Customer Reviews

The Cat Who Sniffed Glue

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

As I started this, the eighth book of this series I found that the author had decided to use a slightly different tact from that of her previous books. At the beginning of each chapter there are what amounts to stage directions that tell the reader about the location of the action to come and the characters involved. For someone who jumps into the series with this book these directions might be helpful but I found them very distracting.

The story itself revolves around the murder of the scion of a local family of bankers and his wife, of whom the family did not approve. Everyone immediately assumes that a gang of local hoodlums committed the murder but Jim Qwilleran is not so sure about that. By the time the dust has settled, Braun has killed off seven residents of Moose County as she continues to thin the population of this remote area. Through it all, Qwilleran senses that there is more to this mystery than meets the eye but he continually overlooks the clues that his cat Koko is trying to give him. To add to Qwilleran's woes, Yum Yum is behaving strangely and he is having serious women troubles.

The mystery is a little heavier in this book than in the previous installments and the clues are much harder to read. Until the very end, neither the reader nor Qwilleran will know whom the killer or killers are despite Koko's clues. It all just seems so improbable. Still, since the mysteries in these books are secondary to the story of Jim Qwilleran, his cats and the people of Moose County the odd solution to this particular mystery is not too disappointing. The reader should also be wary of fake leads that appear throughout this story.

As is normal for these cat books, the characters are very well developed and interesting. Most of the people to be found in this book have shown up before but we are introduced to the bookseller Eddington Smith, who like Barney Fife carries a pistol with no bullets. We are also introduced to Smith's cat Winston, who dusts the booksellers inventory with his tail. Also intriguing is the bottled water Qwilleran likes so much and the reason that is finally given for it's pleasant taste.

Lilian Jackson Braun can weave a story like few other authors. Her mysteries are light and entertaining with just a little sex rolled in to keep things interesting. Even if you aren't a mystery buff, once you start reading this series you will not be able to stop because you will get very attached to the people and the cats. If there were really a Moose County I think that I would move there.

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).

After reading a complex volume or when in need of a little quiet therapy, I go to visit Qwill in Pickax. The Cat Who...books are all imaginative and funny, as well as clean and well-written. They are not earth shattering works, but more like a portal to a place that feels like home.

The cat who sniffed glue is no exception. I feel that this is one of the strongest books in the series, with an excellent and professional plot.

I do hope you'll get to know the characters in Moose County, and enjoy them as much as I do. None of the Cat Who books disappoint!

. . . 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.

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.

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!

In the 8th book in The Cat Who...series, James Qwilleran aka "Qwill", is busy with the first issue of the redesigned newspaper to be published in Moose County (400 miles north of everywhere). He is currently living with his two beautiful Siamese cats (KoKo and Yum Yum) in an apartment over the old Klingenschoen garage and has settled in for a five year stay to fulfill the requirements of Aunt Fanny's will.

As the book begins, Moose County is dealing with a rash of vandalism that has been escalating to increasingly violent acts. One of the suspects in the vandalism ring is Chad Lanspeak, son of the owners of the Lanspeak's Department Store. As Chad's parents are good friends of Qwill, he tries to befriend the young man, and begins to believe that Chad was not involved in the violence. A murder of two prominent citizens occurs, and the prime suspects in the murder are Chad and his friends. When a car crash kills Chad and two other suspects in the vandalism ring, the police are quick to close the case. Qwill suspects that the police have closed the case prematurely, and continues to quietly investigate. With KoKo developing a fascination with glue, and Polly becoming more and more distant to his affections, Qwill is kept busy while trying to solve the murders and to clear the name of his good friend's son.

This is my favorite cozy mystery series! I had read all of the books in the past, and wanted to read them again for a second time. This time around, I have chosen to listen to them on CD, as I love the voice of George Guidall. I am happily rediscovering how Qwill became a long-time resident of Moose County, and how many of the series regulars join him from "down below". This installment discusses how the newspaper is launched, and how Qwill starts to write his famous column.

This is a great series by my favorite author!

The first book in the series is called "The Cat who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!

The Cat Who books are great. And this one is no exception. Purrfect...

The Cat Who is the best serries ever full of humor wit and complexity,
James Macentosh Qwilerin is a off beat repoter/Billion air with his 2 cats Koko and Yumyum who are no shorter than extra ordinary.
This is the best book serries I have ever read and would recomend it to any one over 10.
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