The Cat Who Talked Turkey

Like the majority of other reviewers, I will give this advice to first time readers. Do not read this book. Go get the first ten and then stop. You will have the pleasure of experiencing the real Cat Who series. If you sit back, enjoy them and then stop you will avoid the rip off feeling of getting suckered once again by a money hungry publisher.
Each time I see a new Cat Who book come out I always swear I will not give in and waste my time reading it unless it starts with the phrase "Qwill had to investigate a murder too close to home, the pretentious, self centered woman with the nice voice is alas no longer with us. A bientot Polly." However, like an old friend from high school,whom you used to really like, but has now gotten boring and annoying, I keep getting suckered in. This one has to be the worst yet. After reading the ending twice, I still can't figure out WHY the strangers were murdered! I will go a little bit further than the people who are saying this has to be ghost written. I think someone has developed a sophisticated merge program and the last few books have been thrown together by computer with an editor going in and doing a bad job of connecting the dotted lines.

The Cat Who Talked Turkey #26 by Lilian Jackson Braun

With Pickax getting ready for the groundbreaking of their new bookstore, and the nearby town of Brrr is making plans for their bicentennial, a body is found on Qwill's property. This occurence causes Koko to Yowl when another murder occurs in Michigan, another state away. Koko also gets excited when a mysterious array of wild turkeys appear after not being seen in over thirty years. Koko seems to want Qwill to read a book to he and Yum Yum that Koko can't stand. And, Yum Yum gets upset when she can't find her thimble and has everyone looking for it.

I listened and purchased the unabridged audio version of the Cat Who Talked Turkey, and was quite disappointed. First, the story was far too short. Four cassettes and only four hours of listening? And this is UNABRIDGED?! Second, there was absolutely NO mystery. The supposed 'mystery' was tied up neatly, but was quite implausible. No explanation as for why the villain did what the villain did. Silly.

While I enjoyed seeing Mr. Q in action, I did think him a bit meddlesome to advise the old woman to cut the granddaughter out of her will. How many museums does Moose County really need anyway? The novel was well narrated, but it was too short and lacked suspense and mystery. I'd check this one out at the library before purchasing.

Pitiful. Disgraceful. A waste of trees.

This woman has a gig that is bulletproof; churning out endless tales with the same cast of cartoon characters. Not a single thing in this book rang true, and its convenient ending, telegraphed a mile away, was so lame that I couldn't believe it when it actually happened. My grandson and I listened to this on a trip, and as he thought he could see the ending I said, "No, it can't end that way-that's how they do it, like a magician, they make you look this way while the action is going on over there." But no magician wrote this book; the incredible piled up on the stupid until it mercifully came to its abrupt conclusion.

An utter waste of time, energy, resources and everything else. So stupid and boring as to make me think, "Heck, if this sells, maybe I can write that novel after all!"

In reading recent editions of the series, I have referred to them as "Days of Moose County Lives" and even suggested that the series had jumped the shark.
This book, although I still don't feel is quite up to the quality of some past installments, definitely interested me and made me wanted to keep reading. It seems to me like the series has kind of taken a new direction, a new feel and it really took time to shake out, but in this book it really works well.
This book brings in a couple of past elements that have worked well for the series in the past and also successfully adds some new characters. I don't want to say too much or really describe much for fear of giving something way, but I thought that these elements added a nice touch.
One more nice touch is moving the description of Qwilleran and his backstory and stuff to a prologue section. This stuff, while always nice to read, really does mainly just serve as introduction for anyone that might just be joining and so it really makes sense to place it in a prologue.
Although I would still prefer to read about Qwilleran actively pursuing and solving a mystery, at least Koko is in fine form in this episode. His catly behavior and death-howls are all well within character as well as his reactions to the various characters. Yum-Yum is preciously cute as always, her story mainly tying into something set up in "The Private Life of the Cat Who...," Mrs. Braun's work compiling Qwilleran's essays on the cats.
I had said that trying for #26 would probably not be a good idea, but I went ahead and read anyway and this time I am left wanting more. If that is a good gauge of a story's worth, then this story definitely measures up.

Lillian Jackson Braun has given her readers a lot of pleasure in the "Cat Who..." series, but it is obvious that she is now writing by rote and no effort at mystery is evident in this latest ho-hum book in the series. This book demonstrates that a very popular formula can pall on even the author eventually. I think she has exhausted the possibilities here - although the residents of Pickax are charming as ever, this is just a compiliation of characteristics with no exposition to anyone who has not read the series previously. It's time to call it a day and for Ms. Braun to rest on her well-deserved laurels.

