Review:The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers

The Latest Adventures of KoKo and Yum Yum by Lilian Braun

Jan 7, 2007

"The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers" is a delightful dose of KoKo for "Cat Who..." fans, but first time readers are better off starting with Braun's earlier novels.

The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers, just released in January, is the 29th "Cat Who..." novel by Lilian Jackson Braun. At 189 pages, with wide margins and lots of white space, it's really more of a short story than a novel, but the hundreds of thousands of fans (including this writer) will enjoy getting reacquainted with Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum-Yum.

Life in Moose County

This book finds Qwilleran involved in more than his share of civic activities. He's written a one-act play in the absurdist style; he's involved in the planning of the new Senior Center; and he's still writing his twice-weekly column for the Moose County Something. Oh yes...there's a suspicious death, too. An assistant at the Ledfield Museum has suffered a fatal allergic reaction to a bee sting, even though she was known to keep her bee sting kit with her at all times. Curious? KoKo thinks so.

Changes are Coming to Pickax

As much as the scenery and characters are familiar, there's change afoot in Pickax. Qwilleran's long-time girlfriend, Polly Duncan, is off to Paris (for how long?) and Qwill and the cats just might have to find a new home.

Longtime Cat who... fans will, undoubtedly, enjoy this glimpse of life in Moose County and catching up with their old Pickax friends, but this book -- and the last five or so -- do not have the depth of character, the detailed plot, or the suspense of Braun's earlier work. If you haven't read any of this series, don't start here. Begin with her first three novels, written in the 1960s: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards, ... Who Ate Danish Modern, ...Who Turned On and Off.

About Lilian Jackson Braun

Lilian Jackson Braun, now 94 years old, is the author of 29 Cat Who... novels as well as three short story collections and a cookbook. She penned the first three books in the series between 1966 and 1968 (noted above), but the fad of the day -- true crime and violent mysteries -- didn't leave room for her light-hearted cat cozies. Of course, times change, and in 1986 she was invited by Berkeley Publishing to resume the series -- this time with great success.

Ms. Braun lived most of her life in Michigan and the Cat Who... series' Moose County is largely believed to be based on her native northern Michigan. She worked for both the Detroit News and the Detroit Free Press before retiring in 1978. Today, Ms. Braun lives in North Carolina with her husband and two cats.