Cat Fiction

Cozy mystery novels have been known to feature a cat as the hero (or heroine) of the tale. The pioneer in this genre is Lilian Jackson Braun and her "Cat who..." novels, but she's far from the only mystery writer talking about cats.

Braun is just one of many authors that write "Cat Fiction." Below is a profile of Ms. Braun's work as well as some of the best of this feline genre (in alphabetical order):

Lilian Jackson Braun

Lilian Jackson Braun's fun cozy mysteries feature a middle-aged bachelor (Jim Qwilleran) and his two cats, Koko and Yum-Yum. Koko has a special knack for sniffing out crime and the pair also end up in the middle of the action.

Lilian Jackson Braun, now 94 years old, is the author of 29 Cat Who... novels, including her most recent The Cat Who had 60 Whiskers, as well as three short story collections and a cookbook. She penned the first three books in the series between 1966 and 1968 (noted above), but the fad of the day -- true crime and violent mysteries -- didn't leave room for her light-hearted cat cozies. Of course, times change, and in 1986 she was invited by Berkeley Publishing to resume the series -- this time with great success.

If you're new to this series, start with her first three books, The Cat who Could Read Backwards, and The Cat who Ate Danish Modern, and The Cat who Turned on and Off. They're the best ones, but once you're hooked the others are enjoyable too.

Rita Mae Brown (with Squeaky Pie Brown)

Rita Mae Brown is a Virginia horsewoman and animal lovers with a knack for crime fiction. with her cat, Squeaky Pie Brown, she is the author of 14 Squeaky Pie mysteries as well as a cookbook. Her 16th Squeaky Pie novel, Purrfect Murder, was published in early 2008. The novels feature a variety of cats, a dog, horses, and even a possom who help solve murder mysteries.

Those new to the series should read the books in order to get all of the background on the characters. Start with Wish you Were Here, Rest in Pieces, and Murder at Monticello.

Carole Nelson Douglas

Carole Nelson Douglas is the author of the best-selling "Midnight Louie" mystery series. "Midnight Louie" is a black alley cat, turned semi-house cat with a penchant for ending up in the middle of mysteries. The series spans nineteen novels and a collection of short stories, including the just released Cat in the Quick Silver Caper.

Ms. Douglas is the author of more than 50 novels, including the "Midnight Louie" series. She and her husband live in Texas with the real Midnight Louie and four other cats.

Readers wishing to start at the beginning should look for Catnap, Pussyfoot, and Cat of a Blue Monday.

Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Shirley Rousseau Murphy is the author of 11 cat fiction novels, featuring feline sleuth and tomcat, Joe Grey and his ladylove, Dulcie. Her latest novel, Cat Pay the Devil, was published in February of 2007.

Ms. Murphy has won several awards for her series. She lives in northern California with her husband and her real-life cats.

New readers of the series should start with Cat on the Edge and Cat under Fire.