The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (Cat Who... (Prebound)) [Hardcover]

Lilian Jackson Braun (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 2008 | Series: Cat Who... (Prebound)

After dropping a bombshell that was a bestseller, Lilian Jackson Braun brings back James Qwilleran and his famous felines, Koko and Yum Yum, for the twenty-ninth installment of the beloved, bestselling Cat Who . . . series.

Unabridged Cassettes - 4 cassettes, 4 hours

--This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Diehard fans will best appreciate Braun's meandering 29th "Cat Who..." mystery (after 2006's The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell). Series hero Jim "Qwill" Qwilleran, columnist for the Moose County Something in remote Pickax City, Mich., gets involved in the local literary club, a new senior center and an absurdist play called The Cat Who Was Elected Dogcatcher. When Polly Duncan, "the chief woman in his life," goes off to Paris, Qwill is left without a companion for his various social outings. Incidental criminal activities include arson, missing funds and death by bee sting. Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum add the usual feline fun.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

The twenty-ninth in the immensely popular Cat Who series won't win the series any new fans. As usual, Moose County, 400 miles north of everywhere, is the setting, and mustachioed Jim ("Quill") Quilleran, columnist for the Moose County Something, and his cats, Koko and Yum Yum, are the principals, though Yum Yum serves a peripheral role here, leaving the psychic Siamese Koko in full command, foretelling the coming of phone calls and issuing curdling howls when someone suffers a violent death. In this episode, the Old Hulk, which is being developed as a senior center, mysteriously burns to the ground. Meanwhile, a young woman dies from a bee sting--it could be murder--and Quill's lady friend, Polly, goes to Paris and decides to stay there. Then Quill's beloved apple-barn residence is also destroyed by fire. Unfortunately, these story threads tend to peter out with no resolution, and the cat characterizations, usually a strong point, seem a bit forced, making it difficult to see them as real felines, albeit sentient ones. None of this will matter all that much to the series faithful, however, who bring fully formed senses of the characters to each adventure. A welcome chance to revisit Moose County for regulars, then, but don't expect passers-by to stick around. Sally Estes
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 228 pages
• Publisher: San Val (January 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1417814586
• ISBN-13: 978-1417814589
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 1.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (306 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,489,773 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

184 of 188 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Please Retire the Series...Let's Remember the Good..., January 5, 2007

By 

Cat Who Fan "A long-time fan..." (Midwest) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (Hardcover)

As one of many dedicated fans, and one who has been intimately involved with this series previously, I must confess that this was the single most disappointing read of them all!! I finished the book, and then spent a few minutes attempting to reflect in my own mind about what I read, what I learned, and what I felt. Sadly, I decided I read a book that was unfortunately so disconnected, so disjointed, so unlike previous ones in the series (even counting the last four which have been questionable in so many ways)that I was forced to attempt to answer many unanswered questions. Further, I learned in reading this, the latest book in the series, that there was absolutely no relationship between this one and the early books in the series (primarly any that predate "The Cat Who Went Up the Creek"). This one was disjointed, disconnected, unfortunately lacking in depth, devoid of any character development and/or plot, and lacking in the very qualities that brought readers to the series annually! There are more unanswered questions in this book than in many of the previous ones combined! Gone are the meals enjoyed by Qwill and guests (including Polly)--to be replaced by a catering service that we don't even know. Gone are the antics of the cats--many of the redeeming characteristics that caused many of us to look forward to each new book. Gone are the "characters" we've grown to love and eagerly visit with each year in a new book. Truly, this was the first book in which I can honestly say I didn't feel as though I'd spent a "bit" of time in Pickax visiting old friends. Indeed, this one left me feeling quite sad--maybe that was the intent! Certainly, Qwill's journaling and the stress placed on it, must suggest that we can anticipate some sort of "Qwill's Journal" in the future, but although I'd like to think there is yet another "Cat Who..." in the future, I have to think I speak for many of the most dedicated fans when I say that perhaps now is the time to end the series--let us take fond memories of the cast of characters away while we still remember them and why we loved the series to begin with!! Don't attempt something that apparently isn't working or isn't possible to resurrect!

92 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars possibly the worst in the series, January 7, 2007

By 

fezabel (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (Hardcover)

Too many misuses of punctuation! I don't know why... And many sentence fragments.

With strange wording and unusual paragraph breaks.

Whoever was paid to write this book (everyone knows it's not Lilian Jackson Braun) made too many changes and wrote it very badly to boot. I highlighted the consistently annoying bits above but there are many more for you to find if you are extremely bored & brave.

I don't recommend this book to anyone for any reason. *If you are or were a fan of the Cat Who series, please do not read this book.* It will ruin your happy memories.

58 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Barter: "I'm Phoning from the Courthouse!" Qwill: "Something Exciting?" Barter: "Nah, Just Coming Over for Tea and Gossip.", January 17, 2007

By 

George Buttner "Agent0042" (Dayton, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers (Hardcover)

Welcome to "The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers" --- the latest installment in the continuing saga of "Port Moose County" --- the sad soap-opera saga that's replaced a once well-respected-and-loved mystery series.

In "The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers," nothing happens. Well, okay, some things happen. They're largely boring, but fortunately the book is short --- only 190 pages. One of the "chapters" is actually only a page long. Let's give it a shot here...

There's a fire. And somebody gets murdered --- eventually. It's more than halfway into the book and Qwill and the cats have really no involvement in it whatsoever, other than the obligatory and actually starting to get a bit tiresome Koko sniffing and death howls. Qwilleran launches about a dozen new book projects (or maybe it just seems like it) and interviews a bunch of nice people, all while also writing a largely uninspired play.

This edition of "The Cat Who..." gets two stars from me for one reason only --- a development in the romance department I find much to my liking. I won't spoil it here, not that it's anything especially thrilling or exciting anyway. But it's certainly welcome.

I got this from the library. I didn't spend a red cent on it. I won't be getting the audiobook version either. George Guidall does an admirable job on the audiobooks, but his muted performance on the previous "novel" in this series convinces me that he too is beginning to see the futility of it all. And Koko would be ashamed.