The Cat Who Smelled a Rat (Cat Who. . . Ser.) [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Lilian Jackson Braun (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 321 pages
• Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons; Book Club edition (2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0739414097
• ISBN-13: 978-0739414095
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,997,854 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

42 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Qwintessential Qwilleran, February 2, 2001

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Smelled a Rat (Hardcover)

I was astounded when, in reading the covers of Lilian Braun's latest episode in her tales of James Qwilleran that "The Cat Who Smelled a Rat" was Volume 23. I went to her shelf and, sure enough, I had read them all. While they really are mystery stories, I don't really read them for that. Rather, over the history of the series, I have become addicted to life in the far north town of Pickaxe.

I love wandering through the town with Qwilleran, meeting the many quirky characters, sharing in the gossip, reading Qwill's columns over his shoulder and, above all, interpreting the mystic messages of Koko the detective cat. As, I'm quite sure, will any mystery lover who needs a break from the noir fiction that makes up so much of modern mystery writing.

This time Pickaxe is in the throes of an autumn drought, trying to prevent brush fires and waiting impatiently for 'The Big One', the first big snowstorm of winter. When a volunteer fire watcher is murdered at one of Moose County's famous mine shafthouses the mystery begins. Be prepared for an Haiku contest, an elopement, curling and many delicious meals consumed at Pickaxe's seemingly inexhaustable supply of restaurants and inns.

Of course, the real heroes of all Braun's stories are Koko and Yum Yum, Qwill's faithful Siamese sidekicks. Koko, by virtue of superior intelligence and wit, works dilligently to provide Qwilleran with the clues needs to discover the villain and reveal his nefarious scheme. Koko limited to growls and 'Yows' resorts to plant destruction, apple hockey and general chaos in order to keep Qwill on track.

If you've been following this series for as long as I have you will need no encouragement to read this new volume. For those of you who have never travelled to Pickaxe before, prepare for a lot of fun - all 23 volumes are well worth reading!!

72 of 77 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Book in the famous mystery series, January 13, 2001

By 

"lsm24" (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cat Who Smelled a Rat (Hardcover)

This is one of the best books in the series. But it shouldn't be the first one you read. It doesn't give a lot of background information for the first time reader to understand what is going on in the novel. All in all it was one of her best yet. Even with the help of the two cats I had no idea what was going on until the very end. If you are a fan of the series you should definitely buy this book. But if you have never read a "Cat Who" book before this isn't for you. Buy an earlier novel in the series; then buy this one.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Cat Who Smelled a Rat, October 25, 2005

By 

smartnurse123 (Slidell, LA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cat Who Smelled a Rat (Audio Cassette)

Another delightful mystery by Lilian Jackson Braun...Qwilleran is able to solve the mystery with the help of Koko, his Siamese cat. A famous rare bookstore located in Pick Ax unexpectedly burns to the ground and the owner is killed. Although he always joked about it, the owner leaves the bookstore to Qwilleran in his will. Qwilleran is thoroughly surprised and plans to build a memorial to him in the town library. Throughout the story, Qwilleran cannot believe that the fire was an accident. Koko confirms his suspicions by leaving a series of cat-like clues. Koko eventually leads him to the suspect after he smells-out the biggest clue.