The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal (Cat Who Book 12)

The 12th book of this series starts with Qwilleran settled into his new home, an old apple barn that has been restored and turned into living quarters. The upper beams are about forty feet above the ground and the cats are in seventh heaven. Qwilleran's other project, building a community theater, has also been completed and a successful run of "Henry VIII" has just finished. When the director, school principal Hilary VanBrook had proposed this play nobody thought it would fly, but the unpopular director had pulled it off in high fashion.

Following the final performance the cast and crew descended on Qwilleran's barn for the cast party. As was normal, the much-maligned VanBrook kept pretty much to himself but for some reason Koko found him very interesting. Once the party guests had all departed, Koko called Qwilleran's attention to a single car that was still outside. Going out to investigate, Qwilleran found a body with a very fresh gunshot wound inside the abandoned car. Determined to mind his own business this time the former reporter called the police and tried to stay out of the investigation. Koko however would have none of that and started leaving clues.

Despite Koko's clues however, Qwilleran continued his hands off approach except for sniffing around the victim's house looking for an old book. Finally though, Qwilleran gave in and started to sniff around because a friend of his was being falsely accused of the crime. This time our amateur sleuth solves the mystery on his own, not picking up on Koko's clues until it was all over. Yum Yum actually provides the most important clue, although completely by accident and once again the cats rush in to save the day when Qwilleran gets into deep trouble.

Along the road to solving this murder Qwilleran runs into several sub-plots that add a great deal to the story. There is a suicide that may or may not be connected to the murder, a cat beauty pageant that turns into a riot and a horse race down in Lockmaster. On top of everything else, Qwilleran and Polly seem to be on the outs and Qwilleran is sure that the librarian has a new love interest.

Like the previous books in this series, this book is filled with quirky and fun characters and features the wonderful backdrop of Moose County. The interaction between the characters is cleaver and imaginative and the cats are superbly portrayed. I am also happy to report that the mystery, while not always the center of the plot, is interesting and it is solvable. The clues are all there and if the reader pays close attention he/she can solve the mystery before Qwilleran.

On the negative side, there are some questions involving the victim that are never answered. Maybe however, these questions will be answered in a future book because Qwilleran is thinking about doing a biography of the deceased. Given what he has already found out he just might have a best seller on his hands.

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.

I typically read the "Cat Who. . ." books when I need some light reading, such as at an airport or when waiting for a car repair. As such, "The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal" served its purpose very well. The mystery itself is passably interesting (a murdered school principal) and it's fun to follow along as Qwill visits his way around the town of Pickax and neighboring Lockmaster, sleuthing his way to discovering 'whodunit'. It's not great literature or anything, but effective at helping to pass the time.

Sometimes I wonder why Qwill has to be so negative about everything. If he were a real person, I doubt whether I would want to be that great of a friend of his. Lillian Braun writes his attitude to be that he is always wonderful, and everyone else grows boring and tiresom. Instead it is Qwill who grows boring and tiresom. In the later books, this deficiency is corrected, but when I go back and read the earlier books, I always wonder where Qwill gets off.
As with all the books, Qwill and Koko find the killer in the end, though Qwill's life is put in grave danger to do so. There is a little character development, especially in the relationship between Qwill and Polly, and we learn a little more about Bushy the photographer and Derek Cuttlebrink finally comes into play.
Over all, it is a necessary book to read if you are intent on reading the series, but you could probably skip it.

This twelfth "Cat Who ..." mystery is terrific. I've read them all from the first and they keep getting better. I was really impressed with this one. Good characters, interesting plot twists. But I definitely wouldn't want to live in Moose County - they must have a really high murder rate since Qwill moved in!!!

Another enjoyable quick reading mystery story by Lilian Jackson Braun featuring Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats Koko and Yum-Yum. In this episode, Hilary VanBrook, the disliked Principle of PickAx is found murdered in Qwilleran's orchard the morning after a cast party is thrown. Koko was the one to find the body and Qwilleran begins to piece together the clues. A cardinal singing outside the window holds the key to the suspect.

This series is so enjoyable, I'm listening to them on audiobook and I love the interesting plot which really centers around the people and is not that much about the mystery. You enjoy the characters and how Koko helps Qwill figure out each crime. It's a feel-good mystery series that I highly reccomend.

I really think that Lillian Jackson Braun enjoys the color red.
This is the second book of hers that I have read, and the plot thickened because of the color red!
This was a great book. I loved it so much it took me two days to read! VanBrook is a mean principal and director with many mysteries. When he is found dead in Qwill's apple orchard, shot in the back of the head, it takes Qwill's brilliant sleuthing (and a little help from Koko and Yum Yum) to uncover this Man of Mystery's secret murderer!
This book takes you on a dectective's delight through rabbits, horses, cardinals, and, of course, cats. I suggest you read this wonderful book!

classic the Cat Who with every aspect you need....crime of murder, a hint of love with Qwill and chief woman in his life, the local color and characters of Pick Axe, and the playful and intriguing nature of the Siamese..............loved it......so will you

I like this book because you would never suspect who the killer actually is. It was exciting all the way through the book. Now since I've read this book I'm thinking about reading all the other Cat Who mysteries.