The Cat Who Played Brahms

When an old friend of his mother's, a nearly 90-year-old woman he's always called Aunt Fanny, offers him use of her cabin on a lake for the summer, former crime reporter Jim Qwilleran decides that a few months away from the bustle of city life and his newspaper job that keeps changing assignments on him might be just what he needs. Moose County, though, is practically a whole different country, and Qwilleran experiences culture shock, even as his old familiar instincts kick in when he's certain he's found evidence of a murder occurring.

I keep saying this, but I think this might be my new favorite in the series. Qwill out of his element was pretty great, and the introduction to the area I know he'll be living for the rest of the series show more was comical in many ways. The inclusion of Koko's latest quirk as hinted at in the title was might have been my favorite so far, and I really liked the little bit of emotion near the end of the book. I loved seeing real friendships begin to develop with people he'll be living amongst soon, and especially enjoyed the few interactions he had with the managing editor of the local paper. Overall, the clash of a true city man trying to understand the far north country made this book different than the previous in a lot of ways, but I really liked it.

To be honest, until I started reading through this series recently, I wondered if I only liked them when I was younger because...well, I was younger. I thought I'd find them silly, pedantic, boring, etc. now. Apparently my reading tastes haven't changed all that much, because I've been enjoying them a lot. I would recommend this book for fans of the classic whodunit & cozy mystery genres. show less

Journalist Qwilleran and his Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum, have a flair for murder. This time, they discover the unsavoury going-ons in a small town that has the appearances of being as peaceful as can be. The murder was easy to unravel: the characters are so idiosyncratic that it is easy to pull clues together but the ending was surprisingly dark for a cozy mystery.
I very much enjoyed the cats' antics and the slow, lulling pace, but perhaps less the sordid ending.

Book five in the delightful cozy mystery series starring James Qwilleran (just Qwill to his friends), and his Siamese Koko. Qwill has been notified that he’ll be evicted when his building is sold, so he decides to take a sabbatical and take up a family friend’s offer of a remote cabin on a lake “up north.” He figures he’ll have peace and quiet and will be able to begin work on the book he wants to write. Mooseville is certainly NOT the big city, but something mysterious is going on; several of Qwill’s cherished possessions go missing and then a neighboring cabin owner is murdered.

I really enjoy this series. I like Qwill and I like Koko, and NO, the cat doesn’t talk but his meanderings and occasional reaction to a visitor show more frequently point Qwill in the direction of a significant clue. I also like the women in Qwill’s life. He’s always a gentleman but he operates alone and he likes it that way.

This episode ends with a bit of a surprise twist and a cliffhanger. But having already read the next installment (my mistake … I read out of order) I was happy to get the background. show less

This 5th installment was my favorite so far. With the move to Moose County, the series is injected with humor and whimsy, and the characters and mystery are engaging.

This time, Qwill's beat was ... no beat!

When the building he�Ûªs living in (Maus Haus from the previous book) is sold and the residents given notice, Qwill decides it's the perfect time for a vacation. For years, wealthy family friend "Aunt Fanny" Klingenschoen has been offering him the use of her lake house in Moose County, so he loads Koko and YumYum into his newly purchased car and off they go.

Qwill is a city boy and everything about isolated Moose County seems strange, but before long he gets to know and appreciate the beauty of the area and the quirky, show more friendly locals. Of course, he and the cats are soon embroiled in a mystery ‰ÛÒ this time involving escaped prisoners, a shady turkey farm, and smuggling.

A few more tidbits about Qwill‰Ûªs life are parceled out here. We find out that his ex-wife had a nervous breakdown, which led to his drinking problem. Rosemary, his age-appropriate lady love from the previous book comes to visit but the relationship is doomed as Qwill is backsliding into his preference for much younger women. (Although in fairness, it might not be Rosemary‰Ûªs age so much as the fact that she doesn‰Ûªt get his jokes.) He meets beautiful young doctor Melinda Goodwinter and clearly wants to pursue her ‰ÛÒ despite the fact that she seems determined to put him in his place, constantly referring to his advanced age.

The biggest surprise in this novel is the incredible change in Qwill‰Ûªs circumstances. Upon Aunt Fanny‰Ûªs death, he learns he is her sole heir and becomes an overnight multi-millionaire. The catch is, he must live in her Pickax mansion for the next five years. If he declines, the entire fortune goes to an outfit dedicated to restoring Atlantic City, where Aunt Fanny had made her fortune. This would be a huge blow to the citizens of Moose County, who for years have been promised funds from Aunt Fanny‰Ûªs fortune for various community projects.

Qwill is torn. He is not materialistic, and he likes his life as a reporter Down Below. He's not sure he wants to live full time in this strange, remote part of the country. What will Qwill decide? We won‰Ûªt know until the next book!

Originally published: 1987

Body Count: 4 Unknown escaped prisoner (murder/drowning); Qwill's new friend whose name I can't remember (bludgeoned with his own candlestick); Aunt Fanny (murder/pushed down stairs); Tom the handyman (suicide/guilt about pushing Aunt Fanny down the stairs)

Preceded by: The Cat Who Saw Red

Next Up: The Cat Who Played Post Office show less

This is one of the earlier "The Cat Who" books and not quite as cutesy as some of the later ones. Jim Qwilleran and his cats go to a fishing cabin for a well-deserved rest. Qwill ends up solving a murder with the help of his cat Koko who suddenly develops a taste for classical music.

Journalist and amateur detective James Qwilleran takes a break from newspapering to ostensibly write a book in a cabin owned by a woman who was good friends with his mother in college. Old Mrs. Klingenschoen is quite a wacky lady and also a bazillionnaire and the acknowledged orchestrator of most events in Pickax as well as all of Moose County. Again people nearby are murdered and Qwill and his prodigious Siamese, Koko, investigate.

Another cast of eccentric characters are introduced, Qwill continues womanizing, the mystery is mildly suspenseful and tricky, the cat is adorable and a big surprise at the end (though not a surprise if you've read LT reviews of the first four books in this series).

This is the fifth book in The Cat Who… series. In this story, James Qwilleran has to move again, Maus Haus is being sold and the paper may be giving him a new beat.

Jim decides to take a vacation, to go to visit Aunt Fannie, a friend of his mother, in Moose County, ostensibly to work on his book. Being a cityfolk, he’s a bit lost in the rustic cabin Fannie is letting him use, there are noises and things go missing.

The people who live in Moose County all have their quirks, but are cordial. His calls to police turn to be animal encounters. Until he goes fishing and catches a body, things start to get interesting.

Koko, Yum Yum and Qwill’s mustache take center stage as dead bodies and odd behaviors take center stage. Qwill is out of show more his depth, but Koko helps make things clear.

This book isn’t as good as the previous ones. I felt is was more of an interlude between different story styles or settings – I haven’t read beyond this one yet. The story was somewhat interesting, but did pick up at the end. show less