Cat Fiction Mystery

A wine tasting in Montmartre… What could possibly go wrong? When Ava Sext, a part-time sleuth and transplanted Londoner who sells books from an outdoor stand in Paris overlooking the Seine, is invited to a wine tasting held by a dead man to smoke out his killer, she can't resist. With the help of her fellow book seller, Henri DeAth, a former notary in a country where notaries are a powerful caste, Ava investigates the strange goings-on in the world of Grand Cru wines to try and find the dead man's killer before the killer finds her. Death in Montmartre is a light-hearted cozy mystery set ...

When two lowlifes rob a gas station, murder the attendant, and then incinerate bystanders who are filling up their minivan, the Manceford County, North Carolina, police quickly arrest the killers at a nearby motel.

Jim Qwilleran has officially inherited a fortune and his freedom, which leaves him with a serious dilemma: What should he do next? Seeking a place of peace and isolation to make up his mind, he heads to the Potato Mountains for the summer. But Qwill lands in the middle of controversy, not solitude. Developers are eager to turn the pristine Potatoes into a tourist trap, and one of the locals has been convicted of murdering millionaire J.J. Hawkinfield. Some people swear the wrong man was convicted, and Qwill is inclined to agree. But if Forest Beechum didn't do the dirty deed, who did?

As Miss Lucy Harrington, daughter of the village rector, and Major Sir Robert Kurland plan their nuptials, the major is beginning to wonder if he'll ever hear wedding bells. He's seen complex military campaigns that involved less strategy, and he's finding Lucy's meddling family maddening. When the body of Ezekiel Thurrock, the church verger, is discovered crushed by a gargoyle that has fallen from the bell tower, the wedding is delayed.

The town of Lavender, Texas is buzzing with tourists, and local businesses are pulling out all the stops for the annual Pumpkin Days Festival. On the eve of opening day, Sabrina comes face-to-face with her doppelgänger, Tia Hartwell, a caricature artist at the festival. The similarities between the two women are striking, including their matching black cats. Sabrina learns that her new twin Tia has an enemy: bad-tempered jewelry vendor Calvin Fisher. When Fisher is found slumped over dead in his pickup, Tia tops the suspect list.

Oof! After solving the case of the Royal Rumpus, Olive Cobin Zang and her elite team of underdogs are on top of the world. As the awkward, crime-fighting Misfits, they’re acing every mission thrown at them from NOCK (aka No One Can Know, the covert agency they work for). But when their classmate Zeke starts receiving threatening notes, the Misfits are stumped. They’re no strangers to danger, but this case is a total head-scratcher. Who would target kind, friendly Zeke . . . unless he’s not what he seems to be?

Edgar Award-winning editor Otto Penzler collects more than 50 of his all-time favorite holiday crime stories - many of which are difficult or nearly impossible to find anywhere else. From classic Victorian tales by Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert Louis Stevenson, and Thomas Hardy, to contemporary stories by Sara Paretsky and Ed McBain, this collection touches on all aspects of the holiday season, and all types of mysteries. They are suspenseful, funny, frightening, and poignant.

I'm not saying the entire magical population of North Yorkshire want us dead. Just the majority. Which is why we fled Leeds to hide out in the dubious safety of the seaside town of Whitby. But lying low isn't really in our skillset, and when one of our few remaining friends is taken by the sea, we can't just walk away. We've got to get her back. Especially as her partner is a reaper with a scythe that can slice through reality, and the whole situation might be a teeny, tiny bit our fault. We're not going after Emma alone, though.

Inspector Agnes Lüthi, a Swiss-American police officer in Lausanne, Switzerland, has just transferred to the Violent Crimes unit from Financial Crimes to try to shed all reminders of her old life following her husband's death. Now, on the eve of the worst blizzard Lausanne has seen in centuries, Agnes has been called to investigate her very first homicide case. On the lawn of the grand Château Vallotton, at the edge of Lac Leman, a young woman has been found stabbed to death.

