Sofie Kelly

Sofie Kelly is a New York Times bestselling author and mixed-media artist who lives on the East Coast with her husband and daughter. She writes the New York Times bestselling Magical Cats mysteries and, as Sofie Ryan, writes the New York Times bestselling Second Chance Cat mysteries.

Her new novel in the Magical Cats series is Whiskers and Lies.

Recently I asked Kelly about what she was reading. Her reply.

I just finished reading Bad Scene, the third Colleen Hayes mystery by Max Tomlinson. I recently discovered the first book in the series, Vanishing in the Haight, and I was hooked. In my opinion, Bad Scene is the best in the series so far, and that’s saying a lot because the first two books were very good. The stories are set in San Francisco, in the late seventies. Maybe part of the reason I like them is because I’m old enough to remember that time. Colleen is a private detective, on parole after serving prison time for killing her abusive husband. In Bad Scene she learns that neo-Nazis are talking about killing the mayor. She also discovers that her estranged daughter has joined a cult reminiscent of Jim Jones and the People’s Temple. Colleen is desperate to get to South America and save her child before it’s too late. Tomlinson is a very talented writer and I’ve become a big fan of Colleen Hayes. She’s tough without ever descending into stereotype. I’m looking forward to starting the most recent entry in the series, Line of Darkness. Then it’s going to be a long wait for next summer and the fifth Colleen Hayes mystery.

I don’t read a lot of science fiction, but I have been a big fan of Becky Chambers ever since I discovered The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, the first in the four-book Wayfarers series. I read them all and loved every one. Chambers is a talented writer who creates wonderfully well-rounded characters. I’ve just finished the second book in her new Monk and Robot series, A Prayer for the Crown-Shy. Sibling Dex is a tea monk. Mosscap is a sentient robot sent to discover what humanity needs. They decide to travel together looking for the answers both of them are seeking. Chambers has written a book with lyrical prose, complex ideas about what makes us human, and two characters I just keep getting more invested in.

Visit Sofie Kelly's website.

--Marshal Zeringue