(3.5 / 5)

This wasn’t my favorite book in the series, but it still has the charm that I’m used to from the series. Though Koko did, indeed, go underground, and that did play a big part in the story’s mystery, that cats weren’t terribly involved overall. That wasn’t really what led to the lower score, though, as the mystery itself wasn’t quite as interesting as it has been in other books. It didn’t help that Qwill speculated something that might have seemed wild at the time early in the book, and that turned out to be the truth. It might have been better for it to have been more of a surprise later.

Still, I actually enjoyed the fact that, though Qwill normally prefers a simple life and doesn’t have much use for money for himself, he definitely relied on it, and quickly, every time something went wrong with the cabin. I also liked the starting up of the human interest column I knew he would be writing for much of the series and the various ways Qwill is still getting used to this northern, wilder environment. Though this one didn’t stand out to me as much as others have, I enjoy the overall story and characters and look forward to continuing the series. ( )

I enjoyed this one too - I like this series. Fun and quick read. ( )

3 ½ stars, I prefer Pickax City to Mooseville for the setting, I think because I like the cast of regular characters in Pickax better then those in Mooseville. Still it was a decent mystery and the cats are always entertaining no matter the setting. ( )

I�Ûªve read many reviews of ‰ÛÏThe Cat Who‰Û_‰Û books where people complain about the character James Qwilleran, but I‰Ûªve never found him unlikeable, just human. Maybe Qwill and I have been spending too much together lately, but in this 9th outing, he got on my nerves a bit.

As the novel opens, Qwill has decided to load Koko and YumYum into their traveling picnic hamper and leave Pickaxe to spend some time at the Klingenschoen cabin by the lake in Moose County. Once there, despite the beauty of his surroundings he proceeded to piss and moan and generally be useless about all the little things that needed to be done to ‰ÛÏrough it‰Û in the luxurious cabin. Maybe all that money is going to his head. Maybe he‰Ûªs grouchy and horny because Polly was away in England for the summer. Whatever, he was just annoying. Sorry but I unapologetically prefer a man who knows how to check the damn pilot light, can hammer a nail, and isn‰Ûªt freaked out by a few spiders.

As a rule I don‰Ûªt mind the leisurely pace of these novels, but this one seemed to have even less forward momentum than usual. The mystery took quite a while to solidify, and the solution was both far-fetched and sad.

All in all, not my favorite but I‰Ûªm sure Qwill and the cats will be back in my good graces with the next installment.

Originally published: 1989

Body Count: 6 5 carpenters (bludgeoned by a serial killer who is the alter ego of a female plumber); the larcenous Captain Phlogg from the antique store (alcoholism)

Preceded by: The Cat Who Sniffed Glue

Next Up: The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts ( )

What an absolute delight to spend reading time with favorite characters Jim Qwilleran with Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum. Jim thinks a little retreat to his log cabin in Moose County will soothe his restlessness as he's missing his friend and head librarian at Pickax, Polly Duncan. Polly has traveled to England for the summer as part of an exchange program so his favorite dinner companion and conversationalist (other than friend Arch Riker) is not available. Being at the log cabin for the summer will also allow for dinners with Riker.

Leaving Pickax in a restless state with a refrigerator on the fritz (no ice cubes!) Jim thinks the cabin will provide the soothing time he'd like to enjoy this summer. Little does he know that more than just appliances can need repair in an old log cabin. I found the repair process with Glinko's hysterical at times and at other times could commiserate with Jim's experiences calling for repair assistance. It definitely adds to the smiles of this tale.

I rarely enjoy the review blurbs on the front covers of a novel but this time the Chicago Sun-Times description is purrfect ~

"The mix of crime and cats {is] catnip to readers who like both."

I heartily agree. ( )

Jim Qwilleran wants to spend the summer at his log cabin with his cats but bodies start popping up. Qwill is under suspcion and his cat, Koko, has to clear his name. ( )

Qwill had decided he and the Siamese will spend summer at his log cabin in Moose County. A lazy, quiet summer he thinks. He finds that life in the country is not as idyllic as he thinks!

