Laurie Cass Books In Order

Publication Order of Bookmobile Cat Mysteries Books

Publication Order of Victoria Square Mystery Books

Laurie Cass is one of those authors whose books you cannot put down once you start and yet they are not even complex, rather it is the simplicity with which she tells her stories that captivates the reader. Laurie Cass had a rather uneventful childhood since she was always immersed in her books and instead of playing as she was almost forced to do, she snuck of into the trees to have her time with her books. This is where the wonder and fascination with reading and creating whole new worlds of stories come from. Her ability to imagine and conjure up a new world with the characters in her book is top notch mostly due to the reading background in her childhood.

Laurie Cass grew up in Michigan and to date she still lives there with her family. From her own descriptions she never took up writing early but after moving jobs she felt unchallenged and not too mightily motivated by her responsibilities and decided to try something more challenging, writing was that challenge. In her research before she seriously started her career in writing, she says that she read a ton of books on the art of writing but one sentence spurred her on to actually go through with her dream of writing, “what’s it going to be, reasons or results?” she says that that particular phrase struck such a cord with her that she decided to seriously immerse herself in her writing. She says that the possibility of dying without doing what she really wanted which was writing made her make up her mind and a few years later she was published.

Laurie Cass is extremely humorous and it comes through in her books, her first called ‘Lending A Paw’ which is an easy read with bits of humor in between beautiful prose. Lending A Paw is where Laurie Cass introduces us to the easily lovable main character Minnie Hamilton, a determined young librarian whose life changes the day she discovers a stray cat. Eddie is no ordinary stray cat, he has the ability to sniff out wrong where people do not see it and he refuses to leave Minnie’s side. He practically trails Minnie home and from there her life as a jolly librarian riding in her bookmobile which she uses to get around town.

Laurie Cass says that the first time she had put the idea of the series of books with Minnie Hamilton and her cat Eddie as the main characters she patted herself on the back. Only to realize that if she was to go through with the book she had to also research on important elements such as the bookmobile that Minnie would use. Here is where it gets interesting, Laurie Cass says that she absolutely abhors research and keeps it to a minimum when doing her books. The reason? Because once she starts doing research on one thing, it unravels and she finds herself going deeper into the research without actually writing anything. She says that before she started her first book, ‘lending a Paw’; she learnt a very important lesson that writing is not solely having fun but also dreary moments of background research.

Laurie Cass strikes you as a carefree author and it shows in her books with the simplicity and happy go lucky nature of her main character, Minnie Hamilton. This draws the reader even closer to the characters because one can very easily relate to the characters. One of the best strokes of genius by Laurie Cass was having Eddie in her books, Eddie the cat with some of his antics and Minnie’s reactions to them make for hilarious reading.

While Minnie starts of her great idea as a librarian of having a book mobile she has no choice but to tag Eddie along for the ride. The day is very uneventful as Minnie does her job and reaches readers all over her home county until of course the last stop where things get spicy. Eddie bolts out of the bookmobile like he’s seen a ghost and a reluctant Minnie has no choice but to follow, what she discovers shapes the course of this series of books. Eddie leads her straight to a dead body and Minnie hands over the case to the police, only it is not that simple.

Laurie Cass says that during her research, she got to spend a whole day in an actual bookmobile just to get a feel of the outlay of Minnie’s bookmobile. This shows just how thorough she is in her work; she says that she had to know how it felt to be in one and just how it operated and the various spaces. It comes out in the way that she gives the reader a vivid picture of the bookmobile where Eddie and Minnie share many cherished moments.

Even though Minnie hands over the case to the police, she is convinced there is something else attached to the dead man mostly due to Eddie’s catty instincts rather than her own personal brilliance. And that is where the fun begins because Minnie decides to trust in her rather unorthodox cat’s instincts even against her better judgment and whatever they find is rather mind boggling.

Tailing a tabby is the second book Laurie Cass has written in her Cat mysteries series and it is just as brilliant as the first one. Minnie and Eddie are at it again and nothing extraordinary seems to be happening after their high octane start in ‘Lending a Paw’. That is until, doing their normal rounds in the bookmobile they are stopped by a visibly agitated woman who claims that her husband who is also a renowned artist needs medical help. As she is wont to do, Minnie loads the patient into the bookmobile and rushes him to hospital where he duly disappears from after being attended to. The drama starts when he is found lying unconscious over the body of a woman who has been killed and it is up to Minnie and Eddie to prove that their artist friend is not the killer and to actually find the real killer.

5 Responses to “Laurie Cass”

1. Julie H.: 3 months ago

   Thanks for the Minnie and Eddie books. It makes my day when I can read your books. Just finished your newest release, so get busy!!!!

   Reply
2. Marion Wesoski: 7 months ago

   First let me say how much I enjoy your books. Now, I would like to make one small correction in “A troubling Tail”. The sound you referred to a “sigh” should be sough not sigh. They are pronounced the same, but: sough is the original spelling of what wind does in trees. Yes, I’m old and a cat lady. lol

   “verb
   (of the wind in trees, the sea, etc.) make a moaning, whistling, or rushing sound:
   “the soughing of the wind in the canopy of branches”

   Reply
3. Neal: 2 years ago

   Dear Mrs. Cass, When is the large print for “Crime that Binds,” coming out. I live in Mich. too and have read all your cats books, Eddie the cat I would like to get it large print. The lib. said it would come out in Jan. so is that right? Thank you. Bye.

   Reply
4. Don/Janice Hicks: 3 years ago

   Wonderful books. I was librarian for 40 years at Boyne City Schools retired in 2000. I would have had all your books in my library. Love cats. We took in strays and had 22 at one time. Keep the books coming.

   Reply
5. CR Beverly: 3 years ago

   Although I live in Western Kentucky, I am familiar with the area of Michigan with the area of Michigan portrayed in “Bookmobile Cat…”. It has been my pleasure to vacation in the timeshares in Bellaire several times and the fictional Chilson reminds me of my enjoyment of the region. I keep wishing that Minnie will somehow go to Mackinac Island for a couple of days. I have enjoyed all the Bookmobile Cat Series and I thank Ms. Cass for the enjoyment.

   Reply