Product Description

Qwill and the cats-Koko and Yum Yum-are at the Nutcracker Inn in Black Creek when a drowned guest puts a damper on their stay. And if they don't solve the murder soon, they're going to be up the creek without a paddle...

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #141538 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780515134384
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
In Braun's 24th Cat Who... mystery (after 2001's The Cat Who Smelled a Rat), journalist James Mackintosh "Qwill" Qwilleran ("the richest man in the northeast central United States") and his two Siamese cats, Kao K'o Kung ("Koko") and Yum Yum, find themselves in the thick of another light and lively murder investigation in rural Moose County. When Lori Bamba, the new manager with her husband of the Nutcracker Inn in Black Creek, complains that the old place is haunted and making her feel gloomy, Qwill agrees to spend several nights with his cats at the converted Victorian mansion. Koko's noise gets them moved from the turret room, where the cats like to watch squirrels, to a cabin recently vacated because its occupant was murdered. Koko stumbles on a clue to the murder, while Qwill locates the source of the inn's haunting. In the meantime, Qwill's need for material for his newspaper column prompts him to help promote many local activities: the production of a Gilbert and Sullivan opera, a historical re-enactment of a lumberjack's rowdy evening, the opening of an antiques fair and mall, the launching of a book of photographs of scenic Moose County, the adoption of a boy orphaned by a suicide and another murder. As usual, the various mysteries and their ultimate solutions matter a lot less than the smalltown doings of the author's irresistible characters, both human and feline. This gentle, entertaining tale is proof once again that Braun reigns supreme as the queen of the cat cozies. (Jan. 14)Forecast: A consistent bestseller, Braun should once again climb the charts with her winning combination of cats and crime.

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
Now on their 24th case, James Qwilleran and smart kitties Koko and Yum Yum find no peace at lovely Nutcracker Inn, where more than wild beasts are afoot.
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
The undisputed queen of the cat mystery subgenre, Braun returns with her twenty-fourth Cat Who novel, an irresistible yarn again featuring the inimitable journalist Jim "Qwill" Qwilleran and his savvy Siamese, Koko and Yum Yum. This time the prickly Qwill--still manifesting his moods through his glorious mustache, huffing into it when incensed, tapping it when intrigued--is left to his own devices after his librarian ladyfriend, Polly, goes on a trip. When innkeepers Nick and Lori Bamba invite Qwill to be their guests at the Nutcracker Inn in the tiny town of Black Creek, he eagerly accepts. Seeking fodder for his newspaper column, Qwill is always anxious to learn more about his adopted home of Moose County, "400 miles north of everywhere." The Nutcracker Inn has an especially colorful history, including a Hatfield-McCoy type feud between its original owner and another man. When a guest is found murdered, Qwill starts investigating--and receives the usual helping paw from clue-giving Koko. As in other entries in this long-running series, Braun weaves educational tidbits into the plot, this time about Gilbert and Sullivan musicals, dollhouse furniture, and wood spirits. Most enjoyable, however, are the moments when Qwill is alone with the cats--moments that have become increasingly rare as the series features more and more characters. Another tasty morsel sure to be devoured by Braun's fans, whiskered and otherwise. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Customer Reviews

die hard fans will be disappointed...
First let me say that I've read every book in this series several times, and have been a long time fan. There are people who will give these books 5 stars no matter what they contain. I will probably always follow the series but I'm not going to lie - this book is terrible. Why? Moose County has lost its soul.

For those who doubted that Lillian Jackson Braun was still writing the books, this installment holds the proof. The new author has not only abandoned several old locations (what ever happened to his cabin on the lake and places like Tipsy's?) and key points (gone are descriptions about Qwill's mustache, his "Squunk" water habit, his gruffness, and the cats' overall intelligence), s/he uses a bizarre grammatical style full of exclamation points and "...". Also, Polly suddenly has another sister that she immediately goes off to visit when the book begins and several returning characters are shadows of their old selves.

If you are the type that reads the books for their familiarity, you will not enjoy this. It's a good mystery, not a bad book overall, but there's no way this was written by the same author who lovingly crafted the series about 10 years ago. I wish they'd just fess up about the ghost authors (I'm thinking this is the third or fourth) instead of trying desperately to hold on to a profitable series. OR, they could call one of Jackson Braun's legions of fans, who know Pickax, the Apple Barn, the cats, and the characters like their own families, to continue the series as it deserves to be written.

People not familiar with the series will probably enjoy this book. It's not badly written, contains good descriptive elements, and has a mystery at its heart. Those somewhat familiar with the series will probably enjoy the return to Moose County and have no problems with it. But people who have read the series several times and are really interested in the inhabitants of Pickax and the surrounding towns will be sadly disappointed. It's hard not to notice missing details and the absence of favorite people when you've spent so much time with them.

Not the best in the series, but still fun for the fans
I don't remember how I got involved in "The Cat Who..." series, but "The Cat Who Went up the Creek" provides more fun for those of us who find Koko, Yum Yum and Qwill part of our family. You won't find autopsy reports in these books, nor well developed murder plots, like a Kinsey Milhone mystery. But, I always learn something new, like doll making, the antique business, the sport of curling, taxidermy, and other arts, and enjoy the company of Qwill and his friends at a variety of cafes and eateries.

I'm a fan, so take my review with that in mind. New readers to the Braun series are usually warned to start with the original three (...read backwards, ...Danish Modern, ...on and off) which breaks the basic commandment, as I understand it, of reviewing: You review the book that you are reviewing. But, with Braun's series there are several fully populated towns and cities, a wealth of side characters and a host of animals to keep track of in each book.

I find I have to read books from this series in one sitting (if possible) and then go back and read the book or two before...but, that is never a chore. These are easy reading mysteries...albeit some real tough vocabulary words tossed in each text...and can be read painlessly on a typical airplane trip.

So, I certainly would recommend this book to fans; newcombers might want to hit the library and start with the original books. Like Brother Cadfael books, the atmosphere of Moose County takes a few chapters to understand the geography and population. "The Cat Who Went up the Creek" assumes much for the reader concerning these issues.

Fans: enjoy this book and, like me, look forward to the next chapter.

"Days of Moose County Lives"
When I learned of Mrs. Braun's upcoming word, "The Can't Who Went Up the Creek," I waited with tepid anticipation. Her more recent offerings hadn't been what I had come to expect from the series and I hoped that perhaps things would pick up and the series would return to its previous quality. Unfortunately, I was disappointed...

In the past, Lilian Jackson Braun's works have been an excellent mixture of mystery, suspense, and storytelling. In recent "Cat Who" history though, and especially in this work, there's a couple of elements missing: the mystery and suspense! Instead, it reads more like one big story with some elements about a murder mixed in. Although it was a mildly interesting little story, there was really no suspense factor that would keep me wanting to read the book over some other book I might happen to have with me at the time. Some of the best things from past works are missing, such as Qwilleran actively working to stop murder plots, Koko and Yum Yum being a more significant portion of the story, and Celia Robinson- Agent 0013 1/2 being written once and forever written out of the series. On the positive side, one character is for the most part missing: Polly.

If you're just starting out on the series, or you haven't yet read all of the "Cat Who" books, don't read this one first. If you are a loyal fan, and can't abide by missing out on her this newest book, then try getting a copy of this from library first before deciding whether to buy. You may found you made a wise decision.

With this latest offering, Lilian Jackson Braun is not only up the creek, she's jumped the shark.