The Golden Cat

by Max Brand

When his partner agrees to escort a group of settlers to the Sierra Negra, John Jones must protect them from the ruthless outlaws who shadow their every move, leading him to believe that there is a traitor in their midst. Reprint.

Genres: Westerns

294 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2015

About the author

Frederick Schiller Faust (see also Frederick Faust), aka Frank Austin, George Owen Baxter, Walter C. Butler, George Challis, Evin Evan, Evan Evans, Frederick Faust, John Frederick, Frederick Frost, David Manning, Peter Henry Morland, Lee Bolt, Peter Dawson, Martin Dexter, Dennis Lawson, M.B., Hugh Owen, Nicholas Silver

Max Brand, one of America's most popular and prolific novelists and author of such enduring works as Destry Rides Again and the Doctor Kildare stories, died on the Italian front in 1944.

Reviews

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Golden Cat was a surprise—a straight-out whodunit (and a locked-room mystery at that) from one of the big-name Western writers of old, Max Brand. But since Brand wrote a little bit of everything, I suppose it shouldn't be too surprising.

It's told in first-person by John Jones, one of the offbeat narrators Brand liked to employ—an unremarkable, everyman sort of character who tags along with and recounts the exploits of the more attractive or exciting characters (though in this case Jones has slightly more of a personal stake in the story than some of Brand's other narrators of this type). Jones and his friend Dennis Rourke are hired to escort a group of Eastern travelers to a remote, half-ruined Spanish hacienda in the mountains. The party includes Frances Mornay, the beautiful, delicate young woman who owns the hacienda; her uncle, her fiance, her young female companion and a shady associate of the fiance's. And there's loads of trouble waiting for all of them. The uncle, Captain Palliser, a crippled, irascible old former sailor, believes that someone is after him (for reasons he won't reveal), plus the hacienda comes complete with an old legend of a ghost and a curse on Frances Mornay's family, several of whom are supposed to have died there under mysterious circumstances. And there's a mysterious stranger on horseback hanging around. So when Captain Palliser is murdered in his locked bedroom, there's plenty of suspects and more than one mystery to solve.

The book gets off to a somewhat slow start, with several chapters that don't do much for the story, but once once the Eastern party make their appearance and the trip to the hacienda begins things keep moving. Plot was not always one of Brand's strong points; perhaps the fact that some of his full-length works (including this one) were originally magazine serials accounts for their veering off in a different direction midway through. In this case the opening seems to set up Rourke as the most important character, but then he disappears shortly before the murder and is absent for some of the most crucial scenes.

But Brand does quite a good job handling the mystery aspects—the different suspects' motives and the physical clues—though not in as organized a fashion as an author practiced in writing mysteries. By the time the solution was revealed I had several guesses that turned out to be partly true, but was still surprised by some things. He also provides a good detective in the form of Sheriff Jack Shevlin, a man who thoroughly enjoys his business of crime-solving, who arrives handily on the spot at just the right time, having been tracking down one of the party on suspicion of another, unrelated crime. Jones serves as a sort of amateur assistant to Shevlin, but at the same time is trying to shield another of the suspects, making things even more complicated.

I was a little surprised by a bit of mild swearing—I didn't think it was magazine-acceptable back then—but it's infrequent and wasn't enough to really mar my reading experience. As far as the characters and general tone of the story goes, I don't know if it would really be a top favorite Brand western for me, but it's the mystery element that makes it interesting.

[Ward G · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sorry taking so long. Had health issue, early in the year.
They over medicated me in hospital and it affected my vision. Could not read.
THAT said onto the book.

This is NOT really a western. Though maybe set in the west. Not typical cowboy story.
Many of the characters a little over the top.
Turns out to be a murder mystery, set in the west.
Some of it not done badly. Yet same time, you really seem to just go along with it.
Does not seem to know where it wants to go for large part of the book.

Brand as usual very good descriptions of places and things.
Yet just did not seem to hit the mark for me. Especially when looking forward to some grit, and gun play. More traditional western.

A secluded setting, and some of the wrap up. Not that satifying.
Middle of the road, for this usually enjoyable writer.

[Tim Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly good book. A novel storyline - a true Western mystery and I loved it. Kept me guessing until the very end. Although written in 1932, Westerns seldom age and this one has certainly held it's storyline value.

[Anne Patkau · Rating 1 out of 5]

Narrator John Jones has vicious dog wants to kill pet cat of perfect woman Frances, whereas he wants tomboy Ruth. Ghost predicts Captain will die.
Ruth changes, prefers John's best friend. Frances is evil title cat not pet, fakes ghost, kills Cap with her pretend fiance, deemed innocent after fiance's lies fool male jury.