Richard Osman knows what he’s doing. This thing is sharp, quick, and funny. Very funny. Not cute funny—actual laugh-out-loud funny. Jokes land. Dialogue snaps.
The pace? Fast. But not chaotic. It moves. England. Ireland. America. Dubai. It hops around. You always know where you are. You always want to see what’s next.
The story’s solid. Twists, reveals, secrets. One mystery leads to another. Never drags.
Main guy is Steve Wheeler. Ex-cop. Haunted by grief. Dry sense of humor. Keeps things close to the chest.
Then there’s Amy Wheeler. His daughter-in-law. Professional bodyguard. Tough, sharp, no-nonsense. Their dynamic works.
And Rosie. She’s the client. Big energy. Total wildcard. She makes everything more complicated—and more fun.
Side characters? Weird. Memorable. No filler. Everyone’s got a line, a look, something strange. Osman makes it all work.
The tone? Stylish. Clever. Never smug. Cool without trying too hard. It’s also got heart. Hits when it needs to.
This is the start of a new series. You want in now. Ground floor. No question.
It's not every day that someone writes a book about you, which is why we Mystery Cats are overjoyed that our cat-mom Doris Hay has just released The Missing Cash Mystery!
Why are we so excited?
Because the book's about us!
The Missing Cash Mystery stars ME (Ginger)! Zorro and Butterball play a role too, and KitKat gets introduced as well. It's a great book about a funny little mystery. I think you'll love it, but I could be biased.
Ginger’s just a kitten who loves a good mystery. She’s never actually solved one before, but when a neighbour’s safe is broken into, Ginger’s on the case.
Her fellow Mystery Cats, Butterball and Zorro, don’t see any point in looking into this crime. Clearly, the neighbour’s son stole the money. He doesn’t work, mooches off his parents, and suddenly has the cash to take his girlfriend on a splashy beach vacation? Even Gemma, the neighbour-lady, feels pretty certain her son is to blame—that’s why she didn’t bother calling the police.
But Ginger smells a rat, and she won’t give up until the true culprit is brought to justice… even if the investigation puts this tiny kitten in all sorts of danger!
It's been ages since I've read a Baby-Sitters Club book, but I loved this series as a kitten. So when this mystery crossed our desk, you better believe I got my paws on it right away. I couldn't wait to dive right in!
Reading this book really took me back. It begins with three chapters of reminding you who all the characters are: the girls in the club, their families, their clients. This takes a while, but kids like repetition, and this is juvenile fiction, after all.
Then we get into the juicy stuff: the babysitting. No, I'm kidding. THE MYSTERY. As you've probably guessed from the title, this mystery involves 13-year-old Stacey and a missing diamond ring.
See, diamond is Stacey's birthstone and she's been begging her mom for a (diamond) birthstone ring. Mother and daughter have an argument about it, and Stacey tells all her friends. As luck would have it, she babysits for a fancy new client and, sure enough, that client's diamond ring goes missing. Stacey is blamed. No, it's worse than that. Stacey is accused of stealing. And when she won't confess, the client threatens to tell all The Baby-Sitters Club's clients she's a thief.
I really felt for Stacey, when she was accused of a crime she didn't commit. It's hard enough for that to happen to you as a grown-up, but when you're thirteen, the trouble is compounded by the fact that you're a kid and nobody believes you. She has no way of proving she didn't steal the ring, and even her best friend seems to think she's guilty.
Nobody, cat or kitten, would want to find themselves in Stacey's predicament.
But Stacey comes up with a clever way to solve the problem. That, paired with a bit of luck, leads her to the solution.
Is there a lot of investigation in this book? No. Does it include all the components you expect to find in your typical mystery? No. There's no questioning suspects or anything along those lines, but there are enough red herrings that I thought I had this mystery tied up and I was wrong, wrong, wrong. But I don't mind being wrong. The ending surprised me and put a little smile on my face.
The Baby-Sitters Club Mystery #1: Stacey and the Missing Ring took me on a trip down memory lane. I would recommend it to people who are currently thirteen years old, as well as grown-ups who read these books when they were young. If you're as much of a sucker for nostalgia as I am, you're sure to enjoy it!
Author: Lilian Jackson Braun Genre: Cozy / Pets / Amateur Sleuth Status: Abandoned Cats?: At least three
Ginger Says:
I'm breaking my own rules, here.
I have a bit of a personal policy about not reviewing books until I've read them to completion. If I have no intention of finishing a book, I wouldn't normally review it.
Because it's bad. It's really bad, really poorly written. Dick and Jane Solve a Murder, with a heavy helping of Grampa Simpson rambling. When you're constantly asking a book "Why are you telling me this?" that's not a good sign. Honestly, it was a struggle to get through the first three chapters. By that point, I knew I wouldn't be reading the rest of the book.
