| Title | : | The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell (Cat Who..., #28) |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 0399153071 |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780399153075 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Hardcover |
| Number of Pages | : | 191 |
| Publication | : | First published January 10, 2006 |
The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell (Cat Who..., #28) Reviews
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Book Review
3 of 5 stars to
The Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell, the 28th (and next to last) release in the "Cat Who" cozy mystery series, written in 2006 by
Lilian Jackson Braun. For fans of the series, this one was a bit of a disappointment. The last few books took longer than usual to come out and may have had a ghost writer for parts of them, due to the author being in her 90s and starting to get ill. It's also hard to come up with new ideas after this many books in a single series, but the characters are always fun and memorable. In this one, Pickax is turning 150 years old and the inhabitants want to celebrate their town. When an architect sees the converted apple barn Qwill now lives in, he begs to spend time there. Koko and YumYum aren't having it, leading Qwill to suspect the architect is up to no good. Of course, there's some murder and mystery... and Qwill provides his usual sleuthing skills to the story. Mystery was weak. Characters were good. It's one o the less fulfilling in the series, but still worth a read for fans.
About Me
For those new to me or my reviews... here's the scoop: I read A LOT. I write A LOT. And now I blog A LOT. First the book review goes on Goodreads, and then I send it on over to my WordPress blog at
https://thisismytruthnow.com, where you'll also find TV & Film reviews, the revealing and introspective 365 Daily Challenge and lots of blogging about places I've visited all over the world. And you can find all my social media profiles to get the details on the who/what/when/where and my pictures. Leave a comment and let me know what you think. Vote in the poll and ratings. Thanks for stopping by. Note: All written content is my original creation and copyrighted to me, but the graphics and images were linked from other sites and belong to them. Many thanks to their original creators. -
In this 28th addition to the 'Cat Who' series, billionaire newspaper columnist (and sometime amateur detective) Jim Qwilleran trots around town talking to people and engaging in miscellaneous activities while his 'psychic' cat Koko is signaling criminal activity. The book can be read as a standalone.
*****
When "The Cat Who" series began Jim Qwilleran was a Chicago crime reporter who owned two Siamese cats, Koko and YumYum, and solved mysteries.
In time Qwill inherited billions, moved '400 miles north of everywhere' to Pickax, became a newspaper columnist, met a lot of interesting locals, and continued to solve crimes. I've enjoyed many books in this quirky series, where Koko uses his 'kitty intuition' to help Qwill investigate. Eventually, though, the series ran out of steam and this book is a disappointment.
As the story opens Pickax is about to celebrate its 150th anniversary and the town planners organize a series of events - including parades, family reunions, an heirloom auction, and a kitten auction - to celebrate the occasion. Qwill is the 'go to' guy in Pickax and becomes involved, to some extent, in most of these activities.
In the midst of all this a rich local couple, Doris and Nathan Ledfield, ask Qwill to let their California-based nephew Harvey - a budding architect - sketch the barn Quill's converted into a home.
Koko seems to dislike Harvey but all goes well until Harvey returns to California, after which Doris and Nathan develop severe allergies and disappear from public view. In another occurrence Koko yowls onimously...perhaps at the very moment a man is killed in a hunting accident. These seem to be the 'mysteries' in the story, but Qwill takes minimal interest in either one.
Instead, Qwill spends most of his time moving back and forth between his condo and his barn (weather problems); writing limericks and scrawling in his journal; chatting/having dinner with his lady friend Polly; enjoying beverages, snacks, and meals with various friends and acquaintances; emceeing the kitty auction; feeding and brushing Koko and YumYum; eavesdropping, listening to gossip, and otherwise collecting ideas for his newspaper column; etc.
I'll admit it was a small pleasure to meander around town with Qwill and see what Pickax residents are up to - though some of my favorite characters got short shrift. Still, "The Cat Who" books are supposed to be mysteries, and this just isn't one. If you're up for a quiet human interest story you might enjoy this book. Otherwise, skip it.
You can follow my reviews at
https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.... -
Come on people! It's a light mystery novel based on a cat with ESP. You're expecting too much! I love this series. It's even better with a bag of chocolate covered raisins and a hammock.
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I am truly disappointed in this book. The Cat Who... series has been a go to series for me for about 12 years now. Whenever I need an easy, yet entertaining read, I turn to Braun's cat tales. But this one fell sorely short of the rest of series, I felt. First of all, nothing really happened. Some random character the reader has no emotional connection to dies fairly early on. Then there is no true investigation into the murder, like other titles in the series. Then a tragic accident kills another character... that if you've read other titles in the series you might have a vague connection to. Again, no investigation into this accident. Then the big "bombshell" happens when you've only got a few pages left: an old couple dies suspiciously. Yes, they arrest someone, but there's not really any investigation into it by Qwill, Koko and Yum Yum, unless you count being nosy by calling the newsroom for the scoop before print. The reader is left hanging as to what really happened in all three of these situations. Isn't a good part of a mystery novel supposed to be about unraveling the mystery? Call me crazy... Then the author's "post script;" what was that? Is Braun dropping her own bombshell saying that this is the last of the Cat Who... and that she's now going to write for Broadway? I hope not, because this a terrible ending to a great series. I don't recommend this book to anyone, whether fans of the series or newbies to the series. It doesn't hold a flame to the rest of the Cat Who... series.
