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Mystery Cats: Felonious Felines from Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine and Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine
This murderously entertaining collection assembles sixteen purr-fect tales of crime and cats by some of today's best mystery writers. Lilian Jackson Braun's charming Siamese SuSu is the first to smell a rat in a chilling tale of two spinster sister and an eccentric neighbor. Edward D. Hoch's favorite thief, Nick Velvet, accepts a commission to catnap a pampered pet named sparkle and ends up a whisker away from death. Ruth Rendell leads an unwary motorist up the garden path to an elderly cat owner's cottage, giving a sinister twist to the old maxim, "an eye for an eye." These, along with thirteen other purebred stories of felines and felonies, make for spellbinding reading for mystery fans and cat lovers alike!
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 3, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 17, 2018
This book is about cats who either do something to their owners, something with their owners, or something to other people who come to harm their owners, or are just strange. The stories here are by different artists lik Lilian Jackson Braun, Edgar Allan Poe among others.
The story by Brraun is about SuSu, a Siamese that acts strange around 8:30 at night, like she sees a ghost and the two elderly sisters that live with the cat find out through the cat what happens to their neighbor, a strange person in himself.
Another story is about a catnapping, the Mafia's favorite cat gets taken so the one that has the cat kidnapped can have pictures taken. Why and is the cat returned?
The last story has a motorist running over a beloved cat and wanting payment for the "murder." A twisting tale of "an eye for an eye" theme.
If you love mysteries, this is the book for you. Some are on the gruesome side for cat lovers (I'm one) so are a bit hard to take. But read I did
The story by Brraun is about SuSu, a Siamese that acts strange around 8:30 at night, like she sees a ghost and the two elderly sisters that live with the cat find out through the cat what happens to their neighbor, a strange person in himself.
Another story is about a catnapping, the Mafia's favorite cat gets taken so the one that has the cat kidnapped can have pictures taken. Why and is the cat returned?
The last story has a motorist running over a beloved cat and wanting payment for the "murder." A twisting tale of "an eye for an eye" theme.
If you love mysteries, this is the book for you. Some are on the gruesome side for cat lovers (I'm one) so are a bit hard to take. But read I did
February 12, 2018
I think I made the most out of this book: short stories to keep me focused for a few minutes, while commuting or in between household tasks. That being said, the stories were nowhere near what I expected. There's no feline private eye with a magnifying glass in a front paw - cats are objects or most often victims of various crimes, they are most of the time just plot devices. A lot of the stories are cruel, I'd file the book under animal abuse more often than I'd be putting it on my mystery shelf. Some are predictable, each has a twist, most of them aim to serve justice or at least a reveal. Easy to read and almost enjoyable.
October 18, 2022
A fun collection of short stories that all center around cats somehow. most of them are mysteries, but some are more horror, and a few are just funny. if for nothing else, 'Arnold' alone is worth the price of admission! best story in the whole collection!
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February 4, 2019Synopsis: sixteen perfect tales of crime and cats by some great mystery writers: Lilian Jackson Braun, Edward D. Hoch, Ruth Rendell, etc.
December 12, 2014
If you can get past the super creepy cover, the stories are decent. Seriously, look at it! It's nightmare-inducing! I thought the cats were going to be the heroes in these stories, but I was surprised by how many of them had the cat as the victim. To be fair, the cat gets revenge in almost all of them, but I still hate to read things where a cat is mistreated, and especially, killed. Presumably cat lovers will be who is reading this book and I don't think any of them would enjoy that. I was also surprised at how many stories feature Siamese cats. Is that the only breed authors know? Overall I think most of the stories weren't bad, but if you're very sensitive about violence toward cats, you might want to skip this one.
August 24, 2025
This is a fun book! Short stories and cats. What's not to like? The title is slightly misleading, though, as is the fact that these are stories that have been featured in either Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine or Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine. The reason I say that is that not many of these tales (is that pun intended? I'm not sure) are what I would consider actual "mysteries." That, however, does not diminish the enjoyment of the book.
Sixteen short stories by different authors, from various genres. There is a story by Edgar Allan Poe, which, as expected, is quite disturbing (I had read that one before, in another collection). There is a story by Theodore Sturgeon, who was primarily known as a science fiction author. There is one by Lilian Jackson Braun, famous for cat mysteries. The rest of the authors I wasn't really familiar with.
