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Alice Nestleton Mystery #1
A cat in the manger: An Alice Nestleton mystery
When Alice Nestleton, actress and sleuth, goes to a friend's Long Island estate to cat-sit, she comes face to bloody face with a corpse. Unwittingly, Alice has stepped into a deadly conspiracy plot of high-stakes horse-racing and seduction. Her curiosity might land her a whisker away from death!
191 pages, Paperback
First published November 6, 1990
26 people are currently reading
417 people want to read
About the author
Lydia Adamson
53 books46 followersLydia Adamson is the pen name for Franklin B. King who is an author, free-lance writer and copywriter. In addition to the Alice Nestleton series, he is the author of the Deirdre Quinn Nightingale and Lucy Wayles series. He lives in New York City and also wrote under the name 'Frank King'.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews
November 29, 2023
I read this whole series years ago when they were first published and really enjoyed them. I was looking for something familiar to read, so I decided to see if it still held its charm for me, and the answer is YES!
But let me say a few things up front for those looking for a new cozy mystery.
1. The title is misleading and this has absolutely nothing to do with the holidays other than it simply takes place over Christmas and New Years.
2. The cats do NOT play a part in solving the case. For the most part, they are just cats.
3. This does not really read or feel like today's cozy mysteries. It is a bit dated, includes some PG13 moments, and I think it reads differently because, even though the moniker of the author is female, it was written by a man, from a woman's POV.
With those things out of the way, I would recommend it if you are looking for something a little quirky and "out of the norm". Our main character (Alice) loves cats, the theater, and is eccentric in a bohemian kind of way. Sometimes she comes off as being a little vain, but what actress isn't? Several reviewers felt the need to label her bipolar, but I thought her emotional highs and lows fit her "solitary, single mature out-of-work actress" profile. The mystery portion was interesting, taking us to the world of horse racing, and even though I had read it before, I was again surprised by the finale. The book has a 20th century New York theater vibe and fit the bill for some light, yet stimulating reading. I immediately started the next book upon finishing. I'm happy to be back in Alice's world.
But let me say a few things up front for those looking for a new cozy mystery.
1. The title is misleading and this has absolutely nothing to do with the holidays other than it simply takes place over Christmas and New Years.
2. The cats do NOT play a part in solving the case. For the most part, they are just cats.
3. This does not really read or feel like today's cozy mysteries. It is a bit dated, includes some PG13 moments, and I think it reads differently because, even though the moniker of the author is female, it was written by a man, from a woman's POV.
With those things out of the way, I would recommend it if you are looking for something a little quirky and "out of the norm". Our main character (Alice) loves cats, the theater, and is eccentric in a bohemian kind of way. Sometimes she comes off as being a little vain, but what actress isn't? Several reviewers felt the need to label her bipolar, but I thought her emotional highs and lows fit her "solitary, single mature out-of-work actress" profile. The mystery portion was interesting, taking us to the world of horse racing, and even though I had read it before, I was again surprised by the finale. The book has a 20th century New York theater vibe and fit the bill for some light, yet stimulating reading. I immediately started the next book upon finishing. I'm happy to be back in Alice's world.
January 6, 2019
Well, that was a strange experience.
This is not your typical "cat cosy mystery." The cats themselves don't participate in the detection process at all, thank goodness. The human amateur doesn't really do much detecting as such--she tends to happen on things quite by chance, corpses as well as clues. But it's okay, she's beautiful, blonde, stick thin AND an actress--the kind that is superior to making money at it unless it's avante-garde "art." The murder scenes are a lot grislier than you'd expect of your typical cosy mystery, while the actual plot leading to three murders just seemed completely ridiculous to me. The guilty party comes right out of left field in the least believable way possible. Not only that; horses are individual personalities, as anyone who has spent any time with them will tell you, and many if not most don't even want a "mascot", let alone one of a particular kind. The author puts it all down to some kind of (never explained) "magic" and lets it go at that. Wobbly indeed.
The author would appear to have some kind of issue with men, given that not one of the male characters is remotely sympathetic, from the fussy wine waiter and the snide cop, to the demanding/dishonest/rude businessmen. From one minute to the next the MC decides that her lover is a dangerous lunatic, basically because she is starting to feel trapped in a barren sex-only relationship. (Yet one minute she describes him as a comforting daddy-like figure, the next as a delayed adolescent who demands too much of her.) The only "nice man" in the bunch happens to be dead, and therefore easily controlled.
