The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (1995) - Plot & Excerpts
Half way thru the book I realized there was only Koko, and then I realized (after some googling) that this was the second book of The Cat Who series. Now I'll want to read the other two old ones too (already on the queue, and will probably read next). Three of the books were written in 1960s, (.. could read backwards in '66, this one in '67, and ..who turned on and off in '68). Then they resumed in 1980s with a lot of new ones. (Lilian Jackson Brown was apparently born in 1913, still lives and probably writes, and uses a typewriter for writing...)Qwill gets an assignment to do some interior architecture for Fluxion, which is something he isn't too interested in. But then some strange things start to happen: a house that was just published in the magazine gets burglarized from some expensive jade collection, and someone is found dead. And for the next houses that are presented in the magazine, also then something goes wrong... Qwill's moustache gets itches and Koko helps him get some clues, and after more articles, meeting a lot of interesting people, they find out what happened. That's too shortly put: I love the mystery as it's so 1960s, and makes you realize how everything has changed (green telephones.. typewrites, color/b&w photos... how important the magazines and newspapers were back then etc), and yet how similar the people still are. Of all The Cat... books I've read so far, I liked the characters in this book the most. The humor also seems a bit different compared to the later books. A happy, light type of mystery, and perfect of that kind.http://www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7...
Jim Qwilleran's desire is to be a reporter for the crime beat on a newspaper called The Daily Fluxion. But in this 2nd of the Cat Who series, he is instead assigned to be the editor of a weekly interior design insert called Gracious Abodes. Reluctantly, he begins the assignment by reviewing a house owned the by the Taits and decorated by an interior designer named David Lyke. It is full of precious and expensive jade pieces. After the 1st issue is printed, the jades are stolen and the lady of the house is murdered (?). Qwilleran can now use his investigative techniques to help solve the mystery. After the 2nd issue is printed another incident occurs with the house he reviewed which puts Gracious Abodes in jeopardy. Is someone sabotaging the new magazine? Qwilleran's siamese cat, Koko, helps lead Qwilleran to a suspect by eating his wool ties and munching on a Danish modern chair among other things. His other extraordinary talents includes playing a word game involving a dictionary and flinging a toy mouse into convenient tell-tale places. All this feline neurosis is also a catalyst for introducing Yum Yum who will be a companion for the lonely Koko in future books. A light humorous read.
What do You think about The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern (1995)?
Does it make sense to re-read a mystery when you already know who "did it"? When it is a story with Jim Qwilleran and an early one at that, it is worth reading again. This is just the second of Lillian Jackson Braun's wonderful The-Cat-Who series and you'll even get to find out how Yum Yum is introduced to Ko Ko. Dive in, there is a world of great reading ahead. Ms. Jackson Braun died at age 97 after writing over 25 great stories with Jim Qwilleran at the lead and I regret not sending her my thanks for the hours I spent with him and his clever cats.
—Penny McGill
Another fun flashback read... now Qwilleran has a girlfriend (half his age) and both Koko and Yum Yum. Such clever cats - always catching the criminal. The stories are great and the characters are enjoyable, likable people. I love the little old-fashioned bits. When Qwill comes home to see the red light on the phone is lit up - he has to call the operator for a message! He also complains about how computers are ruining the newspaper profession, but then his big beef with the young journalists doing things "too modern" is when they use an electronic pencil sharpener or send in their articles on a dictating machine. I absolutely love it, though. I'm just going to keep (re)reading these for a few weeks... I can get into some more serious fare after I get settled into my new job.
—Becky
Qwilleran's new assignment, to be junior editor of a new interior design mag called "Gracious Abodes", is barely off the presses when the feature resident of the cover story is burglarized and the lady of the house is found dead. The next cover story is found to be a house of ill repute and Qwilleran and Koko find themselves doing a feature on a very clever murder..Koko is acting strangely, and Qwill adopts a second cat, YumYum, to join the detective team. This was entertaining; I enjoyed it better than the first installment, but I don't know that I enjoy them enough to continue the series.
—Maurean
