Customer Reviews

Stray Kat Waltz

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

The shocking tragedy suffered by Kat at the beginning of the story seems to propel her and influence her attitude through the remainder of the book. She is a little more cynical and reckless than usual, although why she would take this particular client's case so much to heart is mystifying. Neither the husband or the wife or any of the other characters involved in the spousal abuse theme of the book are at all appealling. Alma and Lindy, and of course Hank, are not present in this story, and Charity has somewhat of a back seat. As a result, there is a bleakness and an edginess to this book. However, the plotting is as compelling as we are used to from this author.

One final note: it was disappointing to have Hank die so soon after Kat finally agrees to marry him. So many female PIs in this genre have rocky love lives - as if you can't be tough and independent and be in a stable relationship at the same time. WRONG! Even some of the lesbian PIs are in the same boat. It would be refreshing to see a hard-boiled female PI maintain a stable relationship with a significant other - like the other 99.99% of us more or less manage to do. Oh, and if I find another woman PI who has a closer and more stable relationship with her dog/cat/mother/etc than the significant other in her life - well, I'll just scream!

I have to first say that I am a big fan of Kijewski's, but I don't want to even admit that I purchased this one. From the very beginning, I thought maybe I had skipped a book, (what happened to Hank?!?) or maybe I bought the wrong book altogether,I didn't recognize any of the characters. I really was looking forward to this one, but now I wonder if I should bother with any more Kat Colorado mysteries.

Has anybody seen our beloved P.I. Kat, with the wise-cracking spunky attitude? We miss her.

I was disappointed that she killed off Hank, & didn't want to even get into the book.I prefer series with monogomous relationships,& it looked like Kat was headed that way. Hank was a believable character, sorry to see him go.

Let me say from the get go, I love the Kat series! Awesome character that does not take any junk from anyone! But...
Why in this world did Karen Kijewski kill off Hank? And why in the world didn't Kat go after the answers for why it happened? I was disappointed in that. But, I would still read any other books that Ms. Kijewski writes. Yeah, they're that good. Just don't kill off anyone else that just proposed marriage to the main character that the main character happens to love!!!

I knew going in that this series was ended abruptly, however, I decided to read it anyone and really enjoyed it...until I got to this book.

Unfortunately, the blurb on the back of the book gives away the "secret" of the loss Kat suffers, which annoyed me -- I got this book and the previous one together, so I felt myself rushing through the last one to get to this one and find out what happened. And after reading it, I'm still trying to figure it out since the author really didn't give us too many details or ultimately tell us what happened. So, what was the point of doing it, especially if this was to be the last book of the series?

And I didn't like what happened to Kat. I realize the loss was devastating to her, but she came across as stupid and careless in this book, which is not something I'd seen in her in other books in the series. Why would she let herself be bullied into taking a case she didn't want to take with what she'd just been through? And after finding out the case wasn't what it seemed and pulling herself off of it, why would some wheedling from an old friend make her stay on it? With the supporting cast pretty much missing and a totally different Kat showing up, it was a very bitter disappointment for the end of the series.

It's always tricky for an author who is writing an addition to aseries of books to keep the integrity of the books preceding, and still write a book that can stand on its own. "Stray Kat Waltz" leaves me bereft!

None-the-less, this is an intriguing story with an important background topic of spousal abuse and--probably--bi-polar disorder, as well as nursing home care and insurance fraud. These themes, plus a captivating plot line and deft characterization, make this novel a good choice for the mystery buff. I enjoyed it all the way through its surprising conclusion.

I love Ms. Kijewski's Kat Colorado books, I bought the whole series on Amazon and read them consecutively, this book was not as upbeat as the previous books, undoubtedly due to the fact that Hank the Hunk had just been killed (what a heartbreaker that was!) I hope that Ms. Kijewski has other books planned in this series, may I suggest that a Dallas/Bobby Ewing-type resurrection of Hank would not come amiss! All in all though, the whole series was a great one, not only the plot lines with their twists and turns, but also the dry and witty sense of humor of Kat herself, made the books so enjoyable.