(4.5 / 5)

Koko’s back to licking photographs, but while he does his best to communicate the clues to his food-provider (or is just coincidence?), Qwilleran is busy dodging an old girlfriend who wants to be a new wife. Qwilleran has definitely changed over the course of this series, in ways that even he is still discovering. It keeps the series from getting stale, as do the location changes now and then. While I have grumbled in the past about books that take us away from Pickax, this book still spends plenty of time there, while the death happens far away.

I’m not a Shakespeare aficionado in any way and have never read Macbeth, but it makes a great backdrop to the story. The author does a pretty good job of giving a reader without knowledge of the play, which the local theater club is staging, enough information to appreciate the connections made. I don’t know if a reader more knowledgeable about Macbeth would enjoy it more or less than I did. Though I had suspicions about who was involved in the crime, I didn’t put together the hows and whys before I was told. But to be fair, Braun wrote these books before “cozy mystery” became a formula. In the end, I enjoyed the book a little more than I did the previous. ( )

3 ½ stars
I usually don’t enjoy the non Pickax books as much but this book with the trip to Scotland had
the best of both worlds, a new exciting setting Scotland for the first part of the book then the familiar quirky town of Pickax for the rest of the book. I was really sorry to see Melinda as a murderer and worse, when she first appeared in the city I thought she was a great character as her aggressive nature really got to Qwill. Koko of course always knew she was trouble even way back when she first appeared.


Macbeth as as subplot is foreshadowing of Melinda’s downfall from respected physician to murderer, much like the character she plays she attempts to get her brother to murder Polly.

Cozies Reading Challenge ( )

Qwilleran goes on a trip to the Scottish Highlands with a group from Moose County (but without, of course, his cats Koko and Yum Yum). Sixteen set out, but only fifteen return alive. Was the death foul play? And how can Koko solve this murder that happened thousands of miles away?

A few years ago, I read through this series to figure out where it jumped the shark. This is a solid entry, though not one of the best ones. If you're a fan of cozy mysteries and somehow haven't found this series yet, start at the beginning. ( )

The 14th �Û_Cat Who‰Û_ book was set up by a cliffhanger in the previous installment. Polly has been frightened by a potential kidnapper and Qwill races home early from his sojourn in the Big Potato mountains to make sure she stays safe. Another event from the previous book has repercussions here ‰ÛÒ the deaths of Dr. Hal Goodwinter and his wife. As a result of this double loss, their daughter Dr. Melinda Goodwinter returns to Pickax to take over the family medical practice. I never liked Melinda because she was too young for Qwill and her interest in him seemed mercenary; but more annoyingly, she insisted on calling him ‰ÛÏLover.‰Û Koko wanted no part of her, either, and it turned out we were both right.

Just after Qwill returns home, a local woman named Irma Hasselrich announces a trip to Scotland for prominent residents of Pickax. Qwill‰Ûªs mother, as we and Polly know VERY well, was a Mackintosh; and since this is also a great opportunity to get Polly out of harms way for awhile, they become members of the Bonnie Scots tour group. So does Dr. Melinda, which leads to some uncomfortable moments when this aggressive female tries to renew her former relationship with Qwill. There are some interesting descriptions of the Scottish countryside and the various dramas that are inevitable among people who spend a lot of time together on a bus. Unfortunately, a jewel theft and an unexpected death cause the premature end of the trip.

Back in Pickax, a production of MacBeth is in rehearsals, Dr. Melinda plans an unprecedented estate sale at the Goodwinter mansion, and there is a big Teddy Bear Heist in the neighborhood. These events occupy the local attention and culminate in a shocking kidnapping ‰ÛÒ but the victim is NOT Polly! With assistance from Koko, Qwill has been piecing the mystery together. He saves the day and unmasks a murderer.

Another development - which I expected because I read book #19 before I started the series from the beginning ‰ÛÒ is the romance that develops between Qwill‰Ûªs oldest friend, Arch Riker, and his friend Mildred Hanstable. (Arch had been involved with Amanda Goodwinter but they were never serious about each other.) All in all, this was an entertaining entry in the series

Originally published: 1993

Body Count: Two: Irma Hasselrich (Poison) and Melinda Goodwinter (Suicide). And the kidnapping victim was ‰ÛÒ YumYum! But of course she is returned unharmed and none the worse for wear, as there are at least a dozen more Cat Who... books to go.

Preceded by: The Cat Who Moved a Mountain

Next Up: The Cat Who Went into the Closet ( )

I couldn't put it down. I ended up staying up a little late to finish it. ( )