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I have loved these "Cat Who" books, and am sorry that I'm about done reading them all. I guess I might have to revisit them sometime ... the characters are so interesting, especially the cats and the journalist protagonist and his lovely lady. Murder mysteries that are not at all scary, just good clean fun. Delightful reading!
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I think my reading experience wasn't the best because I only read the first two books of the series. I might give it another try when I'll be at this book.
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Amateur feline sleuths KoKo and YumYum again help reporter Qwilleran solve the mystery. This time, the Town of Pickax is on the verge of its 150th anniversary. Polly, Qwill’s love/like interest, has moved from Head Librarian to Manager of The Pirates’ Chest, a bookstore financed largely through the K-Fund which came from Qwill’s unexpected inheritance.
A large part of Braun’s success is a reader’s enchantment with Qwill, his two cats and his community. After an architect student sketches the interior of Qwill’s apple barn home, a murder takes place at a family reunion. Qwill and his Siamese cats put together their senses to find out the who and why. The mystery plays a small part of this novel but it is fun to revisit the world created by Braun. She has a real talent for writing pleasant, not to deep books, that keep a readers interest, and as the characters develop, we appreciate each new book.
This story occurs during Pickax’s 150th anniversary celebration. Qwilleran’s barn is going to be sketched by an architectural student. The young architect is Harvey Ledfield, nephew of Nathan and Doris Ledfield. Harvey brings along his fiancée Clarissa Moore, who is in Journalism School. When they arrive, Harvey begins sketching but then Koko drops on his head.
Clarissa breaks up with Harvey after they return Down Below, but she returns to Pickax looking for a job at The Moose County Something. She confesses to Qwilleran she never was really engaged to Harvey. As they are childless, he hopes they will support his plans.
During the Pickax Now celebrations, Qwilleran attends the Ogilvie-Fugtree reunion. Two cousins go out rabbit hunting, and only one returns. Both were set to receive a large sum of money from a rich uncle. The other rabbit hunter is indeed found dead, so the first is arrested. However, he is later released because of a lack of evidence.
In the meantime, the Ledfields have come down with allergies. Harvey never got Clarissa a ring, so Doris gave her one before she knew the engagement was a ruse. Clarissa wanted to give it back, but she could not get the Ledfields on the phone nor was she allowed to go in their house. Qwilleran calls the Ledfields’ doctor, who says she too was considering calling in an allergy specialist. Both the Ledfields die from respiratory complications.
Clarissa brings her friend Vicky to Pickax to participate in a kitten auction for charity and to watch the Labor Day Pickax Now parade. She leaves before she has a chance to speak to Qwilleran, but she leaves a letter for him. Apparently Harvey had come up to Moose County not too long ago. But the Ledfields are unwilling to give money to such a venture. Clarissa informs Harvey, Vicky and Vicky’s boyfriend about deadly mold, which she wrote a report on for journalism school, and Vicky’s boyfriend, a construction specialist, said that it could be found in the closets of old houses. Clarissa tells Vicky how Harvey became furious when the Ledfields would not fund the ski lodge even though it seemed he would be entering college and he had a fiancée. He even refused to go to church that morning, and Vicky suspected he had used the time to put mold in the ventilation shafts of the Ledfields' bedroom.
Qwilleran shares this with the police, and Harvey is arrested. In the meantime, the Ledfields' wills is opened, revealing that the Ledfields left their collection of mounted animals to the city and funded the creation of a music center in Pickax and a museum in their old home. They also gave funds for a massive music foundation that would make the Ledfield name famous worldwide, to be set up in a city with a population of one million or more. Shortly after the mystery is solved, a tragic accident at the ill-fated Black Creek bridge takes the life of Qwill's long-time eccentric friend, Elizabeth Hart, the owner of the Grist Mill fine restaurant. In honor of her, the Black Creek Bridge is set to be repaired so that no more deaths occur.
