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| Mystery's Purr-fect Companions
It's no mystery that lovers of this genre have an affinity for cats. Perhaps the undisputed queen of cat tales is Lilian Jackson Braun, who introduced us to Koko and Yum Yum. In an interview, Braun said “Not all mystery fans like cats but all cat-fanciers seem to like mysteries.” Mentally perusing my personal list of fellow cat lovers, I'd have to agree with that observation. Perhaps our affinity for mysteries stems from the fact that our feline companions are mysteries unto themselves. Cats were worshipped in ancient Egypt and they've never lost their regal air and demand for adoration. Of course, curling up with a good mystery demands a pet who is content to sit contentedly in a lap while we absent-mindedly stroke its soft fur. Chasing a ball with the puppy can be a real interruption when we're sleuthing. Before the dog lovers among us revolt, I promise to devote the next column to dogs in mysteries. Grande dame Lilian Jackson Braun has been writing about the sleuthing Siamese cats for four decades. Most fans don't know that the first three books, “The Cat Who Read Backwards,” “The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern” and “The Cat Who Turned On and Off” were written between 1966 and 1968. After a successful start, Braun left Koko and Yum Yum in limbo for nearly twenty years, until the 1986 paperback “The Cat Who Saw Red.” Since then, there have been 18 more in the series, the last two being “The Cat Who Talked Turkey” and “The Cat Who Went Bananas.” With nearly 50 million cats residing in 26 % of American homes, it's no wonder readers gravitate to the Cat Who titles. Once they visit Jim Qwilleran and the cast of characters, they fall into a comfortable companionship with Braun's family. Braun also said “People are simply tired of all the blood. I write what is called the classic mystery.” Maybe it's the cozy aspect of her books that I adore. Her mysteries are well planned, with fair and cunning clues. After all, we love the cozy and familiar characters, but it's the mystery we love best! Small towns and cats work well and Braun is a master. Being a ‘city gal' for most of my life, I never had a pet (if you don't count goldfish in plastic bags from the carnival, who live for a day or two in Mom's crystal pitcher, necessitating the whole fish funeral thing). Relocating to the rural open spaces got me thinking about one. Rita Mae Brown made me get one. Okay, maybe she didn't exactly put the cat in my lap, but her Mrs. Murphy's Mysteries planted the seed. When I found a brown tiger at the local pet rescue foster home, I named her after Brown's co-author, Sneaky Pie Brown. Yes, the cat writes the Mrs. Murphy series, and signs her prologue with a paw print. My own Sneakie Pie is tail-less and completely unimpressed by her namesake, but she kept me company while I read the thirteenth and latest in the series, “Cat's Eyewitness,” reviewed in this issue of Mysterical-E. Now, some of my mystery-loving pals have a problem with this series because, well, the animals talk. All the animals talk. Mrs. Murphy and Pewter are cats, Tee Tucker is a corgi, and the threesome own a human named Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen. Up until book 12, Harry was the Postmistress in the town of Crozet , Virginia and the animals romped at work, poking paws into mail slots when box holders opened them and trying to get Mom to understand when they had clues to a mystery. You see, they only talk to each other, although their talk about humans is really humorous. It's scary to think that our pets might really think those things about us. The trio talks to the horses, the barn mice and other critters, and are acutely aware of their surroundings. The big problem is helping the humans understand, and they often come to the rescue of Harry and pals. These are by far my favorite cat books. If you're new to the series, start with “Wish You Were Here” and cat-foot your way through them all. The characters are delightful, the setting is southern cozy and the books are pure fun. Fans are rooting for Harry and Fair (her veterinarian ex-husband) to get re-married and I really missed the old post office in this latest installment, but I'll take whatever Brown has to offer as long as she keeps them coming. These books are not spine-tingling, edge-of-your-seat