Cat Breaking Free — Shirley Rousseau Murphy

"What happened? You're ready to claw the world apart."

The fur starts flying when a criminal gang from L.A. invades tranquil Molena Point, California--the fur of Joe Grey, Feline P.I., that is. Joe's called Molena Point home since he was a tiny kitten scrounging garbage scraps, and he doesn't take kindly to marauding strangers breaking into the village's quaint shops. And, he wonders, is the blond bombshell who recently moved in next door to his housemate Clyde--and who's been acting suspiciously--a part of the crime wave?

But when the felonious strangers start trapping feral cats -- speaking cats, like Joe and his girlfriend Dulcie--the intrepid four-footed detective decides to pounce. Then a gang member is murdered, a second member dies in an unusual accident, and Joe, Dulcie, and former stray Kit know they are the only hope for their wild, imprisoned brothers--and perhaps, for the whole village.