Okay, but not wild about Koko, or Qwilleran and his psychic mustache, to be honest. That's okay, it was fun and entertaining. ( )

Former crime reporter Jim Qwilleran is ready to get off the art beat, though he doesn't expect to move on to interior design. But the work isn't boring, when the first subject of the newspaper's new interior design magazine is burglarized, and there's even a death involved. And it won't be the last death in the interior design world.

The first full adventure of Koko and Qwill has a lot of charm, as Qwill takes to cat ownership with aplomb. Koko's antics lead Qwill to question whether the cat is somehow psychic or it's all just a big coincidence. The interactions between man and cat are always my favorite thing about the books in this series. And now we have Yum Yum to add to the fun in future books.

The mystery itself was better done than the first book, in my opinion. I was more interested in it and felt I had a chance of solving it. I didn't, not really, but there was at least one crime I had pretty much figured out correctly.

In my review for the first book, I mentioned the male chauvinism, which is still present in this book, but not as heartily. Unless you count Odd Bunsen, a married father of six, who makes somewhat suggestive comments about other women all throughout this book. But hey, at least he only talks about looking, and nothing more...a distinction I'm sure his wife would appreciate.

Overall, it was a fun read, and I would recommend this book for fans of the classic whodunit & cozy mystery genres. ( )

I needed something to read that was a classic cozy mystery, so what better than The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern, published in 1967? There is a simplicity to the novel's era that defies words. The books tended to be more episodic; you could read the second book in a series without having to remember everything that happened in the first book. The part that wasn't simple was the solution to the mystery. While the author played fair, I didn't put all the clues together before Qwill.

This mystery involved jade, one of my favorite stones. Our intrepid reporter is assigned to cover the world of interior decorating in the local area. Of course, murder happens, and it is up to Qwill to solve it. I was fascinated by the storyline while being amused at the various names of colors used for decorating.

If you enjoy mysteries, this is a fun one. ( )

I'm re-reading the series in order. I read them out of order the first time and enjoyed them, but would like to see how it grows. They are quick reads, and I enjoyed this one in eBook format. ( )

Cute mystery featuring a reporter with a cat who helps him solve murders and other crimes. In this case, valuable jades are stolen after the reporter’s newspaper features the collection in an article. Later, an interior designer who helped select the household with jades for the reporter turns up dead.

Easy read. Light. It has a crime-solving cat. ( )

Character List

https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=Braun, Lilian Jackson
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cat_Who...

The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (The Cat Who... #2)

Jim Qwilleran - A 6' 2" journalist with a sexy mustache, who was a former crime investigator and is now in charge of Gracious Abodes, a magazine about interior decoration.

Koko - A very intelligent Siamese cat who owns Qwill and has a nose for crime investigation. He starts eating fabric off the furniture because of loneliness.

Yum Yum - A dainty, aloof Siamese cat who becomes Koko's companion after Qwill adopts her. She is very spoiled by Mrs. Tait. But George Tait kicks her out of the house after her death.

George Verning Tait - An enthusiast of white jade, who lives in Muddy Swamp. He had made a lot of bad business decisions and had ended up almost bankrupt. He is a famous womanizer and had a child with a servant. He dislikes cats and he hated the Daily Fluxion even more for not hushing up a scandal years ago. He suffers from ulcers and in the end, it is established that he hid the jades himself to get the insurance money and make the Daily Fluxion look bad.

Arch Riker - Editor of the Daily Fluxion. Childhood friend of Qwill. Married to his high school sweetheart, Rosie.

Signe Tait - Wife of George Tait. Loves her siamese. Wheelchair bound and frail for 20 years until her death. Has a temper. Aristocratic family from Sweden and Denmark, who are scientists working on zero calorie beer. She asked Harry Noyton to sponsor her family's research. Dies after an argument with her husband.

Harry Noyton - Banker and ex-husband of Natalie. Has an apartment at The Waffle, which he rents to Qwill. Has two college sons. Owns a lot of the financial sector in town. Sponsor of Signe Tait's family.

