The Cat Who Went Bananas [Mass Market Paperback]

Lilian Jackson Braun (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cat Who... | Publication Date: December 27, 2005

The merry atmosphere in Pickax is dampened by the death of an out-of-town actor and the theft of a rare book. Qwill finds himself distracted from the events by his finicky pal Koko, who's been acting more fishy than feline. Has Koko gone bananas, or is he trying to let the cat out of the bag to solve the dual mysteries?

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bestseller Braun's formulaic 27th Cat Who... mystery (after 2004's The Cat Who Talked Turkey) lacks the charm of earlier adventures starring Siamese sleuths Koko and Yum Yum. In Pickax City, "400 miles north of everywhere," Jim Qwilleran, the semiretired gentleman columnist for the Moose County Something, is content to court longtime gal pal Polly Duncan while overseeing his philanthropic Klingenschoen Fund, which is bankrolling the Pirate's Chest, a new bookstore built to replace an old landmark. The arrival of talented thespian Alden Wade, a handsome widower who's to play Jack Worthing in a local production of The Importance of Being Earnest, threatens to enliven the proceedings and add tension to Qwill and Polly's peculiar, passionless relationship, until Alden's sudden marriage to the local Hibbard House heiress. Preparations for the Wilde play's opening and references to the Hibbard House history that Qwill is writing don't have much to do with the unsolved murder of Alden's first wife via a sniper's bullet. Once noted for its fine style, great characterizations and clever cat crime-solving, this cozy series has become a shadow of its former self.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

After 25 Cat Who adventures, do the plots matter anymore? Not really. In fact, compelling plots have never been the hallmark of this series. What keeps readers flocking back to Braun's books is her stellar cast of characters, led by the magnanimous Jim Qwilleran, former big-city journalist relocated to Moose County, and his feline partners, Koko and Yum Yum. This time Qwill's lady friend, Polly, has left her library job to open a bookstore, and her busy schedule is putting a severe crimp in the couple's social life. A handsome newcomer, Alden Wade, has come to town and is working for Polly, causing Qwill to do some jealous huffing into his glorious moustache. When Alden marries a well-off older lady, the locals suspect fortune hunting. Some of the mystery is never resolved, but it hardly matters. Faithful Braun readers feel right at home in Moose County, and its citizens--furry and otherwise--are just like family. Jenny McLarin
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Jove (December 27, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0515139785
• ISBN-13: 978-0515139785
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (94 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #315,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #19 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( B ) > Braun, Lilian Jackson

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

39 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars If felt tighter but still lacked substance, January 28, 2005

By 

Michael O. Byrd (MEMPHIS, TN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Went Bananas (Hardcover)

I didn't feel that this book rambled on nearly so much as the last couple which just seemed to go on and on without going anywhere, and was actually relatively happy until the end which I found completely disappointing. I am ready for Qwill to finger a baddy again. It seems like it's been a while.

I agree with an earlier reviewer don't tease me about Celia. I think she's my favorite chraracter and we never hear from her anymore. And don't tease me about Polly and Qwill splitting up. Violet sounded great for Qwill. I was hoping we were finally going to get the end of the Queen of the Boring People, but alas no, on for one more :(.

30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars What happened to the ending?, January 25, 2005

By 

Anne Melvin "mystery lover" (Barrington, NH United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Cat Who Went Bananas (Audio CD)

I have read or listened to everyone of The Cat Who series and loved all the rest. This has the same formula with the clues from Koko and Quill's mustache moving the plot and building anticipation but then it ends with all the questions unanswered!
A terrible ending!

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars The worst mystery I ever read!, May 9, 2005

By 

M. Fisher (Southern California) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Went Bananas (Hardcover)

I have read every book Lilian Jackson Braun ever wrote and enjoyed most of them. Yes the plots were always lame and the endings stupid, but I enjoyed the characters and at least the previous books HAD endings. In my life I imagine I've read thousands of mystery novels. In fact I am a professional writer myself. This was by far the worst I have EVER read and in fact I want my money back from the publisher! How dare the publisher put out a book that is unfinished! The mystery is never resolved! This book violates the basic compact between mystery writer and reader: I will write a book with plot twists and turns and you can try to figure them out and then I will reveal the answers to you. This book simply stops dead, as if the author suddenly got tired of writing it or died or something and then they decided to publish it anyway. I am incensed at the waste of my time and money. Shame on you, author and shame on you publishing house for putting it out! This is the LAST "Cat Who" book I will ever read.