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Summary: Qwill is back, and so is Braun!
Review: I LOVE Qwilleran and the cats! And this time Braun is back in her earlier, feisty form. There's lots of fun here. We're right back in Pickax City in the midst of some odd festivities -- are there any other kind in Braun's world? This story has seasonal interest and quirky characters, and it reveals some surprises -- both in the mystery at hand and in Qwill's personal life. Koko, of course, is brilliant, as usual. Nicely done, Lilian!
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Summary: Disappointed...
Review: again!No, I am fully aware that she is no Agatha Christie. And that's not the point of why I read her books. I just love the characters (but not Polly! Can't she just disappear?) and of course the antics of Yum Yum and Koko. But as of late, everything that's endearing about the series have been lacking. Is Braun actually indisposed and a greedy relative is ghost writing just to rake in the bucks?
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Summary: A good book in a seres great books
Review: If you are fan of Koko,Yum Yum and Quillern then You'll enjoy this book. I've read almost all of Lilian Jackson Braun books and can't wait to deviour a new one. I like how she makes her charectors come alive. my favorite part is how it takes a cat to solve the mysteries.
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Summary: The best cat/mystery series around!!
Review: This has to be my favorite of all the cat/mystery series. This one was another excellent addition. I am thoroughly enjoying the development of the main characters through each book. I've read them all and so should you! Great for light reading. The special plus for me in these books is the refreshing lack of fowl language or situations. Kudos to the author for taking the road less traveled in today's market.
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Summary: The Cat Who... books have lost the sparkle
Review: I have read the entire series of Cat Who books several times, and I find it difficult to believe this one was even written by Braun. The characters are wooden, the familiar details of Qwilleran's day-to-day life are missing, and the plot is nearly non-existent. What happened to all our favorite characters? I will not be pre-ordering the next book in the series. This one was too disappointing.
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Summary: Amiable, Cat-Centered, Small-Town Socializing
Review: Although this book purports to be a mystery, I find it hard to give credit to the notion that there is a mystery here. Actually, it is a novel of manners built around small-town parties, cat-loving, and modest speculations about special mental abilities for one of the cats, Koko. The book relies so heavily on foreshadowing every event, that it is hard to imagine a reader being taken by surprise by anything here. Any mystery that a reader might perceive quickly evaporates within a few paragraphs or pages. I normally would not read a book about this subject, but perhaps if I had read the prior 22 novels I would want to read this one for continuity. The book opens with the town's hotel about to be relaunched with a new name after its bombing the prior year. A centerpiece of this period is one of the sometimes visits of Mr. Delachamp, a jeweler who favors expensive pieces and buys and sells for cash. As usual, he is accompanied by a young "niece" who assists him. Local columnist Qwilleran (Qwill) wants to know more. He spends a boring afternoon pretending to be a security guard, and only learns that the women in town have some pretty silly hats. Soon, Koko awakens Qwill in the middle of the night, and the time matches that of a horrendous crime. The rest of the novel exposes the background of those involved in the crime, and provides an unexpected look into Qwill's life through some letters his mother wrote before and just after he was born. The book's charm mostly comes in informing you about obscure items such as mechanical safes, Scottish games, and old perfume bottles. The book's originality comes in the acts that Koko takes to foreshadow the plot's development. These are quite imaginative, and supersede the human drama by a wide margin. Without these interesting clues, the book would be a one or two star effort at best. The character development of Qwilleran is pretty well done, but many aspects are still kept hidden. All I can assume is that Ms. Braun plans to have many more sequels and wants to hold back a bit for those. After you read this book, think about what your life would be like if you could anticipate the future. How would that change what you would do? How would it change your enjoyment of life? Stay connected to everyone and everything around you!
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Summary: Worth reading for "Cat Who" fans, otherwise, skip it
Review: I think I've read all the "Cat Who" books, and although this one was better than the previous one, these books seem to have lost their charm -- the characters have become wooden and predictable. Still, these books are such short, easy reads, it is worth it for longtime fans to keep current on the characters. I am hoping that the introduction of Qwill's mother's past might provide fodder for a more interesting Qwill.
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Summary: The Cat Who Robbed the Bank
Review: This is an addendum to my previous review of March 26, 2001. Was the "Cat" who robbed the bank really Qwill's father? It is not clear at all where this title comes from? I am convinced that Qwill is the only MYSTERY, the theme that connects the complete series. Who is this man? Why did he come to Pickax, a community of 3,000 400 miles north of anywhere? The K Foundation could have been administered long distance. He states that the inherited wealth has no meaning to him, in fact he is uncomfortable with it. The extreme wealth, and its concomitant expectations are incongruant with Qwill's core being. However he is enjoying the "High Life" it provides. Why didn't Qwill, with his extensive investigative abilities, follow up on his idea of locating his maternal grandparents after finding out who they were and what city they had lived in? His grandfather, being a "public" person, insurance agent, could have been readily found, if Qwill desired. What happened to Qwill's marriage? It is not enough for him to say marriage was not his "cup of tea," or something to that effect. Were there children? How many? Where are they? His being a tee totaler in the constant presence of alcohol indicates he, perhaps, at one time had gone through some kind of therapy program. If so, his marriage and career must have been affected. All the crimes are sidetracks, to keep from revealing the real Qwill. When he was reading his mother's letters, I thought sure Qwill would be unveiled necessitating an end to the series of The Cat Who books. However, his abrupt, impulsive, burning of the letters indicates there are more, if only one more, to come to completely solve the MYSTERY of Merlin (King Arthur and his Court) James Qwilleran.
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Summary: Unfinished--dangling ending
Review: I now own 16 of The Cat Who series. I was very disappointed with the lack of unity, continuity and having an unfinished ending. Also, I was disappointed when Qwill burned his mother's letters to her friend. I would have loved to have found out how it came about that he inherited Fanny's wealth. It is not enough for me for Qwill to say that the reason was that "I kept writting my Aunt to keep her informed of the events in my life after my mother died." There MUST be other reasons he did not care to "investigate." I suspect there is a dark side to Qwill and wonder why he has become a tee totaler in the presence of so much alcohol. I am intrigued by a small touch of "emotional" response from Qwill when he learned an antiquarian book dealer had moved into The Willows near Polly. The book dealer had given Polly a very attractive scarf from the Boston Museum of Art with oriental letters: three H's meaning Health, Harmony and Happiness which was drawing high praise from her friends in Qwill's presence. This indicates to me that he is not as emotionally "detached" as he thinks he is. I have deep sympathy for John (Boze) Campbell's mother considering that fact that she apparantly had been abused by the jewelry dealer some 20 years earlier. I believe the there is no real mystery in none but a few of the series. The characters are only vehicles to expose the writer's broad social exposure, which of course is Mrs. Braun's 29 year expierence in role of social editor at the Detroit paper.
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Summary: A Great Book!
Review: I really liked this book. I have read all but 2 or 3 of the books in this series, and I love them all! I have to admit, though, this book is not as good as earlier ones. The earliest were written in the 1960's and Braun is still writing, which surprises me. Her books were all equally 5 stars good. I would call this 5 stars, probably: it is only 4 stars compared to the others, as is "The Cat Who Saw Stars". The others are, to me, 6 stars! Don't judge the rest of the series by this book! The others are better! But this book is still good!
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