Sun 24 Jul 2011
Review: KAREN KIJEWSKI – Kat’s Cradle.
Posted by Steve under Authors , Bibliographies, Lists & Checklists , Characters , Reviews[14] Comments
KAREN KIJEWSKI – Kat’s Cradle. Doubleday, hardcover, March 1992. Bantam, paperback, December 1992.
Throughout the decade she was active, the 1990s, Karen Kijewski was a prolific and well-regarded mystery writer. She won or was nominated for several awards, and she seemed to be doing well sales-wise. Living in northern California at the time, and perhaps still, she seems to slipped off the map since her final book (so far), Stray Kat Waltz (1998), the ninth adventure for her female PI character, Kat Colorado.
I admit to being optimistic to adding the parenthetical phrase (so far) in that line above. It’s been 13 years since that last outing, though, so I’d have to agree that the chances are slim to none that we’ll ever see another entry in the series. Someone once suggested to me that when her contract ran out and wasn’t renewed, she decided to call it quits, but as I say, that’s only hearsay, if not an out and out and totally wild guess.
In Cradle Kat is hired by a young heiress, Paige Morell, whose strong-willed (i.e., domineering) grandmother has just died. She never knew her parents, and she wants Kat to find out more about them. While she takes the job, Kat knows that digging around in the past may bring up more than her client might want to know, but convincing her of that is another story. (And not this one.)
Her client also appears more than a tog unstable, with many emotional ups and downs as the story goes along. Under the circumstances, it’s nothing very surprising, but it also becomes clear that there’s several important things she’s not telling. Otherwise the case seems straightforward enough, but not so. It turns out to be a thoroughly exhausting affair for Kat, both physically and otherwise.
That Kat is unable to establish on her part an emotional distance away from the case she’s on is part of the problem. This is Ross Macdonald territory, not Hammett, but Kat is no Lew Archer, who often observes but fails to get involved himself.
Besides the investigation she finds herself an integral part of, in more ways than one, she allows her relationship with Hank, her close cop friend who lives in Las Vegas – which is more than a short hike from the Sacramento area, her base of operations – to wither away.
Let’s change that last phrase to something more akin to “actively pushes away.†My feeling is that PI’s should not allow themselves to become romantically involved with clients, suspects, or suspects’ families and friends, nor can you always foresee what will happen on the rebound. There’s more than enough of a hint here to tell you what I found as a fatal flaw to this book’s telling, and you should immediately forget I said anything, if you ever intend to read this book.
In any case, it was obviously Karen Kijewski’s intent to write a wrenching tale of dysfunctional family relationships, and that is exactly what she did. Kat is lucky to have escaped alive, in more ways than one.
The Kat Colorado series:
1. Katwalk (1988)
2. Katapult (1990)
3. Kat’s Cradle (1991)
4. Copy Kat (1992)
5. Wild Kat (1994)
6. Alley Kat Blues (1995)
7. Honky Tonk Kat (1996)
8. Kat Scratch Fever (1997)
9. Stray Kat Waltz (1998)
July 25th, 2011 at 6:35 am
I think Kijewski was another author that Barry and I disagreed on, as I believe (as far as my memory goes, which in this case is ‘vaguely’) that he liked her books.
I didn’t. I read the first book (KATWALK) because Barry liked it but I found Kat Colorado to be a tiresome, stupid character and I didn’t want to read any more about her and her equally annoying entourage.
If I’m going to invest my time and effort (and sometimes money) into a series the protagonist better be someone I’d like to spend time with. If not, I’m not interested. There are many highly regarded writers I won’t name here who fall off my radar because I dislike their hero(ine).
July 25th, 2011 at 9:59 am
The key to all successful series fiction in any format, be it books,TV, movies, or whatever, is the character(s) is(are) likable.
Has there ever been a successful series of noir novels featuring the same anti-hero?
July 25th, 2011 at 12:19 pm
Jeff
If you didn’t care for Kat Colorado as a character, why don’t you come right out and say so?
All seriousness aside, I know exactly what you mean. While I didn’t find CRADLE unreadable by any means, there were times when I found Kat and her inner circle of family and friends pushing my limits, too — not to mention her rather unorthodox approach to crime-solving. (I hinted at this in my review.)
July 25th, 2011 at 12:25 pm
Michael
Good question. I’m not going to commit myself to an answer off the top of my head. I’ll think about this for a while.
It’s the term “anti-hero” that’s the key here, not so much “noir,” even though it’s the latter that seems to have never been adequately defined.
Is Sam Spade an anti-hero? Philip Marlowe?
How about Dexter of both book and TV fame? Hannibal Lecter? Or are they only villains?
The most famous anti-hero to me is Harry Flashman, but his books are not mysteries, much less noir.
More questions than answers, I’m afraid.
July 25th, 2011 at 6:37 pm
Found a series featuring a anti-hero noir series. Christa Faust’s Angel Dare (MONEY SHOT and CHOKE HOLD).
July 25th, 2011 at 8:44 pm
Another series anti-hero character that I’ve thought of since my earlier comment is Ripley, in the books by Patricia Highsmith, but that Dexter fellow seems to be awfully popular today. I’ve never seen the TV show nor read any of the books. Nor either of Christa Faust’s books.
July 25th, 2011 at 9:22 pm
Both the Faust books were published by Hard Case Crime. I have read MONEY SHOT and recommend it highly for 50s noir fans. Faust may be a beautiful young woman and a modern day writer, but her writing is worthy of the old Men Adventure books from the 50s-60s.
July 26th, 2011 at 3:53 am
Doesn’t Angel Dare come out a winner? Many think that noir characters don’t do that.
But Richard Aleas’s (Charles Ardai of Hard Case Crime) John Blake PI novels do count as a noir series. It’s a two-book series, but still.
July 26th, 2011 at 9:20 am
MONEY SHOT has a noir ending that surprised me. Angel is more likable than most noir characters but nearly all the other elements of noir are in MONEY SHOT.
If you enjoy noir, from old paperbacks to movies, Christa’s website is worth a visit.
http://www.christafaust,com
July 26th, 2011 at 9:21 am
KATWALK was the very first book I was sent to review by the Daily Telegraph here in the UK in 1989. I have to say that after a healthy diet of Sarah Paretsky and Sue Grafton, my heart fell when I read it. I too had problems with the central character, though I admit that Warshawski and Millhone were hard acts to follow.
July 26th, 2011 at 3:11 pm
“…I admit that Warshawski and Millhone were hard acts to follow.”
Absolutely true, Mike, twice over. But there’s always the best of the next best, and as much as I’d like to say otherwise, I can’t fit Kat Colorado in there either. As far as female PI’s are concerned, she’s somewhere in the middle of the bell-shaped curve, neither “must reading” nor drop dead mediocre either.
July 26th, 2011 at 7:28 pm
I’m late to the party as usual, but to answer Mike’s question in the #2 box, the very first one that comes to my mind would be the “Parker” novels by Stark. Certainly antihero and MOST certainly successfull!
July 26th, 2011 at 9:50 pm
Paul, Parker is the best answer to my pretty dumb question. I can’t believe I forgot him.
May 16th, 2013 at 2:06 pm
Just read Kat’s Cradle – first time reading Karen Kijewski. Must say I was disappointed – it read like a third rate, teeny bopper movie —— too much noise; too much confusion and some very annoying characters.