Honky Tonk Kat [Hardcover]

Karen Kijewski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 4, 1996

At the request of her old friend Dakota Jones, a country music superstar, Kat Colorado searches for a dangerous stalker whose pranks have escalated from threatening letters to violence and murder. By the author of Alley Cat Blues.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Private eye Kat Colorado hits the road with childhood friend turned country superstar Dakota Jones. Kat recalls that Dakota always did have rotten taste in men, but would any of them be bad enough to bomb the theater where Dakota is playing in Memphis, drop a stage light on her in Atlanta and shoot a singer who looks just like her in Nashville? As the two renew their friendship on the road and endure the scary adoration of desperate fans, Kat slogs through a trail of no-account men and boozy dives, hoping to find the perpetrator before Dakota sings her last song.

From Publishers Weekly

Murder mixes with those country-music familiars, booze and cheating, when the grown-up problems of a childhood chum draw PI Kat Colorado (last seen in Alley Kat Blues) into the rhinestone world of the C&W tour scene. Despite her years with a thieving, wandering ex-husband, country singing star Dakota Jones remains the warm person Kat remembers. Dakota even agrees to help aspiring singer Hope Delaney, a previously unknown relative who, Kat suspects, is not the simple, down-home girl she seems. So why is Dakota receiving threatening notes and bunches of dead roses? And why was her Memphis audience stampeded by a flash grenade? Enhanced security and Kat's reassuring presence enable Dakota to keep performing until a singer who resembles her is murdered, the body left with a note saying, "Now we're even, Dakota." As the intimidation continues and Kat drags information out of Dakota's minimally helpful friends and associates, the singer gets an offer that's about as welcome as the threats: Clyde T. Jones, Dakota's no-account father who walked out on her as a child, wants to help his daughter in her time of need. With the alert dexterity of her namesake creature, Kat picks her way through her seventh, well-constructed case, and Kijewski persuades readers to share her sleuth's lively suspicions regarding, well, just about everybody. Mystery Guild alternate; author tour.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 323 pages
• Publisher: G. P. Putnam's Sons; First Edition edition (June 4, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0399141332
• ISBN-13: 978-0399141331
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.7 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,432,609 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good read from reliable author, October 29, 2000

By 

Helen - See all my reviews

This review is from: Honky Tonk Kat (Kat Colorado Mysteries) (Paperback)

While this is not among the best books written by this author, it comes a close second. Kat is largely away from home in this book so her interactions with her family, best friend and boyfriend are not as frequent in this book as in most others. For me, it is the interactions among these characters that are a major strength of the books in this series - along with the usually terrific plotting. But, the plotting was a bit lacklustre in this outing and not as compelling as other books in the series. Nevertheless, this is still a good read from reliable story teller.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good mystery!, June 30, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Honky Tonk Kat (Kat Colorado Mysteries) (Paperback)

I usually have an idea of who the culprit is in mystery stories. In Honky Tonk Kat I had not a clue. There were so many different suspects I just could not pick one person to focas my attention on. The part I enjoyed most about this book was the flashbacks. Overall this was a very gripping mystery. The only reason why I didn't get a whole full five stars was because some of the family history part was very hard to keep straight. But, overall a very good mystery and worth taking a look at. Even if you are not intrested in country music. A fun read!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Not author's best, but still an enjoyable read, May 20, 2008

By 

M. C. Crammer (Decatur, GA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Honky Tonk Kat (Kat Colorado Mysteries) (Paperback)

I've read 2 or 3 others by this author and although she's not my favorite mystery writer, her books are consistently enjoyable (at least the ones I've read so far).

This rather lengthy mystery could have been edited down to about 300 pages, I think, and the book would have been better. I thought the start was slow -- it took me a 100 pages or so to really get into the book. Eventually, however, this developed into one of those books that you were eager to get back to but did not stay up all night finishing.

The story line involves a country western singer, Dakota Jones, who is a lifelong friend of our tough private investigator, Kat Colorado. Dakota calls on Kat because she's been receiving threatening letters. Dakota immediately flies from Sacramento to Nashville to find out what's going on and keep her friend from harm. Almost immediately, a dramatic attack convinces Dakota that her friend is genuinely in danger. Although Dakota is fearful, she refuses to do as Kat tells her, so keeping her safe (and solving the mystery of who is stalking Dakota) is difficult.

There are long-lost relatives of Dakota who may be suspects, ex-husbands, sometime boyfriends, a manager or two -- many possibilities, but none that obvious.

I can't say I was terribly surprised by the person exposed as the stalker, but I also found it a bit hard to believe even then. Still, this is enjoyable reading for a rainy night or a long plane trip or a day on the beach.