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The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers    by Lilian Jackson Braun Amazon.com order for
Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers
by Lilian Jackson Braun
Order:  USA  Can
Putnam, 2007 (2007)
Hardcover, CD
* *   Reviewed by Mary Ann Smyth

It is said that dogs have masters and cats have staff. Jim Quilleran, columnist for the Moose County Something, is definitely staff for two Siamese - Yum Yum and Koko - who allow him to share their living space as long as he provides food and recreation.

Quill claims Koko has 60 whiskers, over and above the usual allotment for most cats (Siamese or any other breed), which he feels allows Koko to sense what's about to happen - also what has already happened. Koko has an especially horrendous yowl when someone has been murdered. Koko emits his yowl and the equanimity of Pickaxe falls apart - a young woman dies after being bitten by a bee, even though she had the antidote in her pocket! As Quill's luxurious mustache quivers, Quill and Koko work their magic to bring peace back to his chosen home town. Pickaxe has more civic-minded citizens than most towns do. But this is fiction – isn't it?

This delightful The Cat Who ... series is now 29 books long with the addition of The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers. Readers are never really sure where Quill lives except that it is in the north-central United States in the small town of Pickaxe, 'four hundred miles north of everywhere'. Moosejaw, Brr and Lockmmaster aren't far away. Catastrophe hits to dampen everyone's spirits. Though this episode was not as satisfying as previous novels where there seems to always be a dastardly crime to solve, the everyday lives in Pickaxe are interesting in their supposed simplicity – while underneath the surface excitement lurks.

The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers is another fun read from author Lilian Jackson Braun. A few strings are left untied, which I hope means there is at least one more book to come.

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