Natalie Noyton - Overweight, polite, cheerful, and loves to weave rugs. She asked for a divorce without any alimony or properties from Harry and gave up custody of her children. She kills David Lyke and then herself when he refuses to marry her. She is harmless and silly and Koko approved of her.

David Lyke - An orphan from the wrong side of the tracks. 30ish. He is a self made interior decorator. Womanizer. Charming. Flirt. Connisuer of Japanese art, illegally gained. Bleaches his hair white. Partner of Starkweather. Ex friend and rival of John Baker. Backstabber. Has an excellent Japanese cook. Murdered by Natalie Noyton.

Starkweather - Businessman who has invested in Lyke's business. Clueless about him.













( )

Book on CD performed by George Guidall

Book two in the “Cat Who” cozy mystery series, starring journalist James Qwilleran and his Siamese Koko. Much to his chagrin, Qwill has been assigned to write pieces for a new interior design magazine insert for the Fluxion. There’s a tight deadline so he asks a couple of leading interior designers for a lead and goes to the home of a wealthy jade collector and his invalid wife. The home itself is interesting, but the jade collection is spectacular. Unfortunately, right after the story is published there is a burglary at the featured abode, and the wife dies of an apparent heart attack. Qwilleran doesn’t believe the article – or a stranger – was to blame and he begins to look into things.

I like this series, set in an unnamed northern-midwest city (possibly in Michigan, which is where the author lived). I like the way Qwill ferrets out information, and how he’s beginning to notice that his cat is quite astute. Love the dictionary game they play! The plot is full of twists and turns, as well as a colorful assortment of characters, good and bad. Photographer Odd Bunsen is an able sidekick.

I also like that Braun doesn’t anthropomorphize Koko. He’s a cat and behaves like a cat, though he has an uncanny ability to provide clues – like coughing up a bit of fabric, or insisting that Qwill retrieve his toy mouse from under a piece of furniture, where the journalist happens to also find a single gold earring.

I also like that the time frame is before internet or cell phones and old-fashioned detecting is required to solve the case. Qwill’s journalism background provides a great framework.

George Guidall does a reasonably good job of performing the audio. There’s something about his delivery though … perhaps he sounds jaded or bored? … that initially put me off, but once I let myself focus on the plot I didn’t notice this so much. ( )

This is the second book in The Cat Who… series. At the beginning of the book, Jim Quilleran has a week to vacate his apartment. He goes to work intending to get a better assignment than the art beat, to be surprised by an assignment to do a weekly interior design supplement to the newspaper called Gracious Abodes.

Given a designer contact of David Lyke, he goes in search of something to write about. David refers him to George Tate, David had done his interior design. David also leads him to a friend who wants someone to sit in his apartment while he is in Europe, it is in a posh building near David. Thus Jim is thrust into a good life, and he begins by sharing his fortune Koko, feeding him fine sea foods.

Within 24 hours of the magazine being published, George Tate’s valuable collection of jade is stolen, his wife dies, and his houseboy, Paolo, disappears and becomes a prime suspect. A point that Jim vehemently disagrees with. The consequences have foreboding affects on The Fluxion! Then David Lyke turns up dead and Koko leads Jim to the clues.

The book gets funny as it delves into the world of interior design. This culture refers to colors by food names that get outrageous as the book goes on. Then sprinkle in a lot of odd characters with unusual quirks makes for a fun read.

Jim picks up a romantic interest in Alacoque Wright, aka Cokey. She has several cat-like characteristics such as scratching at a table when the two met. Except for an occasional salad, she always eats foods a cat would eat, mostly seafood. And she knits (plays with yarn) her own sweaters, so she’s covered in fur.

The author sprinkles lots of words describing furniture and upholstery that I had to look up. It added to the color.

