Books Like Lending a Paw
If there is one thing that the stars of cozy mysteries can’t resist, it is getting involved in investigations that most people would leave to the police. However, there is a subgenre where animal companions lend a paw in amateur sleuthing. For example, in Lending a Paw by Laurie Cass, a stray tabby decides to join the owner of a bookmobile on its maiden voyage only to lead her to the scene of a crime. Together, the two end up investigating the murder before continuing on many more adventures in the Bookmobile Cat Mystery series. For more novels where pets lend a helping hand in solving mysteries, check out the following books like Lending A Paw.
Woof at the Door
by Laura Morrigan
Woof at the Door is the first book in the A Call of the Wilde Mystery series by Laura Morrigan. The story follows Grace Wilde, an animal behaviorist who can communicate with animals psychically. Grace keeps her unique ability a secret for obvious reasons, but her life becomes more complicated when she is hired to help with a murder victim’s terrified Doberman. Unfortunately, the dog is the only witness to the events on the night of the shooting, but Grace doesn’t know how to explain this to the police without sounding crazy. So, she decides to track down the killer herself using the leads provided by the poor pup.
Dial C for Chihuahua
by Waverly Curtis
Pepe, aka el Jefe, the talking Chihuahua, is the star of Dial C for Chihuahua by Waverly Curtis. It is the first book in the Barking Detective Mysteries series that sees Pepe and his new owner, Geri Sulivan, taking their first steps into the world of private detective work. Pepe can talk, but Geri is the only person who can understand him. This talent comes in handy when Geri takes on her first assignment, which involves the murder of a Seattle millionaire. The lead suspect is the not-so-grieving widow with lofty plans to finance a reality television show called Dancing with Dogs. This gives Pepe the perfect excuse to go undercover and sniff out some clues for the investigation.
Wish You Were Here
by Rita Mae Brown
Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown sees a cat named Mrs. Murphy and a dog named Tucker teaming up to solve a murder mystery. Their owner, Mary Minor “Harry” Haristeen, lives in the small town of Crozet, Virginia, where citizens are turning up murdered. Mrs. Murphy, a tiger cat, and Tucker, a Welsh Corgi, are concerned that Harry could be next on the killer’s list. Unfortunately, Harry has a bad habit of reading postcards that are not addressed to her, and the killer has been sending out ones with a tombstone on the front and a sinister message on the back to all their victims. Harry is also intrigued by the murders and conducts her own investigation, unaware that her pets are one step ahead of her.
Paw Enforcement
by Diana Kelly
Paw Enforcement by Diana Kelly sees Officer Megan Luz having to partner up with a K-9 named Bridget after tasering a male colleague. The duo gets off to a rocky start thanks to incidents like Brigit eating Megan’s shoes, but they soon learn to work well together. However, their routine is disrupted when a bomb is detonated at the mall food court, where Megan and Bridgit take their lunch daily. Megan and Bridget are determined to find the culprit and join with bomb-squad expert Seth Rutledge and his canine partner Blast to investigate.
Hounding the Pavement
by Judi McCoy
Hounding the Pavement is the first novel in the Dog Walker Mystery series by Judi McCoy. It stars Ellie Engleman, a dog walker who also happens to be able to hear the thoughts of her canine clientele. Her talent for communicating with dogs comes in very handy when a dog’s owner turns up dead and their pet goes missing. Ellie is determined to find the lost dog, which causes her to cross paths with a detective named Ryder, who is not a fan of dogs. Unfortunately, their relationship gets off to a rocky start as Ellie thinks Ryder is a jerk while he doesn’t appreciate her butting into his case.
Fat Cat At Large
by Janet Cantrell
Charity “Chase” Owens, the protagonist of Fat Cat At Large by Janet Cantrell, is the co-owner of a store specializing in Dessert Bars. Unfortunately, the abundance of treats at the shop has caused her cat, Quincy, to gain too much weight. However, Quincy does not appreciate the new low-calorie kibble diet suggested by his new vet and goes off searching for something better. Chase already has her hands full with her underhanded business rival, Gabe Naughtly, so she is annoyed that she must also track down Quincy. Her situation worsens when she finally finds Quincy devouring a meatloaf in a neighbor’s kitchen next to Gabe’s corpse. Chase is discovered at the murder scene that she inadvertently stumbled upon and will need the help of her human and feline friends to avoid ending up behind bars.
Murder Past Due
by Miranda James
Murder Past Due by Miranda James sees the unlikely duo of a librarian named Charlie and a cat named Diesel teaming up to solve a murder mystery. Charlie becomes an unofficial private investigator when his old classmate-turned-celebrated author, Godfrey Priest, shows up in town only to end up murdered. Since Godfrey was not a very pleasant man, there’s no shortage of suspects or motives for his murder. So along with Diesel, a very intelligent Maine Coon, Charlie sets out to find the real killer.
The Counterfeiter-Catching Cat
by Alannah Rogers
The Counterfeiter-Catching Cat by Alannah Rogers is set in the small town of Ashbrook, New Hampshire. Here, the sixty-two-year-old protagonist, Beatrice Young, makes a living as the owner of the Cozy Cat Cafe. Thanks to the perceptiveness of her Maine Coon cat, Hamish, Beatrice discovers a fake twenty-dollar bill at her shop and learns that these counterfeit bills have been turning up all over town. Beatrice is determined to solve the mystery, but a missing person case also opens up. Suddenly Beatrice finds herself and her two cats, Hamish and Lucky, getting drawn into the investigation.
