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Kat Voyzey Mysteries #4
Cutting the Track
"My name is Kat Voyzey, and I am made up of one-third caffeine, one-third bone and muscle, and one-third crippling self-doubt. As the caffeine fades, self-doubt rushes in to fill the empty places."Six months ago, Kat quit her job at Holy Heart Medical Center to become an independent private investigator. Now, as the owner of Voyzey Investigations, she's ready to make the world a better place, one satisfied client at a time. That was the plan, at least. But the life of a PI is far grimmer than she expected. Her clients are dodgy as hell, the work is depressing, and her temper is getting her into trouble.She left a steady paycheck behind, for this? Kat's ears perk up when she hears about Haley Green. The college freshman disappeared from her bedroom early one morning, and no one's been able to find her. Elated at the prospect of a real missing persons case, Kat jumps in to track her down. But from the very start, none of the stories line up. Everyone swears they want the missing woman found. But if that's true, why are Haley's roller derby teammates playing defense against the truth?
180 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 22, 2021
4 people are currently reading
21 people want to read
About the author
Cheri Baker
18 books44 followersHello everyone. I'm Cheri Baker, an author, primarily of mystery and suspense, based out of Seattle, WA.
I'm an avid reader who enjoys coffee, mysteries, science fiction, terrible monster movies, and hanging out with friends and family.
Thanks for visiting my page on Goodreads!
Website: https://www.cheribaker.com
My mailing list: http://www.cheribaker.com/news
My blog: http://www.cheribaker.com/blog
I'm an avid reader who enjoys coffee, mysteries, science fiction, terrible monster movies, and hanging out with friends and family.
Thanks for visiting my page on Goodreads!
Website: https://www.cheribaker.com
My mailing list: http://www.cheribaker.com/news
My blog: http://www.cheribaker.com/blog
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 29, 2021
Cutting The Track is number four in the Kat Voyzey series. Chapters are brief and to the point, allowing for fast sessions in-between life-tasks and to-dos. Also, it's easy to read just...one...more...chapter!
A cozy mystery is cozy because it typically avoids things like sex scenes or graphic gore. This one's cozy-enough. It contains some expletives and suggested sex scenes (no real details). And there's nothing violent or grotesque. I'm not one who can stomach a real murder mystery, and I generally don't like horror.
The writing is tight, but not too much. Settings, action, and characters are all described well without being verbose or flowery. There's good character development, and the overall pacing is done well. Dialogue is natural, it flows and isn't forced. Action scenes are fitting, not overdrawn.
The story (without spoilers) is believable. The roller-derby theme was interesting but not ground-breaking. The few video gaming references, for this geek, were sweet! The mystery part, though, might be not-so-mysterious (more on this at the end).
Kat Voyzey is a new private investigator. Being new at her job, the story rightly depicts her lack of skill and confidence at points. In turn, it also shows Kat's character grow in her new role as a PI.
I really appreciate how the story, written in the first person, interjected Kat's internal struggles. More than once, she wrestles a bit with the ethics of her job that requires some level of privacy invasion. Other weighty issues or themes include sexual harassment, trust, and justice. I think these are all treated well within the context of the story as its events unfold.
There's some nice juxtaposition too, intentional or not. Without giving anything away, on one hand, a gross character turns out to have some redeeming quality, however small. But on the other hand, a polite character hides debilitating traits. This goes to show that, however trite, you can never judge a person's character at face value; there's always more beneath the surface.
This is something I like about Baker's stories. I have a tough time deciding if they're more plot driven or character driven. She has a knack for writing true-to-life characters, not mere cookie-cutter stereotypes.
The story has a flare of girl-power to it, which isn't a bad thing. But the reason I gave this Kat Voyzey book 3 stars instead of 4 is because of the change in Kat's character with her new PI role.
In the first three books, to me, Kat's most endearing qualities were her spunk and somewhat clumsy awkwardness. And she was even more of "the underdog." She had a different job with different demands or restrictions, which affected her character.
But now that she's a PI, she seems more serious. In fact, she kind of started to resemble Jessica Warne, the MC from Cheri Baker's other fiction series, Emerald City Spies. That one has a darker tone. Kat Voyzey's stories have been more light-hearted, but book 4 felt less so.
Overall, I liked reading this book, and I will be glad to read a 5th one in the series. I'm interested to see Kat's career grow. But I hope the next one will focus more on the mystery.
While the denouement of book 4 was on par for Baker's writing, meaning nicely done, the mystery itself was weaker this round. There were different leads to follow up, different suspects to scrutinize, and dead-ends. But it lacked a good twist or surprise ending.
If you want a good read, you won't go wrong with Cutting The Track. It's got fun parts, touches on meaningful themes, has interesting characters, and is easy to jump-in and read through. Even if you haven't read the first three books, Kat Voyzey book four is like a fresh start in the series. I recommend it.
A cozy mystery is cozy because it typically avoids things like sex scenes or graphic gore. This one's cozy-enough. It contains some expletives and suggested sex scenes (no real details). And there's nothing violent or grotesque. I'm not one who can stomach a real murder mystery, and I generally don't like horror.
The writing is tight, but not too much. Settings, action, and characters are all described well without being verbose or flowery. There's good character development, and the overall pacing is done well. Dialogue is natural, it flows and isn't forced. Action scenes are fitting, not overdrawn.
The story (without spoilers) is believable. The roller-derby theme was interesting but not ground-breaking. The few video gaming references, for this geek, were sweet! The mystery part, though, might be not-so-mysterious (more on this at the end).
Kat Voyzey is a new private investigator. Being new at her job, the story rightly depicts her lack of skill and confidence at points. In turn, it also shows Kat's character grow in her new role as a PI.
I really appreciate how the story, written in the first person, interjected Kat's internal struggles. More than once, she wrestles a bit with the ethics of her job that requires some level of privacy invasion. Other weighty issues or themes include sexual harassment, trust, and justice. I think these are all treated well within the context of the story as its events unfold.
There's some nice juxtaposition too, intentional or not. Without giving anything away, on one hand, a gross character turns out to have some redeeming quality, however small. But on the other hand, a polite character hides debilitating traits. This goes to show that, however trite, you can never judge a person's character at face value; there's always more beneath the surface.
This is something I like about Baker's stories. I have a tough time deciding if they're more plot driven or character driven. She has a knack for writing true-to-life characters, not mere cookie-cutter stereotypes.
The story has a flare of girl-power to it, which isn't a bad thing. But the reason I gave this Kat Voyzey book 3 stars instead of 4 is because of the change in Kat's character with her new PI role.
In the first three books, to me, Kat's most endearing qualities were her spunk and somewhat clumsy awkwardness. And she was even more of "the underdog." She had a different job with different demands or restrictions, which affected her character.
But now that she's a PI, she seems more serious. In fact, she kind of started to resemble Jessica Warne, the MC from Cheri Baker's other fiction series, Emerald City Spies. That one has a darker tone. Kat Voyzey's stories have been more light-hearted, but book 4 felt less so.
Overall, I liked reading this book, and I will be glad to read a 5th one in the series. I'm interested to see Kat's career grow. But I hope the next one will focus more on the mystery.
While the denouement of book 4 was on par for Baker's writing, meaning nicely done, the mystery itself was weaker this round. There were different leads to follow up, different suspects to scrutinize, and dead-ends. But it lacked a good twist or surprise ending.
If you want a good read, you won't go wrong with Cutting The Track. It's got fun parts, touches on meaningful themes, has interesting characters, and is easy to jump-in and read through. Even if you haven't read the first three books, Kat Voyzey book four is like a fresh start in the series. I recommend it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review