By Lilian Jackson Braun
A pleasant romp through the day-to-day life of detective-journalist Jim Qwilleran and his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum.
The story takes place in a city called Pickax in Moose County, “400 miles north of everywhere.” It is September, a busy month with the local hotel reopening, the Highland Games celebrating the town’s Scottish heritage taking place and a visit from the mysterious jewelry dealer, Mr. Delecamp.
The reader follows Qwilleran along his daily routines with Koko and Yum Yum and his treks through the community, learning about the town, its people and their increasing anticipation. The cats begin to leave clues about an impending crime – the murder of Mr. Delecamp – which eventually help Qwilleran figure out the identity of the murderer.
If you like to dig into the people of a community and mechanics of how the community works, this book is a good one for you. It is well written, and Jackson Braun gives unique fun personalities to the cats.
If you are looking for a story that centers around the mystery, this is not necessarily for you. The mystery is a small portion of the development of the characters in the community. For me, it was a pleasant romp through a day-in-the-life type of read.