Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed...
Review: again!No, I am fully aware that she is no Agatha Christie. And that's not the point of why I read her books. I just love the characters (but not Polly! Can't she just disappear?) and of course the antics of Yum Yum and Koko. But as of late, everything that's endearing about the series have been lacking. Is Braun actually indisposed and a greedy relative is ghost writing just to rake in the bucks?
Rating: 
Summary: Close but no cigar. The Cat who Robbed a Bank
Review: Although the book was very well written and was very enjoyable, it was completely opposite ms. Braun's creative style. In fact, every single one of her books contradict the style in this book. It deprives you of the magnificance of her other books. In this one Qwill (James "Jim" Qwilleran) is practacly handed the clues to the crime. And also what outrages me about it is that THE CATS PLAY OFF STAGE AND QWILL GETS ALL THE LIMELIGHT! It's a semi-good book, but I would only recomend it if you were to read the whole series.
Rating:
Summary: Amiable, Cat-Centered, Small-Town Socializing
Review: Although this book purports to be a mystery, I find it hard to give credit to the notion that there is a mystery here. Actually, it is a novel of manners built around small-town parties, cat-loving, and modest speculations about special mental abilities for one of the cats, Koko. The book relies so heavily on foreshadowing every event, that it is hard to imagine a reader being taken by surprise by anything here. Any mystery that a reader might perceive quickly evaporates within a few paragraphs or pages. I normally would not read a book about this subject, but perhaps if I had read the prior 22 novels I would want to read this one for continuity. The book opens with the town's hotel about to be relaunched with a new name after its bombing the prior year. A centerpiece of this period is one of the sometimes visits of Mr. Delachamp, a jeweler who favors expensive pieces and buys and sells for cash. As usual, he is accompanied by a young "niece" who assists him. Local columnist Qwilleran (Qwill) wants to know more. He spends a boring afternoon pretending to be a security guard, and only learns that the women in town have some pretty silly hats. Soon, Koko awakens Qwill in the middle of the night, and the time matches that of a horrendous crime. The rest of the novel exposes the background of those involved in the crime, and provides an unexpected look into Qwill's life through some letters his mother wrote before and just after he was born. The book's charm mostly comes in informing you about obscure items such as mechanical safes, Scottish games, and old perfume bottles. The book's originality comes in the acts that Koko takes to foreshadow the plot's development. These are quite imaginative, and supersede the human drama by a wide margin. Without these interesting clues, the book would be a one or two star effort at best. The character development of Qwilleran is pretty well done, but many aspects are still kept hidden. All I can assume is that Ms. Braun plans to have many more sequels and wants to hold back a bit for those. After you read this book, think about what your life would be like if you could anticipate the future. How would that change what you would do? How would it change your enjoyment of life? Stay connected to everyone and everything around you!
Rating: 
Summary: Great cats; okay story
Review: Having read the first 15 or so "Cat Who" books a couple of years ago, I recently picked up this (the 23rd) to catch up with Qwill and his feline friends (and the other residents of Moose County and The City of Pickax. The cats are in great form. Unfortunately, the writing is not.
I had stopped reading this series for a while as the plots were becoming stale. In this installment, the cats play all too minor a role. They pop in occasionally to provide a clue, or to provide humor, atmosphere, etc. What they do not do is solve the crime, provide important clues that are followed up by Qwill (or the police), or do anything else that is directly related to the plot. They are relegated to the role of a "Greek Chorus"--providing commentary to the audience, without being part of the drama itself.
As to the plot--there is no mystery here. The person everyone thought did it, did it. The person everyone thought was a suspicious character, turns out top be a bad guy. The woman everyone thought was a fake, was a fake. No one needed Koko to tell the good guys from the bad guys.
Finally, the cat never does rob the bank...I kept expecting Koko to get into the bank and uncover the key clue--but it never happened.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Old Koko
Review: I agree with some of the previous comments - there are really no surprises in Moose County, but knowing what you're going to read has a certain charm all its own. I still enjoy this series, and the characters are still pretty wonderful. Yes, this mystery was pretty straightforward, and you know who did it and why. I think I would have liked a little more exposure to the murderer's character - he seemed to be a shadowy figure at best in this one. But Koko still delights, and Polly and Qwill are still wonderful. For all cat fanciers, this series is a must!
Rating:
Summary: Good Old Koko
Review: I agree with some of the previous comments - there are really no surprises in Moose County, but knowing what you're going to read has a certain charm all its own. I still enjoy this series, and the characters are still pretty wonderful. Yes, this mystery was pretty straightforward, and you know who did it and why. I think I would have liked a little more exposure to the murderer's character - he seemed to be a shadowy figure at best in this one. But Koko still delights, and Polly and Qwill are still wonderful. For all cat fanciers, this series is a must!
Rating:
Summary: OK book, but no plot.
Review: I got this book expecting an interesting mystery. This is definitely not what I got --
A murder is committed around page 50, after that, the main character, Qwilleran, keeps living his life like nothing happened until, around page 200 he finds out who the murderer is and keeps living his life. Practically no plot, no investigation, no nothing...
Even so, the book is an interesting (and fast - 3 hours at most) read. If you like cats, read The Cat Who... books, if you want real mystery, stick to Agatha Christie.
Rating:
Summary: The Cat Who... books have lost the sparkle
Review: I have read the entire series of Cat Who books several times, and I find it difficult to believe this one was even written by Braun. The characters are wooden, the familiar details of Qwilleran's day-to-day life are missing, and the plot is nearly non-existent. What happened to all our favorite characters? I will not be pre-ordering the next book in the series. This one was too disappointing.
Rating: 
Summary: Qwill is back, and so is Braun!
Review: I LOVE Qwilleran and the cats! And this time Braun is back in her earlier, feisty form. There's lots of fun here. We're right back in Pickax City in the midst of some odd festivities -- are there any other kind in Braun's world? This story has seasonal interest and quirky characters, and it reveals some surprises -- both in the mystery at hand and in Qwill's personal life. Koko, of course, is brilliant, as usual. Nicely done, Lilian!
Rating:
Summary: Unfinished--dangling ending
Review: I now own 16 of The Cat Who series. I was very disappointed with the lack of unity, continuity and having an unfinished ending. Also, I was disappointed when Qwill burned his mother's letters to her friend. I would have loved to have found out how it came about that he inherited Fanny's wealth. It is not enough for me for Qwill to say that the reason was that "I kept writting my Aunt to keep her informed of the events in my life after my mother died." There MUST be other reasons he did not care to "investigate." I suspect there is a dark side to Qwill and wonder why he has become a tee totaler in the presence of so much alcohol. I am intrigued by a small touch of "emotional" response from Qwill when he learned an antiquarian book dealer had moved into The Willows near Polly. The book dealer had given Polly a very attractive scarf from the Boston Museum of Art with oriental letters: three H's meaning Health, Harmony and Happiness which was drawing high praise from her friends in Qwill's presence. This indicates to me that he is not as emotionally "detached" as he thinks he is. I have deep sympathy for John (Boze) Campbell's mother considering that fact that she apparantly had been abused by the jewelry dealer some 20 years earlier. I believe the there is no real mystery in none but a few of the series. The characters are only vehicles to expose the writer's broad social exposure, which of course is Mrs. Braun's 29 year expierence in role of social editor at the Detroit paper.
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