This is the 25th entry in Braun's series about newspaperman Jim Qwilleran and his two Siamese cats. The last few books in the series have been problematic, with lame plots and lamer cat antics. But this one is decent.

Thelma Thackery, an aging Hollywood socialite, retires to Moose County -- Qwilleran's home and her birthplace. With her she brings a staff, several Amazon parots, her nasty nephew and 24 "art hats." There's a mystery surrounding Thelma and her family, and like most stories in this series, the mystery unfolds parallel to the main plot of the book (which involves Qwilleran's girlfriend's future and several catly interludes). This is in no way a fair mystery. At the end, when the bad guy is uncovered and everyone has received his or her just desserts, Qwilleran reflects on the subtle hints his male Siamese gave that he knew what was happening all along.

It's a goofy little series, one that I somehow got sucked into. I keep reading each new book thinking that it will be the last (but of course it never is). I keep reading them because the time investment is minimal (I can consume one of these novels in an evening) and because the cat episodes are charming. The middle part of the series is better than either the beginning or the end, but this book is better than the few that preceded it. I recommend it to fans of the series, but others may safely give it a pass.