Rating: 
Summary: In which Qwilleran. . .
Review: . . .is taken off the Art beat, and assigned to the task of edition a color supplement for the "Daily Fluxion". The subject? Decorating!In this tightly written mystery, Qwilleran, with the help of Koko the brilliant Siamese cat, solves the mystery of two murders and the apparent theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in collectible jade. By the end, he also acquires a second cat, the delightful female Siamese Yum Yum. One of the better of the series and a good rainy day read.
Rating:
Summary: In which Qwilleran. . .
Review: . . .is taken off the Art beat, and assigned to the task of edition a color supplement for the "Daily Fluxion". The subject? Decorating! In this tightly written mystery, Qwilleran, with the help of Koko the brilliant Siamese cat, solves the mystery of two murders and the apparent theft of hundreds of thousands of dollars in collectible jade. By the end, he also acquires a second cat, the delightful female Siamese Yum Yum. One of the better of the series and a good rainy day read.
Rating: 
Summary: When Qwill and Koko met Yum-Yum
Review: As the second book of this popular series opens Qwill is trying to work up the nerve to ask for a different writing assignment. The former crime reporter has spent the past six months, since The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, covering the art scene and is anxious to get back to something more in keeping with his background. His assignment is changed but to writing features for the new weekly supplement on interior design. Since he cannot afford to quit he gamely decides to tackle the project. Within a short period of time he is immersed into a new world filled with characters every bit as strange and colorful as the arts crowd he has just left. Life seems to be looking up for Qwill, the writing assignment is going well and one of his new friends asks Qwill and Koko to housesit his apartment while he is away on business. After the new magazine hits the stands problems begin, thefts and bodies begin to pile up. Pointed in the right direction by Koko's hints Qwill solves the mysteries. Along the way both Koko and Qwill acquire new ladies in their lives, Koko has found his Yum-Yum and Qwill begins a romance with 'Cokey' Wright, a designer who shares is taste for modern decor. This mystery was originally published in 1967 but has worn well. The fans of this series need to be aware that this is not set in Moose County but instead covers Qwill earlier life in the Big City 'down below'. The characters that Qwill meets are, however, every bit as charming and quirky as those in Moose County, and like those in the later books do seem to turn up in subsequent novels. Unlike the later additions to this series the emphasis is more on murder and less on cozy although there is no profanitiy, graphic violence or explicit sex.
Rating:
Summary: Koko Eats the Evidence.
Review: In this, the second in 'The Cat Who...' series, Lilian Braun draws us further into the zany world of reporter Jim Qwilleran and his fearless sidekick, Koko the Siamese cat. Jim is quite upset when the managing editor of the Daily Fluxion pulls him off his job as art writer and assigns him the special task of bringing out a weekly home decorating guide. While leading the 'Gracious Abodes' effort is a step up, it's not a step to what Qwill really wants to do - return to crime reporting. Fortunately, Qwill connects with decorator David Lyke who manages to get Qwill and photographer Odd Bunsen into the Muggy Swamp mansion of G. Verning Tait, who has a fabulous jade collection. But Qwill's efforts seem ill-fated when, no sooner was the weekly out in print, but the Tait mansion was broken into, and the jade collection stolen. Paolo, the missing house boy is blamed, but Qwill's moustache keeps twitching, making him suspect that the theft was something else entirely. Each issue of 'Gracious Abodes' seems similarly cursed. The robbery first, then Quill's subject for the second issue turns out to be a house of ill repute, and finally David Lyke is murdered. If Qwill hadn't become involved with Cokey, an attractive designer with an unusual approach to clothing, he would had quickly have become depressed. But he struggles on, despite the rising paranoia of his managing editor, trying to convince someone that something even fishier than theft and murder is going on. Koko in the meantime is showing some strange behaviors. He seems to be irritated at Cokey, and has taken to eating Qwill's few wool ties. Perplexed, Qwill is driven to visit a 'psycatatrist,' who provides explanations even stranger than Koko's behavior. As you might expect, Koko has already solved the crime and is having trouble getting the message through to Qwilleran. Will the mystery be solved? Will Qwill read the message hidden in the hairballs? This is the mystery. And will Koko recover from meeting his future roommate, Princess Yum Yum? Whatever the resolution, the reader can count on more cat hijinks in Lilian Braun's whimsical, enjoyable style.
Rating:
Summary: 2nd in the Cat Who series
Review: Qwilleran, the middle-aged editor, is assigned to a new upscale decorating magazine called "Gracious Abodes" in this 2nd in the series of "Cat Who" books. Qwilleran relunctantly takes his new assignment and struggles to make it a success. Unfortuately, he stumbles into several crime scenes that are linked to the magazine's publication and they threaten his job security. He does not give up, but tries to solve the murders. With the assistance of his Siamese cat Koko, he is able to piece together the puzzle to solve the mystery! Great light-reading book for mystery and cat lovers. Koko comes to life on the pages and you can't put it down!
