The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal

The Cat Who Knew a Cardinal is the twelfth Cat Who mystery from Lilian Jackson Braun, published in 1991. The cardinal of the title refers to the male cardinal bird that Koko has become particularly interested in observing through the windows of Qwill’s Pickax home, with the bird’s regular appearances giving the novel both its title and one of its recurring atmospheric anchor points. The case develops alongside the cardinal observation thread, with Koko’s particular noticing patterns continuing to drive Qwill toward the eventual investigation.

The central case in this entry involves the death of a guest at one of the wider Pickax community’s social events, with the apparent natural cause being slowly questioned by Qwill as the various small inconsistencies of the situation begin to accumulate. Braun’s plotting is gentle by mystery standards. Violence happens off the page. Suspects are usually pleasant people with reasons to be uncomfortable rather than dangerous criminals with motives to kill. The pleasure of a Cat Who book is the slow accumulation of detail, the warm sense of place, and the quiet humor of Qwill’s observations on whatever situation he has been pulled into.

For longtime fans of the Cat Who series, this is a comfortable middle period entry. For new readers, starting with The Cat Who Could Read Backwards is the better entry point.