Karen Kijewski: Katwalk (UK 1994)

From the Publisher:
Winner of the Best First Private Eye Novel of the Year Award
'Amusing, lively and entertaining throughout' Times Literary Supplement

Budding private eye Kat Colorado gets more than she bargained for when her best friend Charity asks her to investigate a claim that Charity's soon-to-be-ex-husband Sam has lost their divorce settlement in the Vegas casinos. What starts out as a favour to a friend rapidly turns into a deadly pursuit as Kat reveals a brilliant money-laundering scheme, strong-arm political tactics and a casino-skimming operation. But how could Sam have become involved? And will he manage to extricate himself before Kat - with the help of Hank, the dreamy hunk of a cop - blows his cover...?

Don't miss Kat's adventures in COPY KAT, available from Headline

'A tantalizing, rewarding tale' -- Publishers Weekly
'A seamless syncopation of sleuth and setting that will have mystery buffs recalling Grafton and Paretsky' -- Booklist

Karen Kijewski: Katwalk. A Kat Colorado Mystery. In the bestselling tradition of Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky. Headline, ISBN: 0747242119 (January, 1994), 232 p., £4.50.

Karen Kijewski: Katwalk (USA 1990)

From the Publisher:
Meet Kat Colorado, a thirty-something California P.l. with nerves of steel and a passion for tipping the scales of justice in the right direction.

A KAT WITH NINE LIVES
Kat's friend Charity Collins dispenses hard-hitting advice in her syndicated column, "Consult Charity," but when her estranged husband, Sam, depletes their common funds by $200,000, Charity turns to Kat Colorado for help.

Nobody believes that Sam dropped the big bucks at the gambling tables, so Kat takes off for Vegas ir search of the truth... and Charity's half of the money. Following Sam through a trail of glitz and grime leads right into a rats' nest of sleazy real estate deals, heavy-hitting mobsters, and contract killings. But Kat's not about to back off, even though prowling the low life has put her right at the top of the syndicate hit list.

"Sam Spade gets competition... the lady private eye uses her wits to wriggle out of the tight spots the macho-types blast and brawl their way through." Sue Gilmore, Sacramento Union

"Kat Colorado is sure to win the hearts of mystery fans." -- Publishers Weekly

Karen Kijewski: Katwalk. Winner of the Private Eye Writers of America Best First Private Eye Novel Award. Introducing Kat Colorado, P.I. - A curious cat... with the smarts to stay alive. Avon Books, ISBN: 0380711877 (September, 1990), 232 p., $3.50.

Karen J. Kijewski: Katwalk (UK 1989)

From the Publisher:
Kat Colorado, a feisty but small-time Private Eye, gets more than she bargained for, and loves it. Her best friend Charity's soon-to-be-ex-husband Sam, under the pressures of Californian divorce law, claims to have lost $200,000 in the Vegas casinos. Kat's job is to find out if Sam's on the level.

What begins as a somewhat mellow investigation rapidly takes several horrific twists. Kat's snooping reveals a brilliant money-laundering scheme, strong-arm political tactics, and a casino-skimming operation, all headed by a bizarre madman. How could Sam have got himself involved in all this? And how's he going to weasel out?

Katwalk is a taut, compelling mystery, replete with memorable, though not always desirable, characters. There is Deck, a childhood friend turned leg-breaker for the Vegas gangsters; Hellman, the mealy-mouthed realtor who happens to be on the city planning board; Hank, the dreamy hunk of a cop and Kat's personal bodyguard, and Don Howard, the perverse mastermind.

A graduate from the University of California, KAREN KIJEWSKI taught high-school English for almost ten years. After leaving teaching to write, she writes during the day and works as a bartender at night. Karen Kijewski lives in Citrus Heights, Northern California.

Karen J. Kijewski: Katwalk. Winner of the Best First Private Eye Novel Contest 1989. Macmillan, ISBN: 0333517911 (October, 1989), 232 p., £10.95.

Karen Kijewski: Katwalk (USA 1989)

From the Publisher:
Meet Kat Colorado, a thirty-something California P.l. with nerves of steel and a passion for tipping the scales of justice in the right direction.

A KAT WITH NINE LIVES
Kat Colorado's friend Charity Collins advises thousands of readers of her syndicated column, "Consult Charity." She can't handle her own problems, though. When Sam, her soon-to-be ex-husband, claims to have lost $200,000 of their joint money at the Las Vegas tables, she begs Kat, a private investigator by trade, to see if he's telling the truth. The search takes Kat to the Nevada gambling town, and right away she discovers Deck, a former high-school classmate in their Sacramento hometown who now seems to have questionable connections; a link between Charity's Sam and a group of influential and somehow ominous real estate operators; and a dead blonde on the floor of the Glitterdome powder room.

Kat doggedly follows Sam's trail through the glitz of the gambling capital, and the more she learns, the greater the danger she -- and an assortment of others -- are in. There is another murder; there are a lot of frightened people -- but Kat is not one of them. Her new-found friends, a knowledgeable and likeable Las Vegas newspaperman and his warm-hearted wife, can't keep Kat from taking dangerous chances, and neither can the personable police detective whom she is beginning to like very much indeed. Kat is determined to see through to the end this case that has gone so far beyond Charity's original problem. Kat is indomitable. And Kat nearly gets killed.

KAREN KIJEWSKI lives near Sacramento, in Citrus Heights, California. This is her first published book, and it is the winner of the Private Eye Writers of America's Best First Private Eye Novel Contest of 1988.

Karen Kijewski: Katwalk. A Mystery. Thomas Dunne Books / St. Martin's Press, ISBN: 0312029691 (July, 1989), 232 p., $16.95.