The Cat Who Came to Breakfast

1994, possibly first edition, from G. P. Putnam's Sons
Lilian Jackson Braun
The Cat Who Came to Breakfast
Original price $19.95, purchase price $2.90
Hardcover in good condition with worn dustjacket
B

This is set in June, and the 9th falls on a Monday.  It should be 1990 now, but maybe Braun thinks it's 1986.  (June 9th wouldn't fall on a Monday again until 1997.)  Qwill and Arch have been friends for about fifty years, since kindergarten, which does fit, since they must be 56 now.

The title refers to the many-named island that Qwill and the cats visit.  I think The Cat Who Came to Providence would've been better.  (The names are Breakfast Island, Grand Island, Pear Island, and Providence Island.)  Or better yet, something playing off the domino theme that's my favorite aspect of the book.  

Qwill stays at the B & B run by one of his favorite young couples, Nick (short for Dominick) & Lori Bamba, who now have three small children.  (She was Qwill's secretary when he first came to the area.  There actually hasn't been quite enough time for her to have a six-year-old.)  I enjoyed the setting, although the mystery felt a bit recycled.  (More offstage incest, secret marriages, eccentric rich people, etc.)  Overall, a solid entry, although I am getting tired of how everyone-- even tourists!-- has read and adored Qwill's newspaper columns.  I do like how Arch & Mildred are so suited for each other, much more than Qwill & Polly, deliberately or not.