[.ca] The Cat Who Killed Lilian Jackson Braun (ISBN 1893224848)

Someone needs to learn the definition of "parody.":
I give this one star because the site doesn't allow zero or negative stars. This book is an example of something written by a guy stuck in the mindset of an inadequate male adolescent who thinks Beavis & Butthead or Howard Stern are examples of the highest form of intellectual comedy. To speak in language the author would understand, this book sucks. It's not funny, and it's definitely not a "parody." Avoid it.

Sharp, swift, and incisive:
A delightful and genuinely hilarious send-up of mystery stories, writers, Houdini, and The Maltese Falcon. The jokes come hurtling at you at rapid speed, and they are inspired and literate. The book has nearly nothing to do with Lilian Jackson Braun, and that is it's strength. Its satirical targets are much wilder and broader than her novels.

Not amusing parody:
I began this book last night and intend to throw it in the trash today. I found nothing amusing or entertaining about it. The descriptions are crude, as is some of the language. All in all a vile book. I'm not some old prude, but I thought I'd be entertained by this book instead it's appalling. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone!

A FLAWLESS PARODY:
I give this five stars only because I can't give it six stars. This book is an example of gleeful, male-adolescent comic exuberance--postively Swiftian in its artful malice--imagine Beavis & Butthead or Howard Stern combined with Noel Coward and Oscar Wilde, and you've got some idea of THE CAT WHO KILLED LILIAN JACKSON BRAUN's form of highbrow/lowbrow intellectual comedy. A book that is considerably smarter than the traditional LJB audience who will probably stumble upon it. It's, quite simply, laugh-outloud funny. A wicked parody. Grab it.

"The Cat Who Fled Pickax for the Big, Bad City":
Rude, crude, wickedly funny and far more intelligent, sharp and articulate than anything LJB herself has penned in many years; not that anyone believes she is writing her own books anymore. The characters are refreshingly modern, vivid, opinionated, gloriously flawed and about as un-Moose County as they can get. If you're a "Cat Who..." fan in search of more of the same, you're in for a bit of a shock, but if you have a bent sense of humor, are not easily offended and enjoy a genuinely well-written and inspired parody, you'll be as delighted as I was. The humor pokes mercilessly at a wide range of modern institutions and strays far from the series of books it parodies, yet manages to insert a "Cat Who..." in-joke here and there. I was sorry to come to the end of the book and say goodbye to these characters. When you're in a "nothing is sacred" kind of mood, be sure to pick this up.