The Cat Who Turned On and Off | Literary Precedents

The Cat Who Turned On and Off Literary Precedents

Like most puzzle mysteries, The Cat Who novels can be traced back to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson. In fact, at one point Arch Riker asks Qwill how he likes playing Watson to a cat. A more immediate predecessor in the detective novel tradition, however, may be the novels of Rex Stout. The relationship between Qwill and his cats seems reminiscent of Nero Wolfe's relationship with Archie Goodwin, and Braun has followed Stout's example of focusing primarily upon one set of sleuths. Similarly, Agatha Christie may be an influence: Qwill resembles Miss Marple in his methods of uncovering information, and the example of Tommy and Tuppence Beresford may be seen in Braun's growing emphasis upon the essentially familial relationship between Qwill and his feline partners. The popularity of another sleuthing couple, Pam and Jerry North, may also have re-enforced the concept of mystery solving as a...
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