Stray Kat Waltz - Hardcover

Sara Bernard, a battered wife who fears for her life, pleads with Kat to take her case. Kat refuses at first, fleeing to Tahoe for a reprieve from her pain. Gradually, however, Kat cannot resist Sara's determination to escape from her policeman-husband, Jed. She tutors Sara in the subtleties of disguise and evasion. But, when Kat meets Jed, the story becomes even more complicated. Jed insists that he has never harmed his wife, and all of his colleagues on the police force back him up.

Kijewski unfolds a shifting tale that directs and misdirects the reader, and early uncertainties in character are thoroughly resolved by the carefully twisted plot. All the while, Kijewski explores the web of deception that inevitably surrounds the hot-button topic of spousal abuse. The acerbic dialogue of the earlier Kat adventures is still here, as well as a few steamy dream sequences that punctuate the early grimness. New readers will also want to read Kat Scratch Fever to ground themselves in Ms. Colorado and her relationships. Other books in the series available in paperback include Alley Kat Blues, Copy Kat, Honky Tonk Kat, Kat's Cradle, Katapult, Katwalk, and Wild Kat. --Patrick O'Kelley