The real-life Gatsby passed away a couple of weeks ago. The Cat Writers Association was kind enough to publish my thoughts on Gatsby and his life:

https://catwriters.com/reflections-on-my-life-with-gatsby/

Today is Gatsby’s 17th birthday! Doesn’t look a day over 14.

Phone the neighbors! Wake the kids! A new Petectives book is out!

The Rainbow Bridge is the wonderful place that pets visit after they die. Is someone planning a one-way, all-expense paid trip there for cat detectives Yoshi and Gatsby? Things are getting tense for the world’s greatest cat detectives. Wild coyotes are roaming the streets, a fast talking cat psychic claims he can speak to the dead and the neighborhood is being plagued by robberies committed by literal cat burglars. All of that is nothing compared to what might be the biggest challenge of Yoshi and Gatsby’s careers: their humans have just adopted a dog!
Before the mysteries are solved there will be a thrilling rooftop chase, encounters with animal villains and a ghostly visitation. Humor, action and mystery combine into a story that both pet lovers and mystery readers will love.

A new Petectives book comes out on August 8 and is now available to pre-order on Amazon. Here’s the description:

The Rainbow Bridge is the wonderful place that pets visit after they die. Is someone planning a one-way, all-expense paid trip there for cat detectives Yoshi and Gatsby? Things are getting tense for the world’s greatest cat detectives. Wild coyotes are roaming the streets, a fast talking cat psychic claims he can speak to the dead and the neighborhood is being plagued by robberies committed by literal cat burglars. All of that is nothing compared to what might be the biggest challenge of Yoshi and Gatsby’s careers: their humans have just adopted a dog!
Before the mysteries are solved there will be a thrilling rooftop chase, encounters with animal villains and a ghostly visitation. Humor, action and mystery combine into a story that both pet lovers and mystery readers will love.

Here’s the link:

Petectives: Rainbow Bridge – Kindle edition by Smith, Robert J.. Mystery, Thriller & Suspense Kindle eBooks @ Amazon.com.

A brand new Petectives short story will be released on 1/18/21!

Who is the Fourth Cat?!?!?
An early tale of the Petectives: A sarcastic kitten named Gatsby has just been adopted by a new family and has taken on a new job: assistant to Yoshi the cat detective. The two of them have been tasked with stopping a gang of cats terrorizing the neighborhood. When Yoshi sends Gatsby out to track down the leader of the gang, it looks like Gatsby’s in over his cute little cat head. Can he and Yoshi track down the elusive fourth cat or are Gatsby’s days numbered?

Have you been missing Yoshi and Gatsby? On December Fourth the guys will be sharing their views about Christmas for the “12 Days of Cozies” event at the Cozy Mystery Club website.

Come on over and see what the cats have to say about the Holiday season and while you’re at it, you can check out all of the other books and authors participating in 12 Days of Cozies. There are also daily giveaways, cozy challenges, nightly author chats (I’ll be participating on 12/4), and lots more! Check out #12DaysofCozies starting 12/1.

In 2002 we were driving Yoshi back from the vet and he was having a tough time. He hated car rides, they made him extremely agitated and carsick. My girlfriend (now wife) was driving and I was in the backseat with Yoshi.

In an effort to make him feel better I tried to start a conversation, I asked him who he thought was going to win the Super Bowl that year, the Rams or the Patriots. He distinctly answered, “Rams!”

Actually it was more like, “Rrrrraaammmzzz!” and he had also been making a lot of other noises on that car ride like howling and hissing and vomiting (he hated car rides!) but we know what we heard.

A couple of days later he was proven wrong – the Patriots won. But the very fact that a cat made a Super Bowl pick is probably more significant than whether or not the pick was correct.

The Rams and the Patriots are playing again in the Super Bowl this year,  seventeen years later. Yoshi is longer around but I’m pretty sure he’s up in cat heaven tonight cheering on the Rams. (Unless he’s mad that they left St. Louis.)