James Qwilleran, Qwill to his friends, is preparing for a September to remember in Moose County, 400 miles north of everywhere. The old historic hotel in Pickax City, the county seat, is reopening with a new look and a grand gala. Also a Mark Twain Festival is in the works, and the Tri-County Scottish Gathering and Highland Games are set to get under way. Adding to the excitement, a distinguished visitor from Chicago has reserved the new hotel’s presidential suite, sending local female hearts aflutter.

Of course, life in Pickax is never predictable. The distinguished visitor is a jeweler from Chicago who goes by the name of Delacamp. Every few years he makes the trip to Pickax to buy lavish jewelry off of the town’s old money. So, when Delacamp turns up dead in his hotel suite, Qwill’s curiosity is in overdrive.

Not only is all of this going on, but Qwill’s male Siamese cat, Koko is behaving oddly. Why does he have a sudden interest in pennies, pencils and paper towels? What is he trying to tell Qwill? What does any of this have to do with the dead jeweler?

Braun is the reigning queen of cat cozies, and the way she writes Qwill’s cats, Koko and Yum Yum, is entertaining. She writes them as intelligent beings while staying away from cloying and cutesy. And Qwill is an amiable gentlemen, a slave to his Siamese and a local philanthropist with a knack for fettering out details that only a journalist can find.

I had a few problems with this book, and they’re trends I have noticed over the last few installments in the series. Most alarming has been the amount of stuff going on in the books. Is it really necessary to write about two festivals and a hotel grand opening all in the same book? For the first several chapters, Qwill is spread pretty thin attending various functions, as opposed to snooping and picking up on Koko’s clues. Also, being from a small town, I find it hard to believe that Pickax, population 3000, would plan three major events for the same month.

Also disturbing is the way the climax of the story is written. Back in the old days, Qwill was the one to confront the culprit of the crime, usually with Koko in tow. However, in the last few books, this one included, the finish is almost anti-climatic. There is no big confrontation and no struggle ensues.

Long time readers of the series will no doubt enjoy this installment, as I did. In fact, we learn more about Qwill’s past, especially his mother and father, two people who have largely gone unexplored in the first 21 books. Also enjoyable are the usual suspects of small town characters: the Lanspeaks, Derek Cuttlebrink, Lois Inchpot and so forth.

New readers to the series will also enjoy this installment, but not on quite the same level as long time fans. While there is some mention of background character information, there is not a lot of reference to the character’s relationships with each other. A lot of this history is assumed, since most likely the author and publisher are courting long time readers.

When all is said though, The Cat Who Robbed the Bank is a delightful addition to an endearing cozy series. Qwill, Koko, and Yum Yum are still the cat’s meow.

--Wendy Crutcher