A Cat with the Blues

With the Alice Nestleton series you always expect a quality piece of work -- and A CAT WITH THE BLUES is no exception. This title refers, among other things, to the Russian Blue cat. I'm always delighted to travel around New York City with Alice and see it through the eyes of someone who obviously loves it and feels at home there. This time her helper isn't the usual Tony. (He would actually have been in the way.) And the cats didn't really help her solve the mystery this time. The ending is not predictable, and it's interesting and satisfying.

Perhaps because I am from Minnesota I appreciate Alice's sense of honesty and justice. Perhaps because I am the keeper of several cats I enjoy this feline series. But for whatever reason I loved this entry from the ever-busy Lydia Adamson. A Cat with the Blues gives the reader a good mystery with many twists and turns. In addition we see Alice in love, silly schoolgirl love. It is a fresh addition to the world wise former actress who has seen it all and has a plan to handle anything.The old song 'Blue on blue, heart ache on head ache' would provide good background music to read this story of a Russian Blue caught in a messy divorce. I recommend this book to old fans or readers new to the series.

I have read every one of Lydia Adamson's books. I love Frank King's work, especially those under this psuedonym. My favorite is this series, the Alice Nestleton series. One of the reasons is because she is one of the best developed characters I have discovered in my readings. Another is because her friends and sometimes assistant slueths not only compliment her personality, but they contrast in just the right ways to make for a hell of a good read. I only gave this book four stars instead of five because I felt that there was not enough of a bizarre twist to the plot behind the murder. That is also one of the major reasons for me going completely goo goo over this series. I guess you could say I like the perversity of Frank's writing style very much so, and this could have used just a tad more. I still loved it and recommend it to all who love a great read. I hope he keeps at it for a long, long time to come.

Years ago, Alice Nestleton left her Minnesota home to come to the Big Apple in search of fame and fortune as an actress. Now forty-one, jobs are becoming fewer, not that any of them amounted to anything. To supplement her income, she offers her services as a cat sitter. Currently, she cares for Fancy, a Russian blue feline. Fancy has her apartment to herself because her owners are squabbling during an acrimonious divorce in which both claim the cat as theirs. Alice receives a generous fee for insuring Fancy receives fresh food, water, and litter, and that neither Mr. nor Mrs. Woburn abducts the feline.Alice drops off a check on behalf of Mrs. Woburn at the nearby bodega only to have an armed robber demand money while she is there. The thug points his gun at Alice, but inadvertently shoots the shopkeeper. Alice believes she was set up by her client and quits her job. Not long afterward, someone kills the doorman in what appears to be a mugging gone ugly. Next Fancy is catnapped and the gallery where Mrs. Woburn was to have a showing burns to the ground. Alice has solved several homicides over the years and sees a link between these events. She begins her own brand of investigation.Lydia Adamson writes a delectable funny mystery tale starring a likable and realistic heroine who accepts that she is never going to take the planet by storm. The felines that populate this amateur sleuth novel are near purrfect especially for cat lovers. A CAT WITH THE BLUES is must reading for amateur sleuth readers and feline fans who will delightfully conclude that Ms. Adamson is the real catwoman.Harriet Klausner