The Cat Who Sniffed Glue

Jim Qwilleran, or Qwill, has recently left the big city to move to the city of Pickax in Moose County. Life is good. He is decorating a new space and has a lovely young decorator who seems to making plays for him. This is causing problems for Qwill's relationship with Polly Duncan, the town librarian. Qwill joined the local theatre group. The play practice is going smoothly until one of the actors is murdered with his wife. Qwill begins to investigate the murder and finds out many new details about Pickax residents and Moose County. The Cats, Koko and Yum Yum, begin to act strangely. Little does Qwill know they are working behind the scenes to solve a crime and repair a relationship. I enjoyed this Lilian Jackson Braun novel. I plan to read them all. If you like enjoyable mysteries with cats you will love this book.

Harley Fitch and his wife are discovered murdered in their home. The scions of Pickax society are aghast, as the Fitch's are one of their own. I agree with the formal reviewer that there is no way to figure out whodunnit until the very end when they tell you, but I thoroughly enjoy the ride. The characters in this book are interesting and a bit off the beaten path, for the most part. Enjoy!

. . . try their hand at theater! The "K" mansion has burned down, and Qwill decides to donate the property to the theater club. Unfortunately, just before the first big show (Arsnic and Old Lace) the body of the one of the prominent members of the community is found, along with his new wife. Will Qwill and the cats be able to solve this one? Or will the murderer get off scot free? There is a lot of good to be said for this installment of "The Cat Who . . .) series. We are re-introduced to an interesting character from "The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern" and to a charming new character, Eddington, the eccentric used book dealer. Arch Riker, Iris Cobb, and of course, Polly all have roles to play as well. As an interesting note, the book is not divided into chapters, but rather into scenes and acts -- all part of the "theater" theme. For fans of the series, this is one of the better ones.

This 8th volume of the popular Cat Who series focuses on the production of 'Arsenic and Old Lace' that is being staged by the Moose County Theater Club. The play is cancelled when one of the cast members and his wife are murdered. In typical small town fashion everyone else in the book are related to, had dated, gone to school with, taught, worked with or in someway were related to the couple. Qwill, the richest man in Moose County (which is located 400 miles north of everywhere) and his cats Koko and Yum Yum, are soon on the case. This sleuthing does not come without peril to the trio but in the end they of course solve the crime.This is a bit more of a mystery than others of the series (at least I didn't figure it out early as I usually do in this series). There is also more violence involving Qwill and the cats than usual. In light of this I think that this would be a better choice for a non Moose County groupie. For those of us who are fans of the series we get to visit with many of our old friends including Alacoque Wright who was featured in an earlier book. Qwill has also found himself with a surplus of lady friends, a situation that he does not find to his liking! The cats are very much involved in the action here, more directly than in some other books in this series. The book is divided not into chapters but into acts and scenes like a play. This is one of the best of the series, both for those who are already fans of the series and those who are not (yet).

Who is the star of this series, Qwill or Koko? I listened to the unabridged version of this book while driving from Colorado to Texas on Christmas Day; I can't think of a better gift than something from the pen of Lilian Braun.This series is, well, comfortable. I feel as though I know the characters as well as some of my friends.Ms. Braun's mastery of the genre peaks in this story of misdirection and intrigue. I couldn't change tapes quickly enough as I tried to put clues together that simply did not exist.Who was responsible for all of the chaos in Pickax? Why the sudden outbreak of mischief, and why all of the blame being shifted towards a nearby town?Ah, Lilian, you have once again masterfully mislead your loyal readers away from the obvious villian(s) and kept us glued to our seats.This is a most entertaining and delightful book, one which I would recommend to anyone with a love of cats and mystery.