The Cat Who Came to Breakfast

(2.5 / 5)

This was my least favorite book in the series so far. That has a lot to do with the fact that it feels almost like a repeat of The Cat Who Moved a Mountain, with the primitive locals vs. the tourists, developers, and wealthy people, except on an island. On top of that, Qwilleran often starts out in a story with reluctance and grumbling, but he usually ends up finding something to appreciate, if not enjoy. Not so in this book, where he is basically unhappy the entire time on the island.

One thing I did enjoy about the book was that island strongly reminded me of Mackinac Island in Michigan, with the no-cars rule, the bicycles to compensate, and the smell of fudge everywhere. I don’t know if that was on purpose, or if Braun had show more some other touristy island in mind (or none at all, though I’d doubt that), but I have very fond memories of vacations spent there, so it provided a little nostalgia. Unfortunately, the mystery wasn’t particularly intriguing or surprising. I finished the book just under a month ago, and I no longer remember for sure who the “bad guy” was. Not really what you want from a mystery book. Hopefully this doesn’t signal Braun starting to run out of ideas, but I’ll continue on with the hopes of a better book to follow it up. show less

I love this series! It never fails as a pick-me-up for an enjoyable reading adventure!

As mentioned when I read #12 in the series...One of the delights of this series is that one never knows where Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats, Koko and Yum-Yum will be residing as the setting for their residence changes throughout the series and they always add an interesting twist to the mystery of murder and mayhem and a fascinating new cast of characters for their interactions.

Koko's version of playing Dominoes with Qwill and faithful Yum-Yum watching adds to the fun of this adventure particularly for readers who share their lives with cats.

Qwilleran visits Breakfast Island for a couple weeks to research material for his article and investigate a series of accidents that are hurting business. This is not the strongest of the Cat Who series. The plot is very slow to develop and Qwilleran is unusually grouchy. The highlight of the novel is that the mystery is not quickly solved and leaves you guessing. It was that sole fact alone that helped me finish it.

The 16th �Û_Cat Who‰Û_ book was my least favorite of the series so far. It had many of the same themes as #13 ‰Û_Moved a Mountain, but it is not nearly as well done and Qwill is in full cranky jerkoff mode again.

Old friends Nick and Lori Bamba have opened a Bed and Breakfast on Pear Island. They invite Qwill and the cats to visit and see if they can figure out who is trying to sabotage the island‰Ûªs development as a tourist destination. The mystery was flat and the humor that makes this series so enjoyable was largely absent.

Originally published: 1994

Body Count: one. a bunch of people before Qwill got there, then Judy Haliburton (murder/fire)....

Preceded by: The Cat Who Went into the Closet
Next Up: The Cat Who show more Blew the Whistle show less

I found this book (as well as many of the others of the cat who... series) delightfully charming and it kept my attention throughout. I think the ways Quilleran's cats try to indicate their thoughts are unique and I like the rapport between the cats and their "eccentric" owner.

Miso

I didn't like this one as much as the previous books. The setting of Breakfast Island and the lack of the Pickax characters failed to interest me.

Started with back story which worked WELL for the first ten pages, but got tedious about page 15 when the first probable murder,showed up. It lost me a time or two in historical detail and cat antics. All in all, a pleasant, cozy mystery for a lazy afternoon.