My favorite story in the book is probably "The Beast Within," by Margaret B. Maron, which involves body-swapping. Very interesting story. I also really liked "The Lady Wore Black," by Hugh B. Cave, in which a cat gets revenge. Also really good were "The Faithful Cat," by Patricia Moyes, and "The Abominable House Guest," by the afore-mentioned Theodore Sturgeon. Another favorite was "Arnold," by Fred Hamlin, in which a cat protects his owner.
There were a couple that were disappointing, including the story by Ms. Braun, "Suzy and the 8:30 Ghost," which felt more like a chapter from a novel, rather than a complete story. "Cat's-Paw," by Mary Reed, also felt more like a chapter than a short story. And then "The Highwayman's Hostage," by Lillian de la Torre, while a good story, was difficult to read, as it was written in older style dialect.
All in all, though, it is an entertaining collection of short stories that all feature my favorite domestic animal, the cat. Oh, except for "A Visitor to Mombasa," by James Holding, in which the primary beast was a leopard. And that one had a nice surprise ending.
I recommend this book to lovers of mystery, intrigue, fantasy, and short stories. And cats, of course.
Sixteen short stories by different authors, from various genres. There is a story by Edgar Allan Poe, which, as expected, is quite disturbing (I had read that one before, in another collection). There is a story by Theodore Sturgeon, who was primarily known as a science fiction author. There is one by Lilian Jackson Braun, famous for cat mysteries. The rest of the authors I wasn't really familiar with.
My favorite story in the book is probably "The Beast Within," by Margaret B. Maron, which involves body-swapping. Very interesting story. I also really liked "The Lady Wore Black," by Hugh B. Cave, in which a cat gets revenge. Also really good were "The Faithful Cat," by Patricia Moyes, and "The Abominable House Guest," by the afore-mentioned Theodore Sturgeon. Another favorite was "Arnold," by Fred Hamlin, in which a cat protects his owner.
There were a couple that were disappointing, including the story by Ms. Braun, "Suzy and the 8:30 Ghost," which felt more like a chapter from a novel, rather than a complete story. "Cat's-Paw," by Mary Reed, also felt more like a chapter than a short story. And then "The Highwayman's Hostage," by Lillian de la Torre, while a good story, was difficult to read, as it was written in older style dialect.
All in all, though, it is an entertaining collection of short stories that all feature my favorite domestic animal, the cat. Oh, except for "A Visitor to Mombasa," by James Holding, in which the primary beast was a leopard. And that one had a nice surprise ending.
I recommend this book to lovers of mystery, intrigue, fantasy, and short stories. And cats, of course.
April 28, 2020
If you're the type that gets seriously upset about animal abuse—even fictional animal abuse—this might not be the book for you. If you can grit your teeth and hate on the perpetrators while still enjoying the story (most of them get theirs in the end), then you'll have a much easier time with this book. My favorite stories, of course, are those where the cats don't get hurt.
My favorite story in this volume for the story itself is Edward D. Hoch's tale, "The Theft of the Mafia Cat," and as a bonus, the cat is pampered and adored throughout the story, even when being catnapped. Of the cats themselves, I adore SuSu from Lilian Jackson Braun's tale, "SuSu and the 8:30 Ghost," the most. What's not to like about a cat who sees past appearances to who a person really is? I think she'd be my little sweetheart, too. "The Beast Within" by Margaret B. Maron was clever but left you feeling a little sorry for the cat, even though no one hurts the animal.
The Poe tale is one many mystery lovers have probably already read, and several of the other tales are obviously older, as well. I wish the editor had included the dates when these stories originally appeared in the magazines with the stories themselves instead of just a couple paragraphs of copyright information in the front matter.
My favorite story in this volume for the story itself is Edward D. Hoch's tale, "The Theft of the Mafia Cat," and as a bonus, the cat is pampered and adored throughout the story, even when being catnapped. Of the cats themselves, I adore SuSu from Lilian Jackson Braun's tale, "SuSu and the 8:30 Ghost," the most. What's not to like about a cat who sees past appearances to who a person really is? I think she'd be my little sweetheart, too. "The Beast Within" by Margaret B. Maron was clever but left you feeling a little sorry for the cat, even though no one hurts the animal.