In the end, the mystery was good and resolved well. Although the guilty is revealed early, the why and how are held close until late in the book. ( )

This series is my go-to for dumb reading. But this early entry was unusually interesting, and without some of the tics that accumulate in the later part of the series. Qwilleran is assigned to a home decor supplement, but the weekly assignments seem to lead to burglary and death. This is back when Q was still working, still living in a city, and just in the process of acquiring his cats. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it. ( )

I enjoyed this book, but I did have a hard time taking parts of it seriously. Yes, being a cat mystery, I've suspended disbelief when it comes to the super-smart cat helping with the murder investigation. But I can't easily get past the out-dated gender stereotypes, and the mustache getting credit for the main character's intuition is getting annoying instead of charming.

On the other hand, I do enjoy the wide range of colorful characters portrayed in the novel (and the series), and the cats are wonderful. (Especially since we have now met Yum-Yum. The cats are the reason I first picked dup this series long ago - I'm a G&S fan, so having cats named Koko and Yum-Yum was irresistible.)

But, I did know who did it before it was revealed. (I just realized, though, one of the mystery aspects was only kinda explained. Hmm.) At least, I knew who did part of it. The other part wasn't really related, but I was expecting it to be in order to tie things up neatly. (Instead things were tied up neatly on one front and quickly - therefore without much explanation - on the other front.) (Yikes, discussing the resolution of a murder mystery without spoilers is difficult!)

Anyway, it's a solid story, though a bit dated, and it has awesome cats. It's a solid three stars, but I don't think I can give it more than that in the modern era. ( )

In this second pleasant outing in the Cat Who series, reporter Jim Qwilleran enters the world of interior design to solve a mystery involving foppish designers, jade, suspicious coincidences, and mysterious deaths. Meanwhile, his magnificent Siamese cat Koko develops a taste for a certain fabric, and acquires a girlfriend as well. Originally published in 1967, this quick read is dated, but still entertaining. ( )

In this second book, Qwilleran is back, now the official owner of the amazing Siamese cat named Koko, whose owner was murdered. This time Jim's beat is...interior design. Tasked with producing a weekly insert for The Daily Fluxion called, obnoxiously, "Gracious Abodes," Jim attacks the assignment with reluctance - he knows nothing about interior design. But he is soon immersed in design-world intrigue that includes, of course, murder. Again, the mystery here is almost beside the point.

This book as funnier than the first - I laughed out loud quite a few times. There is a running gag that designers refer to all colors as foods; a conceit which becomes more and more absurd: Parsley, Mushroom, Caramel Custard, Avocado, Poppy Seed, Dried Fig, Cream of Carrot.

Suddenly, Qwilleran saw the color scheme of the office with new eyes. It was Pea Soup Green, and the walls were painted Roquefort, and the vinyl floor was Pumpernickel...

Odd Bunsen is back; in this installment we learn that he has six children and a fondness for strong drink (probably related concepts). Also Qwill's age is pegged as "over 45" which is a bit younger than I imagine him. He acquires a pretty younger girlfriend named Alacoque Wright, or Cokey for short. (I don't trust her. At one point, Koko bites her in the head, so the relationship is surely doomed.) Another important development is the appearance of Yum Yum. At the very end of the book, she plays an important role, and becomes a permanent fixture in the Qwilleran household.

First Published: 1967
Body Count: 3 David Lyke (murder) Mrs Tait (heart attack) Natalie Noyton (suicide)
Preceded by: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards
Next up: The Cat Who Turned on and Off ( )

Fun Mystery Books. A Little dated but no more than your average cozy mystery. A must for any cat-lover! ( )

A fun mystery with Mr. Jim Qwilleran or just Qwill to his friends moving away from coverage of the art world and delving into the world of interior design. Absolutely hysterical as Qwill learns that one "never call draperies drapes." Then there's the star of Qwill's world, the ever-handsome, ever-wonderous brilliant Siamese Koko and how Koko orchestrates the arrival of a special new resident to share their living quarters.

I have read some of these mysteries "out of order" but to enjoy learning the backdrop/history of Qwill and characters adds a special delight to the reading pleasure of this series! ( )

Hop in my time machine back to 1967. A place where you don't have cell phones, the internet, and it's perfectly acceptable to smoke a pipe. People still read newspapers to get their news. Meet Jim Qwilleran, old-time investigative reporter now taking on the interior designer beat. Meet Koko, Siamese cat and crime fighter. Together they stick their noses where they don't belong and save the day. And in the end, they bring pretty lady Yum Yum into the family and everyone is happy.

