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The Cat Who Wasn't There by Lilian Jackson Braun
From Publishers Weekly Pickax City columnist and wealthy bachelor Jim Qwilleran travels to Scotland, leaving his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum at home, in one of the most lively recent entries in Braun's popular "The Cat Who . . . " series. Also on the Bonnie Scots Tour are Qwill's current woman friend, Polly Duncan, the Moose County librarian; and his recently returned former girlfriend, Dr. Melinda Goodwinter, who proposes marriage. Tour leader Irma Hasselrich (a friend of Polly's and a patient of Melinda's) dies of apparently natural causes; then a jewel case and the tour-bus driver disappear. Qwill, Polly and Melinda decamp the tour early; back in Pickax City, listening to tape recordings he made along the way--and to Koko's intuitive yowls--Qwill begins to suspect that Irma was murdered. Convincing others, however, takes time and an investigation. Although the cats play a smaller role in this installment than in previous ones, Braun's descriptions of Scottish lore and the complications of Qwill's love life will enchant fans. Mystery Guild selection; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates; audio rights to Dove. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title. Reader Reviews 3 of 7 people found the following review helpful: The title is (sadly) very accurate, November 25, 2002 Reviewer: Mistress of Furry from Vermont When I picked this novel up from my local library, I was VERY disappointed to see that underneath the cute pawprints on the cover and the "Cat Who" part of the title, and the reviews calling this series 'great for cat lovers!' that this book (and the whole series, in general) isn't about cats at all. It's about a Bill Gates-level rich man and his lovers and their big Scottish adventure. Big whoop-de-do. And half the time I forgot there were even supposed to BE cats in this book, since they rarely appeared. The cats are simply there as background pets, and sure, Koko knocks a few books off a shelf here and there to coveniently help solve a mystery but doesn't do much else. A book about cats would be about just that - cats and NOT humans. And the fact that this book pretends to be about these small furry mammals, when it isn't, is just disgusting in my eyes. Only Braun's short story collection, "The Cat Who Had 14 Tales", actually contains some material that is truely about cats and not humans. Cat lovers, don't waste your time with this series, especially since there are so many mystery series (such as Shirley Rosseau's beautifully written Joe Grey Mysteries) out there that ARE about cats.
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