The Cat Who Wasn't There (The Cat Who... Series #14)
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Skulduggery strikes the Bonnie Scots Tour as Jim Qwilleran and his friends from Pickax set forth on a never-to-be-forgotten adventure, in Lilian Jackson Braun's fourteenth addition to her best-selling Cat Who...series. Persuaded by his beloved companion to join her in a group tour of Scotland, Qwill expects to revel in his Scottish heritage while keeping Polly Duncan safe from the Pickax Prowler. Instead, his trip is cut short when a thief swipes a suitcase, the bus driver disappears, and a fellow tourist is found dead - all in the same day. Distraught over the death of one of their own, the remaining tour members return to Pickax, only to find the town in a tizzy over recent events. But Qwill has other, more puzzling worries on his mind: Who is the fellow still following Polly? Why is Koko licking Qwill's photographs of Scotland and tackling him on the apple barn stairs? Convinced that Koko's odd actions are more than coincidence, Qwill investigates the secret life of the deceased, uncovering a possible lover with a torrid past. It isn't until village scuttlebutt focuses on the bizarre behavior of one of the tour's surviving members, however, that Qwills sensitive mustache tells him one thing: More trouble is on the way. But thanks to the esteemed scribe of The Moose County Something and his inscrutable Siamese, the scoundrel won't get off scot-free!Publishers WeeklyPickax City columnist and wealthy bachelor Jim Qwilleran travels to Scotland, leaving his Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum at home, in one of the most lively recent entries in Braun's popular ``The Cat Who . . . '' series. Also on the Bonnie Scots Tour are Qwill's current woman friend, Polly Duncan, the Moose County librarian; and his recently returned former girlfriend, Dr. Melinda Goodwinter, who proposes marriage. Tour leader Irma Hasselrich (a friend of Polly's and a patient of Melinda's) dies of apparently natural causes; then a jewel case and the tour-bus driver disappear. Qwill, Polly and Melinda decamp the tour early; back in Pickax City, listening to tape recordings he made along the way--and to Koko's intuitive yowls--Qwill begins to suspect that Irma was murdered. Convincing others, however, takes time and an investigation. Although the cats play a smaller role in this installment than in previous ones, Braun's descriptions of Scottish lore and the complications of Qwill's love life will enchant fans. Mystery Guild selection; Literary Guild and Doubleday Book Club alternates; audio rights to Dove. (Sept.)
