Karen Kijewski: Honky Tonk Kat (USA 1997)

From the Publisher:
"KIJEWSKI'S KAT COLORADO SERIES JUST KEEPS GETTING BETTER.
There is Kat herself, as appealing and likable as any female P.I. on the market. And then there are Kijewski's plots-cleverly conceived, nicely paced, and full of just the right amounts of action, violence, and suspense. In her latest, country-western singing star Dakota Jones, a friend of Kat's since childhood, is worried. Like most stars, she has enemies, but someone has been sending her unusually unnerving letters and really nasty gifts... As the pranks escalate into violence, Kat moves quickly to identify the culprit: Is it a faceless fan, or is it someone who knows Dakota more intimately-even a member of her family?
A DEFINITE THUMBS-UP." -- Booklist

"KIJEWSKI, KEEPS THE ACTION MOVING ALONG AT'A LIVELY PACE, while capturing quite a bit of the spirit of contemporary Nashville." -- Chicago Tribune

"KAT COLORADO, A PRIVATE EYE WITH A SENSE OF FUN AND BRAINS TO SPARE, hits some funky joints and meets some exotic characters when she goes on the road with a country music singer... Her characters give off electricity, most of all the sexy, no-account men who are both curse and inspiration for singers like Dakota." -- New York Times Book Review

"A LIVELY, TUNEFUL TALE." -- Orlando Sentinel

Karen Kijewski: Honky Tonk Kat. Berkley Books, ISBN: 0425158608 (July, 1997), 355 p., $5.99.

Karen Kijewski: Honky Tonk Kat (UK 1996)

From the Publisher:
When PI Kat Colorado receives a cry for help from her childhood friend Cody Jones - better known as Dakota, the world famous Country and Western singer - she puts everything on hold and flies straight to Nashville. When it comes to a friend like Cody, nothing is too much trouble.

Someone has been sending Dakota anonymous letters, bouquets of dead roses and, most recently, a photograph of a coffin with 'the next one's for you" scrawled over it. Someone is trying to scare her to death. Delving into her friend's chequered life, Kat discovers it could be any one of a long list of shady characters who've crossed Dakota's path on her rise to fame; not least Cal Jenkins, her obnoxious ex-husband whose own singing career is in ruins.

Then Joni Ames, a vocalist who looks remarkably like Dakota, is shot dead. Kat knows she must act quickly, confronting painful truths from the past and the present, in order to save Dakota's life - and her own...

Don't miss Karen Kijewski's previous Kat Colorado mysteries, Katwalk, Katapult, Kat's Cradle, Copy Kat, Wild Kat and Alley Kat Blues, also available from Headline.

'An intriguing mystery' -- The Sunday Times
'Karen Kijewski... deserves to stand alongside writers such as Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky' -- Daily Mirror
'Hugely enjoyable' -- Daily Telegraph

Karen Kijewski: Honky Tonk Kat. A Kat Colorado Mystery. Headline, ISBN: 0747254745 (December, 1996), 374 p., £5.99.

Karen Kijewski: Honky Tonk Kat (USA 1996)

From the Publisher:
The formidable Kat Colorado, "the quintessential female P.I." (Booklist), comes to the aid of a childhood friend in Karen Kijewski's latest -- and best -- thriller, set against the backdrop of Nashville's country music scene.

In the age of tabloid TV, talk-show mania, and crazed paparazzi, it's hardly unusual to hear of a celebrity being harassed by an overzealous fan. But when superstar country entertainer Dakota Jones begins receiving threatening letters, then finds dead roses on her bed, she fears it's not the work of your run-of-the-mill kook. At Dakota's urging, Kat joins her friend's tour to investigate the case. Dakota's concerned, but Kat is genuinely scared -- she's seen this kind of thing before. As the pranks escalate into full-fledged violence, from explosions to murder, the threat to Dakota's personal safety becomes dire. Kat urges her friend to cut back on her performances and stay out of the limelight to protect herself and her crew.

Meanwhile, Kat digs deep into their shared past, searching for clues and a lead on possible suspects. There seems to be no shortage of potential stalkers, and even Dakota's extended family is not above Kat's scrutiny, especially when long-lost relations turn up like so much loose change. There's a mysterious cousin with designs on a music career of her own; a boy. friend whose interests are not entirely altruistic; and Dakota's ex-husband, a bitter alcoholic whose own career faded as her star began to rise. It appoars everyone has a claim to Dakota the celebrity-- and it's up to Kat to protect Dakota the woman, her friend.

Packed with the energy and excitement of the country music world and populated with a cast of richly drawn characters, Honky Tonk Kat explores the nature of fame, celebrity, and the meaning of friendship while treating fans to the roller-coaster ride of a lifetime.

Karen Kijewski is the triple award-winning author of six previous Kat Colorado thrillers, including Alley Kat Blues and Wild Kat. She lives in Sacramento, California.

Karen Kijewski: Honky Tonk Kat. Putnam's, ISBN: 0399141332 (June, 1996), 323 p., $22.95.