Cat Theme Mysteries : Kittens, Cats, and Cozies

August 6, 2007

So, you say you love cats… And even more, you love your cozy mysteries with cats… Not just a cat purring at your side while you read your cozies… But a cat (or maybe two or three!) in your cozy mysteries. Then, here is a list of books that might just interest you, the cozy-cat lover…

Avery Aames writes the Cheese Shop Mystery Series, which has a Ragdoll cat (Rags)…

Lydia  Adamson writes the Alice Nestleton Mystery series. Alice is not only an actress, but also a cat sitter. When not acting, she is sleuthing. Adamson also writes a veterinarian/sleuth series (Dr. Nightingale.)

Garrison Allen writes the Big Mike Mystery Series…

Marian Babson  seems to have a way of entwining cats into almost all of her books! She is definitely a cat lover!

Lorna Barrett (aka L. L. Bartlett) writes the Booktown Mystery Series which has Miss Marple, as in a cat, not a Christie heroine.

With her series named Reigning Cats and Dogs, how could you wonder if Cynthia Baxter has cats in her cozies? Her main character, Jessica Popper, is a veterinarian who truly loves cats (and dogs!)

An author who I absolutely knew I had to include is Lillian Jackson Braun. She writes the Cat Who*** Mysteries, or, as others call them, the Jim Qwilleran Mysteries.  There are over thirty books (in the series) which have been written since the 1960s. Jim Qwilleran is a journalist, and Koko and Yum Yum are his beloved cats, who help him to solve mysteries.

When I first started thinking about doing this blog entry about cozies with the cat theme, there were a few authors who simply leapt to mind. Amongst them was Rita Mae Brown, with her Mrs. Murphy Mysteries. Mrs. Murphy and Pewter are two cats in this cozy "tail" and Tucker is a corgi. The three of them "help" the humans solve crimes.

Edie Claire writes the Leigh Koslow Mystery Series. While Leigh is not a veterinarian, her father is. Every once in a while Leigh works as a tech at her dad's office. Also, the second book features a zoo vet and setting.

Susan Conant, widely known for her dog lover series, has a first in her Cat Lover's Mystery series! That's a great addition for the cat fanciers out there.

Krista Davis writes the Domestic Diva Mystery Series, which features Mochie – and owner Sophie Winston.

What list of Cat Cozies would be complete without  Carole Nelson Douglas? Douglas writes the Midnight Louie Mysteries, some of which include "his human" Temple Barr. But, Midnight Louie also has some novels without Temple! Carole Nelson Douglas also has a book: White House Pet Detectives: Tales of Crime and Mystery at the White House from a Pet's Eye View.

Yasmine Galeron (aka India Ink) includes cats in some of her Chintz 'n China Mysteries. 

Rebecca M. Hale is a patent lawyer who writes the Cats and Curios Mystery Series. This series features a main character/sleuth who is the owner of an antique shop and also an accountant. She has two pets… cats!

Carolyn Hart's Death on Demand has a cat both at home (Dorothy L), as well as in the bookstore (Agatha).

While attending law school, Gabriella Herkert became aware of a case which involved a woman whose will benefited her cat. (Hmmmm…) The cat became the recipient of a fortune and Herkert (years later) used this case as the basis of her first Animal Instinct Mystery Series novel…

Suzette A. Hill writes the Reverend Oughterard Mystery Series. Bouncer (his dog) and Maurice (his cat) enjoy the British village life, even with all of the mysteries to solve…

Miranda James (aka Dean James, Honor Hartman, & Jimmie Ruth Evans) writes the Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series which features a librarian and her very well-behaved cat, Diesel…

Linda O. Johnston writes the Pet Rescue Mystery Series which features an animal advocate who runs a pet rescue agency…

Sofie Kelly writes the Magical Cats Mystery Series which features two magical cats and their librarian human…

Laura Levine pens the Jaine Austen Mystery Series which features Jaine and Prozac, her cat…

A site reader just reminded me about Valerie S. Malmont's Tori Miracle Mystery Series…

Evan Marshall writes the Jane Stuart & Winky Mystery Series…

Gilbert Morris writes the  Jacques & Cleo, Cat Detective Mystery Series which features Jacques and Cleo, and their human care-taker (they don't consider her their "owner"!) … and is set in Alabama.