Having compared this to all of Ms. Braun's previous titles in the series, I can say with utter confidence that this book was ghostwritten. Even "going downhill," she could never have descended to this level of poor writing. The structure, plot, and even word use are horrible. The diction is NOT consistent with any of the previous novels. Dialogue is shoddy and also inconsistent.
If you are a Cat Who fan, avoid disappointment, and don't buy this book. Don't even make the mistake of reading it if it's lent to you.

Don't waste your money! What a sad dissappointment this book was. The entire time I was reading it (and I even skipped some parts), I thought that it was more like a primative draft for a story. I just can't believe that Lilian Jackson Braun wrote this book. It does not reflect her style in any manner. Polly even makes comments that she would never make. I won't be purchasing any more "Cat who..." books. It's such a shame as Mr. Q, KoKo and YumYum were the best. The ghost writer should be fired... only after he or she has read all of the disappointing reviews.

I thoroughly enjoyed previous entries in the "Cat Who..." series, but this one was very disappointing. In fact, I was so disappointed in this one that I pulled out a couple of older ones to see if my tastes had simply changed! No, the book just doesn't measure up. As another viewer commented - too cutesy, too predictable, too little mystery. I will look for subsequent titles at the library rather than purchase them in hardback. I hope this is just an oddball flop.

I was disappointed in this book. I had started getting these books on CD from the library amd thoroughly enjoyed the first few I listened to. I enjoy the author's picturesque, almost poetic, descriptions of things. Those descriptions were still there, but they did not connect well. The mystery of the person murdered becomes an incidental by-line, not really crucial to the other goings-on in the story. There is no expanation to why the return of the turkeys is of any significance and what do the cats' being able to communicate with them have to do with anything in the story line. I felt very let down at the end of this audio book.

After reading the other reviews I was happy to know I wasn't the only that thought this could not have been written by Lilian Braun. I thought I was going crazy!!!!!!!!!!! The wording and places do not seem to be the same as she always uses.

The plot was not exciting and she could have developed the new bookstore and other events more and not spent so much time on his historical dramas that I find quite boring.

I own all of her books and have read every

one several times. I like some of them better than others but this one is defintely the least favorite.

I am certainly glad I bought a used copy and didn't spend a lot of money on it.

After reading the other reviews I was happy to know I wasn't the only that thought this could not have been written by Lilian Braun. I thought I was going crazy!!!!!!!!!!! The wording and places do not seem to be the same as she always uses.

The plot was not exciting and she could have developed the new bookstore and other events more and not spent so much time on his historical dramas that I find quite boring.

I own all of her books and have read every

one several times. I like some of them better than others but this one is defintely the least favorite.

I am certainly glad I bought a used copy and didn't spend a lot of money on it.

Jim Quilleran, who lives in Pickax "four hundred miles north of everywhere" is influencing the town in small but subtle ways. When the only bookstore burned down, he wrote a column for the Moose County Something declaring that every town needed at least one bookstore. After pulling some strings with the K Foundation, they agreed to sponsor a bookstore and Quill's girlfriend Polly is going to run it.
On the day of the ground breaking ceremony, the famous Siamese feline Koko gives out his death cry and shortly after a man's body is found on some property that Quill owns. Since there is no way Quill can do anything to help the police solve the murder, he immerses himself in events that will keep his mind off the subject, but if he listened to Koko he would know who the killer is before he struck again.
Long time fans of this series will absolutely love THE CAT WHO TALKED TURKEY. The narrator refers to Koko talking turkey to some wild turkise and their children who have moved into the neighborhood. Koko's psychic abilities are the key to solving the who-done-it. The darling feline is really the star of THE CAT WHO TALKED TURKEY. It would not surprise this reviewer at all to one day see Koko openly rule Pickax and everything within a radius of four hundred miles.

While I enjoyed reading this, the storyline did not seem as involved as with previous titles in the series. Key ideas and potential scenes were skipped entirely, jumping from location to location without any seque. Conversations were abrupt as were situations. Is the author growing tired after 40 years of writing? Perhaps. The book came across as hastily written to meet a deadline. It is worth having to complete the series, but I wouldn't start with this book first. Start at the beginning and get to know the characters as they were originally portrayed.

