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A review by sarahrheawerner
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun
3.0
So... I finally gave in to my curiosity (no puns about cat-killing, now) and read what I had long viewed as a member of a weird fringe genre of literature: CAT MYSTERIES!
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun is the first in one such series (dubbed "The Cat Who..." mystery series).
I was a little disheartened that the cat (named Koko) was not the main character -- rather, he plays supporting actor to newspaper reporter Jim Qwilleran as the latter finds out who kills a local art critic.
Notably, The Cat Who Could Read Backwards was published in 1966, so there are no mobile phones in characters' pockets, no computers in the newsroom, all newspapers are printed on paper, etc.
And honestly, that just made this cozy mystery feel all the more cozy to me. There's just something about reading a paper book or newspaper by the fire with a cat curled up in your lap that's incredibly comforting. Despite, you know, all the murder that keeps happening.
This is a good-natured, cozy murder mystery that pokes fun at the pretentious nature of the art world while elevating the pretentious nature of cats. I liked it, much to my surprise. But I'm not incredibly sure it's worth your time.
Get the full scoop in the latest episode of the Write Now podcast.
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun is the first in one such series (dubbed "The Cat Who..." mystery series).
I was a little disheartened that the cat (named Koko) was not the main character -- rather, he plays supporting actor to newspaper reporter Jim Qwilleran as the latter finds out who kills a local art critic.
Notably, The Cat Who Could Read Backwards was published in 1966, so there are no mobile phones in characters' pockets, no computers in the newsroom, all newspapers are printed on paper, etc.
And honestly, that just made this cozy mystery feel all the more cozy to me. There's just something about reading a paper book or newspaper by the fire with a cat curled up in your lap that's incredibly comforting. Despite, you know, all the murder that keeps happening.
This is a good-natured, cozy murder mystery that pokes fun at the pretentious nature of the art world while elevating the pretentious nature of cats. I liked it, much to my surprise. But I'm not incredibly sure it's worth your time.
Get the full scoop in the latest episode of the Write Now podcast.