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491st out of 1,046 books
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5,568 voters
The Cat Who Saw Red (Cat Who... #4)
Something is amiss at Maus Haus. Not just the mystery of an unsolved "suicide" which hangs over the old mansion, but something ominous in the present-day residence. When Qwilleran moves in to work on his new gastronomical assignment, strange things begin to happen. First it's a scream in the night, then a vanishing houseboy. But when his old girlfriend disappears, somethin...more
Mass Market Paperback, 183 pages
Published
April 15th 1986
by Jove Books
(first published 1986)
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Dec 27, 2011
Kirsti
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Cat lovers, Mystery lovers, Animal detective fans
An early title in the series, but nevertheless Koko is just as switched one as ever, as Qwilleran deciphers the clues he is leaving in their new residence, Maus House. Something shifty is going on in the pottery area of the house, and Koko suspects murder and more. Poor Qwill is on a diet, and has just received a new beat; that of a food critic, much to his dismay. Together, and with a little help from the food industry, they will solve the crime and Koko will catch the villain.
I enjoyed reading...more
I enjoyed reading...more
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The Cat Who Saw Red is the fourth book in Lilian Jackson Braun's popular "Cat Who..." series. Once upon a time I read one of these books (The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern, the second book)--I got it through the Mystery Guild book club--and thought it a decent read. But I never really bothered to go on with the series. It's an interesting concept. You have Jim Qwilleran, a news reporter for the The Daily Fluxion, and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum. Qwilleran used to be a crime reporter--quit...more
3 and 1/2 stars
I was really curious to read this "The Cat Who . . ." book because after Braun wrote the first 3 in the '60's, she picked up the series and continued it in '80's--twenty years later!
I was so surprised that this story picked right up where the last on had left off! I couldn't tell for sure since now the '80's are thirty years ago themselves, but I think it was still set in a '60's world. I do enjoy the appropriate lack of technology and forensics that we use so heavily in today's...more
I was really curious to read this "The Cat Who . . ." book because after Braun wrote the first 3 in the '60's, she picked up the series and continued it in '80's--twenty years later!
I was so surprised that this story picked right up where the last on had left off! I couldn't tell for sure since now the '80's are thirty years ago themselves, but I think it was still set in a '60's world. I do enjoy the appropriate lack of technology and forensics that we use so heavily in today's...more
Jim Qwilleran is assigned to write a gourmet column even though he is on a diet. He moves in to the Maus Haus where he meets a variety of colorful characters: Rosemary Whiting, Charlotte Roop, Robert Maus (owner), and others. Among the residents is an old flame, Joy.
When Joy vanishes at first everyone believes she ran off from her husband--almost like how she had ran off on Qwill many years ago. Qwill is certain that something happened to her. Again the stars of the novel are Koko and Yum-Yum, Q...more
When Joy vanishes at first everyone believes she ran off from her husband--almost like how she had ran off on Qwill many years ago. Qwill is certain that something happened to her. Again the stars of the novel are Koko and Yum-Yum, Q...more
This is one of The Cat Who series that always entertains me. It is the type of a book which a person can enjoy reading again and again. I am sure that I read it at least once before, but didn't have it recorded. This takes place before Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum move to Pickax as a result of his inheritance. He is living in an apartment. He encounters an old girl friend he once almost married, Joy Wheatley Graham, the wife of a moody potter, Dan Graham. She disappea...more
I have read all 29 of the "The Cat Who..." books, and this is my all-time favorite. Some very interesting and eccentric characters are introduced, which makes it one of the more "fun" books of the series. Just to throw out a warning to die-hard cat lovers...one point in the book, the unpleasant death of a cat tears at your heart. Brought actual tears to my eyes. (FYI...that never happens to me in books.)
