(3.5 / 5)

It's actually kind of nice to see Qwilleran go down the wrong trail for a while in this book, showing that he may have good instincts, but he can still be wrong. I think, though, that this story was overall a bit too predictable for me. I don't know if that's because I've read so many of these now that it's become super obvious that the newcomers are usually involved in the crimes somehow or if the author simply telegraphed it more than usual. On the plus side, the death of a local, instead of more often outsiders and recent transplants from Down Below being the victims, did add a little freshness to the series, even though that local hadn't been a huge character in the books before this one. By this point in the series, though, Braun has started to use weather calamities for excitement and even to complicate the culmination of the mystery. I hope that's not a sign that the series is going to start to become stale, but I guess we'll see. I am now about 2/3 through this long series, so I do hope that I won't tire out before reaching the end, after coming this far. ( )

I was a huge fan of mystery novels back in middle school, and devoured many of The Cat Who... series, probably because I was initially attracted to their brightly coloured covers (I remember some of these looking practically neon). Reading one of these books years later, I can understand why I was so into them. They're quite easy to read, for one thing, and the cats are somewhat cute, even if I'm not an animal person at all. The plot of this one was fairly basic. In fact, there almost seemed to be not enough material in this one for a full novel that many little tidbits and anecdotes about Pickax's various inhabitants were included, a lot of which was just unnecessary background information about the main character and his relationship to the town and its people. Not a bad read, but I certainly won't be picking up any of these books again. ( )

Another fun read. ( )

As I’ve shared in numerous reviews I love this series! This book in particular was a treat for me to read for multiple reasons. First was my delight with the cover. Although I don't select books by cover art I couldn't help but notice a different "look" but was too eager to begin reading the story to pursue it. Then I noticed that the running heads of each chapter were of slightly different design than I usually viewed in this series. As I opened the book one night and the cover again captured my attention I decided to check the copyright page for the publisher and realized the difference. The majority of the editions I've read in this series have been published by Jove Books. Jove Books are published by The Berkley Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Putnam, Inc. (New York, New York). The edition I purchased for this title is printed by Headline Book Publishing (London, UK). Cover art delights include the calligraphy type font identifying "A Jim Qwilleran Feline Whodunnit" and in the midst of black shoe prints font that announces "The captivating series featuring the most extraordinary detective team" and no one can argue with that assessment.

As I mentioned in my review of "The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal" (#12 in the series)...

One of the delights of this series is that one never knows where Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats, Koko and Yum-Yum will be residing as the setting for their residence changes throughout the series and they always add an interesting twist to the mystery of murder and mayhem and a fascinating new cast of characters for their interactions.

Qwill’s friend, Polly Duncan (librarian at the local public library) has also changed residences a few times as well. During the winter months and for this adventure in the series Qwill and Polly are living in apartments in Indian Village.

Additional delights of this adventure:
• As usual, Koko is doing his very best to communicate to Qwill to assist in the latest murder investigation and also as usual, Qwill is missing the important clues.
• “Chief” (Qwill) has given Celia Robinson another assignment for investigation and their ways of communication add to readers' smiles since there are privacy issues due to Qwill’s temporary location change of residence.
• Readers learn whether Qwill actually wears the kilt in public that he had made in Macintosh tartan as a tribute to his Mother, Anne Macintosh Qwilleran, who raised her son as a single parent.
• Qwill often talks about writing a book but in this adventure he’s actually visiting several individuals to begin interviews and transcribing them for a "collection of stories and legends about the early days of Moose County, to be published by the K Fund and sold in gift shops. Proceeds will go ti the historical museum." The stories are unique and are not to be missed!
• Writer of a twice-weekly column titled "Straight from the Qwill Pen” for the Moose County Something and one of the latest offerings is the specialized art of naming cats. I won’t spoil the surprise on how this subject came to Qwill’s reflection. The column does include a “Cat Poll” for the newspaper's readers and you won’t want to miss reading all the postcard submissions and answers given verbally to Qwill while he’s out and about. ( )

SECOND READ: September 2018
So back in January I read this, #19 in The Cat Who... series and here I am back again, 9 months later after deciding to read the books in order from the beginning. It's not at all necessary to read them in order but it makes it more fun because LJB has truly created a whole world. She'll mention people and places and events from the previous books and you feel like you live in Moose County and know all about them. So my re-read ...Tailed a Thief was as entertaining as the first time, because now I had the context and history of all the characters involved.

In this installment, Qwill and the cats have moved into Indian Village for the winter, which results in some funny commentary about the sub-standard building methods in the upscale condos. This allows him to be closer to Polly, who also bought a condo now that her health is improving and she moved out of cousin Lynette's house.

Speaking of Lynette, she has met the man of her dreams in the person of Carter Lee James, a developer from down below who wants to turn her neighborhood of Pickax, filled with gracious old homes, into a historic district. Citizens line up to pay Carter $20,000 to be part of the project. But is he on the up and up? Qwill has some doubts. Meanwhile, Hixie Rice is planning an Ice Festival for Moose County, but the unusually warm weather may prove to be her nemesis.

There is an especially sad development in this one that made it somewhat darker than others in the series.

Body Count 2 Willard Carmichael (mugging); Lynette Duncan (poisoning)

Published: 1997

Preceded by: The Cat Who Said Cheese
Next up: The Cat Who Sang for the Birds

FIRST READ: January 2018
I haven't read one of these books in years, but this one reminds me of how consistently entertaining they are. Jim Qwilleran solves mysteries with the help of his Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum who have "psychic powers." This may sound cheesy, but the way they give Jim hints about what is really going on is very subtle: for example knocking a book about poison off a shelf, leading him to ponder how someone really died.

Braun creates an appealing world in her books, with a cast of mostly lovable, recurring characters and references to past incidents both in Moose County and Down Below (which I believe are fictional places meant to be places in or near Minnesota). Now that I've dipped my toe back in, I think I may try to read (or in some cases re-read) them all from the beginning, something I always meant to do.

Off to Google, to find out which one is first. Okay for my future reference: Here's a list of the Cat Who books in order of publication * = I own it):

The Cat Who ...

... Could Read Backwards *
... Ate Danish Modern *
... Turned On and Off *
... Saw Red *
... Played Brahms
... Played Post Office
... Knew Shakespeare *
... Sniffed Glue
... Went Underground *
... Talked to Ghosts
... Lived High
... Knew a Cardinal
... Moved a Mountain *
... Wasn't There
... Went into the Closet
... Came to Breakfast
... Blew the Whistle
... Said Cheese
... Tailed a Thief *
... Sang for the Birds *
... Saw Stars
... Robbed a Bank
... Smelled a Rat
... Went up the Creek
... Brought Down the House
... Talked Turkey
... Went Bananas
... Dropped a Bombshell
... Had 60 Whiskers
... Smelled Smoke ( )