The Cat Who Saw Stars [Hardcover]

Lilian Jackson Braun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 11, 1999

A new caper from "a master of mystery who knows exactly when to let the cat out of the bag." --People Quill is determined to dispel rumors circulating in Moose County, "four hundred miles north of everywhere," that extraterrestrial beings may be responsible for the disappearance of a stray backpacker. Koko, on the other hand, is spending hours on the porch in the dark, watching the sky for stars--or something! Throw in some highly innovative plans for this year's 4th of July parade, a dogcart race, and the recent knitting craze in Moose County, and Quill and the cats have some serious sorting out to do..and readers yet another purrfectly delightful Cat Who..mystery to enjoy!

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Detective-journalist Jim Qwilleran and his prescient Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum (The Cat Who Sang for the Birds, 1997) star in their 21st novel here, and while not quite as spry as ever, they're still the cat's meow. Qwill and his cats move from Pickax, where he's a newspaper columnist, to his beach house in Mooseville, probably on Lake Superior. Qwill rehashes gossip with locals and old friends, and observes Koko's odd behavior, which always forecasts an important event, although Qwill usually interprets the cat's clues retrospectively. Mooseville is abuzz with talk of the upscale restaurant opened by Floridians Owen and Ernestine Bowen, speculation about UFOs (Moose County is a sightings mecca) and puzzlement over the whereabouts of a missing backpacker, whose body Koko quickly uncovers in a sand dune. While fishing with a pal, Qwill sees Owen's boat anchored next to another; Qwill, his twitching mustache alerting him to skullduggery, suspects drug traffic. Shortly thereafter, Owen drowns. The solution to the one mystery that is resolved?that of Owen's death? comes as an anticlimax, while the mystery that's not cleared up?the fate of the backpacker?is chalked up by the locals to alien abduction. A skeptical Qwill grudgingly admits the possibility of aliens, cracking that cats, with their enigmatic behavior, may be aliens. With his 60 whiskers and gifts of perception, Koko is, as always, by far the most intelligent creature in the book. This isn't Braun's best, but her fans will adore it and only spoilsports will accuse her of, well, dogging it.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

In Braun's 25th "Cat" mystery, Quill is fighting rumors that aliens are visiting Moose County while feisty feline Koko keeps gazing at the stars. Very mysterious.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 227 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Adult; First Edition edition (January 11, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399144315
• ISBN-13: 978-0399144318
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,653,097 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Ghost Who Played Braun, February 7, 2000

By 

George Bonifield Mountclemens III - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cat Who Saw Stars (Hardcover)

During the first chapter of "The Cat Who Saw Stars" I wondered where were all the lovingly drawn character sketches, the fascinating idiosyncrasies, the breezy history of Moose County? Where was Ms. Braun's telling use of words, her ear for dialect, her deft use of rhetorical forms? To someone insensitive to words, "his moustache was a virtual landmark" probably wouldn't flicker an eyelid, but such a trite mixed metaphor made my upper lip itch. What was going on? Perhaps an editor unworthy of Ms Braun had done the damage. Perhaps marketing focus groups had begun to lead even Lilian Jackson Braun. Perhaps . . . I thought of the tragic impairments that often attend one's latter years. Whatever the reason, I felt sad.

But I read on despite the growing itch under my nose.

When I came to chapter three and read "watching the fireflies blink their little flashlights," I realized the truth. Lilian Jackson Braun could not have possibly written this tripe. I went to my bookshelf and pulled down several earlier "Cat Who . . ." books. I urge you to do the same. Compare, as I did, the style and quality of writing in this novel with that of her previous books. I'm confident that you will arrive at the same conclusion. "The Cat Who Saw Stars" is written by a ghostwriter - a ghost that's but a pale refection of Ms. Braun. I could go on pointing out instance after instance my investigation uncovered supporting this conclusion. But why should I spoil your fun? Be a literary detective and see for yourself. Need I say more?

Oh, yes, there is one more thing. I'll tell you how to prepare chicken livers and bacon en brochette fit for the most discerning palate if you can tell me the name of this Ghost Who Plays Braun.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Ms. Braun, What Happened To You?, November 28, 2000

By 

Amanda M. Hayes (Indianapolis, IN) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Saw Stars (Paperback)

I honestly don't know what to make of this book. Are the other reviewers right? Has Ms. Braun retreated and allowed a ghost writer to take over? I'm going to hope not; that wouldn't bode well for the rest of the series, and I'm enough of a fan of Qwill and Koko to look towards the day that their adventures end with dread.

It shouldn't come as a shock to any fans of these books when I say that the mystery aspect has been going downhill for awhile. Qwill's adventures--whether with the Pickax locals or picturesque natives in the many places he visits--have been taking precedence. I actually don't mind that; Ms. Braun has a masterful hand with characters, and Qwill's escapades in Moose County are sufficiently entertaining that one can forgive her for the less intense, less fascinating whodunnits. (Mind, those who are reading the series for the whodunnits more than for the characters have probably been in for disappointment.)

In _Cat Who Saw Stars_, though, the mystery isn't just weak, it's practically nonexistant. Early on, a body is discovered. Do we ever find out who buried it? No. Is it the focus of the plot? No. Are Koko and Yum Yum on center stage, as we've come to expect from the novels prior to this one? Not really. Is Koko an alien? He'd better not be. That might tempt me to sell my entire collection.

Further, the characterization is seriously off-kilter. Qwill believing in UFOs? Giving the Siamese cutesy-folksy cat toys? Somehow, I can't buy that. And where are so many of the favorite characters? I'm not about to mourn the absence of Polly (whom I've frankly been wishing would be the victim of some killer or other for awhile now), but there are other Moose County residents whom I'd love to see. Now, granted, half of our old friends have been offed by now, but you'd think a few more of the survivors would merit a cameo.

Even die-hard fans of the series might do better to give this one a skip, if they can't find it at the local library. It definitely shouldn't be the first Cat Who book for anyone interested in getting into them. For someone who doesn't have many expectations, though, and is just looking for a quick and somewhat entertaining story, this might be worth picking up. Even at her worst, Ms. Braun can still turn out a reasonably pleasant evening's reading.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars The Cat Who Ran out of Ideas?, September 12, 2002

By 

Mark Baker (Santa Clarita, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Saw Stars (Paperback)

Qwill is looking for some relaxation, so he takes Koko and Yum Yum up to his cabin by the lake. But far from relaxing, he finds himself doing more then his normal columns for the paper. He's got a new restaurant and play to review. The locals have become obsessed with UFO sightings. And a hiker has disappeared. Looks like he and Koko have their work cut out for them.

Or they might if this were an ordinary book in the series. It really does seem like the author is running out of steam with the series. While it's never been the height of suspense, usually the cases progress with some regularity over the course of the book. Here, however, we are treated to many meetings with friends we've made over the series, but, while enjoyable, they don't serve to advance the storyline. Several things are introduced and never resolved, and the "climax" is extremely weak. Not to mention a final chapter that is pulled from a lesser novel.

Even die hard fans will find it hard to enjoy this entry in the long running series. By all means, if you're new to Lilian Jackson Braun, do NOT start here. The earlier books in the series are much better and show why she has developed such a loyal following. This was my first time to try one of the later books, and I hope it's not indicative of its neighbors. I'd hate to see such a fun series go out with a whimper instead of a bang.