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Karen Kijewski

Author of Katwalk

10+ Works 2,368 Members 22 Reviews 2 Favorited

About the Author

Karen Kijewski grew up in Berkeley, California, surrounded by books. Her earliest memories were of toddling behind her mother as they headed to the library. Kijewski majored in English in college and then went on to teach English at Brookline High School in Massachusetts, but she eventually left show more teaching to fulfill her lifelong calling as a writer. For eight years after becoming a full-time writer, Kijewski worked as a bartender at night to supplement her income. During this period, she completed four manuscripts, all of which she submitted to New York publishing houses, but it was with her fifth manuscript that Kijewski became a published author. The winner of St Martin's "The Best First Private Eye Novel of the Year Contest," Kijewski's first book, Katwalk, was the basis for her successful Kat Colorado Series thrillers. The principal character in Kijewski's nine-book series, Kat Colorado, is a private detective in Sacramento, California. Some of the books in the series include Katwalk, Katapult, Kat's Cradle, and Stray Kat Waltz. Kijewski uses real-life experiences, past and present, to make her novels realistic and identifiable. Kijewski's seventh novel in the series, Honky Tonk Kat, is set in Nashville and California and was researched in Nashville and on tour with country music star Lari White. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: Charr Crail

Series

Works by Karen Kijewski

Katwalk (1988) 318 copies
Kat's Cradle (1992) 288 copies
Copy Kat (1992) 274 copies
Honky Tonk Kat (1996) 266 copies
Alley Kat Blues (1995) 255 copies
Wild Kat (1994) 254 copies
Stray Kat Waltz (1998) 248 copies
Kat Scratch Fever (1997) 237 copies
Katapult (1990) 227 copies

Associated Works

The Mysterious West (1994) — Contributor — 226 copies
Sisters in Crime 5 (1992) — Contributor — 82 copies
Sisters in Crime 3 (1990) — Contributor — 79 copies
Spannend trio (1997) — Contributor — 2 copies

Tagged

Common Knowledge

Members

Reviews

The 1980s and 1990s saw a surge of books featuring capable, strong, independent and immensely self-reliant female private investigators, such as Sara Paretsky’s V I Warshawki, Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone, and Linda Barnes’s Carlotta Carlyle.

A less well-known member of that group is Karen Kijewski’s Kat Colorado, based in Sacrmento. This book marked her first appearance in 1989, and followed her to Las Vegas to discover what a friend’s soon-to-be-ex-husband has done with a significant portion of her divorce settlement. Kat finds herself immersed in a world of dodgy property developments.

The plot was well put together, and included what seemed to be a very clever, and seemingly plausible, money laundering scheme (always of interest to a former tax inspector). I did feel, however, that the tone of the novel had not aged well. What might well have been seen as feistily feminist at the time now seems almost to be affirming male chauvinist views. Still, I enjoyed the story, although I doubt if I will go back to dig out any others from the series.
… (more)
 
Flagged
Eyejaybee | 2 other reviews | Oct 17, 2023 |
Hank dead, Kat persuaded to help "abused" woman
 
Flagged
ritaer | 1 other review | Jul 5, 2021 |
country star threatened
 
Flagged
ritaer | 3 other reviews | Jul 5, 2021 |
Kat Colorado tracks killer while losing Hank
 
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ritaer | 2 other reviews | Jun 4, 2021 |

Awards

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Associated Authors

Rick Lovell Cover artist

Statistics

Works
10
Also by
4
Members
2,368
Popularity
#10,841
Rating
½ 3.6
Reviews
22
ISBNs
61
Languages
6
Favorited
2

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