The Cozy Mystery List Blog

Cozy Mystery (and Other Favorite) Books, Movies, and TV

Cat Theme Mysteries : Kittens, Cats, and Cozies

So, you say you love cats… And even more, you love your cozy mysteries with cats… Not just a cat purring at your side while you read your cozies… But a cat (or maybe two or three!) in your cozy mysteries. Then, here is a list of books that might just interest you, the cozy-cat lover…

Avery Aames writes the Cheese Shop Mystery Series, which has a Ragdoll cat (Rags).

Lydia  Adamson writes the Alice Nestleton Mystery Series. Alice is not only an actress, but also a cat sitter. When not acting, she is sleuthing. Adamson also writes a veterinarian/sleuth series (Dr. Nightingale.)

Susan Wittig Albert writes the China Bayles Mystery Series, where Khat (previously known as ‘Pudding’) is a Siamese who adopts China.

Garrison Allen writes the Big Mike Mystery Series.

Annie’s Antique Shop Mystery Series (Snickers is the sleuth’s cat.)

Marian Babson  seems to have a way of entwining cats into almost all of her books! She is definitely a cat lover!

Lorna Barrett (aka L. L. Bartlett) writes the Booktown Mystery Series which has Miss Marple, as in a cat, not a Christie heroine.

With her series named Reigning Cats and Dogs, how could you wonder if Cynthia Baxter has cats in her cozies? Her main character, Jessica Popper, is a veterinarian who truly loves cats (and dogs!)

Bethany Blake: Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery Series

Ali Brandon (aka Diane A.S. Stuckart)  writes the Black Cat Bookshop Mystery Series which takes place in Brooklyn. Darla Pettistone and Hamlet make a dynamic sleuthing duo.

An author who I absolutely knew I had to include is Lillian Jackson Braun. She writes the Cat Who*** Mysteries, or, as others call them, the Jim Qwilleran Mysteries.  There are over thirty books (in the series) which have been written since the 1960s. Jim Qwilleran is a journalist, and Koko and Yum Yum are his beloved cats, who help him to solve mysteries.

When I first started thinking about doing this blog entry about cozies with the cat theme, there were a few authors who simply leapt to mind. Amongst them was Rita Mae Brown, with her Mrs. Murphy Mysteries. Mrs. Murphy and Pewter are two cats in this cozy “tail” and Tucker is a corgi. The three of them “help” the humans solve crimes.

Lucy Burdette (aka Roberta Isleib): Key West Food Critic Mystery Series stars Hayley Snow and Evinrude, a striped gray cat.

Janet Cantrell (aka Kaye George): Fat Cat Mystery Series – Charity (Chase) Oliver and, Quincy, her cat sleuth in Minneapolis.

Laurie Cass write the Bookmobile Cat Mystery Series. Minnie Hamilton and her rescue cat Eddie are on the bookmobile (and the case!)

Erika Chase writes the Ashton Corners Book Club Mystery Series, in which the main sleuth (Lizzie Turner) has two Siamese cats, Edam and Brie.

Edie Claire writes the Leigh Koslow Mystery Series. While Leigh is not a veterinarian, her father is. Every once in a while Leigh works as a tech at her dad’s office. Also, the second book features a zoo vet and setting.

Blaize Clement & John Clement: Dixie Hemingway Mystery Series 

Susan Conant, widely known for her dog lover series, has a first in her Cat Lover’s Mystery Series! That’s a great addition for the cat fanciers out there.

Cate Conte (aka Liz Mugavero): Cat Café Mystery Series, which stars Maddie James who returns home and is “adopted” by JJ, an orange Tabby.

Krista Davis writes the Domestic Diva Mystery Series, which features Mochie – and owner Sophie Winston.

Claire Donally writes the Sunny & Shadow Mystery Series.

What list of Cat Cozies would be complete without  Carole Nelson Douglas? Douglas writes the Midnight Louie Mysteries, some of which include “his human” Temple Barr. But, Midnight Louie also has some novels without Temple! Carole Nelson Douglas also has a book: White House Pet Detectives: Tales of Crime and Mystery at the White House from a Pet’s Eye View.