These books are dated, for sure. But I like Qwill and his crime fighting kitties. I read these books back in the early '90s and while the mystery is simplistic they are still an enjoyable hour or two diversion. I think the series really hits its stride when Qwill relocates to Moose County, so if you start at the beginning, stick with it. There are lots of books in the series if you like it. Cute and harmless. ( )

Journalist Jim Qwilleran is pulled from the art beat and given the assignment of a new feature magazine with the theme of interior decorating. Of course, a couple of people in the decorating world are murdered and a valuable jade collection goes missing the day after being featured in the magazine. Even though he's repeatedly told to stay out of it, Qwill is on the case with the assistance of his stunningly intelligent, and possibly prescient Siamese cat, Koko.

I'm enjoying the development of Qwilleran's character and his relationship with Koko. Qwill's appreciation for and accommodation of his new companion is adorable.The mystery seemed little predictable, but it's also possible that I read this book when I was a kid and therefore halfway remember it (I kinda don't think so, though). Anyways, these are pretty quick reads, so I'll keep going through the series. ( )

First line
~Jim Qwilleran prepared his bachelor breakfast with a look of boredom and distaste, accentuated by the downcurve of his bushy moustache~

Nice second installment of this series. Quick, light read. The mystery is really secondary to getting to know Qwill, Koko and Yum Yum. I liked this one better than the first since it had more of Koko in it and I love cats! The characters are also becomming more developed. I'm enjoying this series and am on to Book 3.

3.5 stars ( )

Jim Qwilleran has a new assignment, an interior design magazine that really doesn't get off to a good start , the first house they photograph and feature is burgled and the lady of the house is found dead. On top of this he has to move and he finds himself embroiled in the murky world of Interior Design.

His cat Koko gets involved and it's all quite complicated.

It's a light, easy series with some interesting characters, particularly the cat. ( )

Ths was the first of Braun's cats series I was interested in, simply because of the odd title.

Jim Qwilleran is a reporter for "The Daily Fluxon." He has led a simple life until he is asked to write for "Gracious Abodes," a magazine specializing in interior decorating of lavish homes. Qwilleran is paired with David Lyke, an interior designer who leads him to all the fashionable homes he has put on his designer touch. Oddly enough after each cover story is published something terrible happens at the featured home. First, there is the home of George Tait. His expensive jade collection is stolen and his wife dies of an apparent heart attack. Then, house number two is raided for being a brothel after it is featured on the cover of "Gracious Abodes." At the third residence there is a murder...Qwilleran keenly watches the behavior of his Siamese Cat, Koko, to figure out the mystery. ( )

As usual for this series, this was an easy listen in the car. I could pay closer attention to traffic and not feel like I'd missed much in the story. It was nice to get a little bit more background for the later books in this early installment, including how Qwilleran came to get his second cat, Yum-Yum. ( )

The titles of these make no sense until you've read the entire book, but then they are entirely apt. Quick mystery and quickly read. ( )

A cute, clever series that I truly enjoy. It's very definitely dated, but still good. ( )

Qwilleran has been put in charge of the new interior design magazine at the newspaper. His first assignment with the magazine leads to a crime which makes the newspaper and Qwilleran look foolish. As he attempts to continue with the magazine Qwilleran is plunged into the world of decorators; he begins to uncover clues that point to a different scenario for the first crime than the police believe. With Koko lending clues in seemingly innocent situations Qwilleran sets out to solve the crimes that seem attached to the interior design magazine.

I found that the second installment of this series had more humor and playfulness than the first – quite possibly because of Koko’s significance in this book. The story was interesting and the crime was not easily solvable (until all the information was divulged). Overall this was an enjoyable read – light, funny, and engaging. ( )

http://booknutreview.blogspot.com/2011/02/cat-who-ate-danish-modern-lillian.html ( )