Sure cats have nine lives, but they're all too short to waste on bad writing.
When I got my paws on a copy of The Cat Who Went Bananas, I put it aside for a time when I wanted to treat myself. Sometimes you need to cozy up with a good book, and if you're lucky, you're familiar with a series that can give you just the feeling of warmth and comfort you need.
The fact that this terrible book is part of a series that was formerly fantastic is what disappoints me the most. I had high expectations based on other books in the series. This book doesn't meet those expectations. Nowhere near.
How the mighty have fallen.
Ever since I put this book down, I've been thinking about successful series on a grander scale. Not just books, but television too. No matter how good a series is in the beginning (or wherever its golden era is situated), at some point that series is going to be in decline. I really respect creators who know when to pull the plug, but I also understand the urge to keep on truckin, especially if the series is making big money.
As a reader, do you prefer to follow a series into the abyss because you're comfortable and familiar with the characters? Or do you stop buying those books as soon as they're past their prime? I can think of a lot of TV shows I've stopped watching even though I really liked them earlier on.
What about you? Can you think of a series (whether it be books or television) that dropped off in quality? Did you keep reading or watching? Or did you dump it like yesterday's trash? Let us know in the comments.
If you're curious about The Cat Who Went Bananas, I invite you to form your own opinions. I won't be finishing it, but maybe you will. Maybe you'll love it!
Author: Lilian Jackson Braun Genre: Cozy / Pets / Amateur Sleuth Status: Read Cats?: Two, and one's got a knack for presenting clues!
Ginger Says:
I've seen Lilian Jackson Braun's "Cat Who..." books on library shelves since I was a kitten, but this is the first time I've actually picked one up to read. I always wondered how these stories were told. For some reason, I assumed I would be reading a book told from a cat's point of view. As it turns out, that wasn't the case. Once I got over the initial disappointment of being told a human story instead of a cat one, I really got into it and had a lot of fun with this book.
The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern features a journalist named Jim Qwilleran who used to work the crime beat. Now he's down on his luck, living in a run-down apartment with a Siamese cat named Koko. When his boss assigns him to an interior design magazine, Qwilleran's not keen. He's clueless about design. It's really not his world... that is, until a crime spree breaks out! Every property he visits seems to get burgled, someone dies, the police raid it as a brothel... the list goes on! Finally, some crime to investigate. Qwilleran's back in his element.
Now, his cat Koko doesn't accompany him on his investigations. That would be pretty neat, but I guess you'd get a reputation if, as a journalist, you brought your cat along to interviews. So Koko stays home while Jim is out and about, but still manages to bring attention to clues leading to whodunit.
When I first picked up this book, I didn't quite realize its age. I was barely three pages into the novel when I said to myself, "When was this written?!?" There are certain concepts, relationships and turns of phrase that struck me as outmoded. That's when I checked the copyright date: 1967. No wonder the book's got a bit of a Mad Men feel about it.
All in all, I ate this book up. It's very witty, consistently amusing, and the characters are a lot of fun: big personalities that keep you wanting more. This is probably my feline bias talking, but I would have enjoyed more time with the cats. Yes there are cats in the book, but it's primarily a human story and a human investigator.
Having said all that, if you're looking for a big-city cozy mystery set in the world of 1960s-era interior design, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern certainly fits the bill!
What's so great about the Courtyard Clairvoyant? Well, first of all we've got an asexual aunt and her pansexual niece as main characters. Aunt Elise is currently recovering from a cornea transplant and guess what? Turns out the cornea she received previously belonged to a psychic! Now when she looks people in the eye, she can see what they're hiding.
What are you going to do when you find out you're suddenly psychic? You're going to solve mysteries, of course! Especially if you live on a small-town courtyard and your neighbours are all a bunch of gossipy (but mostly friendly) people.
In this book, Aunt Elise's former fiance arrives on the courtyard. It turns out she left him at the altar many years ago, and seeing him again brings out lots of messy feelings.
I love the way author J.J. Brass shows us this older woman coming to a greater understanding of what it means to be asexual, for her. It's not like she's been identifying as ace for 50 years. The idea of identifying as asexual and that there are other people in the world who are a lot like her is pretty new.
I also love the way her niece Val helps along the way. Life can be confusing for anybody, but for someone who is questioning her identity later in life, Elise sometimes feels really discombobulated. She admires the way her niece's generation can be so out and proud while she still feels a need to keep certain matters private.
The other thing I love most about I Spy a Courtyard Casanova is the mystery itself. It starts out looking like a simple theft, but we soon discover an art fraud ring going on right under their noses. Who doesn't love a good art forgery story, am I right?
