J. E. Stephens 2008-09-16

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

It is late fall in Pickax and everyone is waiting for the first big snow. There are a lot of wildfires threatening the shafthouses of the former mines surrounding the town. Qwill suspects arson.

After two deaths that Qwill and Koko are convinced are murders, the truth comes to light. Koko was tring to tell Qwill all along what was really going on. Hindsight is 20/20 in Pickax as well as everywhere else.

I loved this installment of "The Cat Who Series."

Dennis Phillips 2008-06-10

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

Whenever the stress of daily life begins to get to me I head for the bookshelf and pull down the next volume of this wonderful series because I know that I can find contentment and relative quiet in Moose County. Sure there is an occasional murder but it is seldom one of the major characters that I have become so attached to and even in this volume where one of my favorite townspeople dies I still found that a visit to Pickax did my heart good.

As with most of the books in this series the mystery itself plays a decidedly secondary role in this story from 400 miles north of everywhere. The major news in Pickax involves the weather, which is terribly dry and brush fires are flaring up on a regular basis threatening not only the countryside but also the county's treasured shaft houses left over from the area's glory days as a mining community. In other news, the XYZ Corporation, which has played a consistent role in this series since Qwilleran and the cats moved to Moose County has broken up and Amanda Goodwinter is challenging the incumbent mayor in the upcoming election. With all of this going on the ever-inquisitive Qwilleran has his hands full even before the death of a local merchant and Koko's immediate efforts to tell the former journalist something. As usual the meaning of the cat's antics escapes him but Koko keeps on trying.

Some of my favorite characters are featured in this story and that made this entry in the series all the more fun. Derek Cuttlebrink sings a brand new campaign song for Amanda's campaign, Maggie Sprenkle hosts a dinner for Qwilleran and his friend Polly, Homer Tibbitt sleeps through some dull ceremonies and Wetherby Goode finds a girlfriend. The characters are what really drives these books and they do so in grand style in this episode. Sadly, one of the Pickax City regulars leaves us in this installment but in spite of the loss this is still another winner from this series.

To be sure this is a light and fluffy book in a light and fluffy series but like most of its predecessors it is great fun. The writing is done so well that one can easily picture Pickax and all of Moose County as well as the characters that inhabit it. It is also important to note that the characters are consistent and tend to always remain in character without the sudden personality changes that sometimes plague other cozy series. Finally, after another great adventure in Moose County, Qwilleran and the reader figure out what is going on and as usual Koko gives us all that "I tried to tell you" look.

Some of the recent books in this series have fallen off a bit but not this one. The author of this book is in top form and serves up another wonderful visit with Qwilleran, the cats and their Moose County pals. I would sit down and read the series through but then I wouldn't have any more adventures to look forward to.

Mystery Writer 2008-02-18

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

I have read all the Cat books with the exception of the newest one due out in April. The last few books must have been written by someone other than Ms Braun. The characters, including our hero Qwill, in the last book, are out of their characters. In "The Cat who Had 60 Whiskers" Polly takes a job in Europe, no farewell to anyone. When Qwilleran's beloved Applebarn home burns to the ground he doesn't even go to the house to see the damage. His persona is that of the newshound who wants to know why things happened, but he doesn't go to his own home? I was very disappointed in that book, especially. Through the years I have bought all the books. I'm not sure I want the next book.

Mystery Writer

L Smith 2006-09-15

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

In the 23rd book in the Cat Who mystery series, James Qwilleran aka "Qwill", has settled into his winter condo in Pickaxe City (400 miles north of everywhere) and is awaiting "the big one", or first large snowfall of the season. He has moved his two beautiful Siamese cats (KoKo and Yum Yum) into the condo, and starts the book with some redecorating to make his place more comfortable.

The county is in a drought, and everyone is counting on the first big blizzard of the season to stop the threat of forest fires in the area. The citizens form a patrol to watch for the fires that can sometimes smolder undetected in the old shaft houses for years. Everything is going well until one of the members of the volunteer patrols is shot after catching an arsonist at work trying to destroy one of the historic shaft houses. Another murder occurs, this time of a prominent local businessman, Qwill begins to suspect that the two cases are somehow strangely connected. He starts to poke around, and cracks the case with the help of his two irrepressible felines, KoKo and Yum Yum.

This is my favorite cozy mystery series! I had read all of the books in the past, and wanted to read them again for a second time. This time around, I have chosen to listen to them on CD, as I love the voice of George Guidall. This is probably one of my favorite installments in the series, even though I love them all. The characters and the setting of the small towns in Moose County are what keep drawing many readers back...so if you are looking for a hardcore thriller, this would not be the series for you. However, if you are a fan of small town cozies, give this series a try. You might just find that you have become an avid "Cat Who" fan before the book is even finished.

This is a great series by my favorite author!

The first book in the series is called "The Cat who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!

Miss Ivonne 2006-06-22

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

I've just reread "The Cat Who Smelled a Rat." In it, Jim Qwilleran is still in fine mettle. This mystery, No. 23 in the "Cat Who" series, is the last one most fans will enjoy. In this book, Qwill still remembers small details from previous novels. He's still interested in the mysteries around him, and he does some active snooping around. He's still a bit of the Lothario despite himself. And he still has faith in Koko's awesome powers.

Starting with the next book, the mystery gets solved almost by accident. Qwill becomes a parody of himself, and the novels start to get worse and worse. Eventually, the books begin to get facts wrong and characters begin to act, well, out of character or just inexplicably drop out of sight. (The latter must be hard to do in a small town 400 miles north of anywhere.) Whether Lilian Jackson Braun, now approaching 90, has lost her touch, or whether they're being ghost-written, I leave to you to judge. But the books become just dreadful.

I recommend that readers go out on a high note and stop after No. 23. It's been a good run.