28 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The First Three Books in This Great Series!, July 14, 2006
In the 1st book in The Cat Who...series, The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, we are introduced to James Qwilleran, a newsman for the Daily Fluxion. Returning to writing for a paper after several years absence trying to get his life together in which excessive alcohol was a factor, Jim has sobered up and sought gainful employment. The only position open on the news desk is in the art section, and Jim is hired to do personal pieces on members of the art crowd. He soon learns that there is another controversial writer covering the art world, George Bonifield Mountclemens. The elusive writer seems to like no one, and when Jim is invited to Mountclemens' home to dine with him, Jim isn't sure whether to be honored or dismayed. He accepts, and quickly finds the man learned and an excellent cook. Jim also meets a Siamese named Kao K'o-Kung (Jim shortens it to KoKo), and an important longstanding friendship begins. When a member of the local art scene is stabbed, Jim starts to poke around to try to figure out the connection between the victim and the other artists he has met for his column. With the help of KoKo, Jim starts the long-running series with a whopper of a case.
In the 2nd book in The Cat Who...series, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern, we meet again James Qwilleran aka "Qwill", a newsman for the Daily Fluxion. After having been assigned to the art beat on his previous assignment for the Fluxion, Qwill is happy to be given a new assignment...until he discovers what it is. He is given the daunting task of writing a weekly magazine style insert titled "Gracious Abodes" that will focus on the world of interior design. Knowing nothing of the topic, Qwill throws himself into his new post, and quickly discovers that he has a lot to learn. When a home is robbed that was featured in the first edition of Gracious Abodes, Qwill wonders if his new assignment will be a curse. Several more mishaps occur with each edition, and Qwill begins to believe that someone is out to make the Fluxion and himself look bad. With the help of KoKo and the addition of his new cat, Yum Yum, a long-standing friendship and crime-solving trio is formed.
In the 3rd book in The Cat Who...series, The Cat Who Turned On and Off, James Qwilleran (aka "Qwill"), is working on assignment in the features department as a newsman for the Daily Fluxion. Previously, he had been assigned to writing a weekly magazine style insert titled "Gracious Abodes" that focused on the world of interior design. Having survived that assignment, Qwill is back writing features, and is excited about the prospect of winning a prize in the Fluxion's annual writing contest. He hears about a nearby town called Junktown from a cabbie, and decides to write a piece about what he assumes is a crime-ridden area. Instead, he finds that Junktown is a hotbed of antique dealers, and he quickly finds a room to rent in the town while writing a story about antiques. He learns that the tenant who occupied his room previously had died in a suspicious manner, and Qwill begins to investigate the curious characters in Junktown. Qwill meets Iris Cobb in this installment, starting a lengthy friendship that will last long into future books set in Moose County.
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. More of Qwill's background is explained, and it was interesting to revisit how Qwill met Mrs. Cobb, Arch Riker, and several other characters that stay with this long-running series. For those that have not read the series, I do recommend reading the first several first. Many others can be intermixed, but this book offers good insight to some of the characters that show up later in the series. This is a great series by my favorite author!
The first book in the series is called "The Cat who Could Read Backwards". Enjoy!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Anthropomorphic cats, March 22, 2006
I read the first three "Cat Who ..." novels as a sort of technical experiment. I wanted to see how she made those anthropomorphic cats believable. I have to say she does an exemplary job. Koko and Yum Yum act like real cats, with just a few eccentricities. Koko, for instance, plays a game with Jim Qwilleran where he uses an unabridged dictionary as a scratching post. The first two words on a page often give Qwilleran clues as to who may have committed the murder he is currently working on.
I've had some success with the three-on-one approach before I had never been that fond of the 87th precinct until I got three-for-one at a book fair. And from then on I was hooked. The "Cat Who..." stories start out with Qwilleran taking a job as a feature reporter in an unnamed city at the Daily Fluxian. He is a recovering alcoholic whose career is in a shambles, so he's willing to do anything for money. The feature editor assigns him to the art beat, and when Koko's former owner is murdered, Quilleran inherits the spoiled cat. Yum Yum is the former pet of another murder victim. Although he covers such beats as the interior decorating and the antique district, murders seem to follow this former crime reporter around.
I had a bit of a problem with the endings in all three. The first murderer is so obscure I had to go back and look him up. However, by the third mystery, Braun is getting her bearings and the reader has a reasonable chance to guess who done it.
This is definitely formulae writing. Qwilleran, the old-time crime reporter, is always a "fish out of water." For instance, in THE CAT WHO ATE DANISH MODERN he is assigned to edit a weekend magazine on interior decorating. These stories will remind you of the Dick Francis mysteries where the hero always has a different occupation.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
