"No one can be lonely who has a book for company." ~ Nelle Reagan

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Book Review: The Cat Who Moved a Mountain by Lillian Jackson Braun

The Cat Who Moved a Mountain
Author:  Lillian Jackson Braun
Publisher:  A Jove Book by The Berkley Publishing Group
Copyright:  1992
Pages: 261
Genre:  Mystery
ISBN 0-515-10950-9
Source:  My personal copy


From the back cover:  Qwill's on top of the world when he rents a house on Big Potato Mountain.  The owner, J.J. Hawkinfield, brought real estate development to the once-peaceful Potatoes  But Hawkinfield paid a stoop price for his enterprise.  He was pushed off a cliff by an angry mountain dweller.  Qwelleran, however, suspects the man is innocent -- and Koko's antics have him convinced something's wrong.  He may be making a mountain out of a molehill...but he's determined to find the truth.  Even if it means jumping out of the frying pan and into the fire!

Qwilleran -- a prize-winning reported with a nose for crime.  Koko -- a Siamese cat with extraordinary talents and a flair for mystery.  Yum Yum -- a loveable Siamese adored by her two male companions.  The most unlikely, most unusual, most delightful team in detective fiction!

This is the first novel by recently deceased author, Lillian Jackson Braun.  Ms. Braun is the author of  29 "The Cat Who"... books.  Sadly, I have just discovered the magnificent talent of Lillian Jackson Braun with this novel The Cat Who Moved a Mountain.  Fortunately, there are many more available titles with which to acquaint myself.

For the mystery lover, particularly cozy mysteries, and the cat lover, this novel is a recommended addition to your library.  The novel begins with Qwilleran's journey up the mountainside with his two Siamese cats in their carrier, audibly commenting on the journey.  As the threesome navigate the winding road, Qwilleran repeatedly checks his gas gauge which indicates a depleting supply and no station in site.  He begins to second guess taking a friend's advice on this particular destination for a vacation.  Once the three are settled in the enormous house atop Big Potato mountain, Qwilleran learns the previous owner was murdered right there.  As he becomes aware of the circumstances surrounding Hawkinfield's death, he is more certain the wrong man was imprisoned for the crime.

What ensues next includes a hidden room in the home, a treacherous mountain climb, the reveal of secrets, and danger for Qwilleran.  This is a fast-paced mystery that captures your imagination, and stimulates your senses. The Cat Who Moved a Mountain is a light read that the reader will enjoy and desire to return to again and again.  It is that kind of read; the best kind!

Rated 4.5/5



About the author:  Ms. Braun is a well-known New York Times Bestseller.  

"Lilian Jackson Braun (June 20, 1913 – June 4, 2011[1]) was an American writer, well-known for her light-hearted series of "The Cat Who..."mystery novels. The "Cat Who" books center around the life of former newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum, in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in her books, the towns, counties and lifestyles described in the series are generally accepted to be modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan, where Braun resided with her husband until the mid-1980s.

She resided in Tryon, North Carolina, with her husband, Earl Bettinger, and their two cats. Each of her books is dedicated to "Earl Bettinger the husband who..." Braun passed away at the Hospice House of the Carolina Foothills, in Landrum, South Carolina from a lung infection." (source:  Wikipedia)

You may read Lillian Jackson Braun's obituary in the New York Times here.

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