The Cat Who Books Pay Homage to a
Special Siamese Cat

The Cat Who books are old-fashioned detective stories, without the blood and gore, and they have a huge following among detective story afficionados. To date you can enjoy 30 'The Cat Who...' novels.

Their author, Lilian Jackson Braun, was born in the US in the second decade of the 20th century. She spent much of her life in the Detroit area.

Lilian's first cat was a Siamese called Koko, short for Kao Ko Kaung. She got the name from the Mikado opera, in which his namesake was the judicial executioner. She shared great empathy with Koko, so much so that people started calling her 'Part-Cat'.

Tragically, Koko died at the age of two when he fell from a tenth floor window - possibly pushed by a neighbour.

Lilian was so distraught and angry she turned to writing and wrote a short story called The Sin of Madam Phloi, appropriately written in the voice of a Siamese cat. The story was subsequently published to an appreciative audience in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine. She was approached by a magazine publisher for more of the same, and that's how The Cat Who books were born.

The Cat Who series are about James Qwilleran who was a reporter in his 'past life' and his two Siamese cat stars KoKo and Yum-Yum, who solve crimes. Since the first crime novel was published in 1966, 30 have been published and translated into many languages.

In real life Lilian worked in advertising and public relations and was a journalist for 29 years, writing about antiques, renovation, preservation and home décor.

Fancy a first edition, first printing of the Cat Who ....? A mint-condition copy can cost up to 950 dollars so check out those garage sales!

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