A murder leaves Jim Qwilleran and his cats, Koko and Yum Yum, feeling out of tune in this New York Times bestselling mystery in the Cat Who series.Is it just a case of summertime blues or a full-blown career crisis? Newspaper reporter Jim Qwilleran isn’t sure, but he’s hoping a few days in the country will help him sort out his life. With cats Koko and Yum Yum for company, he heads for a cabin … company, he heads for a cabin owned by a longtime family friend named Aunt Fanny.
But from the moment he arrives, things turn strange. Eerie footsteps cross the roof at midnight. The townsfolk become oddly secretive. And then, while fishing, Qwilleran hooks on to a murder mystery. Soon Qwilleran enters into a game of cat and mouse with the killer, while Koko develops a sudden and uncanny fondness for classical music…
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The Cat Who series is one of my all time favorite series. I did not start at the beginning, but went back to catch up on the history of the characters. The books definitely got better after the first couple. Great little mystery series!
Book Review
Another fun release in the “Cat Who” series by Lilian Jackson Braun with this fifth installment, The Cat Who Played Brahms. I gave this one a 4 of 5 start as it introduces us to Aunt Fanny, thus beginning the transition for Qwill from the big city to 400 miles north of everywhere. By now, you get the formula… you know who he is, but this one brings out his softer side when he delves deeper into retirement. Looking for relaxation, he stumbles into a mystery at the cabin and among the townspeople. You get to know several people who will be in future books, but you also get a sense of cats in the country! Normal antics. Kooky characters. Good writing (though basic).Just one of those fun things to read over 3 to 4 hours. And in this one, you get the opportunity to learn a little more about classic music. I like hearing it in the background, but not something to just sit and listen to all day long for me… I’m game for the opera and theatre, and I do enjoy classical music, but I know very little. So an education in the book was a nice thing too!
If you love animals you will love this book.
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 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.
Loved it & all the The Cat Who books
I didn’t like this book much at first, but the more I read, the more I got pulled into it and had trouble putting it down. Not quite as engaging as the first four books of the series, but still entertaining.
Another great read from Lillian Jackson Braun
I really enjoy the Lilian Jackson Braun books about Qwill and Koko and Yum Yum. They are really fun and relaxing to read, yet totally engaging. I’m really happy that I haven’t finished them all . . . yet. I will get through all of them.
This is a fun mystery
A cozy mystery with characters who will become like close friends.
Lilian Jackson Braun’s “the cat who…” series are wonderful!
I have yet to read one of her books without wishing there were more. The characters are well-developed and likable, and the cats are wonderful!
I’ve really enjoyed this series so far!