Highly Recommend this book. It is very enjoyable. I love the Cat Who Series very much, and they have been with us for a very long time. -
Just finished this book and it left me very annoyed. First of all, there was absolutely no mystery to be solved at all. The author kept promising that something big or exciting was about to happen, and it never did. This is really just a book about a man who lives in a small town that is hosting an anniversary celebration. That's it. At the very end there is a bit of drama, but it is all wrapped up within 5 pages and not because of anything the main character does. Other little things that happened along the way were never again referenced or resolved- for example, someone is suspected to have been murdered while hunting. The police say they were suspicious, but they never look into it. The main character doesn't give it another thought. It was in the book for absolutely no reason. This book was a waste of time and that fact that it had a "great read guaranteed" stamp on the front of it was ironic to say the least.
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Having just read Lilian Jackson Braun's latest Cat Who novel Cat Who Dropped a Bombshell, I can agree bomb was a good word to use in the title. It was just not up to her former standard. Perhaps this is partly due to the fact that she has written 28 of these stories. And that means up wards of 28 deaths, (probably closer to 60, but I digress). Koko is still smart as a whip, but he is more used to spout aphorisms than catching killers. She seems to fill the books with back story that is unnecessary. Those that have read all the books know it already and those who don't, don't need all the details. And for filler it was a slim book. Not a great combination. We have a hunting accident where the bad guy gets off and a elderly couple who are killed for their money, the bad nephew is caught, and the good town gets lots of benefit from a well crafted will. Money was all the story was about. Raising and and Mr. Q spending his inheritance. I know it was a big inheritance, but I think he has spent it over and over again unless he is making good money in all these strange things he keeps buying for the community.
This time it was 1,000 dollar kitties. And antiques passed around the rich of the community. And what college student learning to be a writer can spend a grand on a CAT for crying out loud.
I can only hope that 29 is better constructed, but I think I may just have to take a pass and look up one of her classics when the story was story and not fluff and filler. -
Koko is up to his usual tricks, dropping on the heads of bewildered guests and chewing up photos to show Qwill that the new people in town are not all they seem. He knows something sinister is happening in order for someone to inherit, but Qwill can't grasp the meaning until the very end. Hixie Rice is up to her usual failures, but some good comes from them anyway.
Another enjoyable look at Pickaxe and it's inhabitants, and Moose County as a whole. There is a nice fixation on cats and limericks. Unfortunately we lose a character I really enjoyed reading, and it's like a certain someone can never find happiness, unfortunately. This was the only disappointment for me with this book. I know the last books in this series were a disappointment for some, but with the loss of the author last year I kind of value all I can get from these books.
'The cat who dropped a bombshell', and not in the way expected, charmed me and I will continue reviewing this series :) -
I really have enjoyed this series and was devastated to learn of the authors death, in the middle of writing the 30th book. I am slowly buying each one and adding to my collection for my own library. If you love to read but do not care to read foul language and be bombarded with sexual innuendos, then this is a good series for you.
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Light reading
I was looking fir something light with no need to learn anything and no agenda. This was the perfect fit although I still don’t know who dunnit. -
Wow! I only finished this book for book club. I was so surprised to find that this book had 3.5 stars. Reading the comments, however, it seems that most people liked past books in the series, but that Braun's later work (including this one) was sadly lacking. I will never know, since I won't be trying any others. I found the story line to be incredibly dull and boring. Every conversation I read I kept wondering "why!?!" And the entire story is meaningless conversation. That seems to be the whole point of this book. I thought it would be a murder mystery, but it's not. There is a murder, but you don't really know anything that's happening, and it is all explained in one page, and you find that it's a boring murder about people we don't even meet.
I could go on and on about how much I dislike the characters, whom I thought were poorly developed, and the cats, whom we heard too much about.
I may have to bump my rating up to 2 stars since this evoked more emotion from me than usual and caused me to write more than I ever have in a review. -
These books have sadly and seemingly permanently gone downhill. I read every book in this series twice when I was in high school, and I loved the first 25. The last several installments, however, have been nearly unrecognizable. Either the publisher has contracted a truly awful ghostwriter, or something bad has happened to Ms. Braun. The reading isstill enjoyable, as the place and characters were so fully and wonderfully developed over the years that even a butcher cannot destroy them completely, but the magic and great writing, the suspense and well-placed details, all the little things that made the series to much fun are totally missing. I said Bananas would be the last one I read, and I wish I'd stuck to that. Back to the originals for me.
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I absolutely love this series. I find them easy to read, enjoyable, delightful and an escape from my life. I don't like cats but charming here. The main character Quilleran is a wonderful man and beloved by all in this small community.
I don't want to say too much, but Braun's earlier books in the series are much better than this one. This one seems disjointed and contained a whole bunch of story lines. Please start reading from Book #1 "The Cat Who Could Read Backwards". -
Quick read, not too much of a plot, still nice to see the regulars.
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This is feelgood, end of year stuff to the max. If you expect hard excitement, bloody murders, high speed chases and that kind of stuff you clearly haven't read any of the previous The Cat Who... books before. But persist in reading and you soon will turn into an adept too.
