Book: The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts
Author: Lillian Jackson Braun
My Rating: 2.5 Mildly Entertaining Stars
Hiya bookworms! It’s almost Halloween and I decided to read a book that’s been sitting on my bookshelf for over a year. I thought it would be good because it’s called “The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts” and I’m a cat lady, and it’s spooky season… however, I was a bit underwhelmed. I’m still reviewing it here because while it wasn’t my cup of tea, I do think others would probably enjoy it.
Jim Qwilleran is a retired reporter who came into a sizable inheritance and owns half of the town he now lives in with his two Siamese cats – Koko and Yum Yum. One night his friend, Mrs. Cobb, calls him when she hears mysterious noises in her old house. But by the time Qwill arrives she’s lying dead on her kitchen floor. Everyone thinks she had a heart attack, but Qwill thinks it was murder. So, he and his cats move into her old house and try to solve the mystery.
I’m really digging too deep to find some positive things to say in this review. For starters this is part of a series. All the titles are “The Cat Who __________” and I own like five of these. So, I picked this one at random because of the ghosts in the title and I was happy to find that it read like a stand alone novel. I wasn’t confused or missing out on anything from previous books. It’s set in a quaint town and the characters are all very colorful. From the loud neighbors with their precocious daughter, to the widow looking a little too closely at Mrs. Cobb’s married son. Everyone was interesting and quirky in their own way. And I loved the cats, Koko and Yum Yum. In fact, when I was taking notes while reading I wrote several times, “I need more cat content!” The mystery was cute and wrapped up nicely by the end. Overall, a satisfying book that was easy to read. And if you ever enjoyed shows like Murder She Wrote, or any Hallmark mysteries, this is probably right up your alley.
I think one of my problems with the book was that I’m not really a “cozy mystery” reader at this point in my life. I like my mysteries fast paced and full of surprises. This was the opposite of that. Another of my hangups was that I found the main character to be quite unlikeable. Which is unfortunate…because he’s going to be the main character in the other four books sitting on my shelf and now I don’t know if I want to read them anymore. When I say he was unlikeable, I mostly mean he liked himself so much that I automatically didn’t. Every time he interacted with a woman or thought about a woman he had to mention (internally to himself) how she probably wished she could be in a relationship with him because he’s such a rich and eligible bachelor. Or if they didn’t think that, he was genuinely confused. Like, it was unfathomable to him that a woman would be completely unaffected by a retired reporter with a mustache who lives with his two cats and thinks his *you know what* don’t stink. Can you sense my eye roll?
To be honest, I think I would probably be giving this 4 stars if I didn’t have a serious aversion to the main character. Maybe I missed the tone and he was supposed to come across in a humorous way? If you like cozy mysteries and are looking for something cute give it a shot…but don’t say I didn’t warn you.
Krystle Goodman is a crazy cat lady, who loves to drink exorbitant amounts of coffee, and read a shocking amount of books. She lives in Benton with her husband Josh, her son Roman, and their two cats Roxanne and Abby. When she isn’t reading, you’ll find her cooking, painting, or watching true crime shows. Watch for Krystle’s book reviews every Friday. Send fanmail to: [email protected]
See more of Krystle’s reviews at www.mysaline.com/krystle.