History Literature / TheCatWhoSeries

* InSeriesNickname: Qwill rather disparagingly refers to Polly's new kitten Bootsie as "Bigfoot", though not where Polly can hear him.

* MeaningfulRename: When Polly's new cat is introduced in book #10 (''The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts''), he's named Bootsie, and turns out to be a real brat. His behavior, and Polly's towards him, improves once she renames him Brutus in book #19 (''The Cat Who Tailed a Thief'').

* PunnyName: The weatherman in Moose County, Weatherby Goode. Subverted in that it's a self-given stage name; his real name is Joe Bunker.

* LongRunningBookSeries: 1966 to 2007, totaling 34 books (counting spinoffs).

* ManInAKilt: Probably inevitable, given the Scottish history that was built for Qwilleran's character. Despite this, he resists for a long time, but eventually buys one in a moment of weakness after getting a scare regarding Polly Duncan's health in book 17 (''The Cat Who Blew the Whistle'').

* IllGirl: Qwill's ex-wife Miriam is indicated to be one of these; in an early book, Arch snipes at him about having sent her money and he protests, pointing out that she's in poor health. A later book reveals that she dies in a sanitarium.

* CorruptPolitician: The mayor of Pickax, mockingly referred to as "Hizzonor" for most of the series. He's eventually voted out and replaced with Amanda Goodwinter, the local JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

* ManInAKilt: Probably inevitable, given the Scottish history that was built for Qwilleran's character. Despite this, he resists for a long time, but eventually buys one in a moment of weakness after getting a scare regarding Polly Duncan's health.

** Koko at times ''appears'' to be psychic, but it's always left ambiguous as to whether or not his catty antics are just what they seem to be or not. At least, Qwilleran seems to find it ambiguous, but to the reader it's a bit more obvious that there's something magic about it. If a cat lets out a chilling howl once at the exact time of a suspicious death that later turns out to be murder, that may be a coincidence. If said cat repeatedly does this, then it can no longer be written off as just coincidence, especially combined with some of the other things Koko does. However, on the "mundane" side of the argument is the fact that Qwill rarely manages to predict anything from Koko's clues, and the explanation of how Koko solves the mystery usually comes as Qwill tries to fit in Koko's behaviour after the fact with the solution he already knows.

* StockYuck: Qwill loathes turnips and doesn't hesitate to say so; he's convinced that 'something underhanded' must be done to make a dish containing turnips palatable. In another case, he writes in his "Qwill Pen" column about all of the different ways in which turnips are awful and in return receives a giant turnip grown by one of his readers. First, though, the package has to be inspected by the bomb squad because there has recently been a bombing in the community and the package is considered suspicious.

* EmbarassingFirstName: Invoked in this book by a character named Letitia, who hates her name, and who mentions that her best friend has it even worse, being named ''Lionella''.

* AppealToWorseProblems: One time when Koko and Yum Yum turn up their noses at the food he gives them, Qwill makes some reference to there being cats in another country that don't know where their next mouse is coming from. It makes no difference whatsoever.

** James Mackintosh Qwilleran had his name legally changed, as revealed in book #16 (''The Cat Who Came to Breakfast''). Few characters -- possibly none other than Arch Riker -- know that his birth name was ''Merlin'' James Qwilleran.

* MeaningfulRename: When Polly's new cat is introduced in ''The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts'', he's named Bootsie, and turns out to be a real brat. His behavior, and Polly's towards him, improves once she renames him Brutus in a later book.

* MustHaveCaffeine: Qwilleran is notorious for his potent coffee brew, though in the final book (which was widely panned by fans), he is portrayed as drinking tea.

* OnlyKnownByTheirNickname: Qwill's girlfriend Polly Duncan is known by most only as Polly. Possibly no one else in Moose County knows that her Shakespeare-loving father named his daughter [[Theatre/AMidsummerNightsDream Hippolyta]]. Qwill himself also fits the trope, except that he had his name legally changed; his oldest friend Arch is the only other person in the world who knows that James Mackintosh Qwilleran was born Merlin James Qwilleran.

* SpyFiction: Played with using the Celia Robinson character, who is introduced in Book 15 (''The Cat Who Went Into the Closet'') and does missions for Qwilleran ("The Chief") as his "[[Film/JamesBond Secret Agent 13 1/2]]".

