Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter

Some of the hardcover dust-jacket blurbs compared this book to such things as Lillian Jackson Braun's "Cat Who" series, which worried me a bit, since the farce and the lightweight writing in the Cat-Who books wore thin on me a while back. However, I picked the book up anyway - and was pleasantly surprised. This is NOT a comedy mystery featuring talking or psychic animals. The book has occasional touches of humor, but humor isn't the main point of the book. Our protagonist is a former sheriff's deputy, now turned pet-sitter. The tragedy that led her to change careers is exposed in bits and pieces as the book goes on; it remains a strong motivator in Dixie's life. The private lives of several of the other characters also contain dark moments and some skeletons in the closet. In fact, while the book falls somewhat into the "cozy" family, it's quite dark for a cozy. There are police procedural elements here too. I was pleased that our heroine cooperates with the police, and does her best, most of the time, to instantly convey any new information she has to the police detectives. There are a few cozy series where it seems as if the amateur detective is usually willfully trying to keep the police in the dark and/or maintain an adversarial relationship, or is always proving that she (it's usually a she) is smarter and faster than the bumbling police, and that's another conceit that's wearing thin over the years; I am glad this book isn't one of them. It's also well-written and well-plotted, with twists and turns, legitimate red herrings in the mystery tradition, and a few surprises. The setting is in a spot I'm not familiar with, in the Florida Keys, so I can't really tell whether one gets an accurate sense of place and of the neighborhood(s) Dixie is in. (I enjoy reading series set in places I am familiar with, and if you are familiar with south Florida, this book would probably give you that same pleasurable sense of recognition.) Family reading alert: part of the plot hinges on finding some pornographic photos. While there's no major sexual content in the book, those of you keeping an eye on the family reading may want to check those parts out to see whether they're safe for your family. There are several gay couples, the coming-out of a gay teen, and scenes in a gay bar, which shouldn't bother anyone - if you don't like hearing anything about the gay lifestyle, you probably wouldn't want to be reading murder mysteries or books set in the south Florida area in the first place. One small thing: the cat-sitter is not the person who gets killed; the title is just a tad misleading there. I look forward to picking up the next in the series; given the back-story we acquired in this book on our protagonist, I will be eager to see how her pet-sitting career vs. the possibility of returning to the sheriff's department plays out.

In the 1st book in what promises to be the Dixie Hemingway Mystery series, we meet Dixie, a pet-sitter with a past. Dixie is a former police officer who leaves the force after the tragic, accidental death of her husband and daughter. After their death, she feels that she cannot deal with people anymore (a skill she feels she has always lacked), and decides instead to provide care to animals. One morning, in the home of a wealthy client, Marilee, she discovers a man who has seemingly drowned to death in her cat's water dish. When she is unable to locate the client, Dixie wonders if Marilee was responsible for the death. She quickly becomes involved with a complicated plot of deception, blackmail, and bigotry. And in trying to solve the case, Dixie ends up with a whole lot more than she ever bargained for. I love to find new mysteries to read, and I can happily say that I was unable to put this book down! Dixie is a great character. I found her to be vulnerable and tough at that same time. The descriptions of how she felt after the death of her family tore at me, and I kept hoping that she would find a romantic interest. However, unlike many other cozies, she doesn't immediately fall for the detective in charge, although that may happen in future installments. The plot was interesting, the mystery had enough twists and turns to keep me interested, and I was surprised at the ending. It did leave some unanswered questions, and I am eagerly anticipating the next installment. I am hopeful this is a long running series for years to come! As I was reading the book, I kept thinking of the Kinsey Millhone series by Sue Grafton. The books are definitely different in many ways, but the style of writing is very similar. If you like the "Alphabet" series by Sue Grafton, you might want to give this new book a try. Enjoy!

Former Sheriff's Deputy Dixie Hemingway is now a pet sitter in Florida after her Husband and child are tragically killed by an old man who shouldn't have been driving. One of her clients and lover is tragically killed and Dixie gets drawn further and further into the mystery. The book is excellently plotted and deals with modern issues including those particular to Florida such as the elderly who shouldn't be driving but still do with tragic consequences. If you're wondering about the title. It's a direct reference to a newspaper headline that Dixie thinks up. Very good book has a lot of substance and interesting characters to keep the series going for a long time.

I very rarely buy an author in hardback that I haven't read before. However the premise of this book sounded so good and the character so appealing I decided to take a chance. (Plus I'm a cat person) I haven't really enjoyed other mystery series that are built around animals or pets, but this one I really enjoyed. My husband had to do without me for the weekend until I finished the book. Dixie is an intriguing character. Someone that has survived one of the most tragic events that can happen to a women. It's obvious she is still damaged emotionally but she is also on the mend. And her brother, brother's partner and a new Homicide Detective she meets is determined that will rejoin the living. She is more or less forced into becoming more interative with her world when she finds a dead man in one of the houses where she is cat sitting. From that point on circumstances start to pile up that places her in the center of a homicide investigation. As as she finds another dead body she becomes more and more the most likely suspect. And even though I identified the 'bad guy' early one, the plot and the characters were so interesting it didn't matter. Getting there was more fun than having the final resolution. I'm very much looking forward to the next book and I hope Ms. Clement writes fast as I am an impatient reader and hate waiting for the next books to come out in a good series.

This is another example of a good book that might be missing out on some readers because of an unfortunate title. It's not the cat sitter who dies, but it is Dixie (a former deputy not yet recovered fron an intense personal loss looking for a way to nuture without loving too much)who discovers the body as she checks in on one of her charges. And it's not cutesy cozy either as the title might imply. It touches on some hard issues of prejudice, greed, and family dysfunction. Dixie is an attractive protagonist, and her relationship with her brother and his partner is appealing. (Brother-sister acts are showing up these days aren't they?) The mystery has some surprising twists and turns, and a satisfying resolution.