Joe moved from the fireplace just enough so Azrael could step out. His meaningful glance toward the glass doors at the south end of the study was more than clear. As Joe herded the flinching black tom toward the roof deck, Clyde stepped to open the door.
Silently Azrael padded past them onto the deck, as docile as any pet kitty. Silently Joe Grey stood in the doorway beside Clyde watching as Azrael crossed the wide deck over the roof of the carport, leaped into the oak tree, and fled down it to the sidewalk. As Azrael disappeared up the street, Joe Grey turned back inside, never looking to see which route the cat would take. Azrael had left the premises cowed and obedient, and that was all he cared about—for the moment. If, before the black tom was driven from the village, he presented more serious problems, Joe would deal with trouble as trouble arose.
About the Author
SHIRLEY ROUSSEAU MURPHY has received six National Cat Writers Association Awards for Best Novel of the Year for the Joe Grey mystery novels, and five Council of Authors and Journalists Awards for her children’s books. She and her husband live in Carmel, California, where they serve as full-time household help for two demanding feline ladies. You can visit her website at www.joegrey.com.
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PRAISE FOR SHIRLEY ROUSSEAU MURPHY’S PHENOMENAL EPIC FANTASY THE CATSWOLD PORTAL
“A cult classic.”
Virginian-Pilot
“Delightful fantasy…Murphy balances her rich, detailed Netherworld with a vividly characterized earthly realm. Her cat people, in particular, ring true.”
Publishers Weekly
“Like Charles de Lint and Tanya Huff, Murphy demonstrates a rare feel for crossworld fantasy, bringing modern and mystical landscapes and people into an illuminating juxtaposition. More than a ‘feline fantasy,’ this engaging story should be considered a priority purchase. Highly recommended.”
Library Journal
“The fantasy buy for cat lovers.”
Orlando Sentinel
“Rich, descriptive imagery is found on every page, making this underground world come alive.”
School Library Journal
“Lyrical…The interweaving between real and fantasy worlds is well done…She is a writer to watch.”
Kirkus Reviews
Books by Shirley Rousseau Murphy
CAT CROSS THEIR GRAVES
CAT FEAR NO EVIL
CAT SEEING DOUBLE
CAT LAUGHING LAST
CAT SPITTING MAD
CAT TO THE DOGS
CAT IN THE DARK
CAT RAISE THE DEAD
CAT UNDER FIRE
CAT ON THE EDGE
Copyright
This book is a work of fiction. The characters, incidents, and dialogue are drawn from the author’s imagination and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
THE CATSWOLD PORTAL. Copyright © 1992 by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins e-books.
ePub edition September 2007 ISBN 9780061740282
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The Catswold Portal Page 43