When I was halfway through this book I was thinking, well at least she can handle the language properly, but then she started throwing linguistic curveballs like these:
"My middle ages was going to unflower into a new world of eros." Unflower? ?? Bloom, certainly, or flower, but un-flower? She's over 40 and not a virgin, she was deflowered long ago.
"Jo arched her eyes." I'd like to see that! Raised her eyebrows, cocked an eye, but arched her eyes? Sheer blither.
Then, right at the end: "My body felt as if all the musculature had been sucked out." By which she meant, she was exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. I guess.
The weird writing plus strange plot gives this book two and a half stars.
This is not your typical "cat cosy mystery." The cats themselves don't participate in the detection process at all, thank goodness. The human amateur doesn't really do much detecting as such--she tends to happen on things quite by chance, corpses as well as clues. But it's okay, she's beautiful, blonde, stick thin AND an actress--the kind that is superior to making money at it unless it's avante-garde "art." The murder scenes are a lot grislier than you'd expect of your typical cosy mystery, while the actual plot leading to three murders just seemed completely ridiculous to me. The guilty party comes right out of left field in the least believable way possible. Not only that; horses are individual personalities, as anyone who has spent any time with them will tell you, and many if not most don't even want a "mascot", let alone one of a particular kind. The author puts it all down to some kind of (never explained) "magic" and lets it go at that. Wobbly indeed.
The author would appear to have some kind of issue with men, given that not one of the male characters is remotely sympathetic, from the fussy wine waiter and the snide cop, to the demanding/dishonest/rude businessmen. From one minute to the next the MC decides that her lover is a dangerous lunatic, basically because she is starting to feel trapped in a barren sex-only relationship. (Yet one minute she describes him as a comforting daddy-like figure, the next as a delayed adolescent who demands too much of her.) The only "nice man" in the bunch happens to be dead, and therefore easily controlled.
When I was halfway through this book I was thinking, well at least she can handle the language properly, but then she started throwing linguistic curveballs like these:
"My middle ages was going to unflower into a new world of eros." Unflower? ?? Bloom, certainly, or flower, but un-flower? She's over 40 and not a virgin, she was deflowered long ago.
"Jo arched her eyes." I'd like to see that! Raised her eyebrows, cocked an eye, but arched her eyes? Sheer blither.
Then, right at the end: "My body felt as if all the musculature had been sucked out." By which she meant, she was exhausted physically, mentally and emotionally. I guess.
The weird writing plus strange plot gives this book two and a half stars.
March 14, 2022
In order to be fair in a review of this book there are two things that have to be considered. First, this book was published in 1990. 1990 is as close to 2022 as 1990 was to 1958. Ugly but true. Times were different and we can't judge a book written 32 years ago based on what we expect of books that are being published today. Second, cozy mysteries were kind of in their infancy at this point. The style, the subject matter, the main characters, the investigative techniques, all the things we've come to expect from a cozy mystery hadn't really been developed yet.
All this being said, I thought this was a fun read. I read some books from this series years ago but I don't think this was one of them. The main character seems a little egotistical (or maybe just a conformed New Yorker) and the description of her unparalleled beauty is a bit weird in a cozy (again, 1990). But Alice is a good friend to Jo, whom she really didn't know well before the death of her husband, Harry. The investigation she does is fun and takes her to some interesting places where she (both literally and figuratively) rubs up against some unique characters. I love that her cats are just cats. They're wildly different in personality and they don't perform magic or solve crimes, they're just cute pets. At just 203 pages, this was a quick, fun read. I look forward to reading the rest of the series!
All this being said, I thought this was a fun read. I read some books from this series years ago but I don't think this was one of them. The main character seems a little egotistical (or maybe just a conformed New Yorker) and the description of her unparalleled beauty is a bit weird in a cozy (again, 1990). But Alice is a good friend to Jo, whom she really didn't know well before the death of her husband, Harry. The investigation she does is fun and takes her to some interesting places where she (both literally and figuratively) rubs up against some unique characters. I love that her cats are just cats. They're wildly different in personality and they don't perform magic or solve crimes, they're just cute pets. At just 203 pages, this was a quick, fun read. I look forward to reading the rest of the series!
February 10, 2025
I read a bunch of these back in the day. They were mindless time killers for when I was on the bus or whatever, but I was really surprised when I revisited this one to find how bad it is. I usually have better taste than this.