There are cats in this series but I won't say too much about that. When you get to the fourth book in the series, I Spy a Wedding Dress Mess, you'll find out why.
I highly recommend The Courtyard Clairvoyant for any cozy mystery reader who wants a strong cast of queer characters. This series has got it all kinds of representation covered: characters who are genderqueer, ace, poly-pan, trans, lesbian, gay, bisexual, the list goes on! There are even a few straight people in there too. 😛
If you want to sink your teeth into a cozy small-town mystery series with a hearty dose of queer representation, look no further. The Courtyard Clairvoyant Mysteries by J.J. Brass is the series for you!
Author: Samantha Silver Genre: Cozy / Paranormal / Small Town Status:TBR Cats?: Yes
Ginger Says:
Mystery author Samantha Silver is best known for paranormal cozies, and she's back at it with her new venture: the Magical Bookshop Mystery series!
If you've got a taste for witchcraft, small-town life and books, you might want to give this new series a try. There are already three installments available:
Here's a bit more information about the first in the series, Alice In Murderland:
Moving from Miami to small-town Oregon was supposed to be boring...
When Alice Calliope takes over her recently deceased aunt's bookshop in Sapphire Village, Oregon, she's not expecting her world to be flipped upside down, but that's exactly what happens when her cousin Cat reveals to Alice that she's actually a witch. Add in the fact that the two of them stumble upon a dead body, and Alice's first day in town ends up being a lot more eventful than she could have possibly imagined! What was supposed to be a simple cross-country move winds up with Alice having to learn how to navigate a whole new magical world while at the same time trying to clear Cat's name as she emerges as the main suspect in the murder. Add in the eccentric Grandma Cee, witchcraft lessons, a whiny old ghost and the laziest cat ever, and Alice definitely has her hands full. With pressure mounting for the super-hot local sheriff to arrest her cousin, will Alice be able to hunt down the real killer before it's too late? Alice in Murderland is a full-length novel and the first book in the Magical Bookshop Mystery series of paranormal cozy mysteries.
Title: Sand-Witch on Rye Author: Molly Dox Genre: Paranormal / Cozy / Mystery Status: TBR Cats?: I suspect so (there's a cat on the cover)
Ginger Says:
Hello friends! I have yet to begin The Soup and Sand-Witch Cozy Mystery Series, but I figured I'd post about it because these books look absolutely adorable.
In Not-So-Normal Town, strange things are happening. Turmoil, murder, and cookie jar spirits are turning the paranormal world upside down. Katy can’t help digging for clues when Miss Priss turns up dead at the local bowling alley. Too bad her magic is rusty. She’s having a spell of a time finding answers. Magic is only good when you remember how to use it. Teaming up with her best friend, Katy hopes to reveal the truth before it’s too late. With an itch to become a better witch, she knows she’ll need to brush up on her skills, but with no time to spare, she needs to find answers before the killer strikes again. Sand-Witch on Rye is the first book in The Soup and Sand-Witch Cozy Mystery series, and offers a family-friendly read with no foul language.
In past posts, I have spoken highly of Madeleine Mayfair. How reckless of me! As curator of Crazy Cat Stuff and editor of Cat Tales: Twelve Fabulous Feline Fables (not to mention creator of our very own header here at Cats Read Mysteries), one would imagine such a person might feel a certain sensitivity toward creatures of the feline variety. Madeleine (Maddie) Mayfair definitely had me fooled.
With her most recent book, Madeleine Mayfair has proven herself to be a traitor of the highest order. If you ask me, her “comical” alphabet book, A is for A**hole: The Alphabet Book of Cats, is akin to treason! Comedy, my foot! Any book that calls attention to a feline’s baser habits, such as emitting the odd hairball or elusively defecating outside of one’s litter box can as much be called a comedy as saltines can be called a savoury snack.
Do not be fooled into believing we cats have a sense of humour about our various eccentricities. We are sensitive creatures and do not appreciate humans who turn us into the butt of their jokes—no pun intended.
Madeleine Mayfair claims her new book makes a great gift for cat owners. As if any human deserves a gift! Your money would be better spent showering the household’s cat (or, potentially, multiple cats) with baubles, trinkets, toys and treats.
I would go so far as to advise the reader not to purchase Ms. Mayfair’s ridiculous trifle—that is to say, if we Mystery Cats were not indebted to her for the graphic design skills she has kindly donated in the past.
Going forward, Madeleine Mayfair would be well advised to keep her bizarre sense of humour behind closed doors and not torture the world with her “satirical” portrait of the feline kind.
