Mostly Murders

The Cat Who… is a series of 29 cozy mystery books by Lillian Jackson Braun. Book 1, The Cat Who Could Read Backwards was published in 1966.

The books follow the adventures of Jim Qwilleran or Qwill, a journalist and amateur sleuth, and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum. Qwilleran was once a crime reporter and seems to have a sort of sixth sense for crime, embodied by his moustache which inexplicably tingles when he is on to something. Yum Yum is a normal Siamese cat, but Koko is far from an ordinary feline. Like Qwill, Koko appears to have a sixth sense for crime, and it often seems like Koko is capable of reading and understanding human language, helping Qwill solve mystery by “accidentally” dropping hints using books or newspapers.

Cozy, quirky and lighthearted mystery series. The books can be read out of order, and if you’re not planning on reading all of them, I would suggest grabbing some of the newer books in the series. First of all because any book from the 60s might feel a bit dated today, but mostly because I personally prefer the newer books. The earlier books have a bit of a gloomy mood, and Qwill is a quite unsettled, living in an unknown big city and unsure of what to do with his life. In the later books his circumstances change, and he finally settles down, literally and metaphorically, and anchors himself in the quaint little town of Pickax. I would actually suggest starting around book 10 or 11, the first books of the series to be published in the 90s.

Cozy mystery