Cozy Cat mysteries with Miranda James and the rise of “cozy” literature

Words like “cozy” and “murder mystery” might seem like contradictory terms, but the cozy mystery murder has been around since Agatha Christie, and they don’t seem ready to go anywhere anytime soon. 

It makes sense, especially given the times we live in these days, that we’re seeking an extra-literary blanket to quiet our minds and get us through.

These books have somewhat predictable plots (hero, whodunit, hunt clues to solve the mystery) while still retaining an air of mystery (see what we did there?) as to the identity of the villain.

The series we’re specifically highlighting today are The Cat in the Stacks Mystery Series by Miranda James, and to say they’re like an audible cup of warm tea is an understatement.

These books are full of charm and whimsy of a small town, and our central character librarian Charlie Harris (loosely based on the author himself- Miranda James is a pen name) amps up the charm level even further. He walks to work with his cat Diesal on a leash, has nary an unkind word to say to anyone (unless you’re his high old school nemesis) and he bounds from mystery to mystery with all of the calm skill and none of the high stress we so often see in a detective novel.

There’s also the added bonus that while murder is often central to the mystery at hand, it’s never gratuitous. You don’t have to worry about coming home after a long day, and then listening to scenes of graphic violence, or stepping into the unsettling perspective of a serial killer.

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