* WidowWoman: Polly Duncan, whose firefighter husband was killed in the line of duty less than a year after they married. This was at least fifteen years before she meets Qwill; she never remarried, nor even entered another serious relationship prior to meeting him. Judging by the way she talks about him on one of her early dates with Qwill, [[BrokenBird there's a good reason for this]], but her relationship with Qwill does help her to finally heal. This could also be considered an explanation for her GreenEyedMonster tendencies.

* ExitPursuedByABear: In this book, [[spoiler: an abusive ex-husband]] tracks [[spoiler: his ex-wife]] to Moose County, [[spoiler: using the fact that back in the navy he saved a shipmate's life (said shipmate still suffered brain damage) as leverage to coerce the local, now a beekeeper into becoming an accessory to the bombing of said frightened ex's hotel room. When he comes back to try and cover his tracks and finish the job -- the intended target was out and about but someone else died -- the beekeeper inadvertently gives him a wool blanket and]] the bees swarm [[spoiler: the murderer]], who is found dead the next morning.

* DisguisedInDrag: The murderer in one story is revealed to be a man who had been masquerading as a woman.

** Invoked in one book by a character named Letitia, who hates her name, and who mentions that her best friend has it even worse, being named ''Lionella''.

* BeeAfraid: Kills [[spoiler: the murderer]] in ''The Cat Who Said Cheese''.
* ExitPursuedByABear: In ''The Cat Who Said Cheese'', [[spoiler: an abusive ex-husband]] tracks [[spoiler: his ex-wife]] to Moose County, [[spoiler: using the fact that back in the navy he saved a shipmate's life (said shipmate still suffered brain damage) as leverage to coerce the local, now a beekeeper into becoming an accessory to the bombing of said frightened ex's hotel room. When he comes back to try and cover his tracks and finish the job -- the intended target was out and about but someone else died -- the beekeeper inadvertently gives him a wool blanket and]] the bees swarm [[spoiler: the murderer]], who is found dead the next morning.
* ScaryStingingSwarm: ''The Cat Who Said Cheese'' has an ExitPursuedByABear where [[spoiler: the murderer]] is stung to death by bees [[spoiler: because the beekeeper he's coerced into being an accomplice forgot that wool attracted them]].

* IAmNotWeasel: The guy working on Polly Duncan's house refers to Koko as a weasel a couple of times. There are also a couple other instances in which Koko and Yum Yum are mistaken for animals other than cats, due to the somewhat unusual appearance of Siamese in comparison with the types of cats people are used to, particularly at a distance.
* LamePunReaction: When Mildred Riker says that Yum Yum has had her "catciousness" raised, Qwill groans at the pun, Polly shudders and Arch says that was the worst pun he's ever heard.
* PyramidPower: Elizabeth Hart is big on the idea of pyramid power. Unannounced, she and her boyfriend pop over to the Qwilleran's apple barn and set up a makeshift portable pyramid. After they leave, Koko makes his way to the very center of the pyramid, and there is a blackout across all of Pickax that doesn't stop until he exits the pyramid.

** James Mackintosh Qwilleran had his name legally changed. Few characters -- possibly none other than Arch Riker -- know that his birth name was ''Merlin'' James Qwilleran.

* IAmNotWeasel: In ''The Cat Who Blew the Whistle'', the guy working on Polly Duncan's house refers to Koko as a weasel a couple of times. There are also a couple other instances in which Koko and Yum Yum are mistaken for animals other than cats, due to the somewhat unusual appearance of Siamese in comparison with the types of cats people are used to, particularly at a distance.
* PyramidPower: In ''The Cat Who Blew the Whistle'', Elizabeth Hart is big on the idea of pyramid power. Unannounced, she and her boyfriend pop over to the Qwilleran's apple barn and set up a makeshift portable pyramid. After they leave, Koko makes his way to the very center of the pyramid, and there is a blackout across all of Pickax that doesn't stop until he exits the pyramid.

* MallSanta: In ''The Cat Who Went Into the Closet'', Qwilleran is drafted into being the Santa Claus of the small town of Pickax. He takes things fairly well, but panics when he learns that he's not done because he's still required to do lap-sitting.