thrillers. They're cozies with a wonderful familiarity and an always teasing mystery, so plan a visit to Crozet soon. Who among us doesn't wish they owned a mystery bookstore? Annie Darling's Death on Demand bookstore is the center of her sleuthing adventures and fiancé Max and the regulars at their shop are wonderful characters. Max's mother Laurel is a kook of the highest order. Of course, there is the resident feline, named Agatha, to compliment the cast. Carolyn G. Hart has written 16 Death on Demand Mysteries. “Murder Walks the Plank” was the latest, with the Darlings leading a murder mystery cruise. “Death of the Party” is due out soon. One thing about this series that I find appealing is the special events and happenings planned at Darling's bookstore. It makes you long to visit and sip rich coffee with the real mystery aficionados at Death on Demand! What is “an English cat caper?” Author Marion Babson has the cozy down pat but her series is not a series at all. Each of her books introduces a new feline, a new cast and a great mystery. In Babson's 2002 “To Catch a Cat” the hero is a 12 year old boy named Robin, who has to steal a prize-winning cat named Leif Eriksson to be accepted into a gang. The problem arises when cat owner Nils Nordling decides to murder his wife at just that moment, making Robin a witness. “The Cat Next Door” featured Tikki, an Abyssinian; “The Cat Who Was Not a Dog” sports a Japanese bobtail named Cho Cho San. There haven't been any recent books, but the stories have been put out on audio, read by Diana Bishop, perfect for a lazy summer listen. Carol Nelson Douglas offers us a wisecracking black cat named Louie, who owns a petite, red-headed publicist named Temple Barr . The fourteenth in the series is “Cat in a Midnight Choir,” a romp through Las Vegas on the tail of renegade magicians. Louie isn't a cat I long to cuddle up to and it's hard to be “cozy” in Vegas, but the books are fast paced and entertaining. “Cat Cross Their Graves” is the latest offering by Shirley Rousseau Murphy. Set in the small village of Molina Point , California (those small, cozy towns again!), Murphy's books follow the antics of tomcat Joe Gray, his best kitty pal Dulcie and their tattercoat friend Kit. This is number ten in the series. Lydia Adamson writes other great mystery series but my favorites are the Alice Nestleton Mysteries. “A Cat Named Brat,” “A Cat on the Bus,” A Cat with No Clue” and others offer up a variety of felines. Alice came from the farms in Minnesota to the Big Apple to be an actress. Twenty-odd years later, she occasionally acts and pays the rent by cat-sitting. Her uncanny and humorous knack for getting in and out of murder and mayhem makes a good series. There are, of course, thousands of authors who place the obligatory cat in a lap and a dog in front of the fireplace for window dressing. When a character listens to the soft purr of the gentle resident feline, we cat lovers go “Awwwww.” The regal beast adorns the furniture and deigns to tolerate its humans. I like to read about real cats; paw-in-your-face at-5 a.m. cats; run-up-your-last-pair-of-pantyhose cats; sit-on-your-keyboard-while-you-type cats; cough-up-a-hairball-in-front-of-company cats; never-mind-the-expensive-cat food-I-want-what-you're-having cats. It doesn't mean I don't respect their intelligence or regal heritage. I understand they lower themselves to these antics just to amuse and occupy the lowly humans. Every book I own is full of cat hair although I certainly don't use it for bookmarks! Sneakie Pie must plop down in several random chapters of any book in my hand; it's cat rule number 718, I think. I adore her, but in the ten years we've shared my abode, I've yet to get her to write me a best-selling mystery like her namesake did! Isn't that why she keeps sitting on my keyboard? If you've read a special “mystery cat” book you'd like to share, e-mail me and I'll pass it on to our readers. We're always looking for a good read- with or without cat hair! ***** Only cat lovers will appreciate the humor of “Cat Haiku.” Ancient Japanese creators of the tiny lyrical poem of seventeen syllables will surely cringe at these cat corruptions, but those owned by cats will shake their heads in agreement. These came to me through cyberspace with no author credit. If you know the author- we want more! Julie
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