Although it is possible to read each of these books independently, I would recommend you at l...more
Although it is possible to read each of these books independently, I would recommend you at l...more
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
This was the first in the series that I read and it made me a (so far) lifelong buyer and reader of LJB's books. A couple caveats: I was 22 at the time, I was taking a train 2 hours a day for a job I did not love. I needed a reason to live. These books helped. I believe this book was the first published in the 80's (previously they had all been written in the 60's). It was also before Qwill became very wealthy, which was an interesting turn of events but ultimately led the series to stagnate. I...more
I will make allowances for the book being from over 20 years ago, because honestly, I think very little of amateurs who insist on putting themselves in danger needlessly, instead of going to the police. If they're going to do things by themselves, at least have the decency to write in some motivation that makes sense. Also, the mystery was extremely obvious. I'm hoping more sophistication enters the series later on, because I still have four of these books to read, and I'd like to like those boo...more
This is one of The Cat Who series that always entertains me. It is the type of a book which a person can enjoy reading again. I am sure that I read it once before, but didn't have it recorded. This takes place before Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats, Koko and Yum Yum move to Pickax as a result of his inheritance. He is living in an apartment in what was once a pottery. He encounters an old flame whom he once almost married, Joy Wheatley Graham, the wife of a moody potter, Dan Graham. She d...more
Четвертая книга детективных приключений Коко, Юм-Юм и Квиллера, опубликованная спустя почти 20 лет после первых трех.
В этой книжке Квиллер, усатый-полосатый, получает новую колонку (про еду — и это упорно сидя на диете), снова переезжает в другой район, на этот раз — из Хламтауна (название говорит само за себя) в дом искусств, где обитают в основном гурманы и керамисты. И бац — там его бывшая теточка, которая бросила его в самый ответственный момент много лет назад. К сожалению, она замужем, но...more
В этой книжке Квиллер, усатый-полосатый, получает новую колонку (про еду — и это упорно сидя на диете), снова переезжает в другой район, на этот раз — из Хламтауна (название говорит само за себя) в дом искусств, где обитают в основном гурманы и керамисты. И бац — там его бывшая теточка, которая бросила его в самый ответственный момент много лет назад. К сожалению, она замужем, но...more
Jim Qwilleran takes an apartment in a boarding house owned by a local lawyer and gourmet cook. A pottery is attached to the building, and Qwill's old girlfriend is working there with her husband. She tells Qwill she wants to divorce her husband but can't afford it, and Qwill impulsively lends her $750. That night, she mysteriously disappears. A day or two later the houseboy also goes missing. Qwill, with Koko's help, tries to figure out what's going on, in between reviewing restaurants for the D...more
The fourth installment in The Cat Who series is pretty similar to the first three. However, the author took a 20-year hiatus in between the 3rd and 4th books! This installment picks up right where the previous one left off. It refers to him spending prize money that he won from a contest in book three.
I was interested in seeing how the author was going to handle this huge passing of time. Qwilleran is described as a little older, but still has the same personality. And Koko and Yum Yum his crime...more
I was interested in seeing how the author was going to handle this huge passing of time. Qwilleran is described as a little older, but still has the same personality. And Koko and Yum Yum his crime...more
Feb 23, 2008
Mary
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Cat lovers, mystery lovers, food lovers, and Lilian Jackson Braun fans.
Another winning entry in Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." series, this poignant, sometimes shocking, and overall highly amusing story about great food and sensibly-priced murder at an eccentric boardinghouse includes a clever twist: with the exception of Qwill and dignified lawyer-cum-landloard-cum-frustrated-chef Robert Maus, the surnames of this book's main characters all refer to some type of food, drink, or seasonings: Mrs. Marron, Max Sorrel, William Vitello [a type of veal:], Joy G...more
That novel restarted the series. Published in 1986, it's rekindled the interest in the "éponyme" series "The Cat Who..."
Not as good as number 3 in the series. The set up is predictable, the villain is made of cart board. Some really hicky body image values there that made me cringe. Qwill is now a food critic and needs to lose weight. Yeah, that bad. We meet Hixie for the first time, she will come back along with her zaniness. She's much better in later books.
So barely 2 stars.
Not as good as number 3 in the series. The set up is predictable, the villain is made of cart board. Some really hicky body image values there that made me cringe. Qwill is now a food critic and needs to lose weight. Yeah, that bad. We meet Hixie for the first time, she will come back along with her zaniness. She's much better in later books.
So barely 2 stars.
One of the best! There was a poison scare which made my heart stop, and Koko and Yum Yum save Qwil's life! The murder got rid of 2 of the bodies in a rather gruesome way, which I am not used to in this series, but it was a gripping mystery! I can't get enough of these books. I'm going to force myself to read something else just because I don't want them to be over too quickly. I'll be so sad when I'm done reading them all.