* TheHyena: Celia Robinson, who has a loud, musical laugh and will crack up even at Qwilleran's mildest quips. In ''The Cat Who Blew the Whistle'', Qwilleran introduces to her the idea of "fine-tuning" her laugh.

* SpyFiction: Played with using the Celia Robinson character, who does missions for Qwilleran ("The Chief") as his "[[Film/JamesBond Secret Agent 13 1/2]]".

* PurpleIsPowerful: Euphonia Gage believes this and wears a lot of purple.

* EvilDetectingDog: Qwill's hyper-intelligent Siamese cat Koko has shades of this.

** [[labelnote:Summary]]When Senior Goodwinter -- owner and publisher of the ''Pickaxe Picayune'' newspaper -- dies in a sudden accident, Qwill begins investigating, while his cats provide clues by knocking various Shakespeare plays off his shelves.[[/labelnote]]

** [[labelnote:Summary]]Qwill and his cats once again get drawn into mystery when the vice-president of the Pickaxe Bank and his wife are murdered, but run into danger when the killer doesn't approve of Qwill's snooping. Meanwhile, Koko develops an unusual fondness for glue, and Qwill finds a new line of work as a columnist in the county's new newspaper, the ''Moose County Something'', when it releases its first issue.[[/labelnote]]

* CorruptPolitician: The mayor of Pickaxe, mockingly referred to as "Hizzonor" for most of the series. He's eventually voted out and replaced with Amanda Goodwinter, the local JerkWithAHeartOfGold.

* FictionalDocument: The ''Moose County Something'' and its predecessor, the ''Pickaxe Picayune''; also ''City of Brotherly Crime'', the book Qwill wrote when he was younger.

* MurderTheHypotenuse: [[spoiler: Melinda Goodwinter]] tries this after she becomes convinced that Polly Duncan is the only thing standing between her and [[GoldDigger marrying into the Klingenschoen fortune]]. This is despite the fact that (a) she knows that Qwill has given away pretty much all his money to the K Foundation, and (b) she knows Qwill is not inclined to marry ''anyone''. Of course, rationality isn't exactly her strong point by the time she tries this.

* SelfDeprecatingHumor: The ''Pickaxe Picayune'', Moose County's newspaper when Qwill comes to town, falls into this. To call something ''picayune'' means to say that it is trivial or has very little worth, so the paper's name is essentially claiming that the news it reports is unimportant -- or that the newspaper ''itself'' is unimportant. Or both.

* ShoutOutToShakespeare: Both Qwilleran and Polly are big Shakespeare buffs, and the series includes everything from minor Shakespeare references to entire Shakespeare plays being performed by the Pickaxe Theatre Club.

* StalkerWithACrush: Qwill's one-time love interest, [[spoiler: Melinda Goodwinter]], goes so far as to try to have his serious girlfriend murdered in an attempt to get him back.

* UnclePennybags: When James Qwilleran inherits a couple billion dollars from his mother's best friend in book 5 (''The Cat Who Played Brahms''), he doesn't have the slightest idea what to do with it. So he sets up a philanthropic fund to assist with various endeavors around the community of Pickaxe, buys and revamps the dying local newspaper (and recruits his childhood best friend to be its editor), and gets involved with assorted charity activities and events. This generosity, coupled with his likable disposition, quickly endears him to his neighbors and he becomes one of the most beloved figures in the area.

* WhoNamesTheirKidDude: In the later books, Qwill is romantically involved with Polly Duncan, the head librarian in Pickaxe. Polly, as it turns out, is short for ''Hippolyta''. She explains that her father was a Shakespeare devotee, and she and her siblings are all named after characters from the various plays.

* NonIdleRich: Continuing in this role, Qwill helps to found a more full-featured newspaper in his new hometown of Pickaxe, whose newspaper was previously stuck in the 19th century.

* AllForNothing: Qwill spends three weeks at his cabin, spending part of that time trying to have an addition built onto it that he can use as a study. He goes through two carpenters (both of whom disappear and turn up dead) before the addition, except for its foundation, is destroyed in a storm. After that, he gives up on having it built and soon after moves back to Pickaxe.

