The Cat Who Wasn't There (Cat Who...) [Kindle Edition]

Lilian Jackson Braun (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Pickax City columnist and wealthy bachelor Jim Qwilleran travels to Scotland, leaving his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum at home, in one of the most lively recent entries in Braun's popular "The Cat Who . . . " series. Also on the Bonnie Scots Tour are Qwill's current woman friend, Polly Duncan, the Moose County librarian; and his recently returned former girlfriend, Dr. Melinda Goodwinter, who proposes marriage. Tour leader Irma Hasselrich (a friend of Polly's and a patient of Melinda's) dies of apparently natural causes; then a jewel case and the tour-bus driver disappear. Qwill, Polly and Melinda decamp the tour early; back in Pickax City, listening to tape recordings he made along the way--and to Koko's intuitive yowls--Qwill begins to suspect that Irma was murdered. Convincing others, however, takes time and an investigation. Although the cats play a smaller role in this installment than in previous ones, Braun's descriptions of Scottish lore and the complications of Qwill's love life will enchant fans. Mystery Guild selection; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates; audio rights to Dove.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

The 15th outing for Pickax City newspaper pundit and zillionaire Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese housemates, Koko and Yum Yum, travels from Moose County to Hibernia and back again as it dwells on Qwill's Scottish ancestry; the identity of the prowler sniffing around his lover, Polly the librarian; and the attempts of his former lover, Melinda, to rekindle their romance (with dire results) while on a Highland Tour with them and 13 other Pickax friends. The friends include the teddy-bear-collecting Chisholm sisters; cranky, outspoken Amanda Goodwinter (who ``drank a little''); several stalwarts of Pickax's little theater group; and pushy tour-guide Irma Hasselrich, who disrupts everyone's holiday by dying in bed--from unnatural causes. Nice scenery, interesting historical tidbits, and far-fetched- -in fact, farcical--motivation for murder, but die-hards and readers new to the series will have a rare glimpse of Qwill and Koko behaving most ungentlemanly-like toward the ladies. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 499 KB
• Print Length: 292 pages
• Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0515111279
• Publisher: Jove (June 1, 1993)
• Sold by: Penguin Publishing
• Language: English
• ASIN: B000OCXJA2
• Text-to-Speech: Enabled
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,105 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
  • #16 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Mystery > Cat Sleuths
  • #16 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Fiction > Genre Fiction > Mystery & Thrillers > Mystery > Cat Sleuths

More About the Author

Lilian Jackson Braun is the author of twenty-nine bestselling Cat Who . . . novels and three short story collections.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Haggis and Neeps All Around, July 17, 2005

By 

Dennis Phillips "The Book Friar" (Bulls Gap, Tennessee USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Wasn't There (Paperback)

Some regular readers of this series find the Moose County setting to be somewhat dull while others love the eccentric people and odd places that make up Moose County. I tend to fall into the second category but this book contains both home and away settings so everybody should be pleased.

Jim Qwilleran has just rushed home from his summer retreat in the Potato Mountains because a prowler has accosted his lady friend Polly Duncan. He has hardly settled back into life in Pickax City when Polly informs him that a group of Moose County residents are planning a trip to Scotland. Since Polly is going and since, as he informs everyone he sees, his mother was a Mackintosh, Qwilleran decides to sign up for the trip himself.

Once the group arrives in Scotland everything is a blur as Irma Hasselrich takes them through the Highlands and Western Isles at a breakneck speed. That is until one of their number has an apparent heart attack and dies. To make things even worse, their bus driver mysteriously disappears with some of their luggage. This odd coincidence and the fact that the deceased had been closely associated with the bus driver sets Qwilleran's mustache to tingling. Even more odd, when the ace reporter calls home to check on the cats he finds out that Koko had let out a blood curdling yowl at the exact moment that the member of the touring party had died.

When they arrive back in Moose County Qwilleran starts to sniff around and begins to formulate a theory. Unfortunately, the cats do not agree with his theory and both of them start to leave all of the clues that they can think of. Koko even makes a series of mad dashes that end with him plowing into Qwilleran like a mad bull in an apparent attempt to push the amateur sleuth in another direction. In the end of course, Qwilleran and his feline friends solve the mystery but not before Yum Yum ends up in a very dangerous situation.

This is one of the more engaging books in this series and the mystery plays a larger part in this plot that it does in some of the other books. The descriptions of Scotland are marvelous and the sometimes rather odd Scottish diet is well described. The reader is also introduced to some more residents of Moose County like the Chisholm sisters who have a huge collection of teddy bears and also the new director of the Community Theater, Dwight Somers. I suppose that Mrs. Braun had to introduce some new residents of Moose County since she keeps killing off the old ones. The Community Theater by the way is producing "Macbeth", which is in part responsible for the group's trip to Scotland.

I just love Moose County and I also love Scotland so there isn't much about this book that I didn't like, although I was mighty worried about Yum Yum for a little while. Along with the new characters, several old friends make appearances and this book is just really an enjoyable read.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of my favorites, July 31, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Cat Who Wasn't There (Paperback)

This is one of my favorite "Cat Who" mysteries. The descriptions of Scotland and its landscape make this one worth it. Koko and Yum Yum work well together. This is one of Braun's best for showing feelings. When Yum Yum was catnapped, I felt a lot of the same feelings that Qwill probably felt. It might be better, however, if Yum Yum were allowed to help Qwill and Koko solve the mystery, instead of being a cute little female.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Scottish Vacation Ends in Tragedy, August 1, 2008

By 

J. E. Stephens "Jeanne" (Florida) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Cat Who Wasn't There (Paperback)

Polly is being stalked. Qwill is worried that someone is trying to kidnap her. He is very protective of her for a time. They decide to join a tour of Scotland.

The tour turns tragic. One resident of Moose County does not return home from the tour alive. Qwill and Koko try to figure out what is going on in Pickax. Strange things are going on about town and a mysterious stranger is spotted all over the county.

I liked this installment of, "The Cat Who.." series. It was a little dark and sad, but nevertheless excellently written.