Finding that the cabin is a bit short of space, he decides to have an add-on built to give him some office space and an apartment for Koko and Yum Yum (yes, they are spoiled). It is hard enough to find a carpenter available during the summer months since many sign on with the large contractors. There seems to be a building boom and summer is the best time to build.

Further problems arise when first one and then another carpenter stop showing up to complete the work. Along with this is having to deal with the crankiness of an old building that needs maintenance. Lucky he has signed on with Glinko, a local network of repair people, to handle his calls for repairs.

Meanwhile Koko seems to have become fascinated with the trap door that leads to under the cabin to access pipes and the lot. There seems to be something there that needs his investigation. When he isn't there he can be found perched on the large moose head over the fire place.

Add to this a horrendous storm that almost destroys the area and things are really happening, besides just a few dead bodies showing up.

A quick and fun read for me. ( )

Qwill decides to take the cats out to the Klingenschoen cabin on the lake for the summer. Unfortunately, the place is falling apart around him. Various tradespeople tromp through the house and a couple turn up missing. Who's murdering local carpenters?
This is the first one of these books that I guessed the murderer far, far ahead of time. I also wasn't a fan of the author's tendency to kill young family men who are either just about to get married or just about to have a baby. I need to stop investing any emotion in any character in these books who isn't Qwill or the cats. ( )

good old Quill!

Jim Qwilleran packs up his old kit bag and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum, for a sun-and-fun summer at his log cabin in Moose County. Their vacation starts out ominously with the disappearance of a handyman hired to patch up Qwilleran's cabin. But the felines really start throwing catfits when they come across a dead body or two...A serial killer may be right under Koko's nose, and now this ingenious Siamese must dig deeper to clear poor Qwilleran of suspicion--and dig up the motive for a catastrophic crime.

Like most of the Cat Who books that I've read so far, the vast majority of the book is vague premonitions of a crime to come (or conspicuous hints of a crime that has already occurred) with all of the action, adventure, and intrigue occurring in one of the final few chapters with the resolution immediately to follow. This is a mystery just the way I like it. I love all the build-up and casual world-building in this series, that has little focus on what genre it is actually part of. ( )

This was another easy listen in the car. The cast of characters wasa a little quirky in this installment, but I liked storyline, by and large. ( )

Some interesting flashes in this one. I enjoyed it until the reveal at the end (which I had forgotten). Doesn't make sense, is bad plotting and really bad plot devices (2 of them are really out of nowhere). It destroys all the good flashes the book had in my mind.

Still, I like Qwill the journalist. This is the start of the Qwill Pen as memoirs of the County. Lots of neat tiny parts that earn the 2 stars. ( )

I believe this "Cat Who..." must have occured fairly early in the series, since others I have read have referred to events that happened in this one. At any rate, I was glad to have finally found it, although it was not quite as delightful as the other "Cat Who..." books. Qwill gets into more than his usual share of adventures. Some of the richer characters that could have added to the story get killed, Several minor plot lines remained undeveloped - were those strange lights really UFOs, why were the memoirs in the paper sack partially developed, why was KoKo tearing up that particular newspaper - that would have added depth to the book. (I do wish Qwill would train my cats to behave as well as KoKo and YumYum.) ( )

A quickie read, good for bedtime. It's a murder mystery without the gore, but *with* a pair of cats (one of whom is always helping to solve the murders). It's been awhile since I've read any of this series (used to eat them up), so I was a bit surprised KoKo and YumYum weren't more prevalent in the book. They were there, of course, but perhaps I just wanted more of my favorite characters (and Polly was absent the entire book). I will have to reread some of the others to see if my memory is accurate. ( )

This is the first of Braun's Cat Who collection I have read, despite having several of them in my household. A very good short mystery, focused on a retired journalist in a small northern town, and his two Siamese cats, who with their intelligent cat wit, help their owner solve mysteries, and get out of trouble. In The Cat Who Went Underground, Qwilleran goes to his cabin up in the mountains, where he fits in fine with the town, but they seem to lose carpenters at an alarming rate. When he hires 2 to put an addition on his cabin and they come up missing, he starts to suspect foul play. Koko keeps trying to get into the crawl space for some unknown reason as well. Does Koko know something? His senses have never been wrong before, but will Qwilleran trust Koko's instincts? ( )