The Cat Who Brought Down the House

... This 25th installment of Lilian Jackson Braun's (or is it? Is it her? Or a series of "ghostwriters?") "Cat Who �" series is better than some of the recent lack-luster droppings, but far less than the gems in the beginning.
Either LJB needs to keep notes of the back stories, or her ghostwriters need to confer with one another. Remember, in the last episode, librarian/lady friend Polly was traipsing around the globe, sending Postcards back to Qwill and his cats about the mysterious Walter? Well, where�s Walter? Did he just fall off the planet or what? Also irksome are the repeated shameless self-promos for another recent book in the LJB franchise: �Short and Tall Tales.�
My advice: borrow this from your library, in the Mystery Section. The only real mystery is what is it doing in the Mystery Section? The series is like a Soap Opera past its prime. We return now and then to cozy Moose County just to see what the cast is up to, with no real expectation of zip or innovation or fireworks. Reviewed by TundraVision

I love Lilan Jackson Braun's books. She's written 25 and each one is still fresh and new. Starting a Braun book is like a hot cup of tea, a cozy quilt and a warm fire all in one. I get this incredible feeling of wellbeing when I begin a new story. This book is very good. It's different than a lot because there is no real murder until near the end of the book, but there are plenty of nefarious characters, and things that make Qwill's mustache tingle! KoKo is his usual astute self, and picks out the bad guys right away - even if he has never seen them. He gives all kinds of clues of the double-dealing that is going on for those that are wise enough to listen to them. I sure do hope that Ms. Braun continues to write these wonderful cozy mysteries that we all enjoy.

I thought this book was much better than the last few book as far as the character feeling in chraracter. Maybe Mrs. braun was just in a slump. There isn't much mystery to this one. Unfortunately the killer is pretty obivious from the get go and Mrs. Braun never even puts suspicion on anyone else. This would have lost the book 2 stars in my review, but a pleasant twist at the end added one star back. Also, with the return of Celia Robinson, my favorite Moose County resident next to Qwill and the Kitties, I was able to add the 1/2 star. It could have been a perfect five it Polly had decided to move away, but I have resigned myself to the fact that that is never gonna happen. I really enjoyed this book and I am sure most Cat Who fans will too.

Thank you, Ms. Braun, for yet another delightful story involving the antics of Koko and Yum Yum. As a cat owner of four furry friends, I was thrilled to read the latest in the series of the "The Cat Who..." books. The stories Ms. Braun weaves with the Siamese cats and Mr. Qwilleran are a true delight. It was spun with slow, and yet delightful anticipation, all the while having the cats know something was about to happen. It is never the crime within the story that is important yet the cats are ever ready to tell of impending calls, names and dislikes of those names, in unique ways. Thank you for this wonderful story. It will add to my collection of 24 previous books. I'll never eat another potato chip without chuckling just a little bit, or hear one of my grandmother's stories from my mom and wonder just how true it all remains to the actual history from our own family. What a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive. In other words, in two shakes of a lamb's tail this book will be finished and a good time will be had by all.

There is simply no way that this installment was penned by the same author that wrote the rest of the series. Pointing out inconsistencies may sound trivial and nerdy but it is important for those of us who are fans of the real Qwil, Koko and Yum Yum. The tone is so off base, the actions so out of character and the background references so factually inconsistent with the rest of the series that fans will be unable to read it all the way through without visceral annoyance! It's as if this ghostwriter had very scant information on the series and didn't even bother to read any prior titles - perhaps someone have him a really crappy memo. (I believe the ghost writer is male because there is a contradictory attempt to very superficially acknowledge broadened professional and social roles for women while simultaneously attributing an oddly lascivious, though flat, sense of humor to Qwil (something about photographs of the female cat being "tail shots" - wtf?)

After reading about 70% of the story, griping all the way ("Where the heck are the cats in this story?", "Polly would never say that", "Qwil never talks about cleaning cat poop and he would never leave the cats alone on the gazebo","Qwil does not make a quick sandwich","Why would the K-fund own condos?","How could Qwil disavow knowledge of interior design? He covered that very topic for the Fluxion(The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern)!", and many, many more of the same), I finally chucked the thing across the room! It was infuriating! Fans will be insulted. This character is not Qwil and, worst of all, this writer has obviously NEVER OWNED A CAT!

I'll echo the sentiments of many of the reviewers here. (I won't bother to recap the plot-- others have that well covered.)
This book is another nice visit with old frinds- the Pickax county folks. It is not much of a mystery, however.

Again, the mystery is very light-- the mystery sort of solves itself with Qwill on the sidelines, watching. (A key giveaway: Qwill doesn't meet with Chief Brodie at all in the book!) I wish the books would return to the stories where Qwill and the cats were active participants in the mystery.
I also thought it was a little lame that this book pushes "Short and Tall Tales". It just smells of "Cross-marketing" and "Product placement".
Bottom line: I think this one is a little better than the last, in that it isn't as disappointing. It doesn't live up to the standards of the earlier books, but it doesn't fall as short as some of the other recent books in the series. (Or have my expectations just dropped over time?)
Final thought: Some reviewers have suggested that the series is being ghostwritten. I did a quick web search, and could find no real evidence to support this claim. (That doesn't really prove or disprove anything.) IMO, the style has definitley changed over the years, but then again, LJB is 87 years old. I'm not sure what to think on this.....