This was my first -- and last -- Cat Who book. I bought it because I needed something to read at the beach, but found it so inane that I went for another swim instead. Having spent money on the book, I felt obligated to eventually finish it. I kept wondering when I would discover the plot, but alas, the book ended without one. I had hoped to read a mystery story, but the only mystery -- the body found on Qwilleran's property -- was never developed. Another reviewer called this book a pastiche -- a quite appropriate word.

Want to write a book like this? Here's how... Take a small town newspaper, cut out stories at random, then stick them together. Throw in a rather silly single male journalist who spends his days wandering in and out of other people's lives, writing corny sayings and then attributing them to his cat (I thought Koko was supposed to be smart!), eating in restaurants, and traveling between his various properties.

This book was a pleasant visit to Pickax, Ittibittiwassee Estates, and, of course, Brrr. There was news about Qwill and his friends, time spent with his two cats, and tours all about Moose County.
The mystery? It was the crime itself.
In this installment of "The Cat Who..." series, the murder mystery is pretty much completely tangential to the story. Koko yowls at the appropriate times, we do briefly meet the no-goodniks who did the deeds, one had vague connections with the local folks, but..... If you took the whole crime thing out, it wouldn't have changed things much.
A comfy, cozy visit with old friends, which I enjoyed reading, but not much of a murder mystery.
And maybe Qwilleran should invest in a long piece of string and some super glue to help Yum-yum keep track of her toys.

Awful. When I started, I was thinking "where was the editor? How did this get published?". Now, THOSE are mysteries. Stay away. Maybe it IS different from the first books in these series, as some reviewers say; I'd rather not know.

What a disappointment! Love the Cat series, but this book seemed to be written by someone else. No plot, no mystery, no substance. The storm program was a pure bore! I just wanted this book to end! Don't purchase this... don't even check it out from the library. What a waste of time.

I listened ot this on CD, and was extremely bored and frustrated. The plot is supposedly a murder mystery, but with the double homicide, the guy is more interested in a books store, the towns anniversary, and his cat being able to make a turkey call than the bodies pileing up. (Spoiler) Even the murderer is caugt by coincidence! (End of Spoiler) The main focus is on life in the small town, which felt nothing like any I've come across, or lived in, in real life. A annoying book

I wish I had read the reviews before bothering to read this tripe. I have always loved reading The Cat Who series, some books more than others, but this one was awful. No plot, no mystery, no fun. Qwill's show about the "Great Storm" broadcast seemed to be thrown in to fill up pages. Like mentioned in other reviews, I too, wonder if this was written by someone else. It certainly doesn't live up to previous books. Don't bother reading it.

I have been reading The Cat Who.. books for years and always waited for the new installment. Unfortunatly this will be the last one I read. The plot was nonexistent. The turkeys in the title had absolutely nothing to do with the book. the murders never made any sense. They weren't even named. I am starting to think that Lillian is not writing these books any more. Nothing in them makes sense. The book use to set up the next book. The last few books have not even been related. If you are a fan DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.

I was disappointed in this book. Jim usually helps in solving the mystery. This time the killer just walked up to him and told him all about the killings. Just to have KoKo howl is not enough involvement to really include this book in the Cat Who mystery series. It was nice to read about the Brrr celebration and his one-may show, but she, Braun, really didn't develop a mystery at all. I find most of her books lately just are not as developed and interesting as her earlier ones and I have all she has written in my collection. Just gentle books about a town 400 miles north of somewhere. Sorry.

Very disappointing. I have read all of the Cat Who series, and found the last two very disapointing. The characters are very thin, and the relationship to a mystery non existant. I am a reader who does not like excessive detail, but The Cat Who Talked Turkey is definately lacking. Perhaps after 26 Cat Who books Lillian is running out of material. It might be time for Mrs. Braun to retire Mr. Q and kill off Polly.

I enjoy reading all the cat books. Some more than others. The only thing I enjoyed about this book is keeping up with the towns people. I really missed the mystery. Not too much of a challenge for Jim Quilleran and Koko and of course Yum-Yum.

I would still buy it because I have them all. Great light reading!

Lilian Jackson Braun cannot possibly have written this mess! What a disappointment. Whatever is Jove Books thinking? Some series go on and on without a problem but this series won't be one of them unless Jove can do better in the ghost writer department!

The Cat Who Taled Turkey was as always, an entertaining read. I was lost as to what actual mystery took place. I kept waiting for the body to show up. Qwilleran was much too busy with his activities for the Bi-Centennial to do any real sleuthing. His performance of "The Great Storm" was spectacular. I am looking forward to reading The Private Life of the Cat Who...