May 12, 2018
Alice Nestleton is an actress who makes ends meet by cat-sitting. Every year she heads to Long Island to cat sit for Harry and Jo Starobin, and this year is no different. Except when she arrives Harry isn't there to greet her. And when she arrives at the little cottage she stays at, no one is there to greet her, either...except for Harry's corpse, strung up behind the door. Now Jo wants her to help find out who murdered Harry, because she's convinced it's murder. And even when there's another murder and Alice decides to step back from the investigation, she can't help the nagging feeling she's getting that she's close to something terribly wrong that just might be the right answers after all...
I decided to read this book because it was about Christmas, which I love (except it isn't), and cats, which I also love (except her cats play an extremely minor role - as in practically non-existent). In fact, I can't even think of when I've read a first-in-a-series book that disappointed me so deftly.
This book is, in fact, All About Alice. All about how Alice is an 'actress' but evidently not enough of one to get asked to actually act, since she's gone off the rails and only wants to do avant-garde productions; and I would think that most (if not all) actresses know that if you want to act, you have to act. In other words, take the roles that are offered and then perhaps you can command something you want to do. Which roughly translates to Alice is a cat-sitter who sometimes gets to go on stage. She sure isn't making a living at it.
We rarely get any time at all with her cats; they exist, but not much is said about them. I get the feeling that if Alice was a little more lively, then Pancho might be willing to settle down and allow her to pet him. Alice has no personality, to speak of; she's boring as all get out. She seems like one of those women that you never see smile or show any kind of emotion; which is probably why she likes to act - at least she gets to feel something.
Then there's the factor of Alice's sex life (not love life, sex life). Because she certainly doesn't have a love life, and the person she's decided to have sex with is, well, just that: the person she's decided to have sex with. Not to mention she calls him by both names. As in Charlie Coombs. Sort of as if she thinks if she doesn't mention both his first and last names we'll get him confused with someone else named Charlie (we won't; he's the only one in the book). Who on earth calls their lover by both their first and last names even in their heads? That's just strange.
Which brings us to the fact that our Alice is deluded. As in bipolar, or worse. She thinks Charlie is spying on her, she thinks she's being followed (when probably neither are true). You also have the requisite police detective who thinks she's bonkers (and he's not far off) and of course, Alice solves the case (as we knew she would).
Then there's the little fact that Alice was upset because she didn't get to sleep with a man who was (almost) twice as old as she was. That's right; she's 41; he was 79. I. Can't. Even. Imagine. I don't care how funny or attractive he was, he was almost eighty years old and she rues the fact that someone else got the chance to have an affair with him. It's a major 'ick' factor right there.
In the end, this book was all over the place, with nearly every conversation taking place in Alice's head and a lot of them were ramblings on her love life and career - neither of which seemed very interesting. I'm not sure I'd be willing to read another in this series, and I'm puzzled how it went on so long unless it seriously improved.
I decided to read this book because it was about Christmas, which I love (except it isn't), and cats, which I also love (except her cats play an extremely minor role - as in practically non-existent). In fact, I can't even think of when I've read a first-in-a-series book that disappointed me so deftly.
This book is, in fact, All About Alice. All about how Alice is an 'actress' but evidently not enough of one to get asked to actually act, since she's gone off the rails and only wants to do avant-garde productions; and I would think that most (if not all) actresses know that if you want to act, you have to act. In other words, take the roles that are offered and then perhaps you can command something you want to do. Which roughly translates to Alice is a cat-sitter who sometimes gets to go on stage. She sure isn't making a living at it.
We rarely get any time at all with her cats; they exist, but not much is said about them. I get the feeling that if Alice was a little more lively, then Pancho might be willing to settle down and allow her to pet him. Alice has no personality, to speak of; she's boring as all get out. She seems like one of those women that you never see smile or show any kind of emotion; which is probably why she likes to act - at least she gets to feel something.
Then there's the factor of Alice's sex life (not love life, sex life). Because she certainly doesn't have a love life, and the person she's decided to have sex with is, well, just that: the person she's decided to have sex with. Not to mention she calls him by both names. As in Charlie Coombs. Sort of as if she thinks if she doesn't mention both his first and last names we'll get him confused with someone else named Charlie (we won't; he's the only one in the book). Who on earth calls their lover by both their first and last names even in their heads? That's just strange.
Which brings us to the fact that our Alice is deluded. As in bipolar, or worse. She thinks Charlie is spying on her, she thinks she's being followed (when probably neither are true). You also have the requisite police detective who thinks she's bonkers (and he's not far off) and of course, Alice solves the case (as we knew she would).
Then there's the little fact that Alice was upset because she didn't get to sleep with a man who was (almost) twice as old as she was. That's right; she's 41; he was 79. I. Can't. Even. Imagine. I don't care how funny or attractive he was, he was almost eighty years old and she rues the fact that someone else got the chance to have an affair with him. It's a major 'ick' factor right there.
In the end, this book was all over the place, with nearly every conversation taking place in Alice's head and a lot of them were ramblings on her love life and career - neither of which seemed very interesting. I'm not sure I'd be willing to read another in this series, and I'm puzzled how it went on so long unless it seriously improved.
May 2, 2016
Read the first six in this series originally about twenty years ago, and thought of them today for the first time in ages while helping A. with a library related project - still dopey, still enjoyable, and there are a whackload I never read. Hooray, garbage mysteries with cats!
February 24, 2019
Really only 1 star to remind myself in future that I did not like it at all but cant even be bothered to say why. But I did like her 2 cats so they get 1 star each.
November 21, 2025
Not badly written. Just weird? So many of the characters seem odd. Almost abruptly introduced caricatures or something.
The “desperate weeping in seclusion” of a girl clearly indicated the dead man was her lover. Because there is no other reason for such an expression of grief. And the MC clearly needed to tell the widow, as they needed to be honest with each other as they are now working together. For reasons.
The widow is certain her husband’s murder will be explained. She just requires the MC’s assistance in going through every scrap of paper he kept to find the answers. They’re not friends. She’s their annual 3-day cat-sitter over their annual Christmas trip.
And the detective seems insistent that he gets the list - a supposed inventory of valuables the widow and her murdered husband owned. He has no luck getting it from the widow who says they have no valuables. So in his mind, she’s lying and the MC is now responsible for getting it. Why? How? What!?
They started out puzzling and got annoying pretty quickly. It’s a short read but I’m still scratching my head over the characters and their odd behaviors.
The “desperate weeping in seclusion” of a girl clearly indicated the dead man was her lover. Because there is no other reason for such an expression of grief. And the MC clearly needed to tell the widow, as they needed to be honest with each other as they are now working together. For reasons.
The widow is certain her husband’s murder will be explained. She just requires the MC’s assistance in going through every scrap of paper he kept to find the answers. They’re not friends. She’s their annual 3-day cat-sitter over their annual Christmas trip.
And the detective seems insistent that he gets the list - a supposed inventory of valuables the widow and her murdered husband owned. He has no luck getting it from the widow who says they have no valuables. So in his mind, she’s lying and the MC is now responsible for getting it. Why? How? What!?
They started out puzzling and got annoying pretty quickly. It’s a short read but I’m still scratching my head over the characters and their odd behaviors.
February 23, 2020
Werbung | Inhalt: Alice Nestleton hat als Schauspielerin keinen Erfolg. Sie hat ein großes Herz für Katzen und lebt mit zwei Stubentigern zusammen, so lag es nahe, dass sie sich als Catsitterin durchschlägt. Allerdings hat sie ein Talent, in kriminelle Fälle gezogen zu werden und diese mit Charme, Logik und Glück lösen zu können.
Art des Buches: Wohlfühlkrimi
Wie fand ich das Buch? Meine Erwartungen an diesen Doppelband waren ziemlich hoch gesteckt, da einige Bekannte diese Katzenkrimis geradezu verschlungen haben. Die Fälle sind interessant und die Charaktere nicht unsympathisch. Die Katzen sind Katzen und lösen nicht die Fälle oder haben menschliche Züge, was ich sehr sympathisch fand. Den zweiten Fall mochte ich lieber als den ersten, was aber daran liegen mag, dass ich kein Freund von Pferderennen bin und ich Alice erst kennen lernen musste. Mir fehlte ein wenig eine übergeordnete Lovestory oder eine Prise Humor.
3 passende Wörter zum Buch? Katzen - Krimi - Theater
Wem empfehlen? Wer Katzen und Krimis liebt, kann mit dieser Reihe sicherlich Freude haben.
Art des Buches: Wohlfühlkrimi
Wie fand ich das Buch? Meine Erwartungen an diesen Doppelband waren ziemlich hoch gesteckt, da einige Bekannte diese Katzenkrimis geradezu verschlungen haben. Die Fälle sind interessant und die Charaktere nicht unsympathisch. Die Katzen sind Katzen und lösen nicht die Fälle oder haben menschliche Züge, was ich sehr sympathisch fand. Den zweiten Fall mochte ich lieber als den ersten, was aber daran liegen mag, dass ich kein Freund von Pferderennen bin und ich Alice erst kennen lernen musste. Mir fehlte ein wenig eine übergeordnete Lovestory oder eine Prise Humor.
3 passende Wörter zum Buch? Katzen - Krimi - Theater
Wem empfehlen? Wer Katzen und Krimis liebt, kann mit dieser Reihe sicherlich Freude haben.
July 24, 2023
This book was okay. Not great. Not horrible. Luckily it was a smaller book, and once I actually made some time to sit down it was a quick read. I am not a huge fan of Alice but I have seen from reviews that the books may improve from here so I will move on to the next book and try again.
April 27, 2021
This was kind of a strange book. It wasn’t what I expected from a mystery. For part of the book I thought it wasn’t going to turn out to be a mystery at all. I’ll try another book in the series to see if it’s any better than this one.
May 23, 2021
It's funny how some older mysteries are so dated and others read fresh. Maybe it's the writing? Maybe it's the story? However, I didn't like this book much at all. Didn't like the characters, didn't like the mystery, didn't like the portrayal of women.
May 27, 2021
I read these books as a kid and loved them. Now, 30 years later when I'm almost the same age as Alice - no thanks. I was disappointed to learn that Lydia Adamson is a pseudonym for some guy who apparently learned all about women on Sex and the City. So disappointing.
March 13, 2023
I don't think it has ever taken me this long to read a cozy mystery with cats. It was disappointing that the cats (Alice's and Jo's) weren't more a part of the story. This was part of a book that contains the first 2 books of a series. I won't be reading the 2nd book anytime soon.
May 7, 2017
This is super old but super cute and good! Loved it and hope to find more
December 23, 2019
mystery. did not finish
June 18, 2020
Cat-sitting on Long Island at Christmastime, Broadway actress Alice Nestleton stumbles upon a horse-race-fixing conspiracy.
July 6, 2020
New series for me. I enjoyed it. I plan to continue reading this series. It was a slow start but ended surprisingly.
November 9, 2020
This was a quick and easy read and I did guess the perpetrator having wondered why one character appeared in the story and then didn't get mentioned again until much later on.
December 2, 2023
A new series of characters I found enjoyable and easy to listen to. I was surprised by the culprit, which is always a good heart of a mystery!
September 10, 2011
A CAT IN A MANAGER by Lydia Adamson is 203 pages long in paperback. It is #1 in the Alice Nestleton series.
Alice is a part-time cat sitter and actress living in New York City. She is kind of eccentric or quirky as she likes the life she lives and doesn't like normal parts. She would rather have the weird stuff from off Broadway. Alice is asked to cat sit for a couple that live in upstate New York over Christmas vacation and she sets off by train with her own two cats to do the sitting. No one meets her at the train station like they normally do and Alice has to take a cab to the farm house. Alice finally arrives and starts to put her things away when she sees Mr. Staroban hanging dead from bathroom door.
Mrs. Staroban asks Alice to help her find out why someone would have murdered her husband and Alice and Mrs. Staroban set out to do just that. They are almost run over by a truck so Alice says they have been warned and doesn't want to help anymore.
Alice is not your normal person around people, so she has trouble with interactions at time. I think this is why I liked this book. She was just not normal, or what I would consider normal. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in this series, once I find the next one.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars, because I thought the ending just was thrown out there. I understood it, but I think it could have been planned out a bit better. For a first book in a series though it was very good.
I have this available at www.conniesbookshelf.com for $1.49 as my copy is a little worn on the outside, but the inside is very good.
Alice is a part-time cat sitter and actress living in New York City. She is kind of eccentric or quirky as she likes the life she lives and doesn't like normal parts. She would rather have the weird stuff from off Broadway. Alice is asked to cat sit for a couple that live in upstate New York over Christmas vacation and she sets off by train with her own two cats to do the sitting. No one meets her at the train station like they normally do and Alice has to take a cab to the farm house. Alice finally arrives and starts to put her things away when she sees Mr. Staroban hanging dead from bathroom door.
Mrs. Staroban asks Alice to help her find out why someone would have murdered her husband and Alice and Mrs. Staroban set out to do just that. They are almost run over by a truck so Alice says they have been warned and doesn't want to help anymore.
Alice is not your normal person around people, so she has trouble with interactions at time. I think this is why I liked this book. She was just not normal, or what I would consider normal. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more in this series, once I find the next one.
I gave this book 4 out of 5 stars, because I thought the ending just was thrown out there. I understood it, but I think it could have been planned out a bit better. For a first book in a series though it was very good.
I have this available at www.conniesbookshelf.com for $1.49 as my copy is a little worn on the outside, but the inside is very good.
December 30, 2011
Alice Nestleton is an actress who also takes care of cats while their owners are away. This Christmas she has a job sitting for 8 Himalayan cat on Long Island. She is looking forward to it. She gets to the train station to find no one waiting for her. She makes her way to her temporary home only to find the owner dead in the cottage she was to stay in. Not an auspicious start.
The plot for this was just ok. I enjoyed reading it because it was a quick read. But the mystery seemed kind of weak. I thought the Alice was a good character, but the plot seemed to wander alittle for me. I want to give this author a fair shake so I think I am going to try the next one in the series to see if there is an improvement. I didn't dislike like it, but I wasn't super impressed either. I was glad it was a quick read and had some enjoyment for me otherwise I would be done with it.
The plot for this was just ok. I enjoyed reading it because it was a quick read. But the mystery seemed kind of weak. I thought the Alice was a good character, but the plot seemed to wander alittle for me. I want to give this author a fair shake so I think I am going to try the next one in the series to see if there is an improvement. I didn't dislike like it, but I wasn't super impressed either. I was glad it was a quick read and had some enjoyment for me otherwise I would be done with it.
October 2, 2014
When I got this book, I thought that it would be cute. I was not prepared for the plot. The cats are not main characters, and instead seemingly a reflection of the main character's thoughts. Furthermore, she is not a normal character, and not in the typical "quirky detective type," either. Whether through a fascinating plot device which will become important five books down the line, or poor editing, she not only seems to have nobody who cares for her, but spends an inordinate amount of time hitting every warning alarm that I have for either Histrionic Personality Disorder, or Bipolar Disorder, with a slight preference towards Bipolar Disorder. The movie would be great, if it could work this in. The book? Personally, I didn't like it.
April 16, 2012
I really enjoy this series, all revolving in some way or another around cats. The "sleuth" is an actress who is semi successful, but who needs a day job to stay afloat financially, so she "cat sits" for various cat loving owners who much leave their pampered kitties. It's her "day job" that brings the murders to her attention. Her love life sometimes intrudes (a bit PG 13, but not explicit) with its casual attitude towards extra marital sex, but the stories are charmingly told with eccentric and real feeling characters and cares.
April 17, 2015
I like this series of books and the cats that make frequent appearances as sideline characters and as plot points. I enjoyed this one as it is the first in the series. A great mystery. Not overly involved. A quick read for an afternoon or easily left for awhile and then returned to as needed. An enjoyable light read especially for an animal lover. This one also includes horses for those interested.
August 16, 2023
I made myself finish this in hopes the story would get better. The characters weren't likeable, the story was weak and there weren't enough cats to redeem the weak plot. I hate books that wrap up the whole story in the last few pages with someone or something barely mentioned previously.
It's a short book that should have been a quick read. I found myself picking up other books and letting this one sit.
It's a short book that should have been a quick read. I found myself picking up other books and letting this one sit.
January 8, 2009
I thought the writing style far too simplistic and the main character not very likeable. In addition, I thought the plot too outlandish. It didn't hold my interest, but it's a super easy book to skim.
I kept thinking to myself, "How did this thing get published?" Then I'd think, "Damn, this is a series." It was a little hard to believe considering the quality.
I kept thinking to myself, "How did this thing get published?" Then I'd think, "Damn, this is a series." It was a little hard to believe considering the quality.
September 4, 2016
This book is all about the main character, who I found very interesting as she is a strong independent woman. Overall the book was quirky, not within norms of most "cozy" mysteries, primarily because Alice is not bogged down with outside interests like clothes or food, or in love with some other character in the book.
July 18, 2024
I agree with several of the reviews already written. Weak plot, weak main character and weak mystery that felt thrown together and tied with a shred. It was an easy read, therefore making it simple to get through. No more Lydia Adamson for me. The world is full of much better authors and books.
February 6, 2014
The heroine lives in New York City and is involved in the theatre, being an actress when she's not solving crimes. When she's not on stage she "cat sits" for people so there's always a new "character" cat in each story. She writes about New York quite a bit and that's always interesting.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 42 reviews