Episode 9 - The Cat Who Sniffed Glue

 Episode 9 - The Cat Who Sniffed Glue

Welcome back!  Qwill joins the Theatre Club for their production of "Arsenic and Old Lace" but all is not well in Pickaxe.  We are reintroduced to the Fitch twins and all of their family drama and briefly lose the cats, but in the end, Pickaxe has a new theatre AND a new newspaper!

Find the podcast here: 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-gkpkb-f4d325

Publisher's Weekly didn't care for this book: 

"this [is a] tame, nonmysterious mystery… When Harley Fitch [is murdered, Qwilleran] doesn't discover anything, except for the spotted pasts of the deceased. Eventually, the killer attacks Qwilleran and his identity is made known; there are no clues, no logical way for the reader to figure out whodunit. "

It should be noted, LJB has used this same convention before, in the very first book, so it's not new to the series.  Should mysteries be solve-able by the reader?  I say not always, but what do you think?  Share your thoughts in the comments. 

The main mystery shares pretty much equal space with "get to know the people and places of Pickaxe".  There is a HUGE amount of Exposition in this book - We meet the Lanspeaks, of Lanspeaks Department Store, and learn more about Fran Brodie, the police chief's daughter who is now Qwill's decorator.  

Other Notable Characters:

- Eddington Smith - Owner of the used/rare book store and the current purveyor of constant quotations. - Wally Toddwhistle, taxidermist extraordinaire and his black bear that eventually ends up at the Hotel Booze. 

- Mrs. Toddwhistle, Wally’s talkative mother, who leads to a great quote from Qwill - “despite all my years of journalism, I have never managed to interview two people at once.”


New Restaurant (and one that’s NOT considered terrible)  Tipsy’s Tavern!  It’s described as simple but excellent food.  The name comes from the original owner’s cat - who had a rakish patch over one eye and a deformed food that caused her to stagger.  Also the Hotel Booze gets an upgrade and we meet Gary Pratt, the new owner (took over from his dad).  He charges a nickel for a paper napkin. 


This is also the first appearance of what will become Qwill’s signature drink - Squunk water with a twist of lemon.  Squunk Corners apparently produces a unique mineral water that is bottled and widely available throughout the county. It’s also part of the crazy local genealogy, per Homer Tibbet - Cyrus Fitch noted bootlegger, had his stash of illegal booze confiscated one day and it was dumped on a tree stump in Squunk Corners, which is apparently what flavors the water. He is by the way, the grandfather of the Fitch twins.  


Qwill’s dating life - Apparently, Qwill doing theatre annoys Polly, and so they are on the outs for most of the book.  Fran Brody and Alacoque Wright both try to fill the position, but Qwill is morose without Polly.  Throughout the book, Fran basically railroads Qwill into agreeing to fly Down Below with her to pick out bedroom furniture, but her seduction schemes are foiled at the last second, when Yum Yum maneuvers her tail under Fran’s foot, causing her to roll over her toe (in open-toed sandals) with the giant metal Mackintosh coat of arms. With her foot in a cast, she can’t fly, leaving Qwill free to drive Polly to the airport on the same morning they were supposed to leave and thus saving him from a really awkward flight on a very small plane. 


Polly - we learn that Polly’s husband was named Bob, and that she’s lived in her little cottage since he died, so 25 years?!?!?! Probably time for a change of scenery...I think LJB is trying to figure out who she wants Polly to be, because the character does not win points for telling Qwill that newspaper writing is “disposable” and not worth his time.  Qwill is completely justified in shutting down her ambitions for him to write a novel, when he prefers to write for a newspaper.  But later, to her credit, Polly comes through at a very dark time for Qwill and does apologize sincerely for her comments. And she thinks he’ll be a wonderful drama critic.(In addition to his soon-to-be regular column). 


Speaking of which, the Pickaxe Picayune is reborn, with a new name!!  The Moose County Something! (on a dare from Hixie Rice, and then it wins the popular vote, so the name sticks.  Polly thinks it’s terrible.) But as the saying goes, Country folks is different and Moose County Folks are more Different! The Something is a great addition to the community and full of oppotunities for Qwill in the future!


Thanks for listening/reading and Stay Nosey my Friends!

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