Bourke’s Bookshelf: The cat who solved a murder – Brainerd Dispatch

BRAINERD — I had no thought there was a complete sub-genre of books devoted to mysteries that includes cats, however right here I’m, writing about mysteries that includes cats.

It began once I was searching for a particular Agatha Christie e book at Emily’s Books in Brainerd. It was my decide for e book membership, and lots of of my pals had by no means learn something by the Queen of Thriller. I didn’t discover what I used to be searching for and wished to ensure I selected one thing that was available for the group. I then discovered myself shopping the mass market paperback part, searching for one thing that stood out.

That’s once I realized about Lillian Jackson Braun and her “The Cat Who” sequence. First printed in 1966, “The Cat Who May Learn Backwards” begins off the sequence and introduces readers to newspaper man Jim Qwilleran and Siamese cat Kao Okay’o-Kung, or Koko for brief.

There have been two copies of the e book on the retailer, so I snatched them up and was in a position to snag one other copy on the Mates of the Brainerd Public Library e book sale.

Not lengthy after, my boss strolled into work with one other e book she thought I’d like. It was one other mass market paperback, this one that includes a grey cat on the quilt. “Scratch the Floor” by Susan Conant was my subsequent cat thriller and my first realization there may really be a marketplace for thriller tales with cats, and that I could be the audience.

I later realized of the “Christie Bookshop” sequence by Ann Claire, a sequence of books that includes sisters with the final title Christie, who run a bookshop. As one may be capable of guess, that bookshop features a cat.

So many feline thriller books, so little time. The few I’ve right here simply barely “scratch the floor” (see what I did there?) on the style however are good locations to start out.

Jim Qwilleran simply obtained employed as the humanities author for the Each day Fluxion after alluding to some lower than savory happenings in his previous.

It’s an opportunity for him to start out over, and he’s going to take it, even when he’s not thrilled concerning the beat. He’s extra snug with cops and crimes than artwork and artists, however it’ll need to do.

Fortunately for Qwilleran — however not a lot for others — his beat is about to get way more attention-grabbing than he anticipated.

Not one, not two, however three mysterious deaths within the artwork group stump native police and the information group, who can’t assist however theorize who could be behind the crimes. Or are they crimes in any respect?

Qwilleran is not any detective, however his landlord’s cat, Koko, appears to be fairly perceptive of his environment, nudging the reporter in a path that simply may result in solutions.

I’ve to remind myself this e book was a product of its instances. Clearly a twenty first century feminine reporter was not the audience for this one. Slowed down by some outdated language and concepts, the story was entertaining sufficient however not stellar for 60 years after its publication. I used to be invested sufficient to formulate a number of theories all through my learn, however I used to be left feeling underwhelmed on the finish and with a number of questions nonetheless lingering.

I received’t say I’d by no means learn one other e book in Braun’s sequence, because it was fast-paced and saved my consideration, however I’ll possible be taking a break from Qwilleran and Koko in the meanwhile.

I used to be excited to see this e book listed as the primary in a sequence of cat-related mysteries. Then I used to be shortly dissatisfied to see it’s the one one written, regardless of the 19 years which have handed since its publication. It seems the writer has spent the higher a part of the final twenty years writing canine mysteries as a substitute.

However anyway, again to the cats.

Our important character, Felicity Delight, is a cat thriller author however quickly finds herself immersed in a real-life thriller when a physique is dropped at her entrance door. Together with the physique is a really reside cat, with whom Felicity doesn’t fairly know what to do as a result of regardless of her perceived cat experience, she’s by no means really owned one herself. However the large, shy grey cat may present key perception into the homicide.

It’s a homicide Felicity is decided to resolve herself, if not for the intrigue than for the publicity. A thriller writer fixing a homicide is bound to make gross sales skyrocket. As she jumps into the function of her fictional heroine, Prissy LaChatte, Felicity finds herself flirting with the hunky detective assigned to the case and unraveling multiple thriller. The unknown id of her important competitors within the cat thriller literary realm might be the one piece of data that breaks the case vast open.

Sisters Ellie and Meg Christie run their household’s bookshop in a small mountain city in Colorado. They play up the actual fact their final title is Christie, going so far as naming the shop’s cat Agatha.

The feline goes on to play an necessary function in clearing up a number of issues when one of many bookstore workers goes lacking proper within the midst of a homicide investigation. There’s a mysterious stranger, a stolen first-edition Agatha Christie e book and loads of prying, gossipy townsfolk who assume they’ve all of the solutions.

My favourite a part of this e book was undoubtedly the feline Agatha, and I additionally enormously loved the references to Christie, who’s one among my all-time favourite authors. I appreciated the comfy environment and will completely image myself having fun with a snow day whereas studying up in Ellie’s cozy loft on the E-book Chalet.

THERESA BOURKE could also be reached at

theresa.bourke@brainerddispatch.com

or 218-855-5860. Comply with her on Twitter at

www.twitter.com/DispatchTheresa

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