The Cat Who Smelled a Rat
by Lilian Jackson Braun
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Book Summary Information
Author: Lilian Jackson BraunEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-01-08
ISBN: 0515132268
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Jove
Book Reviews of The Cat Who Smelled a Rat
Book Review: Amanda for Mayor!
Summary: 5 Stars
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.
Summary of The Cat Who Smelled a Rat
Meet prizewinning reporter Jim Qwilleran and his extraordinary Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum?the most unlikely, most unusual, most delightful team in detective fiction!
The way Jim Qwilleran sees it, there?s nothing worse than being left high and dry. But that?s exactly where he?s been ever since a record-breaking drought hit Moose County. He?s bedraggled. Beleaguered. And, following a rash of fires at local historic minesites, deeply bewildered. Some blame the blazes on bad weather conditions, but Qwill?s thinking arson. And when a mysterious explosion is followed by a blood-chilling murder, he starts seriously praying for snow?and answers. Good thing Koko can smell trouble a mile away?
Moose County journalist and philanthropist James Qwilleran, better known to fans of Lilian Jackson Braun's evergreen series of feline-inspired thrillers as the owner of a couple of remarkably prescient Siamese cats named Koko and Yum Yum, is comfortably ensconced in his winter residence in Pickax at the beginning of The Cat Who Smelled a Rat. But he and the other citizens start hoping for snow when a series of arson fires threaten their safety as well as the historically significant shafthouses that sit atop the long-closed mine sites scattered throughout the county.
Qwilleran and his pets take quite a while to connect the fires with the death of a local builder in a seemingly unrelated accident. But his leisurely jaunt to the conclusion of this lightly plotted adventure leaves plenty of room for the author to do what she does best, which is sketching the picaresque characters who people Pickax and dwelling on the small-town charms of a place where everybody knows everything about everybody. The cats are quicker to solve a crime than the local constabulary. Only Koko could find the clues hidden in an antique pitcher and an old-fashioned glove box, and only a cat lover could consider this a mystery or even a romance. There's no suspense, very little drama, hardly any blood, and not even a hint of sex between Qwilleran and his lady. But Braun's fans are legion, so we know she must be doing something right. --Jane Adams
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