(4.5 / 5)

This is one of the few books from this series that I remember pretty well from 20 years ago when I read some of this series. Unsurprisingly, I enjoyed it a lot on this reading, which is probably the reason I remember it so well. The death of a recurring character kicks the story off with a bang, and the old Goodwinter farmhouse, where Mrs. Cobb was living, is the perfect setting for a ghost-themed mystery. The side characters and side plots are interesting, and everything came together well at the end.

Though Qwilleran is a fairly set in his ways and has little patience for certain personalities, I liked how his compassionate side comes out in this book. And not just the easier kind of compassion toward someone that he likes or is intrigued by, but also compassion toward someone he dislikes or at least doesn't regard in a great light originally. This is a great addition to a series that I really enjoy and highly recommend to fans of cozy mysteries. ( )

3.5 stars
I was sorry to see that Braun killed off one of my favorite characters. Mrs Cobb was always entertaining. The books Koko knocked off the shelves to give clue to Qwill were To Kill a Mockingbird and One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Both books where a person was murdered, smothered by a pillow.
Good mystery, and as always interesting characters, the historical mystery was also closely connected to this books case.
( )

A curator of a museum dies of fright and the sleuth, Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats go to check it out.

This is a patty good book. Follow the same formal as the other cat who books.
It sad that Iris Cobb have to die. I'll miss her.
If your new to this series of books , I recommend you read some of the books before this one. ( )

*** Mild Spoilers ***

The 10th entry in the series has Qwill once again moving temporarily. He seems to be settling back into the vagabond ways that characterized his life in the first few books. This time he and the cats move into the caretaker�Ûªs apartment at the Goodwinter museum formerly occupied by Iris Cobb after she sadly passes away from an apparent heart attack.

Unsurprisingly, Qwill soon suspects foul play. His main squeeze, Polly Duncan, has returned from her sabbatical in London and they have the following hilarious exchange:

‰ÛÏIt‰Ûªs my theory,‰Û he said, ‰ÛÏthat Iris Cobb‰Ûªs death was a case of murder.‰Û

When Polly heard the word ‰ÛÏmurder‰Û she was aghast. In Moose County homicide was traditionally considered the exclusive property of the cities Down Below.

My reaction to this: wait, are you KIDDING? I don‰Ûªt know if Polly is just not the most observant person on the planet; or maybe that she‰Ûªs in denial because she enjoys being romanced by a multi-millionaire. But I‰Ûªve been keeping track (literally, if you check my previous reviews) and the body count just since Qwill moved to Moose County is ‰Û_. TWENTY NINE. That‰Ûªs right, 29 people have been murdered or died under mysterious circumstances since he showed up. I think if I lived there, I would carry around a crucifix and a bottle of holy water to hurl at Qwill in case I ever accidentally crossed his path. That guy is the freaking Angel of Death.

While I‰Ûªm besmirching Qwill‰Ûªs character, I might as well point out that while I found him mildly annoying in the last installment, here he graduates to full-fledged jackass. He‰Ûªs rude to everyone. He is too selfish to let the little neighbor girl meet Koko and YumYum even though she loves cats. Supposedly he‰Ûªs all about Polly, but he regresses to Old Lecher mode when he meets Kristi, a pretty young woman who lives down the street from the museum and raises (doomed) goats. But the crowning offense in my opinion was how snotty he was about Polly‰Ûªs joyful love for her newly acquired kitten, Bootsie. He actually refused to cat-sit for her! But finally he relented, which led to one of the funniest scenes so far in the series, where Bootsie basically kicked Qwill‰Ûªs ass. I enjoyed it immensely.

So even though I didn't like Qwill so much, I enjoyed the book. It was quick and breezy, with the usual cast of Moose County characters and some new ones. We learn nothing further about Qwill‰Ûªs past life but there is a surprising development in the recurring story of old Ephraim Goodwinter ‰ÛÒ original owner of the farm - who either committed suicide or was lynched back in 1904. Koko provides his psychic assistance to the best of his ability and the mystery of Mrs. Cobb‰Ûªs murder is eventually solved.

Originally published: 1990

Body Count: 2 Iris Cobb (murder/suffocation) Brent Waffle (bludgeoned) plus more if you count the poor poisoned goats


Preceded by: The Cat Who Went Underground

Next Up: The Cat Who Lived High ( )