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topdragon's review against another edition
3.0
It’s hard to believe I’ve read 28 of these “Cat Who…” books now. My mother started me reading these years ago and, truthfully, I really enjoyed these mysteries in the early part of the series, even though cozy mysteries aren’t really my thing. They were pretty good. And then when they evolved into more and more about small town life in the upper Midwest, and less and less about any actual mystery plot, I was happy to still read them occasionally because they were a nice break from the more serious/dangerous sorts of thrillers and noir stuff I tend to read.
And they evolved yet further (many of us suspect they were being ghost written by this point) but I kept on reading one every September, mostly to honor my mom. I expect very little in the way of quality mystery literature with these final books in the series but I relax when I read them and I think of my mom. If I were rating this one on the true Goodreads scale I would give it two stars, perhaps only one. But nostalgia fills my heart when I turn the pages so I bumped it up.
There is not much to say about this particular novel, plot-wise. The town of Pickax is celebrating their 150th anniversary of its founding and the entire summer is filled with activities, parades, etc. Our protagonist, Jim “Qwill” Qwilleran, newspaper columnist and reluctant billionaire, spend 90 percent of the novel engaged in gossip with the residents of the town, very little of which has to do with what appears to be three separate murders. Koko, one of his Siamese cats, plays his usual games with trying to communicate to Qwill about what is going on but that’s about it. The book series at this point seems aimed at octogenarians who enjoy chatting about important topics like the weather and “isn’t that music too loud”. This is an incredibly fast reading novel. Large print, extra space between lines, wide margins, blank pages between chapters and each chapter title gets its own page. And still, less than 300 paperback pages.
One more novel and three short story collections to go and then I will turn to some other series to honor mom.
And they evolved yet further (many of us suspect they were being ghost written by this point) but I kept on reading one every September, mostly to honor my mom. I expect very little in the way of quality mystery literature with these final books in the series but I relax when I read them and I think of my mom. If I were rating this one on the true Goodreads scale I would give it two stars, perhaps only one. But nostalgia fills my heart when I turn the pages so I bumped it up.
There is not much to say about this particular novel, plot-wise. The town of Pickax is celebrating their 150th anniversary of its founding and the entire summer is filled with activities, parades, etc. Our protagonist, Jim “Qwill” Qwilleran, newspaper columnist and reluctant billionaire, spend 90 percent of the novel engaged in gossip with the residents of the town, very little of which has to do with what appears to be three separate murders. Koko, one of his Siamese cats, plays his usual games with trying to communicate to Qwill about what is going on but that’s about it. The book series at this point seems aimed at octogenarians who enjoy chatting about important topics like the weather and “isn’t that music too loud”. This is an incredibly fast reading novel. Large print, extra space between lines, wide margins, blank pages between chapters and each chapter title gets its own page. And still, less than 300 paperback pages.
One more novel and three short story collections to go and then I will turn to some other series to honor mom.
annies1's review against another edition
4.0
Excellent book. I love all the books in this series and George Guidall does a great job of narrating.
caseygrim's review against another edition
challenging
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.25
It is physically a book in nature, and that merits .25.
It is very very bad. It is written with a pompous and insufferable demeanor. Each page made me sad. I feel older for having read this book. I will never get those minutes back. I don’t know when I will forgive my husband for having me read this to him.
It is very very bad. It is written with a pompous and insufferable demeanor. Each page made me sad. I feel older for having read this book. I will never get those minutes back. I don’t know when I will forgive my husband for having me read this to him.
notsogreen's review against another edition
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
lisamleb's review against another edition
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
moshalala's review against another edition
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.25
lazwright's review against another edition
2.0
Although many favorite characters made an appearance, the storyline was quite disappointing. This second-to-last book in the series is sub par.
toastlover1's review against another edition
4.0
This book, to me, is the end of a lovely series. There was obviously one more written, but after only the briefest of inquiries, it's apparent that it is, at best, unsatisfying and sad, and, at worst, a ghost written betrayal of the beloved characters. So 'Bombshell' is it, and although a weaker entry, as are the last few books, it retains the charm and sense of community that makes the series great. I read these books as a teen, before I knew what a cozy mystery was, and was delighted to discover while rereading them that Braun was a skilled writer who understood the balance of whimsy and believability, pacing and plot development that is often lacking in the genre. The mystery is virtually irrelevant, but the journey is pleasant. I wish there had been a ghost writer that could capture the essence of Pickax and Quill, because I could easily read 20 or more of this series.