Like it or not, when a sorcerer asks you to track a magician, you track a magician. It's that or spend life as a hamster. So we did. But, turns out, the scary magician is the least of our worries. Between raging squirrel mobs, My Little Ravenous sewer monsters, and bungalow-dwelling necromancers with a good line in attack dogs, it's all we can do to keep ourselves the right side of dead. And that's before we stumble onto something far more sinister. Something that makes one dead son look like small carrots. Something that's going to raise an ancient almost-god and bring the world to its knees.

The small town of Gold Leaf Valley is aflutter with a food critic's arrival. His online column has made him famous in this part of Northern California, but not everyone is pleased he's in town. When cafe owners Lauren Crenshaw and Annie, her silver-gray tabby, stumble across his body, what should they do? Investigate the crime themselves? Or...leave it to the police? Is Lauren under suspicion for delivering pastries to the dead man's motel room? Or did his intern bump him off in order to gain a promotion?

When Tabitha Clive is on the case, nothing stays hidden for long. Question: What does a rusty old tin box, peach cobbler and a dead ex-boyfriend all have in common? Answer: Tabitha Clive! When the citizens of her hometown of Kornville, Nebraska, are shocked by a murder, amateur sleuth and part time reporter Tabitha Clive takes it upon herself to investigate. Tabitha’s case proves more complicated than she anticipated. She must deal with a strange cast of characters, from a suspicious new farmhand to a rude baker with a shady past. With each new twist and turn, the mystery deepens, and the...

When Jim Qwilleran's friend Polly decides to spend two weeks on vacation with an old girlfriend in Oregon, he finds himself at a loose end—but not for long. A visit from Nick Bamba brings news of a hotbed of mystery. Nick and his wife fear that their new venture, the Domino Inn, won't see out one summer season, let alone a lifetime. A series of fatal accidents on the recently developed Breakfast Island is beginning to deter further visitors, forcing Jim and his cats, Koko and Yum Yum, to scramble for clues.

When an affluent railcar owner disappears with millions of dollars belonging to Moose County investors, the international police launch an intense investigation to find the fugitive. But journalist detective Jim Qwilleran and his feline crime-busters find a mystery to unravel that is closer to home: Who blew the whistle on the embezzler — and why?

A Cupcakes-and-Crime Caper “I didn’t kill her, I swear!” Fresh off a shift of slinging cards, blackjack dealer and private investigator Tiffany Black takes a frenzied call from Mary Bilford, the services manager at ritzy Spa Renauld. Mary needs someone to prove she didn’t kill spa client Gina Welling—which means it’s time for Tiffany and Ian to go undercover and infiltrate the spa. “Winters will have you giggling into your book!” Who stood to benefit from Gina’s death? Was it ex-husband Harry, who was coincidentally visiting the spa while his ex-wife was there; nurse ...

Kari Stuart is finally starting to relax into her role as the new owner of the Serenity Sanctuary and is looking forward to the various fun autumn activities in the beautiful Catskills town of Lakeview, like the annual Oktoberfest celebration. It’s time for friends and quality bonding with handsome vet Angus McCoy. Until the unexpected arrival of her unpleasant ex-husband, Charlie Smith.

Cat-cafe owner Lauren Crenshaw and her cousin Zoe attend their first advanced latte-art class, excited to learn intricate designs. But when their world-famous instructor is murdered, they decide to investigate!

Audrey Smart, 34, has made a major life change, walking away from her life as a vet (and from a string of failed romance) and moving to Sicily to buy a $1 home — and embark on a mandatory renovation she knows nothing about. Audrey is busy working to open the town’s new shelter, while also renovating her own problematic home — and dating again. With the help of friends, she begins taking in sick strays. But not everyone in town is grateful for her services, and she soon makes unexpected enemies.

Lynn Cahoon presents the latest novel in the Farm-to-Fork Mystery series.

Ever since her husband’s affair, Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen has taken a sabbatical from men. The 30-ish divorcée is content to tend her farm and gain a bird’s-eye view of the neighbors from her perch as small-town postmistress. Yet when a hunky city slicker comes to town with no clue about farming, she’s happy to show him the ropes. When pieces of a dismembered body crop up around Crozet, however, the wary townsfolk reckon the handsome stranger is the culprit.