Customer Reviews

Never Tease a Siamese: A Leigh Koslow Mystery

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Leigh's back...in Ms. Claire's best book yet. It's fast paced and suspenseful, with more twists and turns than a suburban Pittsburgh street. The well-developed plot will keep you guessing to the end, and even then I bet you'll be surprised.

If you've never read a Leigh Koslow mystery, you won't be lost reading this one first (this is the fifth in a series). If you've read the others, this one will delight you.

Lilah Murchison is not a very nice woman so when she dies in a plane crash nobody mourns her passing, not even her son Dean. He does expect to inherit her sizable estate so he's shocked when the will is read and he learns that Lilah was not his mother. She left the bulk of her estate to her true heir provided he or she comes forward in five years.

Leah Koslow is also at the reading of the will, standing in for her father who was a beneficiary as long as he provides medical care for her cats until their deaths. From the time the will is read, Leigh's father's clinic is threatened, Lilah's housekeeper dies, and somebody gets murdered who is connected to the case. Concerned about her father and his employees, Leigh investigates and almost gets killed in the process.

Edie Claire always writes an entertaining amateur sleuth novel in which NEVER TEASE A SIAMESE is her best work to date. The heroine is so earnest and logical it is impossible not to like her while the support cast lends humorous moments to a very serious story line. Fans of Lydia Adamson and Susan Wittig Albert will definitely want to read this book.

Harriet Klausner

I was pleased to see this series improve a bit with the last installment. However, this one just spirals back down.

I could figure out no reason for Leigh to be as involved in this case as she was, and to continue her "investigation" for as long as she did. She didn't know these people, she wasn't involved in any way (other than the remote connection of her father being named to care for the cats in the will), and it made no sense that she would continue to stick her nose into other peoples' business and put herself in danger...and even less sense that they'd allow it by continuing to answer her questions and give her information.

Characterization has always been this author's low point, and she's done nothing to improve that. Earlier in the series, I was put off by how quickly Leigh went from seeing Warren as her old college buddy to being in love with him and then seeing them married by the next book. This installment did the same thing with whether or not she was pregnant (after the fourth time she got dizzy, I really didn't care anymore). I read series because I like feeling like I know the characters and watching them go through all the important things in their lives. In this series, everything happens "off-camera" -- Leigh's falling in love with Warren, their wedding, their house purchase and attempts to have a baby. By the next installment, I figure she'll have three kids already in middle school and Warren will be President of the United States.

I was also disturbed by the author's choice to have Leigh keep pestering her best friend's mother, who's confined to an assisted living facility with Alzheimer's. Was this really necessary?

Leigh is unlikeable, does stupid things, seems to have no purpose or directions in her life, and there's nothing that makes her stand out or gives her reason to be involved in the cases she is. Warren and Maura dislike her sticking her nose into other peoples' business and discourage her all the time, but neither hesitates to tag along when she interferes or continues to involve herself in things that don't concern her. Why hasn't Maura thrown her ... in jail for interference?

Ms. Claire really should work on character development and realism. Perhaps then I might consider reading another one of her books. Until then, I'm done with this series.

In this 5th book in the Leigh Koslow mystery series, Leigh once again finds herself in the midst of a murder mystery. At first, it appears that a wealthy eccentric cat lover has died in a plane crash and has left a rather bizarre will. Leigh's father, a respected vet, has been named to be one of the cat's caretakers, and has been granted a rather large retainer. However, he quickly starts receiving threats at his clinic, and his overly curious daughter jumps in to help stop the threats. Also being investigated by Leigh is the fact that mentioned in the will is a missing/unknown heir that stands to inherit big if he/she comes forward within 5 years. Leigh sets out to solve the mystery, and stumbles on another dead body in the process. This is a delightful mystery with many twists.

I enjoyed the latest book in the series about Leigh Koslow Harmon. Most of the time, I can solve the case before I am finished reading the book, but in this case, I was clueless up to the point that Leigh solved the case. I would recommend reading this book even if you had not read any of the four previous books in the series.

The first book in the series is "Never Buried". Enjoy!

Edie Claire has created a very memorable and believable character in Leigh Koslow. As a 20-something female with a cat who lived in Pittsburgh for 5 years, I could relate to all of Leigh's adventures in this and Claire's previous books. The Leigh Koslow series features quirky characters facing strange circumstances - murder and mayhem - with both humor and heart in everyday settings. Never Tease a Siamese was another winner, and I hope Ms. Claire gives us another offering soon!

This book was pretty good. Not amazing, but entertaining. Aside from this book, I am not familiar with Edie Claire's writing, or the escapades of her character Leigh Koslow. I picked it up because I love cats. That being said, the cats were more of a side-show than anything else. The book basically revolves around Leigh Koslow, who is a quirky, energetic, nosy woman who can't help herself when it comes to solving mysteries. The writing is VERY easy to read, and if you have the time, you could probably finish it in one sitting. Ms. Claire also does a pretty good job with "cliff hangers" at the end of each chapter -- I definitely wanted to keep reading to see what happened. My only real complaint is the lack of character development. All of the characters stayed the same throughout the book and there was no real growth in any of them. Leigh Koslow is also a little too much of a cookie-cutter heroine for me as well. I didn't really care much about any of them or what happened to them. So, all in all, entertaining for light reading, but that's about it.

Never Tease a Siamese (Leigh Koslow Mystery Series) is an entertaining mystery. The core characters are likable and varied. Leigh can't resist a good mystery! She has a knack for showing up at the scene of a murder. The plot is well paced and kept me reading. It had good logic and some nice twists. At one point, Leigh misses an obvious clue and makes a dumb move. Not so glaring that I hold it against her. The cats were a nice touch, and even played a credible role in the plot.

The writing was excellent and the Kindle edition was mostly glitch-free. It was a pleasure to read a mystery, for a change, that was not heavy on gore, profanity, and sex.

I've enjoyed the whole series and recommend it. At about $3, the book was a great bargain, too.

All of Edie Claire's "Never" series books are worth the money. I just wish there were more of them!!! Good characters, good writing, good investment.

I have a husband who is allergic to cats, so I have to escape to literature to read about them. I'm glad I did! This mystery features all the "cattiness" I need, along with a few great twists. You'll enjoy this mystery and find it a fine feline tale.

I loved reading this mystery. I've never learned about Leigh Koslow before, but I still fell right into this one. Good tale with a cat. I hope that you try this movie and enjoy the same settings and characters I did.