I really enjoy these stories about Qwill, KoKo, and YumYum. In this tale, the group finds themselves moving into an artists' boarding house. Mr. Maus, the owner, is quite the foodie. Unfortunately Qwill has just started a diet, to top it off he is asked to write a restaurant review column. There are a couple of mysteries that develop over the course of the story, and as usual Koko is right there to help solve them.
Not sure how I "feel" about this one. It continues the "less than memorible" motif begun in the last book in the series, though it may undeed be better than that book. It's plot manages to get pretty convaluted (you may need a program to keep track) we even get a "muredered cat" (not one of our stars of course).
In this one, Koko and Yum Yum take a more direct hand in the outcome.
In this one, Koko and Yum Yum take a more direct hand in the outcome.
The Maus Haus is an unusual house. It has a tragic passt with a mystery of an unsolved "suicide."
Qwill moves in to work on an assignment and then things begin to happen. A scream in the night, a vanishing houseboy. So...KoKo and Qwill are at it again to solve the myistery.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
Qwill moves in to work on an assignment and then things begin to happen. A scream in the night, a vanishing houseboy. So...KoKo and Qwill are at it again to solve the myistery.
J. Robert Ewbank author "John Wesley, Natural Man, and the 'Isms'"
This is an early book, before Qwill moved up north, and before he became a happily eligible bachelor. I loved reading this because I never knew "Down Below" Qwill. He's emotional, edgy, impulsive and young! And the story is so captivating.
As a side note, the gourmet culture described in the book I first learned about from The United States of Arugula.
As a side note, the gourmet culture described in the book I first learned about from The United States of Arugula.
This was a very enjoyable read for someone like me, who doesn't want or require a trememdous amount of action and suspense. It's enough for me if the author provides a cast of engaging/quirky characters (and in this case, cats as well), an interestingly winding story line, and a skillful way of telling it. Braun comes through on all counts.
This was definitely not what I was expecting. If I had done my homework, I would have seen that this series was written so long ago! I had no idea, as they are still being made somewhat randomly. It was definitely a pass the time sort of book, not something that sucked me in and held my attention completely. Not bad. I might be persuaded to read another one.
The punchline here is the darkest one so far, but the series still remains light-hearted. It keeps most of the same formula, except that now, Qwilleran is placed in an assignment he would have normally gone crazy about, yet he is forced to hold back (which starts to turn him into a cranky character).
Obvious who the villain was.
You know... I'm starting to not like Qwill very much. Sometimes he was a jerk, and I didn't like the way he would focus on a woman's look.
I felt sad when I found out what happened to Joy and William, especially Joy. What happened to her was disturbing.
You know... I'm starting to not like Qwill very much. Sometimes he was a jerk, and I didn't like the way he would focus on a woman's look.
I felt sad when I found out what happened to Joy and William, especially Joy. What happened to her was disturbing.
I like the way every thing rolled together. I liked the way the more Qwill learns the more the reader starts to guess and figure it out the story. I like the way everything rolls together at the end of this story while learning something new.
These are charming and fun mysteries. I went through a binge of everything in the series when I was younger, but haven't touched them since. I remember really enjoying them, though, and both liking the main character and the twists to the stories.
The fourth book in 'The Cat Who' series sees Jim, Koko and Yum Yum move from Junktown to Maus Haus, an upmarket boarding house with artists and crafty folk in residence. Qwill finds an old sweetheart, Joy who is now married to Dan and hopes to resurrect some of the old romance after Joy confides in him that she is looking to divorce Dan. One night Joy disappears and Dan tells everyone that she has run off to Florida. Before long, the young houseboy, William also disappears and Qwill is concerned...more
I think not being a cat owner affected my enjoyment of this book...I shouldn't read more than one of these in succession, as I don't find them fabulous. Nice story, though. Always like a mystery, even if a cat helps solve it.
Now that I'm a bit deeper into this series, I find myself enjoying each book a little more than the last. I'm much more familiar with the characters and they're all much more likeable than they came off in Book 1.
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Lilian Jackson Braun was an American writer. She is well-known for her light-hearted series of The Cat Who... mystery novels. The Cat Who books center around the life of former newspaper reporter James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County, "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in the books, th...more
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“...if you've never been cussed out by a Siamese, you don't know what profanity is all about!”
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