K.J. Emrick: Darcy Sweet Mystery Series and its spinoff, the Smudge the Cat Mysteries, both featuring Smudge, a “slightly psychic” cat.

Monica Ferris: Needlecraft Mystery Series – Sophie (large, lazy cat)

Kay Finch: Bad Luck Cat Mystery Series – Hitchcock the cat

Amanda Flower (aka Isabella Alan): Magical Bookshop Mystery Series – Emerson is a tuxedo cat.

Patricia Fry: Klepto Cat Mystery Series

Yasmine Galeron (aka India Ink) includes cats in some of her Chintz ‘n China Mysteries. 

Eva Gates writes about a librarian who keeps a cat at her library in the Lighthouse Library Mystery Series.

Karen Anne Golden: The Cats that….. Mystery Series

Debra H. Goldstein writes the Sarah Blair Mystery Series which features a sleuth who isn’t used to housework and her Siamese cat, RahRah. The books contain quick and easy recipes.

Kerry Greenwood: Phryne Fisher Mystery Series – Ember (black cat)

Kerry Greenwood: Corinna Chapman Mystery Series – Horatio (Tabby), Heckle & Jeckle (mousers in the bakery)

Carolyn Haines: Carolyn wrote the Fear Familiar Mystery Series (written as Caroline Burnes) which features a cat who escapes from a research facility, who then finds himself sleuthing around! Also, years later, Familiar (the cat) has a son named Trouble who is featured in the the Familiar Legacy Mystery Series – which is written by various authors, including Carolyn Haines, Rebecca Barrett, Claire Matturro, and Susan Tanner.

Rebecca M. Hale is a patent lawyer who writes the Cats and Curios Mystery Series. This series features a main character/sleuth who is the owner of an antique shop and also an accountant. She has two pets… cats!

Carolyn Hart‘s Death on Demand has a cat both at home (Dorothy L), as well as in the bookstore (Agatha). AND Hart’s Nela Farley Mystery Series is a paranormal series with a cat.

While attending law school, Gabriella Herkert became aware of a case which involved a woman whose will benefited her cat. (Hmmmm…) The cat became the recipient of a fortune and Herkert (years later) used this case as the basis of her first Animal Instinct Mystery Series novel…

Suzette A. Hill writes the Reverend Oughterard Mystery Series. Bouncer (his dog) and Maurice (his cat) enjoy the British village life, even with all of the mysteries to solve…

Mollie Hunt: Crazy Cat Lady Mystery Series – Lynley Cannon is a retiree who lives in Portland with her rescue cats.

Delia James writes the Witch’s Cat Mystery Series, which stars a witch and her familiar, Alistair.

Miranda James (aka Dean James, Honor Hartman, & Jimmie Ruth Evans) writes the Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series which features a librarian and his very well-behaved cat, Diesel…

Linda O. Johnston writes the Pet Rescue Mystery Series which features an animal advocate who runs a pet rescue agency…

Diane Kelly writes the House-Flipper Mystery Series which stars Whitney Whitaker, a house flipper. Oh, and also, it stars Sawdust, her cat.

Sofie Kelly (aka Sofie Ryan & Darlene Ryan for Young Adults) writes the Magical Cats Mystery Series which features two magical cats and their librarian human…

Laura Levine pens the Jaine Austen Mystery Series which features Jaine and Prozac, her cat…

Richard & Frances Lockridge: Mr. & Mrs. North Mystery Series

T.C. LoTempio: Nick & Nora Mystery Series (book #1 Meow If It’s Murder)

Dixie Lyle: Whiskey, Tango, & Foxtrot Mystery Series

A site reader just reminded me about Valerie S. Malmont‘s Tori Miracle Mystery Series.

Blanche Day Manos pens the Darcy & Flora Mystery Series. (Barbara Burgess co-authored the first two in the series.)

Evan Marshall writes the Jane Stuart & Winky Mystery Series.