My mistake, there are high speed chases aplenty, Koko and Yum-Yum chasing each other in the famous barn that has been completely adapted to their needs.
The book is about people in on outhook of the world and what is happening there. But people are judged and referred to by their cat ownership. For these people cat's come first and the rest... just happens. People think of others and do things for the good of others or even the whole community. This is possible because of a huge fortune that Qwill made available to the community to allow just this to happen.
A double murder is plotted and (as usual) only Koko knows but Qwill doesn't understand till after it happens. Although also an old women knitter with psychic powers predicts it but even more obscure.
Apart from the murder part (a minor happening in the whole book) it is all about daily life in Pickax around Qwill and his two cats. Qwill visits his newspaper to deliver his columns, his ladyfriend Polly, they go out and dine, vist, receive friends and help realise events in Pickax.
It is the writing style from Lilian Jackson Braun that makes is readable, pallatable en enjoyable. -
This is book #28 in The Cat Who series. The early books were sharp, crisp, and had lots of interesting nuances. Braun was in her 90's when she wrote this her next to last book, and I almost wonder if she perhaps had a ghost writer. It just lacked the finesse that was in all of the earlier books and was much more focused on the people and happenings of Pickax rather than much of a mystery. The mystery seemed to be added about 2/3 of the way through just so it had one. I still enjoyed Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats along with all the other cats that are residents of Pickax.
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Love this series! Kokomo and Yum Yum are sneaky, smart cats who always seem to sniff out trouble and help Qwill solve whatever malady befell the town located 400 miles north of everything.
Its a cute cozy mystery series that can be read out of order as the author shares enough to keep you caught up no matter where you start your Pickaxe adventure. -
Is this a mystery? It was mainly about visiting every person in Pickax. If you had never read any Cat Who books you would be bewildered. Who are these people? What is the backstory of the people? What "mystery" there was, was not even solved by Qwill. It was a yawn and helped me to sleep.
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Cute book. Must be a cat lover to appreciate the feline mystique.
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Typical cat who stuff. Rich people in upstate somewhere hanging out and doing philanthropy. Everything feels pleasant to read. I guess there was a mystery in there somewhere. And cats.
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Love this series and read it when it was first out; every once in a while, I like to re-read one of the books.
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I listened to this book for the second time. I played it at bed time, and it helped me to go to sleep. The murder in this book seems more removed from the story, than in other Cat Who books. The books are more about the relationships and goings on in the area, than the murders that are committed. I enjoy the characters in these books.
I listened to this book once more. Its like visiting an old friend. There are only four disks. I love the idea of this little friendly community, and all the activities and events. I love the charity, and the people. I added an extra star this time, because I really do enjoy this series of books.
The book ends with the statement," When you have cream in your bowl, don't expect more." -
I used to love this series. If Lillian Jackson Braun is using a ghostwriter, fire them immediately. If not...then I don't really know what to say. Pickax just isn't fun anymore, the writing has gotten insufferable, and there's hardly a mystery in this book. It's not really considered a mystery novel if you learn of the actual mystery and it's solved at the same time...on page 170 of 187!
I'm just incredibly disappointed, I guess things just get stale after a while. It is after all the 28th book and there's just not enough of Kokomo or Yum-Yum's gimmicks to keep it going. This will probably be the last "Cat Who" book I read. It's jumped the shark and not worth my time anymore. -
This is the second to last book in the series and while not much mystery here, the book continues right where the previous one left off in the daily events of Pickaxe and surround towns. In this story several characters die that will be a surprise to the series. I'm not sure why Braun decided to kill of certain people or where that particular line would go but they seemed a bit out of place. While I enjoy the characters, I do find some of the "killing" off of people a bit old hat. I also find Qwilleran's lack action a bit frustrating as well. But I do enjoy some of the other characters and that is why I'm reading the last bit of the series.
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Were these the original cozy mysteries? Maybe. They certainly are cozy! A wealthy bachelor with a luxuriant mustache and his two Siamese cats (one eerily prescient) solve a diabolical double murder in the quaint town of Pickax.
I read a bunch of these books in my teenage years, so catching up with the characters in this particular small town was a little like a literary homecoming, nostalgic and oddly comforting. I could probably listen to most of the series and be perfectly contented with my commute for the next several months. -
I typically enjoy this series for the lighthearted romp that it is, but this installment was disappointing. The "mystery" - such as it was - was thin and was resolved mostly off-screen, with none of Qwilleran and Koko's signature sleuthing. I would not be exaggerating to say that probably 95% of the book is merely Qwill navigating his social schedule and throwing his seemingly unlimited supply of money at random things. Recommended only if you can't bear to miss a moment of mundane Moose County antics; if you're looking for an actual detective story, give this one a pass.
