Lilian Jackson Braun

The people of Pickax are in a state of eager anticipation. The Pirate's Chest, the long-awaited new bookstore, is finally set to open, and the Theatre Club is preparing to perform Oscar Wilde's The Importance of Being Earnest. However, the play is brought to an abrupt halt as a cast member is killed in a car accident. But was it really an accident? As suspicions rise, Qwill and his sleuthing Siamese cats have their work cut out for them.

While the residents of Pickax eagerly await a festival celebrating the 150th anniversary of the town's founding, newspaper columnist James Qwilleran must entertain Harvey Ledfield, an aspiring architect. Strange occurrences seem to follow Harvey around. Koko, the Siamese cat, leaps on his head, a knitter predicts murder, and a woman comes from California to leave a message for Qwill. It's up to Koko to help Qwill piece the clues together. -- from...

Spring comes to Moose County and Jim Qwilleran wonders if the yowlings of Koko and Yum Yum are more than just accompaniment to the birds singing outside his windows. Could the cats know who is at the bottom of recent mischief and mayhem?

"October arrives in Moose County on the heels of a long drought, and the citizen of Pickax worry about wildfires. Their fears are realized in an unexpected manner, with a case of arson--and the shooting of a volunteer fire-watcher as he is reporting the blaze. The crime wave continues as the president of the curling club is pushed to his death down a flight of stairs, and it's up to Qwilleran & Co. to sniff out the rat who is responsible for it all."--Amazon.com....

While sifting through closets of junk in the mansion they have rented, Qwill and Koko uncover a mystery involving the suicide of the former owner and the murder of a potato farmer.

Koko, Yum Yum, and James Qwilleran embark on their latest mystery when gold prospectors, wildlife photographers, and pirates arrive at the Nutcracker Inn to take part in a game.