Rating:
Summary: A fast, fun read
Review: The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern caught my attention first, over many others in this series, because of the title. I couldn't figure out what it could possibly mean, and that intrigued me.
I finished this book in one sitting, in only a couple hours, and immediately began to search for the next in line.
This was a very good book; moving along at a pace that kept you interested in the story. The characters had a certain, less-than-deeply-developed charm, and Koko was a wonderful example of the kings of the animal kingdom, the cat.
I loved getting a look into the newspaper world, and into the world of interior design, all set many years before I was even born. And, although I did find myself chuckling a few times at the world created in the Cat Who mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.
There were only a few things I had trouble with. One, some characters that were introduced briefly in the beginning, ones that turned out to be important later, well, by the time we got back to them I couldn't remember anything about them. Basically, I found the characters that did not repeat from book to book to be very forgetable, and often times dull.
Two, the plot was rather predictable. Maybe it was just me, but I didn't have any trouble piecing together this mystery.
And three, this book was too short! I was so disappointed when I finished it in under two hours. But, there are many more in the series, and I'm sure that I will enjoy them all as much as I enjoyed this one.
So, I would definitly recommend this one as a quick, fun read.
Rating:
Summary: A fast, fun read
Review: The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern caught my attention first, over many others in this series, because of the title. I couldn't figure out what it could possibly mean, and that intrigued me.
I finished this book in one sitting, in only a couple hours, and immediately began to search for the next in line.
This was a very good book; moving along at a pace that kept you interested in the story. The characters had a certain, less-than-deeply-developed charm, and Koko was a wonderful example of the kings of the animal kingdom, the cat.
I loved getting a look into the newspaper world, and into the world of interior design, all set many years before I was even born. And, although I did find myself chuckling a few times at the world created in the Cat Who mysteries, I thoroughly enjoyed my visit.
There were only a few things I had trouble with. One, some characters that were introduced briefly in the beginning, ones that turned out to be important later, well, by the time we got back to them I couldn't remember anything about them. Basically, I found the characters that did not repeat from book to book to be very forgetable, and often times dull.
Two, the plot was rather predictable. Maybe it was just me, but I didn't have any trouble piecing together this mystery.
And three, this book was too short! I was so disappointed when I finished it in under two hours. But, there are many more in the series, and I'm sure that I will enjoy them all as much as I enjoyed this one.
So, I would definitly recommend this one as a quick, fun read.
Rating:
Summary: Light and easy without being dumb.
Review: This has all the best of good story-telling. It moves along swiftly, doesn't condescend, all while instantly immersing the reader in the world of Jim Qwilleran. Our hero is a recovering alcoholic who manages not to define himself by that fact. He is a working man who has the troubles any of us might understand, like having to do a job we don't like if we want to pay our bills. He is divorced and a little bitter without being consumed by it. He is interested in women, and not ready to commit. He is surprised, himself, by how much he has come to care for his cat, and enough of a regular and believable American man to be a little discreet about it.
I enjoyed the escape this book provided immensely, and that is what good story telling should do, isn't it, allow you to slip away into another world from which you may emerge feeling like you had a mini-vacation?
Rating:
Summary: Great bed-time mystery...
Review: This is a pleasant, well-written book that is interesting enough to keep you reading without being such a pageturner that you're up all night finishing it. It reads quickly because of the writing style and the characters are engaging and interesting -- particularly the cats, KoKo and YumYum. Given how long ago this book was written (it's the second in a long series), it has held up very well. The "detective" is newspaper journalist Qwilleran, who has been given the unwelcome task of editing a weekly "magazine" section centered around interior design and showcase homes. Through this, he enters the world of interior designers and some of their wealthy customers. The day after the first issue of the magazine hits the stands, the homeowner whose home was featured is burglarized, losing a very valuable jade collection and a wife. Each attempt to photograph a designer home seems to be equally jinxed, and Qwilleran decides he must solve the first burglary to save the magazine (he has decided he likes his new assignment). With the help of his astonishingly intelligent Siamese cat Ko-Ko, he eventually solves all of the crimes that have taken place in the homes he has showcased in his magazine. The elapse of thirty plus years since this book was first published have made this book seem perhaps like a little time capsule of life in the late 60s, and there is a certain leisureliness and gentleness about the book. This is not a suspense thriller, and I didn't finding myself caring all that much who did it, but rather enjoyed spending time with Qwilleran, his cats, and his friends.
Rating:
Summary: It's Grrrreat!
Review: This is another one of the early Cat Who...books so that means it was written in the 60's. All of Braun's early novels are excellent and so is this one. I love how Braun describes that decor of the apartments and the food and things like that. No other author has got that technique down as well as Braun. This book introduces the third member of the Qwilleran family Yum-Yum. A female feline to keep Qwill and Koko in line. She doesn't have Koko's sleuth powers but she is special none theless.
|
