Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Cat in the Manger | 1990 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 2 | A cat in the manger: An Alice Nestleton mystery | 1990 | Lydia Adamson | N/A |
| 3 | A Cat of a Different Color | 1991 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 4 | A Cat in Wolf’s Clothing | 1991 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 5 | A Cat By Any Other Name | 1992 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 6 | A Cat in the Wings | 1992 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 7 | A Cat with a Fiddle | 1993 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 8 | A Cat in a Glass House | 1993 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 9 | A Cat on the Cutting Edge | 1994 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 10 | A Cat with No Regrets | 1994 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 11 | A Cat on a Winning Streak | 1995 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 12 | A Cat in Fine Style | 1995 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 13 | A Cat Under the Mistletoe | 1996 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 14 | A Cat in a Chorus Line | 1996 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 15 | A Cat on Jingle Bell Rock | 1997 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 16 | A Cat on a Beach Blanket | 1997 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 17 | A Cat on Stage Left | 1998 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 18 | A Cat of One’s Own | 1999 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 19 | A Cat with the Blues | 2000 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 20 | A Cat with No Clue | 2001 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 21 | A Cat Named Brat | 2002 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 22 | A Cat on the Bus | 2002 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
| 23 | A Cat Tells Two Tales | 2012 | Lydia Adamson | Buy |
The Alice Nestleton mysteries are Lydia Adamson’s signature series. Alice is a middle-aged New York actress who never quite makes it big but has a gift for stumbling into murder scenes — often while cat-sitting. Her two cats, Bushy and Pancho, serve as unlikely companions to her investigations, and the series leans into the charm of a cat lady who happens to solve crimes.
The 23-book series features titles built on cat puns — A Cat in the Manger, A Cat of a Different Color, A Cat in Wolf’s Clothing — and ran from 1990 to 2012. The books are light, quick reads that found a loyal audience among cozy mystery fans who appreciated the New York setting and the feline-focused formula.