Shirley Rousseau Murphy's Joe Grey cat mystery series…. Just another example of a mystery series with a cat theme!

Allison Cesario Paton: Mrs. Bundle Mystery Series… This senior citizen/sleuth loves her cat, Cracker…

Clea Simon writes the Theda Krakow Mystery Series which features Musetta, Theda's (and Clea's real life!) cat… Simon also pens the Dulcie Schwartz Mystery Series…

Fran Stewart writes the Biscuit McKee and Marmalade Mystery Series…

Leann Sweeney writes the Cats in Trouble Mystery Series…

And, last but not least… Karen Ann Wilson writes the Samantha Holt Mystery series, which features Samantha, a veterinary technician.

Martin H. Greenberg is the editor of several mystery anthologies featuring cats:
Cat Crimes
Cat Crimes 2
Cat Crimes 3
Cat Crimes through Times

Cat Crimes takes a Vacation
Cat Crimes for the Holidays
Black Cats and Broken Mirrors
Danger in D. C. : Cat Crimes in the Nation's Capital
Murder Most Feline: Cunning Tales of Cats and Crimes
A Treasury of Cat Mysteries
Feline and Famous: Cat Crimes Goes Hollywood
Crafty Cat Crimes: 100 Tiny Cat Tale Mysteries

Miscellaneous Cats Caught in Cozies and Other Mysteries:
Kittens, Cats and Crimes  Anthology, edited by Ed Gorman
Feline Felonies: 43 Cat Crime Stories from the World's Best Mystery Writers, edited by Abigail Browning
Mystery Cat Tales of Felonies and Felines  Patricia Highsmith et al Ruth Rendell
Mystery Cats..Lillian Jackson Braun, and others
More Mystery Cats… Lillian Jackson Braun, and others
Mystery Cats 3: More Feline Felonies… Lillian Jackson Braun, and other

Not a Mystery, but Sure Does Look Interesting for Cat Lovers:
Do Cats Always Land on Their Feet?: 101 of the Most Perplexing Questions Answered about Feline Unfathomables, Medical Mysteries and Befuddling Behaviors by Marty Becker & Gina Spadafori.

♦To access more Cozy Mysteries by Theme click on this link.♦

59 comments - click here to see the comments or to add yours

{ 59 comments… read them below or add one }

Joyce August 16, 2007 at 9:48 am

Please don’t forget Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s Joe Grey Mystery series when it comes to cat cozies.

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Danna - cozy mystery list August 18, 2007 at 7:55 pm

Joyce,

I’m so glad you reminded me of Shirley Rousseau Murphy’s Joe Grey Mystery series. I haven’t read any of the Joe Grey books yet, but just added Murphy to my authors’ list (I believe) last month…

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reba February 24, 2008 at 5:28 pm

Garrison Allen has a cozy mystery series that features Mycroft,"Big Mike", a 25 pound Abyssinian cat who loves to eat lima beans and who helps to solve mysteries with his person, Penelope Warren.

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Danna - cozy mystery list February 25, 2008 at 9:09 am

Thanks, Reba, for telling us about Garrison Allen’s cozy mystery series. I had to look up an "Abyssinian" cat… For those of you (like me) who don’t know the breed… they look like the cats depicted in the Egyptian art from long ago…

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Alicia March 2, 2008 at 12:29 am

I’ve not read them yet, but Evan Marshall has a series called Jane Stuart and Winky. Winky is a cat.

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Danna - cozy mystery list March 2, 2008 at 8:10 pm

Alicia,
Thanks for letting me know about Evan Marshall. Another author to add to the cat mystery page.
Thanks, again!

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Regina November 5, 2008 at 3:34 pm

Does anyone know why Lilian Jackson Braun’s new book “The Cat Who Smelled Smoke” has not been published? It was due out in April 2008. Barnes and Noble has no record of it.Thank you.

