Stray Kat Waltz (Kat Colorado Mysteries) (Paperback)

by Karen Kijewski (Author) "HER EYES WERE LARGE, SMUDGED AND BRUISED-looking in the way that frightens me..." (more)
Key Phrases: Sara Bernard, Aunt Abigail, Cousin Annie (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
"No. Oh God, no!" In the opening pages of Stray Kat Waltz, readers discover that Kat Colorado has suffered a devastating personal loss, and Kat fans are in for a tragic treat as Karen Kijewski takes her tough-talking heroine to a deeper level.

Sara Bernard, a battered wife who fears for her life, pleads with Kat to take her case. Kat refuses at first, fleeing to Tahoe for a reprieve from her pain. Gradually, however, Kat cannot resist Sara's determination to escape from her policeman-husband, Jed. She tutors Sara in the subtleties of disguise and evasion. But, when Kat meets Jed, the story becomes even more complicated. Jed insists that he has never harmed his wife, and all of his colleagues on the police force back him up.

Kijewski unfolds a shifting tale that directs and misdirects the reader, and early uncertainties in character are thoroughly resolved by the carefully twisted plot. All the while, Kijewski explores the web of deception that inevitably surrounds the hot-button topic of spousal abuse. The acerbic dialogue of the earlier Kat adventures is still here, as well as a few steamy dream sequences that punctuate the early grimness. New readers will also want to read Kat Scratch Fever to ground themselves in Ms. Colorado and her relationships. Other books in the series available in paperback include Alley Kat Blues, Copy Kat, Honky Tonk Kat, Kat's Cradle, Katapult, Katwalk, and Wild Kat. --Patrick O'Kelley --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews
Reeling from a personal tragedy (Kat Scratch Fever, 1997), Kat Colorado is in no mood to buy into Sara Bernard's sad tale of sposal abuse. She tells Sara to call the cops and leave her alone. But Sara can't call the cops, she wails; her husband Jed is a cop; nobody can help her but Kat. Kat insults Sara, hangs up on her, turns her out into the street. When a friend of Sara's is wrestled from a riverside path into the river and drowned, though, Kat agrees to take the case, meets with Jed Bernard, and hears his version of the marriage (duly seconded by all his friends): Sara's wild accusations are hysterical, and Jed's a put-upon husband who likes to coach inner-city basketball games and never raises his voice. Caught between an alleged abuser whom she's caught stalking his wife, trespassing on her property, and burglarizing her stuff, and her client, a world-class whiner who alternates between tearful reproaches and suspicious disappearing acts, Kat takes a closer look at the Bernards and finds that she can't trust either of them. So whose story should she believe, and what's behind the lies she's getting from at least one of them? The he-said/she-said of Kijewski's ninth packs as much unfocused intensity as Sara's complaints, but the lumbering pace and Kat's gee-whiz undercover work make this less than Kat's finest hour. -- Copyright ©1998, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 341 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (August 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042516988X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425169889
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 3.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #685,362 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #2 in

  Books > Mystery & Thrillers > Authors, A-Z > ( K ) > Kijewski, Karen

• This is item 9 in The Kat Colorado Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, September 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Stray Kat Waltz (Kat Colorado Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Most of the reviews for this book are great, but I personally was terribly disappointed. I think this book should have been ABOUT HANK'S DEATH. It's not fair to kill off such an integral part of the Kat series and treat it as a secondary plot. I can only hope the next book will focus on that. I also missed Kat's family and friends. Even Charity seemed distant. I know, I know - a loss like that makes us act and feel differently, but the truth is, if Karen Kijewski and Kat Colorado's names had been changed, I would not have recognized the writing OR the character (except Charity, from the letters). I don't like that much. I like Kat and have been waiting a long time for the arrival of this book in Australia. Sorry, folks, but this was not a joyous reunion. Maybe I would have liked it better if she (KK) had just created a new character instead of using Kat in this story.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Kijewski consistently delivers top-notch mysteries., November 17, 1999

By	Sharon Wylie (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Several of my favorite mystery authors have recently let me down with really poor plotlines, as if our interest in the main character were more important than a tightly-wound plot. Not Kijewski. It was a relief to me to read a solid mystery story. I was captivated from beginning to end. I found Kat's depression to be very realistic, as well as Hank's death. Not all murders are solved instantly, and Hank's may never be--I appreciate Kijewski's realism. I enjoyed watching Kat start to regain interest in her own life as she focused on the case. And I can't wait for the next one.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Kijewski didn't have her heart in this one, September 5, 1999

By A Customer

It's hard to imagine why Kijewski would start this book with Hank's death and then never delve into it, except as, at best, an occasional sideline. That's just bad storytelling. Beyond that, yes, the plot is pretty weak. Characters that are marked by shades of grey in the beginning have resolved themselves firmly into "good" or "bad" guys by the end of the book. Even more disappointing for Kijewski fans, the writing is terrible. (Ghost writer?) What I always enjoyed about this series was that Kijewski rooted Kat firmly in her family, her relationships, and her town. None of that is in this mystery. The details -- of Sacramento, of Alma and Rafe and the other characters, of Kat's emotions and thinking processes -- are all missing. I hate to say it, but this is a shockingly boring book. Finally, I couldn't stand the interspersions of plot and the inner musings of the Benards. It was artificial, annoying, and loathesome writing. In general, I've really liked this series; I hope Kijewski regains her rhythms and finesses soon (though the loss of Hank is a blow to the series) because, right now, Kat is neither very likeable nor interesting.