Gilbert Morris writes the  Jacques & Cleo, Cat Detective Mystery Series which features Jacques and Cleo, and their human care-taker (they don’t consider her their “owner”!) … and is set in Alabama.

Liz Mugavero: Pawsitively Organic Gourmet Pet Food Mystery Series (includes pet treat recipe)

Shirley Rousseau Murphy‘s Joe Grey cat mystery series…. Just another example of a mystery series with a cat theme!

Shirley Rousseau Murphy and Pat J.J. Murphy write the Lee Fontana Mystery Series which features a parolee and a prison ghost cat in California.

Tim Myers (aka Chris Cavender, Casey Mayes, Elizabeth Bright, & Melissa Glazer) Slow Cooker Mystery Series – Sarah Jacobs has a column in her local paper, instructs on the techniques of slow cooking, and has a cat names Cleo.

Allison Cesario Paton: Mrs. Bundle Mystery Series – This senior citizen/sleuth loves her cat, Cracker.

Carol J. Perry: Witch City Mystery Series – Lee Barrett, a reporter in Salem, Massachusetts inherits O’Ryan, a cat with magical powers.

Linda Reilly writes the Cat Lady Mystery Series.

Sofie Ryan (aka Sofie Kelly & Darlene Ryan for Young Adults) writes the Second Chance Cat Mystery Series, which features the owner of a second-hand shop and her cat, Elvis.

Clea Simon writes the Theda Krakow Mystery Series which features Musetta, Theda’s (and Clea’s real life!) cat… Simon also pens the Dulcie Schwartz Mystery Series. Clea also writes the Witch Cats of Cambridge – which features Becca, a single unemployed woman who studies to become a witch – but who also gets a lot of help from Harriet, Laurel, & Clara – her three cats .

Rosemary Stevens (aka Rosemary Martin): Beau Brummell Mystery Series features the very first Siamese cat in England, Chakkri.

Fran Stewart writes the Biscuit McKee and Marmalade Mystery Series.

Diane A. S. Stuckart (aka Ali Brandon): Tarot Cats Mystery Series – Ruby Sparks is a tarot card reader who gets help from Aphelia & Brandon >>> tarot-reading black cats in Florida.

Leann Sweeney writes the Cats in Trouble Mystery Series.

And, last but not least… Karen Ann Wilson writes the Samantha Holt Mystery series, which features Samantha, a veterinary technician.

Martin H. Greenberg is the editor of several mystery anthologies featuring cats:
Cat Crimes
Cat Crimes 2
Cat Crimes 3
Cat Crimes through Times
Cat Crimes takes a Vacation
Cat Crimes for the Holidays
Black Cats and Broken Mirrors
Danger in D. C. : Cat Crimes in the Nation’s Capital
Murder Most Feline: Cunning Tales of Cats and Crimes
A Treasury of Cat Mysteries
Feline and Famous: Cat Crimes Goes Hollywood
Crafty Cat Crimes: 100 Tiny Cat Tale Mysteries

Miscellaneous Cats Caught in Cozies and Other Mysteries:
Kittens, Cats and Crimes  Anthology, edited by Ed Gorman
Feline Felonies: 43 Cat Crime Stories from the World’s Best Mystery Writers, edited by Abigail Browning
Mystery Cat Tales of Felonies and Felines  Patricia Highsmith et al Ruth Rendell
Mystery Cats..Lillian Jackson Braun, and others
More Mystery Cats… Lillian Jackson Braun, and others
Mystery Cats 3: More Feline Felonies… Lillian Jackson Braun, and other

Not a Mystery, but Sure Does Look Interesting for Cat Lovers:
Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?: 101 of the Most Perplexing Questions Answered about Feline Unfathomables, Medical Mysteries and Befuddling Behaviors by Marty Becker & Gina Spadafori.

Here’s a list of Favorite Cats in Cozy Mysteries, recommended by Cozy Mystery readers!

♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.♦

Patricia Cornwell… I know she's not cozy, but still….

Years ago, when I first started using the internet, I joined a group of mystery readers who only read novels by Patricia Cornwell. At that time, I truly enjoyed Patricia Cornwell, even though she was not at all cozy!

