The merry atmosphere in Pickax is dampened by the death of an out-of-town actor and the theft of a rare book. Qwill finds himself distracted from the events by his finicky pal Koko, who's been acting more fishy than feline. Has Koko gone bananas, or is he trying to let the cat out of the bag to solve the dual mysteries?
Cat Who Went Bananas FROM OUR EDITORS The Barnes & Noble Review
In The Cat Who Went Bananas, wealthy journalist Jim Qwilleran searches for palatable ways to incorporate the bananas his doctor recommends into his diet, while his clever cats, Koko and Yum Yum, prove more than willing to make the evidence of those bananas (and other things) appear at opportune moments. Meanwhile, excitement is running high as Qwill and the folks of Pickax City get ready for opening night of the Theatre Club's latest performance (with an exciting new resident in the leading role), get set to unveil the statue in the town's new park, explore the pros and cons of the new local fad of rose watching, and prepare for the grand opening of the town's new bookstore, The Pirate's Chest. As always, Koko is quick to voice an opinion when an unexpected death and a mysterious theft slip into the story. Then it's up to Qwill to interpret his feline companion's literary clues in time to bring things to a dramatic conclusion¿¿¿without slipping up. Sue Stone FROM THE PUBLISHER James Qwilleran and his famous felines, Koko and Yum Yum, are back for another mystery-solving stint in the beloved bestselling Cat Who . . . series.
The good people of Pickax are agog with anticipation: Not only is the new bookstore, The Pirate's Chest, about to open, but the Theatre Club is set to perform Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest.
The play does not continue past opening night, however, for a member of the cast is killed in a car accident . . . or was it an accident? Koko seems to suspect otherwise, and Qwill and his clever cats have their work cut out for them. Author Biography: Lilian Jackson Braun is the author of twenty-seven bestselling Cat Who . . . novels and three short-story collections.
FROM THE CRITICS Publishers Weekly Bestseller Braun's formulaic 27th Cat Who... mystery (after 2004's The Cat Who Talked Turkey) lacks the charm of earlier adventures starring Siamese sleuths Koko and Yum Yum. In Pickax City, "400 miles north of everywhere," Jim Qwilleran, the semiretired gentleman columnist for the Moosehead County Something, is content to court longtime gal pal Polly Duncan while overseeing his philanthropic Klingenschoen Fund, which is bankrolling the Pirate's Chest, a new bookstore built to replace an old landmark. The arrival of talented thespian Alden Wade, a handsome widower who's to play Jack Worthing in a local production of The Importance of Being Earnest, threatens to enliven the proceedings and add tension to Qwill and Polly's peculiar, passionless relationship, until Alden's sudden marriage to the local Hibbard House heiress. Preparations for the Wilde play's opening and references to the Hibbard House history that Qwill is writing don't have much to do with the unsolved murder of Alden's first wife via a sniper's bullet. Once noted for its fine style, great characterizations and clever cat crime-solving, this cozy series has become a shadow of its former self. Agent, Lynda Gregory and Merry Pantano at Blanche C. Gregory. (Jan. 3) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Library Journal When the Theatre Club production is threatened by a cast member's suspicious death, the cats (Koko and Yum Yum, that is) are out of the bag, ready to investigate. Braun lives in North Carolina. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
Kirkus Reviews Jim Qwilleran, columnist for the Moose County Something and caretaker of sleuthing cats Koko and Yum Yum (The Cat Who Brought Down The House, 2003, etc.), takes on amateur theater, valuable old books, and an ugly landmark. The Pickax theater club is in the throes of presenting The Importance of Being Earnest, starring newcomer Alden Wade, when Ronnie Dickson, playing Algernon, dies in a car accident, under the influence of drugs. But everyone who knew Ronnie, including his old friend Alden Wade, knew he didn't do drugs. Qwill does his wondering about Ronnie's death on his own, since his erstwhile companion Polly Duncan is preoccupied with the opening of the Pirate's Chest, her new bookstore. Seeking someone to appreciate his moustache and his wit, he cultivates Violet Hibbard, mistress of the historic but ugly Hibbard House. Violet, however, has her eyes on another eligible bachelor. Meanwhile, some valuable books are stolen out from under the nose of the new bookstore's "bibliocat." As the case meanders to its climax, Qwill gives a slide show, serves drinks to various friends and neighbors, and writes columns (the texts as usual appearing in the novel for the edification of the faithful). Koko's clues this time take the form of banana peels that, mercifully, Qwill figures out before he breaks his neck. Fans will go bananas; others may go Wilde. Agency: Blanche C. Gregory, Inc.
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