This review of The Cat Who Went Underground by Lilian Jackson Braun is part of Book Reviews with Amber, the Cat Book Connoisseur at the Mewton-Clawson Library. Scroll to read.
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✨ This Week’s Intro ~ 72% Post‑Festival Calm, 18% Glitter Residue, 10% Sleepy Mouse Energy ✨
Hello, my furbulously serene library guests
and
Welcome back to the Mewton‑Clawson Library at BBHQ, where the atmosphere this week has shifted from full‑throttle festival frenzy to a gentle, contented post‑Stackstock sigh.
The energy is still buzzing… but softly.
Like a purr instead of a roar.
Like the disco ball that’s finally switched to “ambient twinkle.”
Stackstock has officially wrapped for the season, and the library is settling into that dreamy, floaty lull that happens after several days of glitter, cheese‑fog, neon lights, and mice performing feats of questionable physics on roller blades.
The mice have retired their LED skates (for now), and most of them are curled up in tiny hammocks made from repurposed bunting. A few are still wearing their festival bandanas, but only because they’ve fallen asleep in them.
The fax machine, exhausted from its role as Festival Coordinator, is humming at a much lower volume - more “spa day” than “main stage.” It’s currently printing soothing affirmations like:
“Mew did a great job!”
“Glitter is temporary; memories are forever.”
“Hydrate, recalibrate, and avoid electrical sockets.”
The Calmness Tracker 3000 pens have dimmed themselves to a soft pastel glow, drifting lazily between lavender and mint. They claim it’s their “recovery mode.”
Aisle P, once the beating heart of Stackstock, now looks like the morning after a very polite mouse rave:
the encyclopedia stage is half‑dismantled
the cheese‑fog machine is unplugged and cooling down
and the “WELCOME BACK TO STACKSTOCK” banner is drooping slightly, as though it too needs a nap
Clive the Paperclip has downgraded himself from Festival Director ~ Level 2 to “Acting Assistant of Post‑Event Logistics,” which mostly involves sighing dramatically and sweeping up glitter with a sense of noble resignation.
The thesaurus is resting its voice after its powerful performance of Metaphors in Motion, though it is still muttering synonyms for “tired” under its breath.
And Velvet? She’s curled up on a stack of soft‑cover romances, still glowing with pride from her reading debut.
The entire library feels warm, peaceful, and gently sparkling ~ like the afterglow of something magical.
Stackstock may be over… but its shimmer is still settling in the air.
📚 A Morning of Quiet & Quirks
Me: “Melvyn, sweetie… why does the library feel unusually calm this morning?”
Melvyn: “Because it is. The Calmness Tracker 3000 pens have entered ‘Recovery Mode.’”
Me: “Recovery Mode?”
Melvyn: “Yes. They refuse to glow above 30% brightness. They say it’s ‘non‑negotiable.’”
Me: “Fair enough. And what’s that smell? It’s not cheese fog… thank goodness.”
Melvyn: “Chamomile. The mice are brewing calming tea. They said they’re ‘emotionally depleted.’”
Me: “After Stackstock? Understandable. Are they still wearing their festival bandanas?”
Melvyn: “Most of them. They fell asleep in them and now claim it’s a ‘comfort aesthetic.’”
Me: “Adorable. And what’s Clive doing?”
Melvyn: “He’s sweeping up glitter with the air of someone who has seen too much.”
Me: “Poor thing.”
Melvyn: “He keeps muttering, ‘Never again,’ but we all know he’ll be first in line to organise the next one.”
Me: “True. And the fax machine? Is it still printing festival maps?”
Melvyn: “No. It’s printing affirmations.”
Me: “Affirmations?”
Melvyn: “Yes. Things like ‘Today requires no glitter’ and ‘Rest is productive.’”
Me: “I like that one.”
Melvyn: “It also printed mew a sticker that says ‘VIP: Very Important Peacekeeper.’”
Me: “Peacekeeper? Why?”
Melvyn: “Because mew stopped the mice from trying to build a second fog machine out of a teapot.”
Me: “Ah. Yes. That was a moment.”
Melvyn: “A heroic one.”
Me: “I’ll be on my meditation cushion.”
Melvyn: “Meditating or napping?”
Me: “Whichever happens first.”
Melvyn: “Valid.”
📚 General Library Status Update
Sleepy mice in bunting hammocks
Soft‑glowing Calmness Tracker pens
A fax machine in full “self‑care mode”
A thesaurus whispering synonyms for “peaceful”
Clive the Paperclip sweeping glitter with quiet dignity
In short:
The library is calm.
Gently calm.
Calm with a faint shimmer of leftover festival magic and the soft scent of chamomile drifting through the aisles.
And honestly? I’m loving the serenity.
So, my furbulous library guests, if mew spot a mouse yawning mid‑sentence or a pen refusing to glow above pastel, don’t panic, it’s simply the library easing itself back into everyday life.
Probably.
