Product Description

Veteran reporter Jim Qwilleran tackles the supernatural in the latest entry in Lilian Jackson Braun's Edgar Award-nominated series. Are ghosts really haunting the Goodwinter farmhouse museum? Qwill doesn't think so--not until he finds Iris Cobb literally scared to death on the floor of the farmhouse.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #78821 in Books
• Published on: 1990-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 288 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780515102659
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Jackson's 10th entry in the series featuring middle-aged, curmudgeonly reporter Jim Qwilleran pits the independently wealthy citizen of the remote town of Pickax City against malevolent spirits, of either this world or another. Iris Cobb, the resident-curator of the local historical museum, tells Qwill she's hearing ghosts; after she dies of what the coroner says is a heart attack, Qwill and his Siamese cats, Yum Yum and the psychic zany Koko, move in to find out what could have scared her to death. Unearthing old and well-kept secrets in Moose County family histories, Qwill also investigates some newcomers to the area, notably the museum's neighbors down the road at Fugtree Farm, and the deceased's son whose inheritance is considerable. Fans of earlier The Cat Who . . . stories may welcome Qwill's return along with other Pickax regulars such as librarian Polly Duncan and Arch Riker, editor of the weekly Moose County Something , but as a mystery, this busy, superficial and weakly plotted tale is as unsubstantial as any ghost and much less haunting. Mystery Guild selection; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternate.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Lilian Jackson Braun began writing her Cat Who... detective series when one of her own Siamese cats mysteriously fell to its death from her apartment block. She and her husband, Earl, live in the mountains of North Carolina.

Customer Reviews

Siamese Sleuths
This was the first Lilian Jackson Braun novel I have read. I loved it. I enjoyed reading about the cats and how smart Koko was. And how the cats knew the phone was going to ring 10 seconds before the phone rang.

Qwill is called in the middle of the night by his former landlady, Mrs. Cobb. She has been hearing strange noises and was scared. He leaves to investigate and finds her dead. Many strange things are happening at the museum, and Qwill decides to move in and find out what really happened to his friend.

Very enjoyable, this will not be my last Lilian Jackson Braun.

Goat Cheese Anyone?
Lilian Jackson Braun's tenth cat book starts off with the death of one of the most beloved long-time characters in the series. It is quite a testament to Braun's writing ability that I felt so saddened by this person's death and I was indeed quite upset. It is not clear early on if this death is a murder or a simple heart attack but as usual, Qwilleran is suspicious. Braun has the ability to make her readers feel as if they know the people of Moose County and have lived there for years and this is what is so endearing about this series. This story also starts out with Qwilleran telling the story in the first person which is a new twist and fortunately one that just sort of melts away early in the book.

As in previous stories the mystery is mostly a background for another tale of Moose County but this time there are only two deaths to deal with. Among the more memorable characters to wander in and out of this story are ninety-four year old Homer Tibbitt and his slightly younger girlfriend Rhoda, who refuses to get her hearing aide fixed. One of their conversations culminates with Homer yelling at Rhoda, "I said potties-not poppies!" This conversation sent me into fits of laughter and is typical of Braun's wonderful writing style.

Like all small rural communities, Moose County has it's secrets, one of which Qwilleran uncovers while puzzling over his friend's death. It turns out that one of the area's most famous incidents was all a fake and that at least one Moose County resident had lived long past his funeral. A secret that in the end will remain locked away in Qwilleran's mind and in the secret compartment of a Dingleberry desk.

As is the case in most of these books, Koko tries to give Qwilleran clues but time and again the former reporter looks over the hints. Once the mystery is solved however, Qwilleran realizes once again that his highly intelligent feline has had things figured out for quite some time. If only Qwilleran could warm up to his girlfriend's new cat, who he refers to as Bigfoot, as quickly as he warmed up to the goat farmer next door. This tenth trip into the wild and wonderful world of Jim Qwilleran is a journey well worth taking, even if there is more Moose than mystery.

An intriguing, easy-reading murder mystery
I have noticed Mrs. Braun's series of books on "The Cat Who..." in Amazon's catalog, book stores, grocery stores and libraries but only recently did I actually read one of her books. Then, I read another and another and another. Once you start folks, you can't stop. You can't wait to read another book with her main character, Jim Qwilleran, affectionately known as Qwill or "Q". (Frankly, it took a couple of books for me to get used to that name.)

Qwill is a reporter who always stumbles upon a mysterious murder and with the help of one of his two siamese cats, he finds enough clues to solve the mystery. You don't need to be a "cat" person to enjoy these easy-reading books. I think that's what held me back all these years. I like cats but I didn't want to read about cats solving crimes. Make no mistake, Qwill is the main character and the cats just enhance the plot.