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The Cat Who Saw Stars
The Cat Who Saw Stars by Lilian Jackson Braun is the twenty-second book in a series of 30 mystery novels written be Braun from 1966 until 2008. This book came out in hardcover edition in 1999. The series uses a cast of characters that develop from book to book. Each book introduces new characters, some of whom will be killed off, while others will be integrated into the existing community. Two figures that are a constant in each story, and inspire engaging prose, are the Siamese cats who are companions to the series' protagonist Jim Qwilleran (Qwill). The setting for The Cat Who Saw Stars is a small resort town on the shores of a great northern lake in the United States. Jim Qwilleran, ex news-beat crime reporter and current small town newspaper columnist, has planned to enjoy a month relaxing in cool summer breezes at his rustic cabin by the lake. Qwilleran is a person of note in the community in part because he came into millions of dollars in an unexpected inheritance. He felt that the money should rightfully be invested in the community from which it came, a county ”400 miles north of everywhere”, that was a lumber and mining center 100 years ago. He created a philanthropic foundation that allows him to live comfortably while his foundation invests tens of thousands of dollars in public works that benefit the county. Qwill shares his life and home with two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum. Koko has a 6th sense for crime and an uncanny knack for picking up signals that aren't apparent to humans. Koko's behavior is the first clue that there is trouble brewing. The cat is unusually mesmerized by the night sky and the shore front. Less than a week into the vacation a backpacker passing through the area mysteriously disappears. Koko's radar picks up trouble and he leads Qwilleran to a body buried in a sand dune on the beach in front of his cabin. It appears to be that of the missing backpacker who has met with a mysterious death. The town officials try to keep details of the incident from becoming public, presumably fearing that it will hurt the important flow of tourists to the area. The town has historically had a high rate of reported UFO sightings and the death and cover-up has local residents renewing their suspicions of extraterrestrial visitors. Qwilleran, however, is a skeptic on all things mystical and doesn't plan to be a regular at the new UFO library. When two boating fatalities occur back to back it's too much coincidence for Qwill and Koko. This team of sleuths set out to get to the bottom of the mysteries. An intricate weave of subplots introduce the reader to new characters and expands the lives of series regulars. The characters are charming, as are the delightful antics of the two cats. Murder and mystery keep the reader engaged without being horrific, tense, or maudlin. Not all the mysteries are solved, and the book comes to a rather surprising ending, but the story is another intriguing offering in the Cat Who Was... series.

The Cat Who Saw Stars, 1999 (ISBN 0-515-12739-6)

link titlehttp://www.booksnbytes.com/authors/braun_lilianjackson.html#AuthInfo link titleThe Unofficial Lilian Jackson Braun Fan Club http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Estates/6371/lillian.htm link titleThe Cat Who Club http://thecatwhoclub.tripod.com/aboutlilian.html: Bio link titlehttp://thecatwhoclub.tripod.com/id202.html: Interview 2

Link titlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lilian_Jackson_Braun#List_of_.22The_Cat_Who....22_Novels_in_Order Link titlehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_Who_series