The Poe tale is one many mystery lovers have probably already read, and several of the other tales are obviously older, as well. I wish the editor had included the dates when these stories originally appeared in the magazines with the stories themselves instead of just a couple paragraphs of copyright information in the front matter.
April 7, 2022
I do not read short story collections very frequently, but this was a nice quick read. There were some that I enjoyed, and there were also a few that I was not a fan of. Overall, the book was okay, but it did not leave a lasting impression.
December 11, 2018
Great book, a fun read
September 3, 2019
3.5 stars some stories good some not so much
April 22, 2022
Read as a teenager. Cats plus mystery equals win, as far as I’m concerned
June 30, 2022
There are no spoilers here, but if you love cats, you’ll enjoy this book!
January 17, 2025
So fun! A breath of fresh air in these times( Jan. 2025) Looking forward to "More Mystery Cats"!
December 29, 2015
I am not a huge fan of mysteries, and only read them when there is something unusual about the writer or the story. In this case, a collection of cat-related mysteries, mostly murder mysteries, was worth picking up, and for the most part a real treat.
One classic was included, Poe's "The Black Cat," which fit the theme nicely. One special treat was a Nick Velvet story by Edward Hoch. The central character is a thief, a bit like The Saint, but he will steal things for a fee, with one odd catch...he won't steal things that are actually worth significant amounts of money, so that he's never going to get caught and convicted of grand theft. In this case, he's hired to steal a Mafia don's cat.
"Ming's Biggest Prey," by Patricia Highsmith, was another very good one, but there were other highlights. A couple were weaker, but your tastes may vary as to which ones they are, so I won't spoil any of the tales for you.
The book is a fun read for cat-lovers and mystery readers alike.
One classic was included, Poe's "The Black Cat," which fit the theme nicely. One special treat was a Nick Velvet story by Edward Hoch. The central character is a thief, a bit like The Saint, but he will steal things for a fee, with one odd catch...he won't steal things that are actually worth significant amounts of money, so that he's never going to get caught and convicted of grand theft. In this case, he's hired to steal a Mafia don's cat.
"Ming's Biggest Prey," by Patricia Highsmith, was another very good one, but there were other highlights. A couple were weaker, but your tastes may vary as to which ones they are, so I won't spoil any of the tales for you.
The book is a fun read for cat-lovers and mystery readers alike.
September 18, 2015
As with most anthologies, some of the stories are better than others, a couple greats, a few goods, most just okay, but none are truly bad. A few can be mildly upsetting, even if the handful of wronged cats typically get avenged. But overall it's an enjoyable, fun collection. Fred Hamlin's Arnold, which could be a deleted scene from The Long Goodbye, is hilarious and probably my pick of the litter. It's worth picking up just for that story alone. If I happen to run across any of the subsequent collections, I'll grab 'em, for sure.
October 13, 2014
This book is a collection of mystery short stories that involve cats. The stories were mostly enjoyable, although I believe I quit reading one after just a few pages. The stories were easy to read and fun.
July 14, 2015
I may not like cats enough to have fully appreciated this...in many ways it was cat stereotype after cat stereotype. Which is ok. They also largely weren't mysteries...they tended more to be a little magical stories about murder - by cats, for cats, and of cats.
January 2, 2009
Some of the stories were incredible. Some were more than mediocre. On the whole it was a likeable book. :)
January 14, 2012
Easy vacation read, but subject matter could be a little disturbing at times ( E.A. Poe) Just a warning for those that want to pick up something light and cute.
June 16, 2013
Read 11 out of 16. very funny to have Ko Ko Kal Koon & Yumm Yumm help solve misteries
February 4, 2015
some good short mysteries involving cats. I had read the Rendell before, as well as the Poe. Nice quick read.
April 28, 2015
I enjoyed this set of feline mysteries. Favorite stories included "The Lady Wore Black" by Hugh B. Cave and "The Theft of the Mafia Cat" by Edward D. Hoch.
June 22, 2016
Fun read with a wide range of story types and authors. As with most anthologies story quality varies but none are bad.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews