I quite enjoyed reading this short, fast paced mystery introducing Kat Colorado, a female Sacramento PI.

Kijewski has defended setting her series in Sacramento, and I was quite interested in reading a book set in a smaller Californian city, but in fact Kat's debut case takes her off to Las Vegas in pursuit of a friend's no-good husband. As befits a mystery, things soon take a more murderous turn.

I liked the main character and was carried along by the energy of the narrative, though I think Kat does some rather silly things along the way. I will read more in the series.

I was only able to read a couple of pages the first night I got the book and right away I was dreaming about the story. VERY engrosing characters. Kat is a gal that, for some reason, sticks with you for a while.
The characters were well developed and that was good, considering how fast the storyline moves. I enjoyed the column starting each chapter. It was an entertaining read too. I like to read about strong women who know how to defend themself (Even with a cast on)

This book is one of the more amusing ones, even though the subject matter is just as important as all of the other books. I enjoy Kat and this bookd lets her shine. Go pick it up.

The third book in the Kat Colorado series has, in my opinion, the most exciting scene. It happens later in the book and impacts her life for the next several books. While the plot is a little clunky, the characterizations more than make up for this problem. I would recommend the series as a entertaining read.

This was another great book from Kijewski. If all the others are this good I can't wait to read them.

I've enjoyed many of Karen Kijewski's previous novels, and I think Kat Colorado is a solid character, much more interesting than V. I. Warshawski or Kay Scarpetta. (Nobody comes close to Kinsey Millhone, of course.) But this volume in the series seemed to fall flat for me. Several times I found my attention wandering; the plot didn't keep me interested and I found myself bored.

One flaw with this book is that there are too many victims and not enough suspects. I guessed who the criminal was about halfway through the novel. It wasn't that hard to figure out, because by process of elimination, everybody else was either a target or too obvious to be the culprit.

I find it interesting that the other reviewers of this book either loved it or hated it. The truth probably lies somewhere in between. Kijewski's characters are strong enough to survive a weak plot; one can only hope that this book is an exception to an otherwise fine series.

A wonderful return to Sacramento for Kat Colorado. Ten times better than the previous book in this series. Kat is back!

While the book in the Kat Colorado series before this one was somewhat below par, this one is a return to the excellent form usually displayed by this author. The plotting is tight and compelling; the characterisations are realistic and engaging. Very highly recommended.

While this is not among the best books written by this author, it comes a close second. Kat is largely away from home in this book so her interactions with her family, best friend and boyfriend are not as frequent in this book as in most others. For me, it is the interactions among these characters that are a major strength of the books in this series - along with the usually terrific plotting. But, the plotting was a bit lacklustre in this outing and not as compelling as other books in the series. Nevertheless, this is still a good read from reliable story teller.

I usually have an idea of who the culprit is in mystery stories. In Honky Tonk Kat I had not a clue. There were so many different suspects I just could not pick one person to focas my attention on. The part I enjoyed most about this book was the flashbacks. Overall this was a very gripping mystery. The only reason why I didn't get a whole full five stars was because some of the family history part was very hard to keep straight. But, overall a very good mystery and worth taking a look at. Even if you are not intrested in country music. A fun read!

This was my first Karen Kijewski book, and I really enjoyed it. Fun, realistic characters - and you are kept wondering who the culprit is. It makes me want to read more of her books. If you're looking for something to change your life, this isn't it. It's just fun to read.

This series gets better with each book. I love how tough Kat is, and how she kicks some rear. So uncommon in many "women in jeopardy" books.

Ever try to do something you feel is the right thing to do, only to have the entire world jump up and grab for your throat in thanks? Amanda Hudson receives worse treatment after discovering her company has been producing a faulty medical device, thus resulting in deaths nationwide. Sacramento PI Kat Colorado becomes involved when Amanda's husband Jude hires her as protection.

The plan works, for a while anyway. Just when it seems the harrassment of the Hudsons is over with the arrests of a few hired goons caught trashing their house, Amanda is found dead. The death is ruled an accident, but Kat, having become close to the Hudsons and itching with suspicion, thinks differently, and embarks on her own investigation which uncovers more than just a late do-gooder's crusade for justice.

Colorado is sharp, funny, and sensitive. She makes a great serial heroine. As the tough as nails PI she delivers time and time again.

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.

I had never heard of Karen Kijewski, although I am an avid Mystery reader, until I found the entire set at a used book store one day. I loved all 9 but was not happy with this last one for 2 reasons - she killed off Hank and this was apparently her last book. Does anyone know what happened to this author, why she's never written anymore in the series? I'm hungry for more!!! I liked Sue Grafton up to a point, but Kat Colorado has it all over the Grafton character. I've tried everything I can think of to find out more about Kijewski but have come up emtpy. If anyone knows anything, I would love an answer...

This book was very impressive. As an ex-resident of the Sacramento area I was very impressed by just how well the author had her geography down. Her characters are real and personable, and the suspense was at the perfect level. I can't wait to read the others in the series.

Sacramento private investigator Kat Colorado is fresh from a nerve-shattering adventure, and needing a change of scenery. A wheezing old man name Tobias offers her that opportunity when he hires her to look into the four-month old murder of his godniece, Deidre, a crime dismissed by her sleepy northern California town as a robbery and an unfortunate event. The true killer, Tobias believes, was an acquaintance, and he wants Kat to become acquainted with the killer.

So Kat becomes Kate, hangs up her badge and puts on a bartender's apron and goes undercover, sinking deeper into her faux life as she becomes entangled in the lives of Deidre's charming widower and young son, her jealous sister, the requisite wacky barmaid-cum-roommate (seems every novel has wisecracking relief these days, though Kat holds her own as well), and a cast of beer-drinking regulars with wandering eyes and hands. Somewhere in this muddle is Deidre's killer, and despite a change in hair color and fashion tastes, that killer appears to have fleshed out Kat.

I was trying so hard not to compare Kijewski's Kat Colorado with Sue Grafton's Kinsey Millhone, but the resemblences are difficult to ignore. Both are single, female PIs based in California, tough and uncompromising when a job needs to be done. In Copy Kat, however, we are offered a gentler, more emotional protagonist with a quick wit. Not to say that Grafton's Kinsey doesn't have her moments, but Kat Colorado is less methodical in her routine, and perhaps in the case of Copy Kat that is more enjoyable to read

Kat Colorado mysteries are great because the plot flows smoothly, there are no loose ends at the end of the book, and the characters are ohsoreal.

Copy Kat is no exception. When Kat needs to escape her nightmares, she seizes the opportunity to go out of town undercover to find the client's goddaughter's killer.

The people she meets are warm and real to the reader, and I was surprised by the identification of the killer.

Biggest problem with this book: there seem to be two important sentences missing in the chapter in which Kat meets the victim's sister and brother in law. I don't know if they are publisher or author omissions, but they made it difficult for me to follow an important chapter.

While this isn't the author's best work, it is better by FAR than many of the mysteries out there. Karen Kijewski should be proud of the work she has published, because it's a yacht swimming in the literary sewage that calls itself "mystery."

This is the first "mystery" novel that I have read other than the nancy drew series. I am 15, and I really enjoyed this book, it is a great mystery, and you keep on wondering till the very end. I am keen on reading her other books that she has written. I reccomned this to pretty much anybody, except for people who do not like a bit of murder in a novel

This is the second book in the series and it is a little slow. It keeps you pulled in and wanting more, though almost not enough. The character is still finding some background and who she is. A good read though the first one and the next one were more exciting.

Overall, this is not an okay book. It pulls you in enough tht you want to keep reading, but I was distracted by the seeming copycat nature of the book. A single, female detective with a nozy older neighbor who calls her dollface,a troubled family, an inherited dog, and a prickly impatience for those who care and worry about her...where have we seen this before? Kat Colorado could be V.I. Warshawski's twin. However, her character isn't as well developed as Warshawski. Not a bad read, but I'd stick to the original.

After reading this, my first of the Kat Kolorado series, I have found a series of titles that I would love to read my way through. A few slow spots, but I loved the characters and look forward to seeing them again in later novels. Kat, the detective, is interesting and entertaining. A good read.

I recently "discovered" Kat Colorado and for the first few books was impressed, but this one is sadly lacking. A little too predictable, and badly damaged by the author's misinformation about the Mormon Church. She recycles every silly myth published in the dime-novel dreadfuls of the 1880s and leaves one wondering if she's ever met any real live Latter-day Saints. Sad, considering that in plot context, she could have invented a fictional cult instead of maligning a major Christian church with 5 million members in the US and Canada alone.

One of the things that drew me to Kat was her sense of ethics. Many Mormons might agree with this and like the character, until this book, where her anti-religious bigotry shows in unfounded accusations of bigotry against religion (she continues this unfortunate development in "Stray Kat Waltz").

Too bad. A major loss to the underpopulated woman detective genre.

This is the first Kijewski book I've read and probably the last. The characters had no depth and were relentlessly one dimensional. The plot was totally predictable - within three paragraphs of the introduction of the killer, I knew he had done it! I was intrigued that several of the readers were offended by her portrayal of the mormon church, in particular its treatment of women. This was the one aspect of her plot and characterizations that I found to be interesting and believable.

This was a hard-to-put-down book, exploring both the professional and personal sides of Kat's life. She must solve a heinous murder and resolve a roadblock in her relationship with her cop lover, Hank. Great characters in a compelling story. From other reviews that seemed to concentrate on the Mormon aspects of the plot, it appears that the word went out to Mormons to disparage the book, unfairly so, I believe. "Alley Kat Blues" is a fine addition to a series that gets better with every book. If you like gutsy female PIs and a gripping read, this book's for you.