Review of "The Cat Who Robbed a Bank: A 'Cat Who' Mystery" by Lilian Jackson Braun

At first, the 'Cat Who' books were REAL mysteries but - somewhere along the line - they became stories about a colorful community where murders happen to occur. In this 22nd book in the series, a jewelry dealer is killed and journalist Jim Qwilleran becomes interested in the case. The book can be read as a standalone.

*****

Jim Qwilleran (Qwill) was a crime journalist in Chicago when he inherited a huge fortune from his mother's friend Fanny Klingenschoen. To receive the money Qwill had to move to the city of Pickax in Moose County, which is '400 miles north of everywhere.' Qwill and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum, relocated to Pickax. There Qwill set up the Klingenschoen Fund, which supports projects that benefit the community.



In this book the citizens of Pickax are excited about several upcoming events: the grand opening of the Mackintosh Inn, which is named for Qwill's deceased mother Anne;



 The Mark Twain Festival - which includes programs and lectures;



 The Scottish Games - which features ethnic food and sports competitions;




A traditional Scottish sport is the camber toss

 The unveiling of the new bookmobile; 



And an exclusive afternoon tea hosted by Mr. Delacamp - a jeweler who visits every five years to buy and sell VERY valuable gems. 



Qwill - being a nosybody newspaperman - makes it his business to attend almost all local activities but he has to engage in subterfuge to attend Delacamp's tea.....which is for hat-wearing ladies only. Qwill is bemused by the jeweler, a poseur who dresses like a sultan, kisses women's hands, and does all his business in cash. This turns out to be a bad idea.



Delacamp's dead body is found in his hotel room a few mornings after the tea, and his young 'niece' is missing with the money. Qwill isn't completely surprised by this because his psychic cat Koko - who acts out when a crime occurs - was yowling at 2:00 AM....which turns out to be the approximate time of Delacamp's death.



Over the next few days Koko provides clues about the killer by unrolling paper towels; licking photographs; pawing Qwill's copy of 'Oedipus Rex'; stealing pennies; and so on. Qwill racks his brain to decipher the clues, but doesn't figure them all out until the crime is solved.

Meanwhile, the journalist engages in his usual endeavors, which include: seeing his lady friend Polly (the head librarian); inviting friends out to lunch and dinner; having people over for drinks and snacks; collecting folk tales from Moose County residents; composing his column for the 'Moose County Something'; attending festivals and games; going to committee meetings; etc.

In this book Qwill also learns something about his ancestry. Qwill was raised by a single mother who told him nothing about his father or other relatives. After the death of Fanny Klingenschoen's lawyer, Qwill is given a box of  correspondence between his mom and Fanny.....which has information about Qwill's dad and grandparents.



I wouldn't recommend this book as a mystery novel, but readers who like amusing stories about interesting people would probably like it.

Rating: 3 stars