Customer Reviews

The Cat Who Went Into the Closet

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

 

 

I think this was my favorite "The Cat Who.." so far. It is late autumn in Pickax. Qwill and the cats rent a downtown mansion from Mrs. Gage to be closer to civilization in case of blizzards. Qwill has just written a play about a fire long ago in Pickax and begins giving performances.

The town receives word that Mrs. Gage who had sold out and moved to Florida, had committed suicide. Qwill and Koko do not feel all is right with that scenario.

Along the way, Qwill meets a young, beautiful, dog sled racer who had a big part in this mystery. The story takes place over my three favorite holidays; Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. You will love this edition of "The Cat Who..." series.

I am an avid audio book listener. Granted, I'm spoiled by George Guidall's excellent reading of the vast majority of Braun's "Cat Who" series. But Van Patten is a sad failure. Apparently Dove's editorial staff feared correcting him. He pronounces everything wrong: "Klingen-shone" instead of "Klingen-shane," for instance. He pronounces Nick and Laurie's last name "BAMba." The first syllable rhymes with "Tom," not "Pam." Twice he calls Euphonia Gage "Euphoria." He says Qwill will do his one-man Pickax history show for the Senior Care Faculty! He misread "Facility," and no one stopped the tape for another take. He inflects all wrong! He said Qwill "carried the cat coop-out" (meaningless) instead of "carried the cat coop out." What a disappointment for a Braun audio fan!

I'm a great fan of Koko and YumYum, so I enjoy having them along with me while I'm on the road. Somehow the narrator's voice sounds like Jim Qwilleran's would if he was a real person. The only problem is that it's not always easy to tell when we've reached the end of a disc, but then that's true of virtually all audio discs.

Jim Qwilleran, the main human character in this series, just can't seem to stay in one place for any length of time. In this entry he has moved from his perfectly good refurbished barn to the Gage mansion on Goodwinter Boulevard. It is probably important to note however that his lady friend Polly Duncan lives in the carriage house behind the Gage mansion.

Almost immediately Koko starts rummaging in the closets and keeps appearing with things relating to the mansion's last resident, 88 year-old Euphonia Gage who has moved to Florida. It isn't long until news arrives that Mrs. Gage has committed suicide but Qwilleran simply can't accept that the lively old lady would have done such a thing. When Euphonia's will is read Qwilleran gets even more suspicious and begins his own little investigation of the retirement community where the deceased lived. During his investigation Qwilleran calls Mrs. Gage's Florida next door neighbor Celia Robinson and soon she is working hand in hand with the former investigative reporter. Once the case is solved, Celia sends Qwilleran some holiday food and after tasting her delicious food he is immediately taken with the image of Mrs. Robinson cooking full time for he and his cats. This story by the way is set in November and December and Christmas and Thanksgiving are featured prominently.

As Qwilleran ponders what he suspects about the retirement community another mystery rears it's head when a local potato farmer disappears. Oddly enough, the farmer's late wife had worked for Mrs. Gage for forty years and since his wife's death he had been able to purchase a lot of expensive farm equipment. Someone suggests to Qwilleran that it was probably life insurance money but Pickax City's most eligible bachelor isn't so sure about that. Then, just as things get really engrossing, a mysterious buyer starts buying up all of the houses on Goodwinter Boulevard and Moose County is hit with the biggest blizzard on record. Everyone including Polly tried to warn Qwilleran about "The Big One" but he wouldn't listen and he ends up trapped at home eating cold canned soup and stale doughnuts.

This is another excellent entry in this series and once again the people of Moose County along with Koko and Yum Yum take center stage. The mystery is a little more prominent in this book than in some of it's predecessors but it is still the whimsical setting that makes these books so much fun. Qwilleran strays from the clues that Koko has left on occasion but the ever demanding cat always manages to put his human back on the right trail. Unfortunately, even the wonderful cats can't save their curmudgeon of a human from a stint as Santa in the local Christmas parade and the portrait Mrs. Braun paints of Qwilleran in a suit that is too tight attempting to climb a ladder as stitches tear left and right is hilarious. This is yet another winner from Lilian Jackson Braun.

Jim Qwilleran, wealthy bachelor and newspaper columnist, has again changed residence, this time into the Gage mansion which just happens to be located next to his lady friend's carriage house. Living in a small town like Pickax (pop. 3000) in remote Moose County (400 miles north of everywhere) it pays to be discrete.

Soon after settling in though Qwill's Siamese cats begin to unearth 'treasures' left behind by the former occupant, the eccentric 88 year-old Euphonia Gage who has recently moved to Florida. Qwill's enjoyment of his new quarters is disrupted by news of her suicide. Something about it seems wrong to Qwill but he has trouble focusing on the problem due to other concerns, a worried daughter seeking her missing father, a one-man stage show, and an upcoming wedding not to mention the usual Moose County activities. In the end though Qwill and the cats sort out all the mysteries, even unearthing yet another deep-dark Goodwinter family secret.

This is another Moose County mystery complete with many of the familiar characters and marking the first appearance of Celia Robinson. This is a must for those who are fans of the series and would be enjoyable by anyone who likes the 'cozy' genre of mystery. For anyone who is seeking a more traditional mystery it would be one of the more acceptable of this series.

I have read every one of the books in this series- more than once, and I never tire of Qwill or the cats. This book had me laughing out loud at Qwill as Santa Claus! For sheer "pleaseure"reading, one can not do better than this series or this book. I do advise reading them in order. You get a better feel for Qwill and the life he had before becoming so rich. They never fail to entertain.

This is the 15th book in the series. I've read them in order and they get better every time. In this one, Qwilleran (and his cats) are looking into two deaths, one of which took place far away in Florida. Of course by the end everything is solved. With some mysteries you can figure out what happened early on but this keeps you guessing and you're solving it right along with Qwill. (Sometimes I pay more attention to Koko's clues than he does, though!) Good light mystery reading for those of us who DON'T like thrills and chills.

one more wonderfull book by a marvelous writer. always a good read by this author,as good as all the others

I just love the way the author portrays Koko the cat sleuth. Sometimes I want to go get me a siamese cat and see if he can accomplish the same things. But, I then realize it's only a book. But, it is a very good book. As all of 'The Cat Who' series is.

I have purchase many used books through amazon seller and have never been dissapointed. Again-good condition