I have been a fervent admirer of Ms Brauns' detective pair since I read the first book many years ago and then read every one of them. I still enjoy them although this one seems a little rushed towards the end. Nevertheless, this is still an enjoyable read. When an ex-resident (Thelma Thackeray) of Pickaxe returns after pursuing a career in Hollywood she buys up the old opera house and refurbishes it, keeping her plans for its purpose secret. Her beloved twin brother's death is shrouded in mystery although it has been cited as an accident. Qwill's famous moustache tells him this and that her nephew Dick may not be all that he seems when he ingratiates himself with his aunt on her return, KoKo joins in with this theory giving clues by knocking books off shelves. The house is 'brought down' by KoKo having one of his cat fits during the KitKat Revue (at the Opera House) which Qwill has been inveigled into by Hixie Rice for another of her ill-fated schemes. On top of all this Polly is unhappy about her future at the library, saying that 'Libraries don't appear to be about books anymore'. But Qwill has a cunning plan to kill two birds with one stone and Polly is surprised and delighted with his suggestion. Thelmas' homecoming is marred by kidnap threats to her the storeian parrots and her jewellery but our intrepid pair (with encouragement from Yum Yum) get to the bottom of all the mysteries and everything gets sorted out in the end.As usual, the book is punctuated with various gastronomical delights for Qwill and his friends. There are sufficient 'trailers' to lead to another book so, keep at it, Ms Braun.

Qwill thinks the Lockmaster Ledger is trying to pull the Moose County Something's leg....but the lead story about the diva turns out to be true and this leads Qwill, Koko, and Co into another thrilling adventure. Turns out, someone isn't who they say they are--and someone else is bound and determined that the cheater won't prosper. Bushy joins in to protect the diva and Koko is proved right, again and Pickax is going to get a real bookstore! A real Best-In-Show Cat book! Brabo, Koko & Qwill!

I listened to the unabridged audio book and waited patiently for SOMETHING to happen, but all I got was Q having lunch with this person or that person, someone redecorating, Polly changing jobs, and the planning for a fund-raiser. I eventually realized that this is not a murder mystery like the other books, but rather the story about everyday life in a small town where people do very uninteresting things. If I were to abridge it, I would leave out everything except side 8 of the 8-sided tape set. That is the only part where anything happens at all. And even that is not very interesting.
Oh yes, and Koko and Yum-Yum are virtually absent throughout the entire book.
The earlier "Cat Who..." books really did have a plot that began in the beginning and threaded through the story. This book (like the last one) has dispensed with plot altogether...I have been a devoted reader, but recent trends indicate that this series has run its course.

Thelma Thakery comes back home to Moose County. The town is all a buzz awaiting her arrival. She is a grand old lady. Qwill takes an interest in her. However, she doesn't like cats. Koko knows from the start who the scoundral is in town.

You will enjoy this edition of, "The Cat Who" series. I have almost read them all and I enjoy escaping to Moose County.

I really enjoyed THE CAT WHO BROUGHT DOWN THE HOUSE, and I consider it one of her best, especially one of the best of her recent ones. Most of the book is a pleasant visit with the inhabitants of Moose County. The mystery is really only a side note, but it's still fun. The early books in this series were SO good, and later the plots seemed to be phoned in, but she's back in form here.

I really enjoyed the early "The Cat Who..." books. They involved the characters in the plot, they had more than "Hi, how are you" conversations and were more than cardboard cutouts. As a fledgling mystery writer it is very disheartening to see such "slock" sold to the public. If this is a ghost writer maybe I should apply for the job. I know I could write a better mystery. "The Cat Who.." books are thin anyway, but this book was made up of excerpts from Qwill's book which had little to do with the so called murder mystery plot. Believe me I will never spend hard earned money for another in the series. I won't even let it take up room on my library shelf. This book goes to the used book store in trade for something worth reading.

LJB's love of the pocket tape recorder just cracks me up. Quill has long been whipping his recorder out right and left (to capture stories for Long and Short Tales of course). Now the leading lady in the latest Cat Who novel is getting in on the recording action, because as an important personage, her longtime advisor insists upon it. Say what? When was the last time you saw a limo pull in the Radio Shack parking lot, and a uniformed valet hop out and order up a pocket tape recorder for The Boss? It does make things especially convenient though, when murders are caught on tape, then left helpfully behind.

Having been a fan of Lillian Jackson Braun for as long as the "Cat Who" series have been out, I am disappointed with this latest book. The whole book seems to be about accumulating material for Qwilleran's Short and Long Tails. Koko and Yum Yum no longer play important roles and have been banished to acting like cats instead of the intelligent cat Koko used to be. I am beginning to wonder if someone other than Lillian Jackson Braun is writing these books. Please, more Koko, less Qwilleran and Polly.

This is what a bored, burned-out woman writes instead of a story!
Now she just wants to gush about decor and the snobbish foods
eaten by all those backwoods boobs in Pickaxe, where there is
always an "event" (of no consequence or interest) that simply
EVERYONE talks about for weeks and finally attends. When I say
NO STORY I mean 90% of the book is "back-story" which happened
somewhere else and fails to whet any interest. The only mystery
is why she wrote this when she obviously didn't feel like writing
anything but her expensive grocery list. That's easy -- because
she trained us to like the Siamese cats, who are really ignored
in this until she feels guilty about it and crams a half-page
about KoKo in just at the end. Laura shows how SICK of this series
she is by making US sick of it. So it's either re-read the
oldies or Goodbye forever, KoKo and Yum Yum.

Same lovable characters. But poor story line. No twist in the plot, no long list of possible bad guys. You know from the beginning "who done it". The only mystery to this book is what happened to the author? Bring back the success of the original cat who stories.

This is the best LJB novel yet. My favorites seem to center around life in the apple barn. I get a bit antsy when Qwill travels or moves the kitties to a temporary residence. I have read them all...NEXT!