1. I think the word or phrase ____________________ is overused.
2. I am embarrassed to admit that I _______________________.
3. I wish I could convince _________ to _________.
4. I could _________ even if I were blindfolded.
The P.A.'s answers are...
1. I think the word or phrase “flow” is overused. Let’s be honest: FOMO, slay, girl math, and about 900 other phrases need to be gently escorted off the premises. Social media has sucked the life out of everything!
2. I am embarrassed to admit that I have a favourite spoon and get upset when someone else uses it. (As you should. Spoon loyalty is real, just ask Parlsey!)
3. I wish I could convince The B Team to stop acting like rent is due every time I’m two minutes late with dinner. The performance is Oscar‑worthy, especially Smooch!!! LOL
4. I could distinguish every memfur of th B Team even if I were blindfolded. They all have their little iddy biddy 'tells', but don't ever let on that I told you! LOL
Let's see what I've got to show mew this time!
Mewton-Clawson Library Copy
The Cat Who Went Underground
The Cat Who… Mysteries, Book 9
by
Lilian Jackson Braun
Today I'm back with more from the original The Cat Who series; there are 29 in total, but don't quote me. I got an urge to reread this epic series earlier this year, for the first time since 2007.
Eleven down, including today's review, and ONLY eighteen to go! MOL
Here are the previous reviews.
🐾 This Week’s Paw‑Approved Pick:
Dahlings, pack your whiskers and your bug spray, non-toxic of course, because this week we’re heading to Moose County’s wild side, Qwill’s log cabin retreat, where the mosquitoes are vicious, the handyman is missing, and Koko is about to prove that even in the woods, a Siamese detective never takes a holiday.
I first read this one back in 2007, and revisiting it now feels like curling up in a familiar sunbeam, warm, nostalgic, and just a little bit dangerous.
❓ What’s the Vibe?
Think:
✨ cozy mystery meets rustic chaos
✨ summer cabin vibes
✨ a missing handyman
✨ a serial killer lurking beneath the floorboards
✨ Koko in full investigative mode
It’s atmospheric, slightly eerie, and full of that classic Braun charm, which is her quintessential style. I love it! MOL
🐾 What’s the Story?
Qwilleran decides it’s time for a peaceful summer getaway at his log cabin in Moose County. He packs the essentials:
his moustache
his typewriter
and, of course, Koko and Yum Yum
plus their litter tray, which goes everywhere with them
But the moment they arrive, things start going sideways.
A handyman hired to fix the cabin mysteriously disappears. Tools go missing. Odd noises echo from beneath the floorboards. And Koko, normally the picture of feline composure, begins throwing absolute catfits.
Then the bodies start turning up.
Qwill finds himself entangled in a chilling mystery involving:
🪵 missing carpenters
🪚 suspicious renovations
🕳 strange happenings under the cabin
🧰 and a killer who knows how to stay hidden
Koko, naturally, is already on the scent, pawing, digging, and yowling at clues long before Qwill catches on.
⚔️ What I Loved
😸 Koko’s Underground Obsession: He’s scratching, digging, and staring at floorboards like they purrsonally offended him. And as always, he’s right.
🐈⬛ Yum Yum: Our dainty queen provides the purrfect contrast, soft, sweet, and blissfully unaware of the horrors lurking below.
🧔 Qwilleran in Cabin Mode: Less polished, more rugged, and hilariously out of his depth when it comes to DIY. His moustache, however, remains fully operational.
🌲 The Setting: The cabin, the woods, the isolation, it all adds a deliciously eerie edge to the cozy formula.
🔍 The Mystery: A serial killer in Moose County? The plot balances the darker elements with the usual warmth and wit Braun brings to every one of these books in the Cat Who... series.
✨ Tone & Style
cozy with a creepy twist
gently humorous
atmospheric
character‑driven
purrfect for fans who like their mysteries with a side of rustic charm
It’s one of the more suspenseful entries, but still firmly in cozy territory.
📖 Final Thoughts
This book is a standout in the series, a little darker, a little stranger, and wonderfully engaging. Koko shines, Qwill stumbles into danger, and the cabin setting adds a fresh flavour to the ongoing saga.
If mew love cozy mysteries with feline brilliance, woodland vibes, and a plot that keeps mew guessing, this is a purrfect pick.
🪄 Summed Up in One Sentence
🐾 A suspenseful, witty cabin‑in‑the‑woods mystery where Koko digs up secrets that refuse to stay buried. 🐾
A Top Paw Read!
Paperback: 256 pages
Audio: very expensive on Amazon
My Ratings Scale
Rating of:
The Cat Who Went Underground
Overall Enjoyment
Other Fun Blog Hops to Join in Today
Do enjoy the book if mew decide to read it.
It's time for me to say BFN or bye-for-now as mew know the drill, so many books, so little time, and I'll be back next week with another specially paw-picked book just for mew, and don't forget that all my previous reviews can be found on my Book Review page.
Until next time...
Keep calm and read more books
Amber
The Cat Book Connoisseur
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