Sunny & Shadow Mystery Books in Order

The Sunny & Shadow Mystery books follow Sunny Coolidge, a former New York City newspaper reporter who ends up back in Kittery Harbor, Maine, and keeps finding herself near murder. The series opens with The Big Kitty, where Sunny agrees to help an elderly cat lady track down a missing lottery ticket and instead finds a suspicious death. That first case sets the pattern for everything that follows, local problems, personal stakes, and a heroine who cannot stop poking at loose ends.

Shadow shows up early, and he matters.

Shadow is the stray tomcat who adopts Sunny, and he is much more than a cute mascot. The books give him real presence, sometimes even his own angle on events, while still keeping him firmly cat-like. He is curious, territorial, food-motivated, and very good at inserting himself into other people's business. That gives the series humor and warmth, but it also helps the mysteries stand out from more standard amateur-sleuth stories.

The setting does a lot of work, too. Kittery Harbor is the kind of Maine town where people know who belongs, who is new, and who is suddenly acting strange. Shops, docks, homes, vet offices, rehab rooms, and waterfront properties all become part of the puzzle. Because Sunny lives in the middle of town life instead of hovering above it, every case feels personal, and every question risks rubbing the wrong neighbor the wrong way.

Sunny is a strong center for the series. Her background as a reporter means she notices details, asks follow-up questions, and keeps digging when official answers feel too neat. There is also a gentle continuing thread with Will Price, the local investigator and later Sunny's boyfriend, which gives the books some emotional continuity. Each mystery can be read on its own, but the recurring cast and relationships make the series more satisfying in order.

The tone stays cozy, but it never goes slack.

Across the books, the series keeps finding fresh trouble inside familiar small-town spaces. Cat Nap turns a fight between rival vets and ex-spouses into a murder case. Last Licks uses a rehab center, a suspicious death, and a calico named Portia to create one of the oddest plots in the run. Hiss and Tell moves into wedding money and local power, while Catch as Cat Can starts with a failing seafood shop and a body in a freezer. If you like cozy mysteries with a clear sense of place, a practical heroine, and a cat who is never just background furniture, this series is easy to sink into.