Lilian Jackson Braun
Encyclopedia
Lilian Jackson Braun was an American writer, well known for her light-hearted series of "The Cat Who...
" mystery novels. The "Cat Who" books center around the life of former newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum, in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in her books, the town
s, counties and lifestyles described in the series are generally accepted to be modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan, where Braun resided with her husband until the mid-1980s.
she worked as the "Good Living" editor for 30 years, retiring from that post in 1978.
Between 1966 and 1968, she published three novels to critical acclaim: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards
, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern
and The Cat Who Turned On and Off
. In 1966, the New York Times labeled Braun, "the new detective of the year." The rising mystery writer then disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. In 1986, the Berkley Publishing Group reintroduced her work to a new generation of fans with the publication of an original paperback
, The Cat Who Saw Red
. Within two years, Berkley released four new novels in paperback and reprinted her first three from the sixties. Braun's series again rose to the top of best seller lists. The twenty-ninth novel in her series, The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers was released in hardcover by the Penguin Group
in January 2007.
Little was known about Braun, who was protective of her private life. Publishers long gave an incorrect year for her birth date, which remained unknown until she finally gave her true age during a 2005 interview with the Detroit News.
Like many writers of her generation, Braun, an admitted technophobe, continued to create her fiction on a typewriter
. She resided in Tryon, North Carolina
, with her husband, Earl Bettinger, and their two cats. Each of her books is dedicated to "Earl Bettinger the husband who..." Braun died at the Hospice House of the Carolina Foothills, in Landrum, South Carolina from a lung infection.
Braun was awarded detective of the year from New York Times in 1966.
Cat Who series
The Cat Who... is a novel series of murder mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun. This series is called the "Cat Who..." series because each book title in this series begins with the words "The Cat Who. . ."....
" mystery novels. The "Cat Who" books center around the life of former newspaper reporter, James Qwilleran, and his two Siamese cats, KoKo and Yum Yum, in the fictitious small town of Pickax located in Moose County "400 miles north of everywhere." Although never formally stated in her books, the town
Town
A town is a human settlement larger than a village but smaller than a city. The size a settlement must be in order to be called a "town" varies considerably in different parts of the world, so that, for example, many American "small towns" seem to British people to be no more than villages, while...
s, counties and lifestyles described in the series are generally accepted to be modeled after Bad Axe, Michigan, where Braun resided with her husband until the mid-1980s.
Life and career
Lilian Jackson Braun began her writing career as a teenager, contributing sports poetry for the Detroit News. She went on to write advertising copy for many of Detroit's department stores. For the Detroit Free PressDetroit Free Press
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep"...
she worked as the "Good Living" editor for 30 years, retiring from that post in 1978.
Between 1966 and 1968, she published three novels to critical acclaim: The Cat Who Could Read Backwards
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards
The Cat Who Could Read Backwards is the first novel in Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." series, published in 1966.-Plot introduction:...
, The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern
The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern
The Cat Who Ate Danish Modern is the second novel in Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." series, published in 1967. This book introduces Yum Yum, who will become a permanent character in the series.-Plot introduction:...
and The Cat Who Turned On and Off
The Cat Who Turned On and Off
The Cat Who Turned On and Off is the third novel in a series of murder mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun.- Plot introduction :Qwill and his two lovable Siamese, Koko and Yum Yum find themselves in a rundown section of the city known as Junktown...
. In 1966, the New York Times labeled Braun, "the new detective of the year." The rising mystery writer then disappeared from the publishing scene for 18 years. In 1986, the Berkley Publishing Group reintroduced her work to a new generation of fans with the publication of an original paperback
Paperback
Paperback, softback or softcover describe and refer to a book by the nature of its binding. The covers of such books are usually made of paper or paperboard, and are usually held together with glue rather than stitches or staples...
, The Cat Who Saw Red
The Cat Who Saw Red
The Cat Who Saw Red is the fourth book in the Cat Who series of mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun, published in 1986.- Plot summary :...
. Within two years, Berkley released four new novels in paperback and reprinted her first three from the sixties. Braun's series again rose to the top of best seller lists. The twenty-ninth novel in her series, The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers was released in hardcover by the Penguin Group
Penguin Group
The Penguin Group is a trade book publisher, the largest in the world , having overtaken Random House in 2009. The Penguin Group is the name of the incorporated division of parent Pearson PLC that oversees these publishing operations...
in January 2007.
Little was known about Braun, who was protective of her private life. Publishers long gave an incorrect year for her birth date, which remained unknown until she finally gave her true age during a 2005 interview with the Detroit News.
Like many writers of her generation, Braun, an admitted technophobe, continued to create her fiction on a typewriter
Typewriter
A typewriter is a mechanical or electromechanical device with keys that, when pressed, cause characters to be printed on a medium, usually paper. Typically one character is printed per keypress, and the machine prints the characters by making ink impressions of type elements similar to the pieces...
. She resided in Tryon, North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
, with her husband, Earl Bettinger, and their two cats. Each of her books is dedicated to "Earl Bettinger the husband who..." Braun died at the Hospice House of the Carolina Foothills, in Landrum, South Carolina from a lung infection.
"The Cat Who..." novels
- The Cat Who Could Read BackwardsThe Cat Who Could Read BackwardsThe Cat Who Could Read Backwards is the first novel in Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." series, published in 1966.-Plot introduction:...
(1966) - The Cat Who Ate Danish ModernThe Cat Who Ate Danish ModernThe Cat Who Ate Danish Modern is the second novel in Lilian Jackson Braun's "The Cat Who..." series, published in 1967. This book introduces Yum Yum, who will become a permanent character in the series.-Plot introduction:...
