[.ca] The Cat Who Robbed a Bank (ISBN 0613514831)

From Amazon.com:
Qwilleran and his crime-solving Siamese cats KoKo and Yum Yum are back on the case in Pickax, the biggest little city in Moose County, which is 400 miles north of everywhere but still boasts a remarkably sophisticated social and cultural scene. Hardly a day or a night goes by without a tea, dinner party, crafts fair, play, or pageant, all of which are attended and described in great detail by Qwilleran, a former crime reporter whose not very onerous duties entail writing a feature column for the local newspaper as well as overseeing the civic philanthropy made possible by an inheritance from a wealthy friend of his deceased mother. Fans of this long-running and immensely popular series will delight in this 23rd installment, in which the matrons of Pickax are buying French perfume and blueing their hair for the annual visit of Mr. Delacamp, a jeweler from Down Under (Chicago), whose arrival will coincide with the reopening of the town's fabulously refurbished grand hotel. When the mysterious Mr. Delacamp is found dead in the presidential suite, and his "niece" goes missing along with the jewels and the cash, Qwilleran and his curious cats investigate. As usual, it takes a couple of Siamese with extraordinary powers (even for cats) and a current preoccupation with pennies, gum wrappers, and paper towels to point their owner toward the solution; Qwilleran may not be the quickest sleuth in Moose County, but with KoKo and Yum Yum on the case, he doesn't need to be. This is the coziest of cozies, a particular niche in the mystery subcategory of crime-solving felines of which Braun is the acknowledged mistress, and once again she delivers the goods. --Jane Adams

for Moose County fans, 3-4 for anyone else:
The story opens in late summer, Jim Qwilleran, wealthy newspaper columnist is, like the rest of Moose County (located 400 miles north of everywhere) looking forward to the opening of the new hotel. He finds that in addition to the grand opening, the hotel is to be graced by a visit from Mr. Delacamp, a jeweler from the big city who travels to Moose County every few years to do business. Qwill is intrigued by this strange custom and resorts to undercover work to satisfy his curiousity about the expensive cash only, women customers only business. When a murder occurs he becomes more so. As always Koko, his Siamese cat helps Qwill to pick his way through the tangle of old and new county scandals and county ties to reach the answers. For fans of this long running series there are plenty of Moose County updates and 'information to be shared' as well of glimpses of day to day small town life. 'Cozy' fans would probably enjoy this as well even if not familiar with the series but anyone looking for a more hard-boiled or challenging story should look elsewhere.

Great cats; okay story:
Having read the first 15 or so "Cat Who" books a couple of years ago, I recently picked up this (the 23rd) to catch up with Qwill and his feline friends (and the other residents of Moose County and The City of Pickax. The cats are in great form. Unfortunately, the writing is not. I had stopped reading this series for a while as the plots were becoming stale. In this installment, the cats play all too minor a role. They pop in occasionally to provide a clue, or to provide humor, atmosphere, etc. What they do not do is solve the crime, provide important clues that are followed up by Qwill (or the police), or do anything else that is directly related to the plot. They are relegated to the role of a "Greek Chorus"--providing commentary to the audience, without being part of the drama itself. As to the plot--there is no mystery here. The person everyone thought did it, did it. The person everyone thought was a suspicious character, turns out top be a bad guy. The woman everyone thought was a fake, was a fake. No one needed Koko to tell the good guys from the bad guys. Finally, the cat never does rob the bank...I kept expecting Koko to get into the bank and uncover the key clue--but it never happened.

Good Old Koko:
I agree with some of the previous comments - there are really no surprises in Moose County, but knowing what you're going to read has a certain charm all its own. I still enjoy this series, and the characters are still pretty wonderful. Yes, this mystery was pretty straightforward, and you know who did it and why. I think I would have liked a little more exposure to the murderer's character - he seemed to be a shadowy figure at best in this one. But Koko still delights, and Polly and Qwill are still wonderful. For all cat fanciers, this series is a must!

Could not possibly be written by Ms. Braun:
Most of my enjoyment of this delightful series has come from the literary skills of Lillian Jackson Braun. Her nuances of humor, her turn of a phrase, strong character development, and the life threads that run through the series cause me to always come back for more. This book is clearly NOT written in the same style. It is inoffensive, very light, but tends to the cloying, tea-table mystery style. Not my favorite, and I hesitate to buy any more "stories" from this "series."

A Great Book For a First Timmer:
This is the first book in the series that I have picked up, yet I still feel as though I have read the hole series. The Cats are wonderful, the Charicters are beleaveable, and the plot is great. It is a Purrfect Book for a first timmer to "The Cat Who" series.