Sofie Kelly Books in Order: How to read the Magical Cats Mystery Series?

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Darlene Ryan loves cats. In fact, she wrote The Magical Cats Mystery series under the pen-name Sofie Kelly, but also The Second Chance Cat Mystery series under the pen-name Sofie Ryan.

The Magical Cats Mystery series is about small-town librarian Kathleen Paulson who sniffs out criminals with the help of her very special–and inquisitive–cats, Hercules and Owen.

How to read Sofie Kelly’s The Magical Cats Books in Order?

1. Curiosity Thrilled the Cat (2011) – When librarian Kathleen Paulson moved to Mayville Heights, Minnesota, she had no idea that two strays would nuzzle their way into her life. Owen is a tabby with a catnip addiction and Hercules is a stocky tuxedo cat who shares Kathleen’s fondness for Barry Manilow. But beyond all the fur and purrs, there’s something more to these kitties. When murder interrupts Mayville’s Wild Rose Summer Music Festival, Kathleen finds herself the prime suspect. More stunning is her realization that Owen and Hercules are truly special-perhaps even magical. Now, with a little legwork from her four-legged friends, Kathleen may be able to solve this purr-fect murder…
2. Sleight of Paw (2011) – Kathleen never wanted to be the crazy cat lady. But when Owen and Hercules followed her home from mysterious Wisteria Manor, she realized her mind wasn’t playing tricks on her-her cats have magical abilities. When the body of elderly Agatha Shepherd is found near Kath’s favorite local café, she knows Owen’s talent for turning invisible and Hercules’s ability to walk through walls will give the felines access to clues Kath couldn’t get without arousing suspicion.
3. Copycat Killing (2012) – It’s been raining cats and dogs in Mayville Heights. The small town’s been deluged, and now the local artists’ co-op is on the verge of flooding. Kathleen has been up all night helping her friends move their creations to the safety of the upstairs studio. The artwork survives, but when controversial mask maker Jaeger Merrill is found drowned in the co-op basement, Kathleen questions whether the death was accidental.

4. Cat Trick (2013) – Kathleen Paulson enjoys her life as a small town librarian, but sometimes even small towns can have big problems. The local businesses of Mayville Heights hope to convince Chicago-based company Legacy Tours to sell a vacation package for their town. Legacy Tours partner Mike Glazer grew up in Mayville Heights, but he’s no longer the small town boy people once knew. Even the local bootlegger has an issue with the bossy loudmouth Mike has become-until someone shuts him up for good. When Kathleen discovers Mike’s body on the boardwalk, she can’t help but get involved in the investigation.
5. Final Catcall (2013) – With her sort-of boyfriend Marcus calling it quits and her ex-boyfriend Andrew showing up out of the blue, Kathleen has more than enough drama to deal with-and that’s before a local theatre festival relocates to Mayville Heights. Now the town is buzzing with theatre folk, and many of them have their own private dramas with the director, Hugh Davis. When Davis is found shot to death by the marina, he leaves behind evidence of blackmail and fraud, as well as an ensemble of suspects.
6. A Midwinter’s Tail (2014) – Winter in Mayville Heights is busy and not just because of the holidays. Kathleen is hard at work organizing a benefit to raise money for the library’s popular Reading Buddies program. She has her hands full hosting the event. And when a guest at the gala drops dead, her magical cats, Owen and Hercules, will have their paws full helping her solve a murder.

5. Faux Paw (2015) – Normally, the arrival of an art exhibition at the Mayville Heights library would be cause for celebration. But thanks to the overbearing curator and high-tech security system that comes with it, Kathleen’s life has been completely disrupted. But when Kathleen stops by the library late one night and finds the curator sprawled on the floor-and the exhibition’s most valuable sketch missing-it’s suddenly time to canvass a crime scene.
6. Paws and Effect (2016) – Kathleen is excited to meet three old pals of her beau, Detective Marcus Gordon, while they visit charming Mayville Heights on business. But the reunion is cut short when one of the friends is killed-and the evidence points toward Marcus as the murderer.
7. A Tale of Two Kitties (2017) – With a well-placed paw on a keyboard or a pointed stare, Kathleen’s two cats, Hercules and Owen, have helped her to solve cases in the past-so she has learned to trust their instincts. But she will need to rely on them more than ever when a twenty-year-old scandal leads to murder…

9. The Cats Came Back (2018) – The charming Minnesota town of Mayville Heights is hosting a music festival, and the whole place is bustling with musicians and tourists. Kathleen is looking forward to taking in some fabulous performances–and her two cats, Owen and Hercules, are looking forward to taking in some fabulous sardine crackers. But then the trio stumbles across a dead body by the river.
10. A Night’s Tail (2019) – Spring is coming to Mayville Heights, and Kathleen’s brother, Ethan, has arrived in town with his band, The Flaming Gerbils. But not everything goes as scheduled when one of Ethan’s bandmates gets into a fight with a man interested in investing in the town. When the businessman’s body is later found, Ethan’s friend is implicated in the crime.
11. A Case of Cat and Mouse (2020) – Spring has come to charming Mayville Heights, and with it, some Hollywood glamour. The little town is abuzz because the reboot of a popular baking TV show is filming there. Librarian Kathleen Paulson is working as an advisor on historical facts for the show, local restaurants are providing catering for the camera crews, and Kathleen’s faithful felines, Hercules and Owen, are hoping there is a cat treat challenge. But then Kathleen finds one of the judges dead.

