Purrrfect Summer Reads

I have a confession. I’m addicted to cat mysteries. Cats are natural sleuths. If they’re

connected to a library or bookstore, they are unstoppable. This summer if you’re

looking for a purrfect summer read, let me recommend a few of my favorite series.

“The Cat Who” mysteries by the late Lillian Jackson Braun are at the top of the list. She wrote 29 mysteries featuring KoKo and Yum-Yum and their two legged companion, James Qwilleran. The mysteries are set in the fictional town of Pickax located in Moose County "400 miles north of everywhere." While not the greatest mysteries, the characters, dialogue, and of course, the cats make these a light hearted summer read.

The magical cats mysteries by Sofie Kelly are for lack of a better term magical. Kathleen Paulson moves from Boston to Mayville Heights, Minnesota. She ends up with two cats, Owen and Hercules, who are gifted with magical abilities.One can walk through walls and the other can become invisible. They put their talents to use in solving murders.

One of the most unique cats in literary history is Diesel. He comes to life in the Cat inthe Stacks mysteries by Miranda James. Diesel is a 30 pound cat who likes walks, treats, and is extremely vocal. He is also an excellent judge of character. In addition, his owner is a fiftyish librarian. Together they are unstoppable.

The last entry on my list are the Joe Grey mysteries by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. Joe and Dulcie are cats with a secret known to their owners, They can talk. Since discovering their gift, they have been the snitches who assist the Molena Point Police Department in solving crimes. This is probably my favorite cat series. The author knows cats and the mayhem they bring to their caretakers.

All these series share inquisitive felines, strong writing, some quirky characters and

a sense of humor. The authors also know cats...their cattitudes and mannerisms.

These are nice and easy summer reads.