BLURB:
Someone is stealing the parrots of Telegraph Hill! San
Francisco is plagued with a rash of exotic birdnappings, and it's up to Li'l
Tom and Lola of the Pussyfoot Detective Bureau to track down the culprits and
put an end to this sinister scheme. With the help of a motley crew of cats, one
rat, and a dog, they'll venture into the dangerous back alleys of Chinatown to
rescue the brilliantly plumaged captives!
LI'L TOM AND THE PUSSYFOOT DETECTIVE BUREAU: THE CASE OF THE
PARROTS DESAPARECIDOS is a whimsical, all-ages mystery featuring a pair of
charming feline detectives. Packed with action, humor, colorful characters, and
vivid settings, it's a delightful reading experience for young and old!
My name is Li’l Tom. Yep,
Li’l Tom. I know it's not real
macho, but I'm a kitten, and you know what kinda names we get - stuff like
Mittens, Fluffy, Snowball, Mr. Meowums - you get the picture. Why can't we be
named something regular, like James, Christopher, or Nelson? At least I have
the Tom part. That's pretty normal. I just can't shake the opening “Li’l.”
Despite
the embarrassing name, I've done pretty well for myself. I head up the
elite Pussyfoot Detective Bureau of Telegraph Hill here in San Francisco. I
also live on Telegraph Hill. Telegraph’s a great place for cats to live a low profile life without much
interference from the humans. There are plenty of places for us to take up
residence without much notice, like under the myriad of wooden decks and
staircases, or the overgrown gardens, flowing with blossoms almost year round. I,
myself, am a drifter. I was shunned from my litter as the runt, so have been on
my own ever since. But that’s okay
with me. Whenever I need refuge or a bite to eat, I use any one of the many
doggie/kitty doors carved out and leading into the high-priced cottages on the
hill. There’s usually
a sociable human in these places who is willing to give you a friendly rub and
a bite of tuna fish, or even a bowl of Tender Vittles if they happen to have
them in stock. Oh, don’t get me
wrong, I have a home base with a human couple who think they “own”
me, but I generally go my own way until I need a regular meal or a
change of fur - and maybe a nap in the cozy kitty condo they have set up for me.
I usually stay gone long enough for them to have given up on me and then I
suddenly reappear, to their delight. Gotta keep ‘em on their
toes.
