A Cat Under the Mistletoe: An Alice Nestleton Mystery [Large Print] [Hardcover]

Lydia Adamson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2000

Actress, cat sitter, and amateur sleuth Alice Nestleton is spending the holidays with a new client: Roberta, a beautiful feline with a big personality disorder. But a visit to the animal therapist turns out to be more than Alice bargains for, as the good doctor is found dead. With suspicion falling on the deceased's estranged husband--and then on Alice herself--this novice detective must find the real killer before the catty culprit finds her!.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

New York actress and cat-sitter Alice Nestleton is caught up in her 13th murder case (the first in hardcover) in this witty puzzler. As part of her new job for a character actor who is going out of town, she must take his occasionally destructive feline, Roberta, to its first session with Wilma Tedescu, an animal psychologist. Wilma ignores Alice and Roberta after buzzing them into her ratty brownstone, although Alice can hear the woman and see her, in profile, through her office door. Finally going in to remind the woman of her presence, Alice finds Wilma murdered, one bullet through her neck, an odd frilly apron tied around her waist and a tape of her voice running. The police immediately suspect Wilma's younger, foreign-born husband. But when Alice tells Aaron, her cop friend and lover, about the scene, he remembers an unsolved case he worked 10 years earlier?in which the victim was shot with a single bullet and was wearing an apron. Aided by Aaron, by her niece Alison and Alison's psychiatrist husband, Alice pursues the cases in her desultory way, finally connecting the two killings and bringing the culprit to light. Pen-and-ink sketches of cats at the beginning of each chapter add charm to this slyly captivating story.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

YA. A lightweight mystery, the 13th in the series, guaranteed to entertain readers who want a quick read without much challenge. Alice Nestleton, a middle-aged, out-of-work actress, takes on a cat-sitting job to make ends meet and meets "almost famous" character actor, Joseph Vise, and his psychotic cat, Roberta. Nestleton ends up walking in on the murder of cat psychologist Wilma Tedescu. Eccentric suspects abound and Nestleton meets them all in her attempt to link the recent murder to one that occurred some 10 years earlier. Her current beau, Aaron Stoner, investigated the earlier unsolved crime and helps provide the background information and current questioning needed to solve the case. The story is set in New York City just prior to Christmas but otherwise there is little connection between the title and the story.?Dottie Kraft, formerly at Fairfax County Public Schools, VA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 247 pages
• Publisher: Thorndike Press (October 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 078622651X
• ISBN-13: 978-0786226511
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,724,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars It was Passable, May 3, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Cat under the Mistletoe: An Alice Nestleton Mystery (Paperback)

I just couldn't get into it. I love Mysteries, but this one wasn't very well written. The plot wasn't that great. But it was good enough to enjoy, so I wouldn't knock it. It is readable and enjoyable. Not the best Mystery you'll ever read, but not the worst either.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars mistletoe audiobook review, November 16, 2000

By 

N. Grace (Stoneham, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cat under the Mistletoe: An Alice Nestleton Mystery (Paperback)

I must admit - I didn't "read" this. I listened to it during my commute. I picked up the audio book at the library. If you're interested in going that route, the reader is not too talented but doesn't sound like a robot so it was okay. This is a mystery surrounding the murder of a cat therapist. The sleuth is a rather dim-witted out-of-work actress now catsitter. The suspects are cat therapy clients and a giggalo husband (Romanian defector). The story is not at all believable - not the plot, not the characters, ... eh, maybe the cats' ailments. Still, it has its entertaining moments. Don't buy it if you are looking for well-written literature. If you're looking for silly brain candy with lots of cats involved, go right ahead.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Alice Nestleton solves another one!, September 21, 2000

By 

jean paschen (TUCSON, AZ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cat under the Mistletoe: An Alice Nestleton Mystery (Paperback)

This was an enjoyable and quick read. The reason for the murder is a bit far-fetched, but the story ends quickly once you find out who the murderer is. The main character, Alice, is an out-of-work actress who seems to be more of a sleuth than an actress. She has an unsatisfactory love life, but she is really more interested in solving the murder that she discovers. Alice has a dry sense of humor, however, which she demonstrates throughout the book, including in her conversations with the cats. An unrealistic plot line, but still a fun read.