The Cat Who Sniffed Glue - Lilian Jackson Braun

A Compilation of Cat Mysteries

Advantages: well written, easy to read, suitable for children too
Disadvantages: none

Lilian Jackson Braun is an author I have reviewed on ciao before. She writes detective stories usually, about the character of Jim Quilleran and his cats. But this book 'The Cat Who Had Fourteen Tales' is something a little different. It is a collection of short stories, all featuring cats. I am not usually a fan of short stories, finding them insufficient to interest me. But Lilian Jackson Braun's collection is excellent. It is well constructed, the stories are all different - mysteries, a ghost story, some written as though they are samples of oral history and so on. I enjoyed this so much that I have now recommended it to my ten year old daughter to read. It is suitable for children too, as it contains no swearing, only minor violence and no sexual content. ...

KarenUK 27.12.2000 (23.12.2000) · Read full review
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Review of The Cat Who Had 14 Tales - Lilian Jackson Braun

Another Cat Mystery

Advantages: short, easy to read, great characterisation, good for cat fans
Disadvantages: unmemorable

The Cat Who Saw Stars by Lilian Jackson Braun is one of the newest books in the series, continuing with another adventure for professional journalist & amateur sleuth, Jim Quilleran. As always, assisted by his two cat companions, Koko & Yum Yum, he discovers various mysteries happening in the sleepy seaside town of Mooseville, where he has his country residence. Along with murders, curious disappearances, rumours of UFOs & alien visitations, & freak acts of nature, the story is peppered with wonderful characters of those Quilleran associates with. It is these expertly written characters that brings the books alive, along with well observed descriptions of the two cats. The book itself is reasonably short at 216 pages & it doesn't take long to read, nor is it particularly memorable, but it is an enjoyable book & great for light Summer ...

KarenUK 11.08.2000 · Read full review
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Review of The Cat Who Saw Stars - Lilian Jackson Braun

The Siamese detectives

Advantages: A charming and pleasant read
Disadvantages: You need to be a cat lover to appreciate this series

Introduction When my mum first told me about these books, I thought she was mad. The idea of an amateur sleuth with two cats that help him solve crimes was going a bit too far, even though I am a cat lover. One day though, with nothing else to read, I picked up one of my mum's books and was hooked. The books are not likely to win any literary prizes and are very much in the vein of M C Beaton's Hamish Macbeth and Agatha Raisin series - the characters are very one-dimensional and the stories are simple, but at the same time are very charming and absolutely perfect for comfort reading. The author Lilian Jackson Braun was a feature writer for a newspaper, when she was inspired to begin writing books featuring cats because her beloved Siamese cat fell from the balcony of her house and died. She wrote three books in the 1960s, featuring ...

sunmeilan 14.11.2005 · Read full review
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Review of The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts - Lilian Jackson Braun