Do You love Animals - and Mysteries?

These mysteries are unique in their portrayal of four-legged animal detectives that help their human friends solve crimes. Here is a list of authors with their series' names and a list of main characters, to get you started on your own animals adventures. All these books are available at your Library.

Marian Babson

In Nine Lives to Murder, Winstanley Fortescue, a Shakespearean actor, pairs up with theater cat Montmorency D Mousa "Monty" in a humorous journey to solve a theater murder.

Carol Lea Benjamin

Divorced, Jewish private investigator Rachel Alexander is an ex dog trainer who investigates suspicious circumstances in the Rachel Alexander and Dash Mystery Series.

Laurien Berenson

The Melanie Travis Mystery Series stars Melanie as the infectiously upbeat protagonist. A special education teacher and a mother of a 4 year old, she solves mysteries in the world of dog showing with the help of dog breeders Margaret "Aunt Peg" Turnbull, a 50-ish widower, and software designer Sam Driver.

Rita Mae Brown

The Mrs Murphy Series stars Mary Minor "Harry" Harristeen, the human who untangles crimes with the help of Mrs Murphy, a female gray tiger cat, and Tee Tucker, a female Welsh corgi, in the town of Crozet, Virginia.

Lilian Jackson Braun

The novels in the Cat Who...Series all star Jim "Quill" Quilleran, a philanthropist and ex war correspondent in his 50's, who lives in Pickax City in the Midwest US. He solves mysteries aided by Koko and Yum Yum, two Siamese cats who are smarter than any humans, and his girlfriend, Polly the Librarian.

Susan Conant

Holly Winter is a dog trainer and columnist who investigates crimes aided by her two malamutes, Rowdy and Kimi. Conant's Holly Winter Mystery Series is set in New England.

Carole Nelson Douglas

Midnight Louie is a black tomcat and the star of the Midnight Louie Series. Aided by his investigative partner, redheaded publicist Temple Barr, Louie solves mysteries with Temple and her ex boyfriend, Magician Max Kinsela, and ex priest and hotline counselor Matt Devine.

Dick Francis

Horse racing figures prominently in Francis Horseracing Mystery Series! The main characters change in each book, but all are involved in some way with horse racing in Great Britain.

Shirley Rousseau Murphy

Tomcat Joe Grey and sidekick, Dulcie the library cat, are a feline detecting duo that hide their power of human speech from their owners, auto mechanic Clyde Damer and librarian Wilma Katz, in the Joe Grey Series of books.

William Murray

Called the American Dick Francis, Murray mysteries are based on horse racing and include wry narration, neat plotting, and colorful characters. They feature horseplayer Shifty Lou Anderson and illustrate Murray's love of horses and the beauty of horse racing.

Do You Like Paranormal Mysteries?

Then checkout some of these popular authors!

Andrews, Donna

In the Turning Hopper series, a sentient artificial intelligence personality helps her human friends solve the mystery.

Atherson, Nancy

The ghost of Aunt Dimity inspires and guides Lori Sheppard in solving the mysteries that seem to arise in her everyday life.

Ballard, Mignon F.

Guardian angel Augusta Goodnight, naturally bossy, loves colorful (sometimes just plain gaudy)clothing, doesn't actually solve the mystery, but with her practical guidance is always helpful in heading the protagonist in the right direction.

Davidson, Mary Janice

After being killed in a car accident, fashion savvy Betsy Taylor becomes one of the undead and with the help of her new found friends, the lure of designers shoes, and a sexy vampire, must destroy the dark enemy and fulfill her destiny as the prophesied vampire gueen.

Haines, Carolyn

In the Mississippi Delta mysteries, southern belle-turned private investigator, Sarah Booth Delaney, struggles to cope with her antebellum Delta estate's local ghost, Jitty, and to solve the murder cases that she is hired to work.

Hamilton, Laurell K.

Vampire hunter Anita Blake--known to the vampires she kills as The Executioner--is hired by the most powerful vampire in the city to find out who has been murdering innocent vampires.

Harris, Charlaine

Sookie Stackhouse, a cocktail waitress in rural Louisiana, who keeps to herself because of her ability to read minds, till she meets Bill, a dark and handsome vampire with ties to a elite underground society that enlist her telepathic talents to help solve mysteries in the vampire community and finds herself caught up in a dangerous web of murder and betrayal.

Love Your Library!

April 12-18th is National Library Week, being celebrated for the fifty-first time this year. Instead of just observing it as a typical gee-aren’t–libraries-swell yearly event, let’s take this opportunity to take a fresh look at your community Library.

What does having a strong community library mean to a city such as Natchez? Would anything really be different if it didn’t exist? Of course it would. Last year, the Armstrong Library served over 44,000 patrons with books, periodicals, archives, internet access, children’s services and so much more.

And yet there is a tendency to take the Library for granted. Not every community has a vital, functioning Library with a dedicated director, staff, and Friends group. We are fortunate in Natchez to have such a Library. Libraries need to be loved by the community which they serve.

What does it mean to love your library? A loved Library is a used Library. As a vital part of the community, Libraries provide a place to distribute important information, hold community discussions, celebrate accomplishments of young writers and readers, and host other activities and events. The traditional role of the Library is ever changing. More and more, Libraries are playing an important role in advancing community literacy, lifting everyone’s potential for achievement and advancement. Libraries have taken on an expanded role as resource centers during the current economic downturn, and will continue to provide information and resources as the economy recovers.

As technology has advanced, Libraries have kept pace, offering the latest in technologically assisted services. Libraries have reflected the times we live in, but are prepared to embrace the future in new and expanded roles.

So love your Library! If you have not used your library card in a while, come by to see what’s new. If you’ve been thinking of getting a Library card, come on in! We are your community Library, and we’re here for you.

What's All This Hullabaloo About "Social Media"?

You know that "networking" is good for your business. You join organizations and go to receptions to meet people who might do business with you. But it's terribly time consuming, isn't it? What if you could meet and interact with thousands of people in two seconds? Well, you can. That's what "social media" does - and why it's becoming so popular. In fact, if you're not using it, you're losing business by the minute - because your competition is doing it.

What do we mean by "social media"? It's just online networking, where valuable business connections are made every day on social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Online networking is where a community of people with common interests interact. Through these networks, you can give your business or nonprofit a personality, a brand awareness, and learn what people are saying about you.

Why do you need this? It's easy, doesn't cost anything, builds your business, and has big benefits and low risks.

Want to learn more? You're in luck. The Library hosts a monthly meeting of local folks who are using social media and other forms of emarketing - or want to. They share ideas and help each other learn. Everybody is welcome to attend - no matter their knowledge level or experience. The EMarketing Group meets the second Monday of every month at 6 pm at the Library. Since the Library closes at 6 pm, get there a couple of minutes early - or go to the side door and ring the doorbell. For more information, call the Library at 601.445.8862 or email.

Next meeting of the EMarketing Group is Monday, April 13 at 6 pm at the Library.