Product Description

The merry atmosphere in Pickax is dampened by the death of an out-of-town actor and the theft of a rare book. Qwill finds himself distracted from the events by his finicky pal Koko, who's been acting more fishy than feline. Has Koko gone bananas, or is he trying to let the cat out of the bag to solve the dual mysteries?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #32112 in Books
• Published on: 2005-12-27
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 304 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Bestseller Braun's formulaic 27th Cat Who... mystery (after 2004's The Cat Who Talked Turkey) lacks the charm of earlier adventures starring Siamese sleuths Koko and Yum Yum. In Pickax City, "400 miles north of everywhere," Jim Qwilleran, the semiretired gentleman columnist for the Moose County Something, is content to court longtime gal pal Polly Duncan while overseeing his philanthropic Klingenschoen Fund, which is bankrolling the Pirate's Chest, a new bookstore built to replace an old landmark. The arrival of talented thespian Alden Wade, a handsome widower who's to play Jack Worthing in a local production of The Importance of Being Earnest, threatens to enliven the proceedings and add tension to Qwill and Polly's peculiar, passionless relationship, until Alden's sudden marriage to the local Hibbard House heiress. Preparations for the Wilde play's opening and references to the Hibbard House history that Qwill is writing don't have much to do with the unsolved murder of Alden's first wife via a sniper's bullet. Once noted for its fine style, great characterizations and clever cat crime-solving, this cozy series has become a shadow of its former self.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
After 25 Cat Who adventures, do the plots matter anymore? Not really. In fact, compelling plots have never been the hallmark of this series. What keeps readers flocking back to Braun's books is her stellar cast of characters, led by the magnanimous Jim Qwilleran, former big-city journalist relocated to Moose County, and his feline partners, Koko and Yum Yum. This time Qwill's lady friend, Polly, has left her library job to open a bookstore, and her busy schedule is putting a severe crimp in the couple's social life. A handsome newcomer, Alden Wade, has come to town and is working for Polly, causing Qwill to do some jealous huffing into his glorious moustache. When Alden marries a well-off older lady, the locals suspect fortune hunting. Some of the mystery is never resolved, but it hardly matters. Faithful Braun readers feel right at home in Moose County, and its citizens--furry and otherwise--are just like family. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
"A master of mystery who knows exactly when to let the cat out of the bag."
-- People (People Weekly )

Customer Reviews

If felt tighter but still lacked substance
I didn't feel that this book rambled on nearly so much as the last couple which just seemed to go on and on without going anywhere, and was actually relatively happy until the end which I found completely disappointing. I am ready for Qwill to finger a baddy again. It seems like it's been a while.

I agree with an earlier reviewer don't tease me about Celia. I think she's my favorite chraracter and we never hear from her anymore. And don't tease me about Polly and Qwill splitting up. Violet sounded great for Qwill. I was hoping we were finally going to get the end of the Queen of the Boring People, but alas no, on for one more :(.

What happened to the ending?
I have read or listened to everyone of The Cat Who series and loved all the rest. This has the same formula with the clues from Koko and Quill's mustache moving the plot and building anticipation but then it ends with all the questions unanswered!
A terrible ending!

The worst mystery I ever read!
I have read every book Lilian Jackson Braun ever wrote and enjoyed most of them. Yes the plots were always lame and the endings stupid, but I enjoyed the characters and at least the previous books HAD endings. In my life I imagine I've read thousands of mystery novels. In fact I am a professional writer myself. This was by far the worst I have EVER read and in fact I want my money back from the publisher! How dare the publisher put out a book that is unfinished! The mystery is never resolved! This book violates the basic compact between mystery writer and reader: I will write a book with plot twists and turns and you can try to figure them out and then I will reveal the answers to you. This book simply stops dead, as if the author suddenly got tired of writing it or died or something and then they decided to publish it anyway. I am incensed at the waste of my time and money. Shame on you, author and shame on you publishing house for putting it out! This is the LAST "Cat Who" book I will ever read.