Welcome to the official site of
Shirley Rousseau Murphy
Author of nearly 50 books, including among others the popular Joe Grey cat mystery novels, the Dragonbards Trilogy for young adults, and many books for children.Shirley Rousseau Murphy grew up in southern California, riding and showing the horses her father trained. She attended the San Francisco Art institute, and later worked as an interior designer while her husband Pat, a World War II veteran, attended college. When he graduated she quit her job and began to exhibit paintings and welded metal sculpture in the West Coast juried shows. Her work could also be seen in many traveling shows in the western States and Mexico.
"When we moved to Panama for a four-year tour in Pat's position with the U. S . Courts, I put away the paints and welding torches, and began to write," she said. After leaving Panama, they lived in Oregon, Atlanta, and northern Georgia. During that time she wrote over twenty books for children and young adults, winning five Dixie Council of Authors and Journalists awards, plus The Catswold Portal, an adult fantasy novel.
Later, Murphy lived in Carmel, California, to which she and her husband moved when he retired as Chief U.S. Probation Officer for the Northern District of Georgia. While in Carmel she published twenty-one books in the award-winning Joe Grey cat mystery series, for which she is best known. In addition, she and her husband Pat J. J. Murphy collaborated on the duology The Cat, the Devil and Lee Fontana and its sequel, which are quite different from the Joe Grey series.
Click on the tabs above for complete information about Shirley's books, including descriptions, review quotes, excerpts, and purchase information.
In Memoriam: Shirley Rousseau Murphy
1928 - 2022
It is with deep sadness that I inform her readers that Shirley passed away at the age of 94 on September 23, 2022. As her longtime friend I will miss her more than I can express, and I know that she will be missed by the many people who took joy in her wonderful books. Joe Grey will keep her memory alive long after her passing, for his stories can be read over and over and will reach countless new readers in the future. She was also the author of 12 other adult or Young Adult novels plus 15 books for children. Her creativity was central to her life, and the world will benefit from it for many years to come. ---Sylvia Engdahl, Webmaster
21 Joe Grey cat mystery novels plus a novella
3 other adult novels (a fantasy and the Fontana duology)
8 Young Adult fantasy novels plus 3 omnibus editions
16 children's books, of which 4 are currently available
21 Joe Grey cat mystery novels plus a novella
3 other adult novels (a fantasy and the Fontana duology)
Young Adult fantasy novels plus 3 omnibus editions
16 children's books, of which 4 are currently available
See a complete phone-friendly list of these books, which you can also download as a 2-page pdf file.