[.ca] Cat Who Blew The Whistle (ISBN 0515118249)

It grows on you:
Under normal circumstances I hate anything that can be described as "cute." That includes people, sculpture, movies, books, etc. "Cute" means stupid, shallow, superficial, and self-consciously pretty. At first glance, this book appeared to be merely cute--having a cat that solves crimes--and something I wasn't going to like at all. But I was pleasantly surprised by the relaxing atmosphere of Moose County, somewhere in the northern part of the U.S. The characters were engaging. The plot is perhaps just a trifle weird. I still have a problem with the gimmick detectives, as opposed to the standard sleuth, i.e., the police detective or private eye vs. a cat, an antique dealer, a school marm, etc. The real detective here is, of course, the newspaper columnist who gets hints from Koko, his cat. I groaned a little at the concept, but the atmosphere and characters made me keep reading. I wouldn't put this at the top of the list of mysteries, but the novel is a pleasant, light diversion, with "cute" being the major flaw.

Cat and train lovers united:
This was the first one I ever read of the Cat Who series and it was excellent. It kept me engrossed for hours. I couldn't wait to see what happened to Qwill, Koko and Yum Yum. I could relate with Qwilleran because I lived with two Siamese cats and I knew their behavoir. It has a lot of excitement, involving a missing train. I learned quite a bit about trains reading this book. Lillian Jackson Braun certainly did her home work researching trains. I highly recommend The Cat Who Blew The Whistle to any cat and train lover.

All aboard the Koko express!:
There's a new attraction in Moose County, 400 miles north of everywhere: a luxury train, pulled by a beautifully restored steam locomotive. But it only gets to make one run before the Lumbertown Credit Union is locked up by state investigators, and the bank's owner, who also owns the train, disappears. Then there's a dog shot, and a murder at a tavern frequented by railroad people. Can Kao K'o Kung somehow communicate what he knows to his human, Qwill, with just a well-placed "YOW!"?

A little "off track" at the end!:
This is # 17 and I've read 1-17 in sequence. (18-20 are in my reading stack.) I did like this book overall, and I loved the characters. But I felt it was a little disjointed, and when I finished, I felt like there should have been more of a conclusion. Without giving anything away, there was no definite answer at the end as to whodunnit and what exactly was done. I'll keep reading, though. I've come to feel like Jim Qwilleran, Koko, Yum Yum, and many of the other regulars are real, and when I go a long time between books, I miss them! I've even started comparing my home county with Moose County.

A Bargain Book Treasure!:
I'm so glad I picked up The Cat Who Blew the Whistle hardcover edition for one dollar from a book clearance shelf! It turned out to be an entertaining, challenging mystery that has left me wanting to read the rest of Lilian Braun's notable cat series! At first glance, I thought the story might be more simplistic than I like, but what a surprise! Plenty of thought-provoking suspense kept me reading! Lilian Braun has an almost whimsical writing style that yet offers excellent character/place development and just plain GREAT storytelling! Quilleran and his two Siamese cats are wonderful fun! I'm looking forward to reading more of Ms. Braun's cat books! I sincerely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysteries, cats and trains!