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Book Description

The good people of Moose County are in a fever of excitement. Not only is the gala groundbreaking for the new Pickax bookstore about to take place, but the town of Brrr is preparing to celebrate its bicentennial, and columnist James Qwilleran has been roped in to help with the festivities.

The groundbreaking, however, is marred by the discovery of a man's body nearby - on Qwill's own property, no less. Could it be the work of the killer who used the same MO in northern Michigan? And why does Qwill's sage Siamese, Koko, keep insisting that his human read him a book that Qwill can't stand? Then there's the sudden appearance of what seem to be wild turkeys, which haven't been present in Moose County for thirty years. Could Qwill be hallucinating?

Publisher Comments :

James Qwilleran and his famous felines, Koko and Yum Yum, are back for another mystery-solving stint in the beloved bestselling Cat Who... series. In Qwill's opinion, "A town without a bookstore is like a chicken with one leg," and since the late Eddington Smith's bookstore burned down, the town of Pickax has been somewhat off balance. To the rescue comes the Klingenschoen Foundation, manager of Qwill's estate, which considers a new bookstore a worthy investment. Delighted by their good fortune, the people of Moose County prepare to celebrate the gala groundbreaking of the store on the site of the old. But no one is prepared for the discovery of the body of a man shot execution style in a wooded area on the very same day. Now Qwill and his clever cats have their work cut out for them.

From Publishers Weekly

Like other recent books in Braun's best-selling series that began with The Cat Who Could Read Backwards (1966), this loosely plotted novel, the 26th to feature Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum and Moose County journalist Jim Qwilleran, isn't quite up to the standard of earlier entries, but it still provides plenty of escapist fun. The shooting death of a well-dressed gentleman in the woods on Qwill's property is nearly neglected in the fuss and excitement engendered by the neighboring town of Brrr's bicentennial. On the trail of a story for the celebration, Qwill interviews Edythe Carroll, a wealthy widow who has retired to Ittibittiwassee Estates from the magnificent mansion she plans to leave to her granddaughter, Lish (short for Alicia). Little does Edythe know that Lish and her boyfriend, Lush, have already trashed the place. After dozing off in his gazebo after a busy day, Qwill is startled awake by strange noises, including some coming from Koko. Enter an entire family of wild turkeys. If this all sounds like a bit of a ramble, it's quite in keeping with the story, which wanders pleasantly around Moose County, surveying its eccentric citizens as they go about their idiosyncratic business. In spite of two murders and a pair of villains, the tale is as cozy as an hour spent cuddling your favorite cat.

From Booklist

For fans of this series featuring Siamese cats Yum Yum and the clairvoyant Koko, there are no surprises in the twenty-sixth installment. The felines' owner, James "Qwill" Qwilleran, is just as rich and listener friendly as ever, his place of residence, Pickax, in Moose County, is still 400 miles north of anywhere else, and people are still murdered with astounding regularity, though Koko, who can sense a homicide a mile a way, is never surprised. Those who love the series appreciate Braun's attention to detail as she describes Pickax and the surrounding area, which while magnificently rural also boasts many fine dining establishments, places to buy the New York Times, and an abundance of cabs, as well as a limousine service. The citizenry, laconic, timidly happy, or in the case of Qwill's librarian lady friend, stupefyingly boring, would feel right at home in Lake Woebegone. The several murders committed here are really beside the point--in fact, except for the cat screeching you might miss them entirely. More attention is paid to Qwill's radio reenactment of the Great Blizzard of 1913 (the audience, of course, must pretend radio existed in 1913), which takes up a number of the book's pages. Loyal readers find the series' inconsistencies and idiosyncrasies charming, but even they, at times, must wish for less of Qwill and more of the cats.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　Ilene Cooper

From AudioFile

This is the twenty-sixth in the popular Cat Who series, featuring a psychic Siamese cat and a rustic but dapper newspaper columnist. In this latest story little attention is paid to the art of crime detection. No one cares about a couple of bodies in the woods. The real story is about opening a new bookstore, planning for a bicentennial, chasing wild turkeys, and producing a play about a devastating storm of 1913. What keeps the series popular are the local characters, the cats, and protagonist Quill, who is lively, wise, and funny. George Guidall does his usual superb job of bringing alive Quill, the good citizens of Mooseville, and even the cats. (His portrayal of Koko's yowls is worth listening for.) These episodes of life in the North have much of the same bucolic humor we enjoy in "The News from Lake Wobegon." D.L.G.

Download Description

It's almost time for the gala groundbreaking for the Pickax bookstore--and the town of Brrr is preparing for its bicentennial celebration. All the festivities, however, are spoiled by the discovery of a man's body on James Qwilleran's property. Could it be the work of the killer who used the same methods in northern Michigan? To solve the case, Qwill and his feline pals, Koko and Yum Yum, will have to prick up their ears and determine who committed this foul deed.

About Author

Lilian Jackson Braun is the author of twenty-six Cat Who . . . novels and three short-story collections.

Book Dimension :

length: (cm)22.4 　　　 　　　　　 　 width:(cm)14.7