I am a disappointed "rereader" of the series. Although the last several books are plotless, I enjoyed "catching up" on life in Moose County. Liz Hart's death left me with a chill, and The Cat With 60 Whiskers was bone chilling. I too believed that it was time for the Qwill/Polly connection to disolve, but the method was severe, especially the callous disregard for her pets. I was stunned that there was no closure. I found it strange that several references were made that Qwill did not know Shirley, however, I believe they met in "Cardinal." The book ended so abruptly with no reaction to the loss of the barn or the long term relationship. I miss the warmth of former books, and regret the lack of connectiveness that is replacing it. Brief and scattered mention of former characters were meaningless. I will continue to read the series but will definitely not recommend it.

SPOILER WARNING [if you can actually spoil the plot of a book that doesn't have one!]

I sincerely wish I could've these reviews before I purchased this book. What a waste of money as well as a disappointment for anyone that really likes the series. This book seems more like a bad parody of the series than a new installment.

I should have taken a hint from the title--if the only title anyone could come up with was the fact that Koko has 60 whiskers, there's certainly not much inside. But I made the mistake of pre-ordering it, because I have been an avid reader of this series for years and frequently re-read the books.

There are so many problems with the plot, continuity, and the general characterization of the inhabitants of Moose County I don't know where to start. I hoped this book would clear up at least a few of the loose ends from '...Bombshell', like the funerals of Liz Hart and Homer Tibbit and the town's reactions. Qwill didn't seem to notice that either of them were gone. He didn't seem to notice much of anything, for that matter.

As for the new book, since when is he skeptical of Koko's unique abilities? That's been the basis of the last 20 books or so. Why did the villain get away scot-free? They always get either caught and punished, or die during the getaway, or in an appropriately ironic matter. Why was the girl murdered? Just saying the murderer was jealous of her is hardly a plotline. Why weren't the cats featured more and Qwill's journal less? And most importantly, HOW ON EARTH COULD THE APPLE BARN BURN DOWN AND POLLY MOVE AWAY with barely a comment from Qwill??!??!? The rest of the town was more upset on his behalf than he was.

Seriously, if you really want to read it, borrow it from the library, or one of us poor suckers that paid good money for it thinking they were getting a quality story.

The series has, for me, long been in a gentle decline as a mystery series, as Qwill has been less & less involved in solving, or even participating in, the recent mysteries. However, I liked visiting this oddball community with its collection of eccentrics, so I kept reading.
This book, however, can only be described as a disaster. The life changes Qwill goes through are VERY contrived, and I had absolutely no sense of resolution to the plot elements. To be blunt, I checked to see if my copy was missing the last chapter! Do not, do not, DO NOT buy without reading it.

I have been a fan of the "Cat Who" books since their inception. Some are better than others but this was absolutely terrible. Polly, who figured in a number of books was gotten rid of with no follow up and the same for the Apple Barn. Polly wouldn't just up and leave after the friendship she and Quill had and nothing to tell us what happened to the Apple Barn. Is it going to be restored? Koko and Yum Yum didn't have any prominent parts, either.

I signed on to order this book - but after reading the reviews have decided to at least wait for the paperback version. What a shame! My daughter & I absolutely devoured this entire series last winter - the books were perfect, cozy winter reads. Surely Ms. Braun hasn't been writing these books since about 4 books back. The publisher just can't let go of this cash cow, which would be ok, I guess, if they could just find a decent writer to carry on - how hard can that be???? Most of these reviews are better written than the last few Cat Who books.