Rating: 
Summary: Qwill is back!
Review: "The Cat Who" books are a light mystery series, based on a town "400 miles north of everywhere" and all of its lovely, eccentric inhabitants. The action focuses around one James Qwilleran (Mr. Q to his friends and fans) and his two cats, Koko and Yum-Yum. In each book, an event occurs that draws Q into an investigation which usually involves some element of the town's locales and history. There's no ticking clock, no shooting guns, no sense of foreboding in these books. Each is a return to our beloved Mooseville and the people we now consider our own neighbors. This isn't a marvel of literary fiction- it's merely a comfy, quick read as part of an enjoyable series.The general consensus among hardcore "The Cat Who" fans is that the *real* Jackson Braun stopped writing the series several years ago. There have been about four ghost writers since, and almost all have done a poor job of recreating Braun's characters and descriptions of Moose County. In the last book, the cats were relegated to mere household pets, and Qwill rambled around with no real point to his actions. Well, I'm thrilled to report that after several strange attempts at recreating Braun's magic, whoever wrote this book got it right! The old Qwilleran is back- as are favorite locales and neighbors. "The Cat Who Brought Down the House" revolves around a zany new arrival to Moose County, and some of the troubles that her move to Pleasant Street brings. Qwill is on the case, assisted by his two intuitive cats and several of his close friends. Like I said above, the book isn't deep, it doesn't motivate you to get out a piece of paper and try and solve the crime. It's just a fun read, with a light mystery at its heart. I'm just happy to be able to give the book a good review and I am really hoping that the publisher keeps this writer on - I haven't felt so at home in years. Happy reading!
Rating: 
Summary: 25th verse, less than the 1st
Review: ... This 25th installment of Lilian Jackson Braun's (or is it? Is it her? Or a series of "ghostwriters?") "Cat Who '" series is better than some of the recent lack-luster droppings, but far less than the gems in the beginning. Either LJB needs to keep notes of the back stories, or her ghostwriters need to confer with one another. Remember, in the last episode, librarian/lady friend Polly was traipsing around the globe, sending Postcards back to Qwill and his cats about the mysterious Walter? Well, where's Walter? Did he just fall off the planet or what? Also irksome are the repeated shameless self-promos for another recent book in the LJB franchise: 'Short and Tall Tales.' My advice: borrow this from your library, in the Mystery Section. The only real mystery is what is it doing in the Mystery Section? The series is like a Soap Opera past its prime. We return now and then to cozy Moose County just to see what the cast is up to, with no real expectation of zip or innovation or fireworks. Reviewed by TundraVision
Rating:
Summary: Ready to put it to rest
Review: After 25 years of reading "The Cat Who" books, I'm ready to put Qwill out to pasture. While this book has a much better plot than the other latest 3 or 4, the writer or ghostwriter, seems to have just gotten tired and leaves out the details or entire convesations that made the early books such treasures. For instance, Koko does his death cry only once out of 3 deaths; his death cry signals the first murder but then apparently Koko sleeps through the last, most important two deaths. This book has sparks of the old Lilian and sets up some interesting things that could happen in the next book, but in response to her asking whether or not to make it 26 mysteries, "No". I'll miss Qwill but I want to remember him as he was and not the shadow he and Koko are becoming.
Rating:
Summary: Ready to put it to rest
Review: After 25 years of reading "The Cat Who" books, I'm ready to put Qwill out to pasture. While this book has a much better plot than the other latest 3 or 4, the writer or ghostwriter, seems to have just gotten tired and leaves out the details or entire convesations that made the early books such treasures. For instance, Koko does his death cry only once out of 3 deaths; his death cry signals the first murder but then apparently Koko sleeps through the last, most important two deaths. This book has sparks of the old Lilian and sets up some interesting things that could happen in the next book, but in response to her asking whether or not to make it 26 mysteries, "No". I'll miss Qwill but I want to remember him as he was and not the shadow he and Koko are becoming.
Rating: 
Summary: Lilian, Please Don't Try For #26
Review: After the disappointment of "The Cat Who Went Up the Creek," I was hoping that maybe things might improve with "The Cat Who Brought Down the House." I had read that this might be Lilian Jackson Braun's last book in the series and so was hoping it would go out with a bang. Well, I got the book and immediately noticed Lilian's letter on the back cover of the book. (More on that later.) Unfortunately, this newest offering is no better than the previous and possibly even worse. How I long for the days in with Qwilleran and his cats actually got actively involved in solving cases. Does that happen here? Not even close. Qwilleran sort of gets involved in snooping around, but never gets actively involved. Okay, well maybe that's not too good. But the story itself is interesting and keeps the reading wanting to read, right? Not really. The suspense level was about zero. In short, almost nothing interesting happened. Threads are picked up that never seem to go anywhere and there is little to hold the readers' interest. Even the return of Qwilleran's "secret agent" Celia Robinson does little to pick up the plot. If you were hoping that maybe things would get better, don't read this book. Keep your good memories of past editions. I give it two stars for a story that I was at least able to follow from beginning to in with a little interest, although that may be too generous. On the back cover of this book, Lilian Jackson Braun states that it is the 25th in the series and asks if we should try for 26. My answer is an emphatic no. The series is tired, the magic is gone, please let's just end it before it gets any worse.