As with most reading groups that only follow one author, the group fizzled out. At the time, Cornwell simply wasn’t able to keep up with our group’s demand… even though she was putting out one Kay Scarpetta book a year. I don’t mean that I think that a year is too short a time for an author to be able to write a novel, I just mean that for a group to only talk about that limited a number of books, it became a little tedious. Actually, I left the reading group before the group disbanded completely…

There were two reasons I stopped reading Patricia Cornwell’s novels:

1. Lucy, her niece, simply started grating on my nerves. Anytime Lucy appeared in the book, I knew that I was going to be in for some major complaining and whining. I found myself thinking things like: "Grow up!" "Get over it!" and "Get over yourself!" whenever Lucy came to visit her aunt, or even when she called her. I could have put up with Lucy had Lucy and Kay not been as close as they were…unfortunately, Lucy was around a lot!

2. The final straw…. For those of you readers who have never read a Kay Scarpetta novel, the books revolve around Kay, a chief medical examiner.  I know that the books are not intended to be cozy, but, believe me, I have read a lot of books that aren’t cozy. It seemed to me that Cornwell was trying too hard to impress her readers with new forensic details. Since she was writing so many books with so many forensic details, it seemed to me that she just had to keep pushing the envelope further to come up with something totally new. And, at one point, those "totally new" details just seemed superfluous to me… as if the more gross and gruesome the details could be, the more respect we were supposed to have for Kay. (I won’t get into details, since this is a cozy site, but believe me… I will never look at my large soup/stew pots the same way!)

I know that Cornwell has many, many fans out there, and that I am definitely in the minority. But, really, unless I’m training to become a forensic examiner, then spare me the most gruesome of gross details!

Leaving on a Jet Plane… Some Necessities for the Cozy Mystery Traveler…

Not that I am addicted to this site, but I have written several extra blogs to "cover" the time I will be away. My daughter and I are taking a trip to the New York/Washington D. C./Canada area… and, since I have post-dated this particular blog for the 28th… We left a couple of days ago!

My husband and son took a trip last summer, and since this is the very first summer that my daughter hasn’t been in some type of internship (since she was in the ninth grade!), we decided that the girls would venture out on their own. The car trip we had planned to take a month ago fell through, so we were especially glad that we had already signed up for this particular tour of the Northeast.

In the past, I have written a few blogs about car trips, and how easy our technology has made them. Today’s GPSs and cell phones make hotel arrangements almost obsolete. Last summer, I flew out to California so that I could join my daughter on her drive home from her summer internship, and I couldn’t get over how easy the trip was. We were able to locate hotels with the GPS, and then call  home so that my husband could Google the phone numbers we needed to make our reservations.  I can still remember rushing to make the 6:00 hotel check-in times only fifteen years ago! Or, driving around to find a telephone booth so that we could call the hotel and make sure they didn’t give our room to some other road-traveller at 6:01 pm.

Now, it seems, my biggest "headache" for our trip involves deciding which books I am going to take!  My husband has made it possible for me to download my audible.com books right onto a tiny, little MP3 player. I have to select my top 20 UNabridged books that I want to take with me. I can honestly tell you that for someone who was born in 1955, this is absolutely mind-boggling! Can you imagine taking 20 (physical) books with you on a flight where you are limited to the amount of luggage you can take?

Since I am making my way through the Brother Cadfael books (by Ellis Peters), I am definitely taking (or should I say "I have taken…"? since I have already left! ) the next five of those… The books are quite a bit different than the television shows, but just as enjoyable. Ellis Peters is by far one of my favorite authors for historical mysteries… and she’s quite cozy, at that! I tried reading some of her Inspector Felse novels, but didn’t enjoy them. I know that a major down-fall I have as a cozy mystery reader is that if I like one series by a particular author, I usually don’t like their other works. There are a few exceptions to this absurd feeling of mine, so, once I finish the Cadfael books I will definitely try an Inspector Felse’s book, again.

