Are you looking forward to a warm, cozy Christmas? Perhaps by the fire? It can’t be complete without a warm dog or cat beside you! And if you want even more unconditional love, check out these holiday books which feature our favorite animal companions.
Adult Books
Santa Clawed by Rita Mae Brown- Harry and her husband, Fair, have gone to fetch a Christmas tree at the tree farm run by The Brothers of Love, a semimonastic organization that tends to AIDS patients, when they find the tree they’ve chosen grimly decorated with a dead body. Can Harry, the sleuthing cats Mrs. Murphy and Pewter, and corgi Tee Tucker save the season from a killjoy who’s decided to gift the festive little town of Crozet, Virginia, with murder?
It’s a Wonderful Woof by Spencer Quinn- A holiday adventure for Chet the dog, “the most lovable narrator in crime fiction” (Boston Globe), and his human partner, PI Bernie Little.
A Dog’s Perfect Christmas by W. Bruce Cameron- The problems fracturing the Goss family as Christmas approaches are hardly unique, though perhaps they are handling them a little differently than most people might. But then a true emergency arises, one with the potential to not only ruin Christmas, but everything holding the family together. Is the arrival of a lost puppy yet another in the string of calamities facing them, or could the little canine be just what they all need?
Deck the Hounds by David Rosenfelt- This Christmas mystery, featuring criminal defense lawyer Andy Carpenter and his faithful golden retriever, Tara, showcases Rosenfelt’s trademark humor and larger-than-life characters. Helping a hospitalized homeless man whose dog has been quarantined for protecting him during an assault, lawyer Andy Carpenter discovers that his new friend is wrongfully suspected of murder in a two-year-old case.
Six Cats A Slayin’ by Miranda James- The sudden appearance of a box containing five kittens on his doorstep and the shocking murder of his nosy neighbor shake up the holiday season for Charlie Harris and his Maine Coon cat, Diesel.
Children’s Books
White House White-Out: an A to Z Mystery by Ron Roy- When Dink, Josh, and Ruth Rose visit Washington, D.C., just before Christmas, they are inadvertently caught up in a kidnapping plot that was intended for the president’s dog, but also involves the president’s stepdaughter and her friend Marshall.
The Twelve Days of Christmas Dogs by Carolyn Conahan- In this variation on the folk song “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” children exchange gifts of various types of dogs, from “a pug puppy under the tree” to “twelve doggies drumming.”
A Bad Kitty Christmas by Nick Bruel- After destroying all of the gifts and decorations at home, Bad Kitty escapes from the car on Christmas Eve and finds a new friend, who helps her learn the true meaning of Christmas.
Henry and Mudge and a Very Merry Christmas by Cynthia Rylant- At Christmastime Henry and his dog Mudge enjoy baked treats, visits from relatives, lots of presents, and each other.
Merry Christmas, Splat by Rob Scotton- Splat the cat is worried that he has not been good enough to deserve a visit and a present from Santa Claus.
Here Comes Santa Cat by Deborah Underwood ; pictures by Claudia Rueda- Cat wants off Santa’s naughty list and makes several valiant attempts, but this ‘being nice’ business is trickier than he thought.