Rating: 
Summary: Very Dissapointing
Review: Having been a fan of Lillian Jackson Braun for as long as the "Cat Who" series have been out, I am disappointed with this latest book. The whole book seems to be about accumulating material for Qwilleran's Short and Long Tails. Koko and Yum Yum no longer play important roles and have been banished to acting like cats instead of the intelligent cat Koko used to be. I am beginning to wonder if someone other than Lillian Jackson Braun is writing these books. Please, more Koko, less Qwilleran and Polly.
Rating:
Summary: Accepting the Inevitable
Review: I felt sad reading this book. I've realized that the days of Qwill and Koko actively participating in the solution of a murder mystery are over. I will continue to read any "Cat Who" books that may be published in the future, but I feel as though I'm watching a dear, old friend approach the end of his life. I thought Braun's question on the book jacket, "Shall we try for twenty-six [books in the series]?" was poignant. It's as if she's asking her readers if she should continue the series, seeking either encouragement to keep writing the books or permission to stop. Braun is now in her eighties and has low vision. Moreover, she wrote 21 of the 25 novels during the past 18 years. It's inevitable that time, age, and the sheer amount of physical and mental effort that such production requires will take their toll. I've adjusted my expectations of the books to fit this reality.
Rating:
Summary: Once again...for fans only
Review: I first bumped into Qwill and Koko when I was in junior high and I have read the entire series. The last three books, "...smelled a rat," "...up a creek," and "...brought down the house" could be combined into one volume and have the satisfaction of any of the first four in the series.
I have the same reservations that the other reviewers have written before me. Now, Braun is famous for "red herrings," those threads that go no where, but this book had me constantly checking the page before to see if I missed a page or two somehow...it seems some of the storyline just falls off the page onto the floor. We even have seen this ending before in several of the books...I won't spoil it for dedicated readers, but there seems to a lack of Koko and Qwill throughout the book.
I love these characters and all the subplots. I love the meals, the drinks, the oddities of the neighborhood. Yes, I will buy and read the 26th edition, but I honestly hope SOMETHING HAPPENS! Polly buys the bookstore; the K fund runs out (please!), a real murder mystery again...Koko doing more than pushing books.
Everytime I read one of the recent works, I find myself pulling the original four off the shelves again and getting myself back to the roots.
If the 26th is the final episode, let's hope to find the desperation of Qwill that I like to see when he worries about the cats in danger...or a real mystery that isn't obvious after meeting the murderer the first time. Yes, I enjoyed the book...like you enjoy a family reunion, but for mystery fans, you should go to the first four in the series.
Rating: 
Summary: Uh huh sure?!
Review: I got this book thinking it was a mystery. The only mystery was how the author has gotten 25 books published! It seems like a Yuppie's dream come true - a detailed account of everything the protagonist eats in snooty restaurants.
Except for a few minimal attempts at hinting that something is amiss, there is no plot that I can find (another mystery!). The crimes are basically described and solved by someone else in the last forty pages of the book.
Don't waste your money!
Rating:
Summary: Are Qwill and KoKo quite up to scratch?
Review: I have been a fervent admirer of Ms Brauns' detective pair since I read the first book many years ago and then read every one of them. I still enjoy them although this one seems a little rushed towards the end. Nevertheless, this is still an enjoyable read. When an ex-resident (Thelma Thackeray) of Pickaxe returns after pursuing a career in Hollywood she buys up the old opera house and refurbishes it, keeping her plans for its purpose secret. Her beloved twin brother's death is shrouded in mystery although it has been cited as an accident. Qwill's famous moustache tells him this and that her nephew Dick may not be all that he seems when he ingratiates himself with his aunt on her return, KoKo joins in with this theory giving clues by knocking books off shelves. The house is 'brought down' by KoKo having one of his cat fits during the KitKat Revue (at the Opera House) which Qwill has been inveigled into by Hixie Rice for another of her ill-fated schemes. On top of all this Polly is unhappy about her future at the library, saying that 'Libraries don't appear to be about books anymore'. But Qwill has a cunning plan to kill two birds with one stone and Polly is surprised and delighted with his suggestion. Thelmas' homecoming is marred by kidnap threats to her Amazonian parrots and her jewellery but our intrepid pair (with encouragement from Yum Yum) get to the bottom of all the mysteries and everything gets sorted out in the end.As usual, the book is punctuated with various gastronomical delights for Qwill and his friends. There are sufficient 'trailers' to lead to another book so, keep at it, Ms Braun.
| 
