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The fact that Lilian Jackson Braun spent many years of her journalistic career as editor of Good Living Magazine may account for some of the milieu of her protagonist, James Mackintosh Qwilleran. Ms Braun has been reported as giving the almost clichÈd advice of 'Write about what you know' to aspiring authors. She certainly appears to have followed her own advice. Qwill's cats. KoKo and Yum Yum (they may not have got to end up together in The Mikado but they do in this author's world) are inspired by Braun's own cats. Qwill began as a composite of some of the author's journalistic friends and other characters are reflections of people in this prolific writer's life. The emphasis on good living in the series possibly also owes a great deal to the author's previous employment. In 1966, Lilian Jackson Braun, inspired by an accident suffered by one of her own beloved cats, wrote The Cat Who Could Read Backwards. This was followed within a couple of years by The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern and The Cat Who Turned On and Off Despite the popularity of her books, the author fell silent so far as fiction was concerned for nearly twenty years, then came The Cat Who Sniffed Glue, The Cat Who Went Underground, The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts, The Cat Who Lived High, The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal, The Cat Who Moved a Mountain, The Cat Who Wasn't There, The Cat Who Went Into the Closet, The Cat Who Came to Breakfast, The Cat Who Blew the Whistle, The Cat Who Said Cheese, , The Cat Who Tailed a Thief , The Cat Who Sang for the Birds The Cat Who Saw Stars, The Cat Who Robbed a Bank The Cat Who Smelled a Rat and now The Cat Who Went Up The Creek . Ms Braun has attributed her unlikely success to the fact that people are sick of the violence so beloved of many of her peers. It seems she is correct. Her tales of likeable, real people and their pets have a faithful following. When Ms Braun moved from the big city to a small town, Qwilleran packed up his Qwill pen, his beloved pets and moved, a new billionaire, to Pickax in Moose County, He never lost a fan nor she a reader. In this latest episode of the exploits of KoKo, Qwill, as a favour to friends Lori and Nick Bamba, has moved to the Nutcracker Inn to investigate why Lori has felt she is under an unhappy cloud there. He solves that mystery, uncovering a precious trove of antique furniture at the same time but then the dead bodies start to appear. The creek (up which KoKo goes in the title of the novel) yields a murdered man, one readily identified and one which is carrying a hidden collection of small gold nuggets. Qwill is moved into one of the cabins at the Inn and there meets the various inhabitants of the other cabins, including one unpopular woman whom he, with the aid of his cats, routs. With the mystery pushed almost into the background of the day to day community doings of Moose County, Qwilleran ponders the travels of his lady love, Polly, and wonders and worries about her new male friend. He goes about his everyday business, eating gourmet food, caring for his cats, researching items for his articles and, just by the by, taking an interest in the increasing body count. His massive moustache (I wonder if Earl Bettinger sports the same) echoes the feelings transmitted by KoKo's extra set of whiskers in that it gives him premonitory twinges when something nasty is about to happen. There is a heavy emphasis on conservation in this outing. Much of the mystery is intrinsic to it. Readers need not expect a fast pace, just well written prose and a gradual heightening of tension as Qwill seeks to interpret KoKo's clues to the solution of the mystery. There are the well drawn characters one has come to expect of this charming storyteller as well as the constant introduction of delicious provender. and gracious living in general together with an indication of strong community spirit. Qwill's contemporaries have the familiar problems and joys to be found in a small town, problems and joys that reflect many of those besetting Braun's faithful readers who are unlikely to desert her as they prepare to wait for the next book in her engaging series. This is a review of the Australian edition.  published in August 2002 by Headline.
Reviewed by Denise Wels, August 2002
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