In the twenty-third book of this mystery series, the Siamese cats Koko and Yum Yum are living in winter quarters in Pickax City, with former crime reporter Jim Qwilleran, of the very bushy mustache, who is taking care of them in the condo development they are living in and praying for snow, as it has been a very dry late fall. This was a good book in the series.
At the condos also live Polly Duncan, the town librarian (she is Qwilleran’s girlfriend), and Polly’s new neighbor, a very high end book seller. There have been isolated brush fires out in the county, and a Fire Watch has been set up with volunteers to watch for brush fires, especially near the county’s ten shafthouses from abandoned mines. Also, the town’s used book seller dies of old age, leaving his bookstore to Qwilleran, but the bookstore goes up in flames (fortunately, the cat got out fine), and everyone else in the building has to move out temporarily. XYZ Enterprises becomes Donex, after the X (Don Exbridge), as the Y and Z people got out, and Donex is apparently doing some deals under the table. A mayoral election is about to take place, between the smooth incumbent (whose mother was a Goodwinter) and an abrasive unfashionable woman (whose father was a Goodwinter). And Koko is quite interested in the glove box that Polly’s neighbor gave her, which she had promptly regifted to Qwilleran.
I enjoyed reading this book, and look forward to reading as many books as are left in the series (twenty-nine books were published before the author’s death in 2011).
From The Recamier 