The Cat Who Lived High * Lilian Jackson Braun * The Cat Who... #11

To help spearhead a historic preservation campaign, a wealthy small-town journalist leaves his peaceful northern home to rent a luxury penthouse in a crumbling downstate metropolis, only to find himself investigating a suspicious suicide linked to a crooked art syndicate.

The Story: Written by prominent cozy mystery pioneer Lilian Jackson Braun, this globally celebrated 1990 classic delivers a charming, fast-paced puzzle that stands as a definitive peak of traditional lighthearted crime fiction. The narrative steps cleanly away from the dark, graphic violence and gritty police procedures found in standard suspense novels. Instead, Braun establishes a comfortable, character-first storyline that pairs an intriguing art-world mystery with gentle humor, urban eccentricities, and a playful look at feline intuition.

The plot follows Jim Qwilleran, the affluent former crime reporter who has grown used to his peaceful life in Moose County. His routine takes a sharp turn when he travels back south to the city of Junktown to rent a luxury apartment on the fourteenth floor of the Casablanca, an elegant, old high-rise building threatened by developers. Qwilleran wants to save the historic building, but the assignment immediately takes a dangerous turn when he learns that the apartment's previous tenant, a passionate art dealer named Dianne, fell to her death from the balcony under highly questionable circumstances.

Rather than letting the authorities write the tragedy off as an open-and-shut suicide, Qwilleran settles into the penthouse alongside his brilliant Siamese companions, Koko and Yum Yum. It does not take long for Koko's unusual behavioral quirks - such as staring out the massive windows, pawing at specific art pieces, and knocking items off high ledges - to point toward far more material dangers. Sifting through the city's elite gallery circles, crooked property registries, and eccentric tenant lists, Qwilleran discovers that real-world greed, modern real estate schemes, and forgery are the true culprits behind the fall. Published as an essential mass-market paperback by Jove Books, this beloved chart-topper keeps readers thoroughly entertained from the opening page to the final reveal.

Perfect For: Devotees of traditional, lighthearted cozy mysteries, animal-themed whodunits, and gentle amateur sleuth stories; fans of sharp, observant pets and historic preservation settings like the works of Rita Mae Brown, Diane Mott Davidson, or Susan Wittig Albert; and mystery lovers seeking a comforting, fast-reading escape.

First Published 1990. This Edition 1991 by Jove.

Fiction / Mystery & Thriller / Cozy Mysteries / Feline Whodunits / Urban Art-World Crime / Amateur Sleuth Handbooks / Historical Preservation Mysteries