* SelfMadeOrphan: [[spoiler: The killer in this book is a young woman whom Qwill meets when taking a vacation to nearby Potato Mountain, who had her father killed so she could collect her inheritance.]]

* MallSanta: In ''The Cat Who Went Into the Closet'', Qwilleran is drafted into being the Santa Claus of the small town of Pickaxe. He takes things fairly well, but panics when he learns that he's not done because he's still required to do lap-sitting.

* SantaClaus: In ''The Cat Who Went Into the Closet'', Qwill agrees to take on the role of town Santa Claus in the Pickaxe Christmas parade, but very nearly bolts when informed only after the parade itself is over that he's expected at the courthouse for lap-sitting, having already endured a bumpy dogsled ride through bitter cold weather, followed by a perilous ladder-climb.

* PyramidPower: In ''The Cat Who Blew the Whistle'', Elizabeth Hart is big on the idea of pyramid power. Unannounced, she and her boyfriend pop over to the Qwilleran's apple barn and set up a makeshift portable pyramid. After they leave, Koko makes his way to the very center of the pyramid, and there is a blackout across all of Pickaxe that doesn't stop until he exits the pyramid.

* BubblePipe: Qwill buys a few in this book after it's suggested to him that the bubbles could be used to amuse the cats. Naturally, when Qwill tries it out for the first time, the pair are not impressed.

* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: Literally, in ''The Cat Who Lived High'', when the vacationing Qwill's car is stolen and the driver turns up dead. The local law enforcement where the car is found, who don't know Qwill, assume the dead man is the owner of the car and issue an incorrect report. While most of Moose County is thrown into deep mourning, Arch goes to where Qwill is staying to get the cats -- and almost has a heart attack when he finds Qwill sitting there.

* BabyTalk: Polly tends to talk this way to Bootsie, much to the chagrin of Qwilleran, who treats his Siamese as sophisticated and intelligent. Polly's behavior improves once she renames Bootsie to Brutus.

* ConstantlyCurious: Baby, the little girl in ''The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts''. [[spoiler: Unfortunately, it leads to her getting seriously injured, though she gets better.]]

* MeaningfulFuneral: It's frequently mentioned that the funeral of Ephraim Goodwinter, the patriarch of the well-to-do Goodwinter family, was extremely large and of great significance to the people of Moose County. Of course, since most of the people in Moose County ''hated'' him, it was meaningful for the wrong sort of reason. (It's also implied in one book that [[spoiler: he might not have actually been dead at the time of his funeral; Qwill finds evidence of a sort of escape hatch by which he might have evaded the circumstances of his death.]])
* NoNameGiven: We never learn the real name of the child called Baby in ''The Cat Who Talked to Ghosts''.

* ReallyMovesAround: Qwill and the cats rarely spend two books in a row in the same quarters, with books 7 and 8 marking the first time it happens in the series (where Qwill lives in the former servant's quarters over the garage of the Klingenschoen family mansion).

* SelfMadeOrphan: Qwill encounters two of these in the course of the series. [[spoiler: One is a young woman he meets when taking a vacation to nearby Potato Mountain, who had her father killed so she could collect her inheritance. The other, who killed not only her father but men who reminded her of her father, is revealed to be a victim of ParentalIncest, and has a SplitPersonality to boot; given these revelations, she's a much more sympathetic example than the former.]]
** [[spoiler: Harley Fitch]] may qualify as well. He didn't directly kill his parents, nor even intend for them to die, but they both died as a direct result of his actions.

The series began in the late 1960s, but after three books, there was an 18-year break before any more titles were published. The break ended when Braun's second husband Earl Bettinger, whom she married well after she wrote the first books, read them and encouraged her to give it another try. Since then, future books in the series have been dedicated to "Earl Bettinger, The Husband Who..." The final book in the series, ''The Cat Who Had 60 Whiskers'', was published in 2007. Another installment, ''The Cat Who Smelled Smoke'', was scheduled for 2008 and later 2009, but then canceled by the publisher. Born in 1913, author Lilian Jackson Braun was nearly 100 years old and her advanced age prevented her from completing the book. [[AuthorExistenceFailure She passed away in 2011, leaving the series unfinished.]]