By Toni LoTempio
Cat Detectives,
anyone?
As a writer of cozy mysteries featuring an extremely
communicative cat (the Nick and Nora mysteries, debut December 2014) I must
confess to being partial to mysteries that feature cats! (not that I don’t like
dogs, or give dogs equal time, I do, I do!
But when you own a twenty-two pound blogging cat, your loyalties are
naturally going to gravitate toward the feline end!).
I thought I’d list a few of my favorite cozy series that
prominently feature cats here, FYI.
(Sorry I can’t add mine yet – MEOW IF IT’S MURDER doesn’t debut until
December – but don’t worry, more on that to come!).
The Magical Cats Series, by Sofie Kelly.
This series centers around Kathleen Paulson, a librarian
from Boston, and two stray cats with special powers, Owen and Hercules, in
fictional Mayville Heights, Minnesota.
Kathleen has moved to Mayville Heights from Boston after her fiancée
marries a waitress after an argument, and ends up adopting two strays, a tabby
named Owen and a tuxedo named Hercules. Turns out the cats have magical powers:
Owen can turn invisible and Hercules can walk through walls! Which provides quite a bit of humor! There is also a bit of romance in the form of
uptight detective Marcus Gordon. Plenty of quirky characters and homespun
charm! Kathleen finds herself a murder
suspect in the first volume setting up the romantic tension between herself and
Detective Gordon for future adventure.
In the latest entry, FINAL CATCALL, Kathleen’s ex-boyfriend Andrew shows
up, desperate to win her back, but Kathleen’s unsure just where she stands with
Detective Marcus. And when a local theatre festival relocates to Mayville
Heights and its insufferable director is found shot, Kathleen (and her cats) are
in the thick of a puzzling mystery once again.
The Cat in the Stacks series by Miranda (aka Dean) James.
Set in the fictional town of Athena, Mississippi, the action
centers around librarian Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel. Diesel is quite large for his size, but very
lovable, and Charlie walks him on a leash and takes him pretty much everywhere
he goes. Unlike the cats in the “Magical
Cats” series, Diesel is more of a sidekick for Charlie than an active
participant in the mystery solving – although he does lend a paw from time to
time. The series has many charming
characters, some of which have even been put into a spin-off series by
James. The most recent entry, THE
SILENCE OF THE LIBRARY, revolves around a library exhibit to honor YA novelists
– in particular, one octogenarian, Electra Barnes Cartwright, the author of the
beloved “Veronica Thane” series. Once
news of the author’s appearance goes viral, another rumor surfaces – that of
five unpublished manuscripts – drawing out one rabid fan who will stop at
nothing short of murder to get hold of the rare books. Series book devotees will find the references
and facts about actual series books interspersed throughout the book
interesting, and it adds to the mystery.
Charlie and Diesel should be around entertaining us for many years to
come.
The Mrs. Murphy Series by Rita Mae Brown (and Sneaky Pie Brown)
What can you say about a mystery series co-authored by a
cat! The first adventure, WISH YOU WERE
HERE, published in 1991, introduced us to Mary Minor Haristeen, (aka Harry) and
her constant companions, Mrs. Murphy, a tabby and Tucker, a Welsh Corgi. Harry is the postmistess of the town of
Crozet, Virginia, a job that puts her in an excellent to figure out who is
murdering, in ghastly fashion, various pillars of her community. Postcards are
sent to a wealthy contractor shortly before parts of his body are found in a
cement mixer and then to a storeowner whose corpse, tied to a railroad track,
is cut in three parts by the express. The cards alert Harry and friends to a
plot that will take more lives before they discover the treasure that inspires
the violence. Quirky is the middle name
of most of the characters in this long-running series, and Brown always gives a
brief rundown of all the characters at the beginning of each book, apparently
to keep readers from becoming confused at the large cast.
The most recent release, THE LITTER OF THE LAW, is the 21st
adventure! Autumn has descended and
crops are being harvested all over Crozet, Virginia, ideal conditions for a
scenic drive for Harry and husband Fair. Bucolic views are all well and good,
but Harry’s nose for trouble leads her straight to a cornfield’s macabre
scarecrow—an all too real murder victim that frightens all but the noisy crows! Nothing, however, frightens the irrepressible
Mrs. Murphy, because we all know that while it’s Harry who receives the credit
for the crime solving, it’s really Mrs. Murphy and her friends, Pewter the cat
and Tucker the dog, who are the real detectives!
These are just a few of my favorites! There are many more
out there…soon to be joined by Nick the cat and Nora! Stay tuned!
ROCCO – THE INCREDIBLE BLOGGING CAT! |
Toni
LoTempio – admin by day, writer by night, As T. C. Lotempio,she pens cozy
mysteries, debuting with the upcoming Nick and Nora mystery series from
Berkeley Prime Crime. (MEOW IF IT’S MURDER, Fall 2014). She and her cat ROCCO do fundraising for
Nathan Fillion’s charity, KIDS NEED TO READ, when they aren’t interviewing
authors on ROCCO’s blog! You can keep up with all the latest interviews and
news (including her 2014 releases!) at www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com
These all sound delightful! Thanks, Toni, for the reviews. Looking forward to Part 2 and to your book.
ReplyDeleteYOUR BOOK SOUNDS GREAT. HURRY! December!
ReplyDeleteI love all the series you've mentioned so far. I'll look forward to reading your book in december.
ReplyDelete