Title: What The Cat Dragged In (The Celtic Witch Mysteries Book 1) Author: Molly Milligan Genre: Cozy / Paranormal / Witch Status: TBR Cats?: With a title like that, I sure hope so!
Magic, mystery and mayhem abound in this new series from Welsh writer Molly Milligan. The body that turns up in Bron’s garden has been there for decades, and he died of natural causes. Just rebury him and carry on as normal, right? But it’s kinda hard to be normal when the ghost of the dead man has been disturbed, and now he wants … well, just what does he want?
It’s down to Bron, a traditional hedge witch, to find out. If she doesn’t, that ghost is going to be lingering in corners and upsetting kitchen chairs for the rest of her life. Creepy, tedious and noisy, all at the same time. She’s helped by the unexpected arrival of her cousin Maddie from America, who is seeking connection and history in this uncertain age. And there’s another mystery – why is this vivacious, friendly young woman so evasive and afraid? Soon they are up to their knees in faery folk (don’t trust em), druids (keen on trees), wild animals (Bron’s a healer), the obligatory smouldering blacksmith (sorry, he prefers men), and the maddest Mad Great Aunt of all.
Title: Poison in Paddington Author: Samantha Silver Genre: Amateur Sleuths, Cozy Mystery Presence of Cats: Yes! A cat named Biscuit.
Ginger Says:
Mystery writer Samantha Silver has recently come out with a new series of cozies set in London. The first in the Cassie Coburn Mysteries is Poison in Paddington, which is currently available at a very attractive price from Amazon.
When Cassie Coburn moved to London, she never thought she'd be involved in a quadruple homicide.
After a car accident ended her medical career before it even started, Cassie moved to London on a whim, expecting to see the sights and live the typical tourist backpacker lifestyle.
Instead she finds herself accompanying a French private detective, Violet Despuis, as they attempt to find out who poisoned four people in the middle of London.
Cassie's life soon includes this crazy detective, an ancient landlady with a curious past, a mischeivous orange cat who likes going for walks on a leash, and a super hot pathologist that Cassie is sure is out of her league.
Title: Cat Tales: Twelve Fabulous Feline Fables Editor: Madeleine Mayfair Genre:Literary Status: Read Presence of Cats: Very much so. A cat for every month of the year.
Butterball Says:
If the cover image fromthe paperback edition of Cat Tales: Twelve Fabulous Feline Fables seems familiar to you, perhaps that is because you've so often seen it in the Cats Read Mysteries blog header. Madeleine Mayfair, curator of Crazy Cat Stuff and editor of Cat Tales, was kind enough to create our header, so it would be remiss of me not to mention the wonderful anthology of cat stories she has assembled.
In Cat Tales, you will find short stories from a number of literary greats including Edgar Allan Poe, Mary E. Wilkins Freeman, Mark Twain and Madame la Comtesse d'Aulnoy.
Of particular interest to mystery readers is the inclusion of The Brazilian Cat by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This tale features a large cat rather than a domestic house cat such as myself. The dynamic between the humans of this story and the title character piques one's interest from the outset. And yet, throughout the tale, a mystery slowly simmers in the reader's mind. The wife of the Brazilian Cat's keeper treats the narrator with not-so-subtle ire. Why? They've only just met.
Throughout the commencement of this tale, we eagerly anticipate what action is to come. When a man keeps a jungle cat penned up in his manor house, that cat will surely wreak havoc upon the cast of characters. But how will this come to pass? Will the Brazilian Cat attack at his master's command? Or of his own volition? Who, if anyone, will be slaughtered?
A stunning tale, exactly what we readers have come to expect from a Master of Mystery like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. If you have not read The Brazilian Cat, find it along with eleven other cat tales in the aptly named Cat Tales: Twelve Fabulous Feline Fables edited by Madeleine Mayfair.
Whether cuddly or conniving, playful or ferocious, cats have thoroughly captured the imagination of humans across the centuries...
Title: The Purr-fect Crime (Book 1 in the Willow Bay Witches Series) Author: Samantha Silver Genre:Paranormal Status: TBR Presence of Cats: Yes! And she speaks!
Ginger Says:
Samantha Silver has been a friend to the Mystery Cats since before we had this blog. Since I'm her favourite (she told me so--but don't ask her to repeat it because that wouldn't be fair to Zorro and Butterball), I want to tell you about a new series she's written.
The Willow Bay Witches is a series of paranormal cozy mysteriesfeaturing a witch with a talking cat.
As of now, this series has 4 installments with a 5th available for preorder and coming out at the end of January 2017. I'm calling attention to the first in the series, The Purr-fect Crime, not only because the very beginning is a very good place to start (according to The Sound of Music), but because the price is definitely right!