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Konnie December 11, 2008 at 11:04 pm

Please don’t forget Linda Stewart’s Sam the Cat Mystery series when it comes to cat cozies.

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Danna - cozy mystery list December 13, 2008 at 7:39 am

Thanks, Konnie, for the recommendation!

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Konnie December 26, 2008 at 5:29 pm

Leann Sweeney’s new Cats in Trouble series comes out in 1909. The first book is The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse.

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Danna - cozy mystery list December 28, 2008 at 1:34 pm

Thank you so much, Konnie, for letting us know about Leann Sweeney’s new Cats in Trouble Mystery Series. It looks like The Cat, the Quilt and the Corpse is coming out in May 2009.

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Konnie December 29, 2008 at 2:43 pm

Don’t forget the Tori Miracle Series when it comes to cat cozies. She’s a novelist who has two cats.

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Danna - cozy mystery list December 31, 2008 at 12:14 am

You’re right, Konnie! I just added Valerie S. Malmont to the list. Thanks for reminding me…

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Konnie January 12, 2009 at 10:54 pm

Don’t forget Jeffrey Miller’s Questing Cat series when it comes to cat cozies.

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Danna - cozy mystery list January 13, 2009 at 3:05 pm

Thanks, Konnie, for the recommendation. I see that his latest books is Murder’s Out of Tune and his latest is Murder on the Rebound.

Thanks, again……..

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Konnie May 6, 2009 at 6:06 pm

Doug Allyn has a series about a veterinarian with a one eyed cat. The first book is called All Creatures Dark and Dangerous and the second book is called The Burning of Rachel Hayes.

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Danna - cozy mystery list May 7, 2009 at 7:31 pm

Thanks for telling us about Allyn’s series…

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Konnie June 5, 2009 at 8:34 pm

Amelia Peabody mysteries by Elizabeth Peters…(The character Amelia, an Egyptologist, owns several large overbearing cats that often figure in the books.

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Konnie December 14, 2009 at 1:34 am

Clea Simon has a new feline mystery series called Dulcie Schwartz,. The first book is called Shades of Grey.

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Danna - cozy mystery list December 14, 2009 at 8:10 am

Thanks, Konnie, for reminding me to add the Dulcie Schwartz Mystery Series to the above entry.

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Jeanine May 22, 2010 at 12:51 pm

I just discovered your site. All I have to say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU. Finally one spot for me to check in on my favorite authors and to find new ones. You have my undying gratitude. I plan on being back over and over again.

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Pat June 16, 2010 at 12:47 pm

This is my first visit to this website…WoW…I love it. My favorites are the Joe Grey series, the Sneaky Pie Brown series and Lillian Jackson Braun…believe I have read all of those and many others on the list. I will be visiting this site again and again…Thanks so much!

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Danna - cozy mystery list June 16, 2010 at 1:27 pm

Welcome to the site, Pat!

Let me see, I sense that you are a cat lover! You listed three of the most popular cat mystery series as your favorites. You have a lot of company here!

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marsha July 15, 2010 at 9:13 pm

Need more of Joe Grey – more, more, more!!

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Bigmother July 18, 2010 at 9:12 pm

Thank you Konnie for the Tips!

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Alicia October 6, 2010 at 2:46 am

The Booktown mysteries by Lorna Barrett feature a much loved kitty named Miss Marple.

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Danna - cozy mystery list October 9, 2010 at 12:57 pm

Thanks, Alicia, I just added Lorna Barrett to the Cozy Mystery Cat Theme…

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Pauline November 30, 2010 at 12:42 am

Thank you introducing me to new cat mystery writers.
I will have to read and add them to my collection of cat books.

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Danna - cozy mystery list December 1, 2010 at 8:27 am

Pauline, there are certainly a lot of cat mystery authors out there to pick from… I hope you are able to find a few who you really enjoy!

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Bee February 24, 2011 at 12:37 pm

I love that I found this website! My son is blind but loves Cozy Mysteries with Cats. However, he cannot see to read, we usually get CDs. Does anyone know of an author who fits this criteria?