13. Hooked on a Feline (2021) – It’s summer in Mayville Heights, and Kathleen Paulson and her detective boyfriend, Marcus, are eager to attend the closing concert of the local music festival. The concert is a success, but then one of the band members is discovered dead shortly after it. At first it’s assumed the death is a robbery gone wrong, but Kathleen suspects foul play-and she’s certain that she, along with her trusty side-cats, Owen and Hercules, can help solve the murder.
14. Whiskers and Lies (2022) – Baker Georgia Tepper has been hired to provide delicious and spooky cupcakes for the Reading Buddies Halloween Party at the library, and she and Kathleen are meeting to finalize the menu of festive confections. Unfortunately, once Georgia’s former mother-in-law ambushes her at the library and threatens Georgia with legal action, the afternoon of fun is soured. When Georgia’s litigious in-law is later found dead and the friendly baker is implicated, Kathleen is eager to help prove her innocence.
15. Paws to Remember (2023) – When a water leak repair results in a body being found behind the walls of the store run by the artists’ co-op that Kathleen’s friend, Maggie, is part of everyone is completely mystified as to whose body it is and who hid it there. But as the dust settles, her boyfriend, Detective Marcus Gordon, begins to suspect the body could belong to a young woman who disappeared more than thirty years ago.

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Read the Darlene Ryan’s YA Novels in Order of Publication

• Rules For Life (2004) – When her mother died two years earlier, Izzy thought the world would change in some identifiable way, but it didn’t. It didn’t even slow down. Along with constantly watching her brother, Jason, to ensure he didn’t repeat his involvement with drugs, Izzy has managed to get through school and the rest of her life using her mother’s endless “rules” as guidance, even making up some of her own as she goes along. When her father starts dating again and then decides to get married, Izzy is unprepared. She is convinced she will hate this intruder in her ordered life and is certain that their family is complete as it is. When her father’s new girlfriend becomes pregnant, and her health is threatened, Izzy finds that there might just be room in her family for Anne.
• Saving Grace (2006) – Evie was pregnant and forced to give up the baby. But she can’t just leave the child with strangers, especially when she thinks the baby is being neglected. With her boyfriend waiting in the truck, Evie snatches the baby and convinces him to drive her to Montreal where she plans to start a new life with her child. But when the baby won’t eat and she and Justin argue, she ends up alone in a small town. As the baby becomes sicker, Evie must decide whether to admit her mistake and turn herself in, or to keep running.
• Responsible (2007) – Kevin Frasier is in a new high school-his fourth in the last year. He is trying to get along and not cause any waves. When he falls in with Nick and his friends, Frasier ends up going along as the group bullies and threatens their way through the school. When Nick starts tormenting Erin-and she stands up to him-the harassment escalates until Kevin is forced to make a difficult decision and risk everything.

• Five Minutes More (2009) – D’Arcy’s dad is dead. She desperately wants it to have been an accident, but she is not sure. And when she learns the truth, things become even more difficult. Why would her father choose suicide? Why didn’t she see the signs? Her father had always helped her get through everything in her life-five minutes at a time. Can she do it alone? And then she meets Seth. When will things get back to normal? Learning to live without her father while her mother struggles with her own pain, D’Arcy finds an inner strength she wasn’t aware of. She also finds that almost anything is tolerable for five minutes more.
• Cuts Like a Knife (2012) – Daniel has been crazy about Mac from the moment she transferred to his school. She’s smart, funny, loyal and fiercely independent. The only problem is, when life gets too hard for Mac, she runs away. But she always comes back. Except now Mac’s grandmother is dead, their house is about to be torn down and she’s been humiliated in front of the entire school. When Daniel finds out Mac has been saying goodbye to her friends, he realizes she’s planning on leaving for good. Getting more and more desperate as he searches the city, Daniel finds an unexpected and unlikely ally. But can he find Mac before he loses her forever?
• Pieces of Me (2012) – Maddie is living on the streets, trying to protect herself and make enough money to get a place to stay and find a way to go back to school. When she meets Q, she is wary but welcomes his friendship. And then she meets Dylan, a six-year-old boy, living on the streets with his family. When Dylan’s father asks Maddie to watch the boy for a while, she is happy to help. But Dylan’s parents don’t come back; and Maddie and Q are left looking after him. Trying to make a life together and care for her makeshift family, Maddie finds that maybe she has to ask for help.

If you like our article about Sofie Kelly’s books and series in order, don’t forget to bookmark it! If you like Sofie Ryan’s books, you may also want to see our Sofie Ryan reading order, or the Lighthouse Library reading order.