Customer Reviews

Kat Scratch Fever

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

While the book in the Kat Colorado series before this one was somewhat below par, this one is a return to the excellent form usually displayed by this author. The plotting is tight and compelling; the characterisations are realistic and engaging. Very highly recommended.

I've enjoyed many of Karen Kijewski's previous novels, and I think Kat Colorado is a solid character, much more interesting than V. I. Warshawski or Kay Scarpetta. (Nobody comes close to Kinsey Millhone, of course.) But this volume in the series seemed to fall flat for me. Several times I found my attention wandering; the plot didn't keep me interested and I found myself bored.

One flaw with this book is that there are too many victims and not enough suspects. I guessed who the criminal was about halfway through the novel. It wasn't that hard to figure out, because by process of elimination, everybody else was either a target or too obvious to be the culprit.

I find it interesting that the other reviewers of this book either loved it or hated it. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Kijewski's characters are strong enough to survive a weak plot; one can only hope that this book is an exception to an otherwise fine series.

I have a friend that runs a book store. She handed me this book, told me to read it, and if I liked it, then she had three more novels written by Kijewski. I love women P.I. stories and couldn't wait to get started. Overall, I still don't understand where reviewer, jjjax, comes off with a one-star review. But hey, to each their own. The only reason I didn't give this book a five-star rating was because I thought there were some parts she just threw in to make more words, so the plot slowed down at times before it picked back up. But...I still enjoyed the book. I think what threw me was the way Kijewski sounds so much like Janet Evanovich. Then I got to looking at their pictures and thought they even looked somewhat alike. Actually, I thought the resemblance was quite amazing. Jikewski started out with the dog named Ranger in this book, and she had the grandmother that was a bit "different". Her dialogue was witty and quick. They (Evanovich & Kijewski) write so much alike that it blew my mind. And Evanovich comes up with the Ranger character and the grandmother that is definitely "different". Then all of a sudden, after writing nine books, it's as if Kijewski just drops off the face of the earth. Can't seem to figure that one out either, since she was really on a roll. Before the week is over, I will have the entire collection of Kijewski's books. So that'll give me plenty of time for more reviews a little later. To the fans of women P.I.s, I recommend this one. Go for it. You might just like it. I'm sure it's available at most of the local libraries, and if not, ask them to get it for you.

KAT SCRATCH FEVER has a plot that is interesting and intricate, but there are so many characters who have very little to make them memorable that I got confused several times and had to go back and look them up to refresh my memory as to just who they were. That's a boring job - thumbing through many, many pages already read trying to find a certain name. I swear I wanted to like this book. I did like Kat, but the book, itself, lacked something for me.

Karen Kijewski has created a delightful character in this series, featuring Kat Colorado. This book is well worth the read. The action is fast paced and the characters are well rounded. Give this one your attention. You will not be sorry

A wonderful return to Sacramento for Kat Colorado. Ten times better than the previous book in this series. Kat is back!

When a Sacramento lawyer commits suicide during the Christmas season, his firm hires private detective Kat Colorado to find out what prompted the deed and was there something behind the act that could harm the company. It does not take much work on the part of Kat to realize that the victim was being blackmailed and who, being an honorable individual, could not live with the transgression he believes he committed. During her investigation, a wealthy senior citizen informs Kat that she is also a victim of a blackmailer and hires the private investigator to discover the identity of the extortionist. ....... Kat finds a link between her two cases since both individuals have given a large donation to the Hope For Children's Foundation. Kat obtains a record of all the large contributors to the charity and soon ferrets out that many of these contributors are victims of the same extortionist. As Kat closes in on the culprit, the killer becomes aware of the hunter on his trail. He tries to silence Kat by blackmailing one of her loved ones. When that fails, he resorts to something more lethal. ....... Karen Kijewski is one of the mystery genre's most talented writers. She gifts her audience with a compelling and fast paced story line and characters who gain reader empathy. KAT SCRATCH FEVER is a mind blowing who-done-it that employs a clever sleight of the hand, false leads, and unusual paths that typically lead the reader to a dead end (or cul-de-sac) to lead readers down the wrong road. It will take a mystery IQ of genius to figure out who the villain is in this moving thriller actually is. .......Harriet Klausner

I am a Kat Colorado fan, and though I have never found her books particularly engrossing or frightening, she has been a good easy summer read. However, this book is one of the worst mysteries I've ever read. All of the characters, even the ones developed in earlier Karen Kijewski mysteries, have become one dimensional cliches. The characters that are new are even worse. The writing is trite, at best. Don't even get me started on what only vagely passes as a plot. It seems that she wrote this book in 1 week, tops. I actually spent some time wondering if she let a less gifted friend of hers write this book, thinking her readers wouldn't notice. The only thing I can recommend this book for is to be recycled