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Danna - cozy mystery list February 24, 2011 at 4:16 pm

Bee, here is a post about books on tape. I’m not sure if I am answering your question, but if I’m not, let us know.
Be sure to read Martha’s comment from Feb. 9, 2011.

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Tamara March 3, 2011 at 9:03 am

I see the last post was awhile ago but I just discovered this web page, & thank you for it!
A series I enjoy is written by Blaize Clement. (adventures of a pet sitter in the Florida Keys)

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Danna - cozy mystery list March 11, 2011 at 5:31 pm

Tamara, I have Blaize Clement listed in the Pet Store and Pet Sitting theme. I know she has a lot of faithful fans.

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Karen March 23, 2011 at 12:31 pm

Hi. I don’t know if you know about Blaize Clement. Her main character Dixie Hemingway is a pet sitter. In the course of her pet sitting duties she usually stumbles upon a crime, which she then helps to solve. She has a cat herself, but the cat does not help her solve the crimes.

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Danna - cozy mystery list March 23, 2011 at 3:50 pm

Thank you, Karen. I have Blaize Clement under the Pet Store and Pet Sitting theme.

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Melissa B June 18, 2011 at 9:39 am

I might have missed it ~ but there is a cute cat featured in Joanne Fluke’s books. I think the cats name is Moshie?
~Melissa =)

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Martina June 27, 2011 at 3:47 am

Please add the new “A Magical Cats Mystery” series bySofie Kelly .
Many greetings from Vienna from a new fan of your site!!

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Danna - cozy mystery list July 2, 2011 at 11:56 am

I just added Sofie Kelly to the Kittens, Cats, and Cozies cat theme mysteries list, Martina.

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Michelle October 2, 2011 at 10:07 am

Does anyone know of a book about a fellow who is magically turned into a cat? I believe it’s contemporary in time. The book would have been published more than 9 years ago.

Anyone with a hint, please let me know! Thanks!

And I will try out the Sofie Kelly books!

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Danna - cozy mystery list October 5, 2011 at 10:22 am

Michelle, I will post your question about a man who turns into a cat in a future entry…

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Marlene October 19, 2011 at 7:00 pm

Just found a new author, Ali Brandon, whose book series, Black Cat Bookshop Mystery, comes out in December this year. Her Black cat is named Hamlet. She might be a good author for this site.

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Danna - cozy mystery list October 21, 2011 at 6:45 pm

Thanks, Marlene, for telling us about Ali Brandon.

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Lisa January 13, 2012 at 8:03 pm

Rita Mae Brown & Sneaky Pie Brown a Mrs. Murphy mystery series is even better than The Cat Who books which I love and miss Lillian Jackson Braun, she was amazing.

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Danna - cozy mystery list January 15, 2012 at 11:57 am

That’s quite a Rita Mae Brown endorsement, Lisa!

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Linda March 7, 2012 at 11:24 am

Just to keep your list of cat cozies going I’m adding a couple new authors I didn’t see on the list.
Caroline Burnes 20 books published with a cat named Familiar

Yasmine Galenorn she has occasional cat mysteries also.

Enjoy this site. Thanks

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Danna - cozy mystery list March 7, 2012 at 3:38 pm

Thank you, Linda, for telling us about Caroline Burnes! (And, I’ll go add Yasmine Galenorn to the list of Cat theme mystery authors.)

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Margaret March 7, 2012 at 5:29 pm

I cannot believe I just looked at this post. Yes, I do love cats! But I figured since I knew all the Authors who write about cats, I was good and wouldn’t find anything new. But I see you also include Authors who add cats as main characters like Lorna Barrett and Miss Marple in the Book Town Mysteries.
I have not started my Cheese Shop Mysteries yet, I was not aware she had a cat included but I was happy to see it here; so I guess I did learn something new.
I would like to add my most favorite Author and my most favorite series: Krista Davis has a cat in her Domestic Diva Series, Mochie, who is based on one of her own actual cats. Mochie has been quite important in some of her plots. She also has a dog named Daisey.
And of course, Carolyn Hart has the beloved Book Store Cat Agatha and the ever present House Cat Dorothy L in her Annie Darling, Death on Demand Series.
But I could go on and on. Amazing how many cozy mysteries have cats and dogs. Especially cats, it just seems cats, female sleuths and mysteries make a little formula of their own. But this formula I don’t mind and as Cat Mom I like to see others who appreciate them. And it is funny when you find so many Cozy Mysteries Authors who themselves own cats.

