Series · cozy mystery
The Cat Who...
The Cat Who... series by Lilian Jackson Braun has 29 books and is best read in publication order, starting with The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (1966).
- Books
- 29 books
- First published
- 1966
- Status
- completed
- Last checked
Start here: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (1966) — then read straight through in publication order.
Reading order
The order the books were released — the default way to read the series.
- Book 1:
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Could Read Backwards - Book 2:
The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern - Book 3:
The Cat Who Turned On and Off
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Turned On and Off - Book 4:
The Cat Who Saw Red
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Saw Red - Book 5:
The Cat Who Played Brahms
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Played Brahms - Book 6:
The Cat Who Played Post Office
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Played Post Office - Book 7:
The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Knew Shakespeare - Book 8:
The Cat Who Sniffed Glue
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Sniffed Glue - Book 9:
The Cat Who Went Underground
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Went Underground - Book 10:
The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts - Book 11:
The Cat Who Lived High
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Lived High - Book 12:
The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal - Book 13:
The Cat Who Moved a Mountain
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Moved a Mountain - Book 14:
The Cat Who Wasn't There
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Wasn't There - Book 15:
The Cat Who Went Into the Closet
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Went Into the Closet - Book 16:
The Cat Who Came to Breakfast
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Came to Breakfast - Book 17:
The Cat Who Blew the Whistle
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Blew the Whistle - Book 18:
The Cat Who Said Cheese
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Said Cheese - Book 19:
The Cat Who Tailed a Thief
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Tailed a Thief - Book 20:
The Cat Who Sang for the Birds
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Sang for the Birds - Book 21:
The Cat Who Saw Stars
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Saw Stars - Book 22:
The Cat Who Robbed a Bank
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Robbed a Bank - Book 23:
The Cat Who Smelled a Rat
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Smelled a Rat - Book 24:
The Cat Who Went Up the Creek
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Went Up the Creek - Book 25:
The Cat Who Brought Down the House
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Brought Down the House - Book 26:
The Cat Who Talked Turkey
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Talked Turkey - Book 27:
The Cat Who Went Bananas
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Went Bananas - Book 28:
The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell - Book 29:
The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers
Alternative text for cover: Cover of The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers
About The Cat Who...
Jim Qwilleran is a veteran newspaperman who inherits an enormous fortune and, along with it, two extraordinarily perceptive Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum, who have an uncanny knack for pawing at exactly the clue that cracks a case. Relocating from the city to the small town of Pickax in "Moose County, 400 miles north of everywhere," Qwilleran works as a columnist for the local paper, and his cats' odd behavior — knocking a book off a shelf, staring fixedly at a particular object — routinely turns out to be the key to whatever murder has disturbed the town's placid small-town rhythms.
Lilian Jackson Braun essentially originated the modern "cat cozy" template that dozens of later series (Mrs. Murphy, Joe Grey, and many more) built on, running the franchise from 1966 (with a long hiatus) through 2007. The books are gentle, character-driven, and low on violence, built around small-town Americana, local eccentrics, and the genuinely charming Koko-and-Yum-Yum double act, with Koko's "cat-alogue" instincts treated as semi-mystical rather than merely cute. It's the foundational text for readers who want their amateur-sleuth mystery narrated with real warmth toward its animal characters, in a setting so cozy it borders on utopian.
How to read this series
Publication order, starting with The Cat Who Could Read Backwards. Qwilleran's move from the city to Moose County, his changing fortunes, and his relationships develop gradually across the series, so publication order is the intended reading path, though most entries work as self-contained mysteries.
The series has a notable 18-year real-world gap: the first three books were published 1966-1968, then the series resumed with The Cat Who Saw Red in 1986 and continued annually or near-annually through 2007. There's no need to treat the pre- and post-gap books differently — they form one continuous publication-order sequence. A planned 30th novel was never completed; Lilian Jackson Braun died in 2011, and The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (2007) stands as the final book.
Frequently asked questions
How many books are in The Cat Who... series?
There are 29 published novels, from The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (1966) to The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (2007).
What order should I read The Cat Who books in?
Publication order, starting with The Cat Who Could Read Backwards. Most mysteries are self-contained, but Qwilleran's life and Moose County setting develop gradually across the series.
Is The Cat Who... series finished?
Yes. A 30th novel was announced for 2008 but repeatedly postponed and then canceled after author Lilian Jackson Braun's death in 2011, making The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (2007) the final book.
Why is there such a long gap between the third and fourth books?
Braun published the first three novels in the late 1960s, then stopped writing fiction for nearly two decades before returning to the series in 1986 with The Cat Who Saw Red, after which she published regularly through 2007.
Do I need to read the 1960s books before the 1986-onward ones?
No strictly, since each mystery stands alone, but they're presented as one continuous numbered series and reading in publication order is still recommended.
Reading order last verified .