A Case of the Claws: Classic Tales of Feline Crime

by Catherine Aird, Edmund Crispin, Ellis Peters

Soft paws come with sharp claws...

It's deep winter. Time to light the fire, pull up a blanket and curl up with your cat. But is your feline friend playing innocent? What were they up to while you were out of sight?

Slink through shadows in these classic cat-themed mystery tales from beloved crime authors Catherine Aird, Edmund Crispin, Patricia Highsmith and Ellis Peters.

A Case of the Claws bring a thrilling winter chill to the festive season and are these furry friends the guardians of our secrets or omens of misfortune?

Genres: Christmas

96 pages, Hardcover

Published October 23, 2025

About the author

Kinn Hamilton McIntosh, known professionally as Catherine Aird, was an English novelist. She was the author of more than twenty crime fiction novels and several collections of short stories. Her witty, literate, and deftly plotted novels straddle the "cozy" and "police procedural" genres and are somewhat similar in flavour to those of Martha Grimes, Caroline Graham, M.C. Beaton, Margaret Yorke, and Pauline Bell. Aird was inducted into the prestigious Detection Club in 1981, and is a recipient of the 2015 Cartier Diamond Dagger award.

Reviews

[Helga · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book consists of 4 classic mystery stories whose main character is a cat. Don't worry! The cats in these short stories aren't the culprits, but inadvertent witnesses or in one case solver of the mysteries.

The Trinity Cat by Ellis Peters (obviously, my favorite) ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ming's Biggest Prey by Patricia Highsmith ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Touch Not the Cat by Catherine Aird ⭐⭐⭐
The Hunchback Cat by Edmund Crispin ⭐⭐⭐

[Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful and such a cosy crime read. Short and sweet.