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Danna - cozy mystery list March 10, 2012 at 1:33 pm

Margaret, I’m glad you finally found the Cat Mystery Theme!

When I first put up the page (in 2007) I wasn’t aware there were (are) so many authors who write mystery series which feature cats.

I’ll go add Krista Davis (and Mochie!) to the list, as well as Agatha and Dorothy L From Carolyn Hart’s Death on Demand Mystery Series.

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Julia March 8, 2012 at 8:31 am

I love the Midnight Louie books by Carole Nelson Douglas – so glad she’s on the list. I’m a big Damon Runyon fan, so Midnight Louie’s style really appeals to me.

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Mary March 12, 2012 at 9:33 pm

How about Cat Mysteries on Kindle? I see a new set called the Fancy Cat Mysteries that are Kindle only – set on an Island off the coast of Maine. How cozy can you get?

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Danna - cozy mystery list March 13, 2012 at 4:37 pm

Thank you, Mary, for telling us about Joann Fantina’s Fancy Cat Mysteries on the Kindle. Here is the list of books:

Fancy That
Fancy’s Silo
Fancy’s Church
Fancy’s War

I see that they are currently FREE to borrow for Amazon Prime members, and for non Prime members each of them currently sell for $2.25.

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Cherri W. March 17, 2012 at 11:56 am

You all know that Lillian Jackson Braun died several years ago when she was in her 90s. I read somewhere that she left some plot outlines which her publisher had someone else write the books. Unfortunately, they have probably run out of her notes by now.

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Danna - cozy mystery list March 18, 2012 at 4:48 pm

That’s interesting, Cherri. In my opinion, when an author passes away who has as many fans as Lilian Jackson Braun has, I don’t think another author is ever quite able to continue the series. But, again, this is just my opinion.

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Margaret March 18, 2012 at 7:09 pm

Danna, I agree with you. I think if a Publishing House has a ghost writer take over for a much loved author who passes away, it is an insult to the readers. I have seen when actual manuscripts have been found and released, but outlines are different. I think a real fan could tell the difference in the tone of the writing.
I always wondered about NANCY DREW, since there were so many different ghost writters, if fans noticed a difference in the writting. Although I was fan as a girl, I only read the books written during my teenage years, so I couldn’t compare with those written in other decades. But some people follow the series for decades. Could an editor do that good of a job and keep the tone the same?
In my opinion just let Lillian Jackson Braun rest in peace.

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Danna - cozy mystery list March 19, 2012 at 6:47 pm

Margaret, this reminds me about the new Robert B. Parker mysteries that are either out already or due to be out soon:

Michael Brandman has written Robert B. Parker’s Killing the Blues (Jesse Stone mystery)
and
Ace Atkins will be releasing Robert B. Parker’s Lullaby (Spenser mystery)

I wonder how Parker’s fans feel about authors taking over the series he created…

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Pauline March 18, 2012 at 3:09 pm

J D Crayne has a series of cosies set in a small town in California. Some of them – the Lucky Pierre ones include the cat belonging to a young couple who run a bed and breakfast place.

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Danna - cozy mystery list March 18, 2012 at 4:59 pm

Thank you, Pauline, for telling us about J. D. Crayne’s Lucky Pierre Mystery Series.

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B March 31, 2012 at 8:10 pm

I am absolutely in LOVE with Prozac (Laura Levine). He is so funny!

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Danna - cozy mystery list April 3, 2012 at 2:19 pm

Thank you, B, for reminding me to add Laura Levine’s Jaine Austen Mystery Series!

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