(1967) - The Cat Who Turned On and OffThe Cat Who Turned On and OffThe Cat Who Turned On and Off is the third novel in a series of murder mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun.- Plot introduction :Qwill and his two lovable Siamese, Koko and Yum Yum find themselves in a rundown section of the city known as Junktown...
(1968) - The Cat Who Saw RedThe Cat Who Saw RedThe Cat Who Saw Red is the fourth book in the Cat Who series of mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun, published in 1986.- Plot summary :...
(1986) - The Cat Who Played BrahmsThe Cat Who Played BrahmsThe Cat Who Played Brahms is the fifth book in The Cat Who Series, published in 1987. In this book, Jim Qwilleran decides to get out of the city for a while and go on vacation to Moose County, Pickax, in the countryside. He stays at a lakeside cabin, owned by his old friend, Aunt Fanny...
(1987) - The Cat Who Played Post OfficeThe Cat Who Played Post OfficeThe Cat Who Played Post Office is the sixth book in The Cat Who Series, published in 1987. Jim Qwilleran has acquired a large mansion, from Aunt Fanny, and of course a mystery. Iris Cobb joins him in Pickax as the mansion's caretaker, along with Koko and Yum-Yum. Koko keeps trying to tell Qwill...
(1987) - The Cat Who Knew ShakespeareThe Cat Who Knew ShakespeareThe Cat Who Knew Shakespeare is the seventh book in The Cat Who Series by Lilian Jackson Braun, published in 1988....
(1988) - The Cat Who Sniffed GlueThe Cat Who Sniffed GlueThe Cat Who Sniffed Glue is the eighth book in The Cat Who Series by Lilian Jackson Braun, published in 1988.Pickax City is first disrupted by vandalism, then by murder. Harley Fitch, vice-president of the Pickax Bank, and his wife, Belle, are found shot to death, and vandals from neighboring...
(1988) - The Cat Who Went UndergroundThe Cat Who Went UndergroundThe Cat Who Went Underground is the ninth novel in the Cat Who series of murder mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun.-Plot introduction:This summary is taken from the back cover of the Recorded Books version of the book:...
(1989) - The Cat Who Talked to GhostsThe Cat Who Talked to GhostsThe Cat Who Talked to Ghosts is the tenth novel in the Cat Who series of murder mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun.Late Sunday night, Jim Qwilleran is interrupted while listening to Otello by a phone call from an Iris Cobb, his former landlady, and now manager of the Goodwinter Farm Museum. ...
(1990) - The Cat Who Lived HighThe Cat Who Lived HighThe Cat Who Lived High is the 11th novel in the Cat Who series of murder mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun.Jim Qwilleran receives a request for help from Amberina, one of the three weird sisters in Junktown, to come back and help save the historic Art Deco Casablanca apartment building from...
(1990) - The Cat Who Knew a CardinalThe Cat Who Knew a CardinalThe Cat Who Knew a Cardinal is the twelfth book in the Cat Who series of mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun, published in 1991.-Plot summary:...
(1991) - The Cat Who Moved a Mountain (1992)
- The Cat Who Wasn't There (1992)
- The Cat Who Went into the Closet (1993)
- The Cat Who Came to BreakfastThe Cat Who Came to BreakfastThe Cat Who Came to Breakfast is the sixteenth mystery novel by Lilian Jackson Braun, one of the Cat Who series.Qwilleran and his cats solve another mystery, this time at the newly sprouted Breakfast Island, a resort hot spot with an attractive history...
(1994) - The Cat Who Blew the Whistle (1995)
- The Cat Who Said Cheese (1996)
- The Cat Who Tailed a ThiefThe Cat Who Tailed a ThiefThe Cat Who Tailed a Thief is the nineteenth book in the Cat Who series of mystery novels by Lilian Jackson Braun, published in 1997.-Plot summary:...
(1997) - The Cat Who Sang for the Birds (1999)
- The Cat Who Saw Stars (copyright, 1998; published, 1999)
- The Cat Who Robbed a Bank (2000)
- The Cat Who Smelled a Rat (2001)
- The Cat Who Went up the Creek (2002)
- The Cat Who Brought Down the HouseThe Cat Who Brought Down the HouseThe Cat Who Brought Down the House is the 25th novel in the Cat Who series and is written by Lillian Jackson Braun.-Plot introduction:...
(2003) - The Cat Who Talked TurkeyThe Cat Who Talked TurkeyThe Cat Who Talked Turkey is the 26th novel in the Cat Who series and is written by Lilian Jackson Braun.-Plot introduction:A gentleman gets shot and dies in the woods on Qwill's property, Koko howls his "death howl" at the exact time of the murder. The death is almost neglected because of the...
(2004) - The Cat Who Went BananasThe Cat Who Went BananasThe Cat Who Went Bananas is the 2005 novel in the Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Braun.- Plot introduction:Jim Qwilleran reviews the local play for the Moose County Something. Polly is busy with the grand opening of The Pirates Chest, a local bookstore funded by the K Fund...
(2005) - The Cat Who Dropped a BombshellThe Cat Who Dropped a BombshellThe Cat Who Dropped A Bombshell is the twenty-eighth book in the Cat Who series by Lilian Jackson Braun. This book contains a fictional interview between Ms...
(2006) - The Cat Who Had 60 WhiskersThe Cat Who Had 60 WhiskersThe Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers is the 29th book in the Cat Who series. It was released in 2007 and is written by Lilian Jackson Braun.-Plot introduction:The Old Hulk, being developed for a senior center, mysteriously burns to the ground...
(2007) - The Cat Who Smelled Smoke (cancelled by publisher, Putnam)
Short stories
- The Cat Who Had 14 Tales (1988)
- The Private Life of the Cat Who... (2003)
- Short and Tall Tales (2003)
Braun was awarded detective of the year from New York Times in 1966.