Series · cozy mystery
Mrs. Murphy
The Mrs. Murphy series by Rita Mae Brown has 32 books and is best read in publication order, starting with Wish You Were Here (1990).
- Books
- 32 books
- First published
- 1990
- Status
- ongoing
- Last checked
Start here: Wish You Were Here (1990) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
Wish You Were Here
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Wish You Were Here - Book 2:
Rest in Pieces
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Rest in Pieces - Book 3:
Murder at Monticello
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Murder at Monticello - Book 4:
Pay Dirt
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Pay Dirt - Book 5:
Murder, She Meowed
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Murder, She Meowed - Book 6:
Murder on the Prowl
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Murder on the Prowl - Book 7:
Cat on the Scent
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Cat on the Scent - Book 8:
Pawing Through the Past
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Pawing Through the Past - Book 9:
Claws and Effect
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Claws and Effect - Book 10:
Catch as Cat Can
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Catch as Cat Can - Book 11:
The Tail of the Tip-Off
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Tail of the Tip-Off - Book 12:
Whisker of Evil
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Whisker of Evil - Book 13:
Cat's Eyewitness
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Cat's Eyewitness - Book 14:
Sour Puss
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sour Puss - Book 15:
Puss 'n Cahoots
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Puss 'n Cahoots - Book 16:
The Purrfect Murder
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Purrfect Murder - Book 17:
Santa Clawed
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Santa Clawed - Book 18:
Cat of the Century
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Cat of the Century - Book 19:
Hiss of Death
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hiss of Death - Book 20:
The Big Cat Nap
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Big Cat Nap - Book 21:
The Litter of the Law
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Litter of the Law - Book 22:
Nine Lives to Die
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Nine Lives to Die - Book 23:
Tail Gait
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tail Gait - Book 24:
Tall Tail
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Tall Tail - Book 25:
A Hiss Before Dying
Alternative text for cover: Cover of A Hiss Before Dying - Book 26:
Probable Claws
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Probable Claws - Book 27:
Whiskers in the Dark
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Whiskers in the Dark - Book 28:
Furmidable Foes
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Furmidable Foes - Book 29:
Claws for Alarm
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Claws for Alarm - Book 30:
Hiss and Tell
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Hiss and Tell - Book 31:
Feline Fatale
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Feline Fatale - Book 32:
Sealed With A Hiss
Alternative text for cover: Cover of Sealed With A Hiss
About the Mrs. Murphy series
In the small Virginia town of Crozet, postmistress Mary Minor "Harry" Haristeen keeps finding dead bodies along her mail route — and her real crime-solving partners are her own pets: Mrs. Murphy, a sharp-witted tiger cat, Tucker, a loyal Welsh corgi, and Pewter, a vain and food-obsessed gray cat. The animals see, hear, and deduce more than the humans around them, and much of each book's charm comes from their private conversations and running commentary on the two-legged investigation happening in parallel — Harry and her ex-husband, the local vet, and the county sheriff all catching up eventually to what the animals worked out chapters earlier.
Rita Mae Brown (credited alongside her real-life cat, Sneaky Pie Brown, as co-author) built the series around small-town Virginia hunt-country life — foxhunting, farming, church suppers, old-money and new-money friction — with the animal chapters giving the cozy formula a genuinely distinctive gimmick rather than just cute pet-shop-front dressing. It's a long-running favorite for readers who want their amateur-sleuth mystery narrated partly from the animals' point of view, set in a richly recurring small-town cast that has evolved gently across more than three decades of books.
How to read this series
Publication order, starting with Wish You Were Here. Harry's relationships (with ex-husband Fair, with the town) and the animal characters' running dynamics develop gradually across the series, so publication order preserves that continuity, though most mysteries are self-contained enough to pick up out of sequence if needed.
Holiday-themed entries (Santa Clawed) are simply the Christmas-set books within the main sequence, not a separate track — read them in publication order along with everything else.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in the Mrs. Murphy series?
There are 32 published Mrs. Murphy novels, from Wish You Were Here (1990) to Sealed with a Hiss (2025).
What order should I read the Mrs. Murphy books in?
Publication order, starting with Wish You Were Here. Most mysteries are self-contained, but Harry's life and the animal characters develop gradually across the series.
Is the Mrs. Murphy series finished?
No confirmed end has been announced, but no new title has been announced since Sealed with a Hiss (2025); this page will be updated once a new book is confirmed.
Who is Sneaky Pie Brown?
Sneaky Pie Brown is Rita Mae Brown's real-life cat, credited as co-author on every Mrs. Murphy book since the series began — a running conceit reflecting the animals' central role in solving each mystery.
Do the Mrs. Murphy books stand alone from Rita Mae Brown's other series?
Yes. It's separate from her Sister Jane foxhunting mysteries and her other fiction, with its own cast and Crozet, Virginia setting.
Reading order last verified .