find the biggest clue of all: a grave that the cops have missed. And as the pieces of the puzzle begin to come together, tortoiseshell Kit sees her own dreams coming true in the handsome new cat with whom she might share her life's adventures.

(Source: William Morrow)