Also in my carry-on bag…my last few Dalziel and Pascoe books (by Reginald Hill), and although I have already read them, some Markby and Mitchell books (by Ann Granger)… The Markby/Mitchell series is a good series to follow… if you haven’t already. Markby is a Chief Inspector and Mitchell is a diplomat. I know that traditionally, cozies aren’t supposed to have professional sleuths… but since Mitchell does a lot of the sleuthing… and since there is no superfluous sex or violence, they qualify as cozies to me!

Well, I’m off to download the books that I have, at the time you are reading this, already downloaded. (I will be posting a few more post-dated blog entries while I am away.) 

Sherlock Holmes… Jeremy Brett…

Sherlock Holmes: The Complete Granada Television Series I should begin this TV/Movies review by saying that you probably saw Jeremy Brett years before you thought you had seen him. If you remember the scene in My Fair Lady (1964) with Eliza’s young suitor dancing and singing down the street where she lived, then you know where you first saw Jeremy Brett.

It is for this reason, that when you see these Sherlock Holmes shows, you will clearly see what a lithe dancer Jeremy Brett was. He sometimes seems to simply pirouette through the air, leaping and bounding as gracefully as a dancer would.

But, Brett brought much more than just large movements to his Holmes’ character! Brett’s facial ticks, all-too-brief attempts at smiles, meditative poses (almost yoga-like trances), and pensive gazes into space ( just to name a few smaller physical movements) were all part of the Sherlock Holmes persona that we have grown to anticipate and love. Brett conveys emotions through his acting, and instead of having to verbalize his feelings, he simply shows us. How many times, during the many episodes, do we see Holmes sit in his chair, smoking his long pipe, flashing a (not even) momentary smile? He doesn’t have to say one word, we know exactly what he is thinking…

The sets and costumes of these delightful Sherlock Holmes productions are period-appropriate, and exactly what we have come to expect from the folks at the Granada production company.

There are several different sets that are now available for us to enjoy. Here is a list of the shows in order:
The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, 1984 (13 episodes)
The Return of Sherlock Holmes, 1986 (11 episodes)
Sherlock Holmes: The Sign of Four, 1987
Sherlock Holmes: Hound of the Baskervilles, 1984 (I know that ’84 comes before ’86 & ’87, but the official site puts this show in this chronological spot… not where I initially thought it should go…)
The Casebook of Sherlock Holmes, 1991 (6 episodes)
Sherlock Holmes: The Master Blackmailer, 1992 (a 2 Hour Movie)
Sherlock Holmes: the Last Vampyre, 1993 (a 2 Hour Movie)
Sherlock Holmes: The Eligible Bachelor, 1993 (a 2 Hour Movie)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes, 1994 (6 episodes)

This is one television series that was almost seamlessly able to switch actors playing a leading character. Dr. Watson was played by David Burke until 1985, with Edward Hardwicke taking over from 1986 until the end of the series. I enjoyed both of the Watson portrayals… I have found that in several other Sherlock Holmes adaptions, Dr. Watson is portrayed as (almost) a bumbling idiot. I doubt that Holmes would have kept him around for longer than it took for him to dismiss him>>> with a wave of his hand! (No words needed if it is Jeremy Brett doing the dismissing!)

Although a small part, Rosalie Williams was perfect as  Mrs. Hudson.  She neither coddled Sherlock nor shied away when he would bellow out orders…. She held her own!

We should remember, while watching these wonderful productions, that Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote these stories as newspaper installments. He was one of, if not the first, prolific mystery writer. (Edgar Allan Poe was more of an author of suspense.) Doyle had actually tired of the Holmes stories, and killed him off… only to find that he “had to bring him back to life” when the public “demanded” more Sherlock Holmes newspaper stories.

The one very bad thing about this series is this:  Once you see these television productions, you will never be happy with another actor’s portrayal of the great Sherlock Holmes character!

If you would like to see more TV and Movies suggestions, click here.

*****I wrote this entry back in 2007. Since then, I have seen several different renditions of Sherlock Holmes, and I still think Jeremy Brett’s is the absolute best. April 2014

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