The Bottom Line: A mystery should be suspenseful. There should be intrigue, excitement, and some surprises. You won't find any of that here.
I love a good mystery. One that has me questioning everything, wondering "who did it", and keeping me on my toes, expecting a twist or a turn every time I flip the page. Sadly, Katwalk was a major disappointment. Don't get me wrong. There was a crime, and there was an investigator trying to get the real story. But there was absolutely nothing exciting, surprising, suspenseful, or intriguing about it.
Basic Plot
Kat Colorado is a private investigator. Her best friend, Charity, is an advice columnist. Charity's going through a nasty divorce, and $200,000 is missing. Her soon-to-be ex-husband claims he lost it gambling, but she suspects he's "hidden" it somewhere. She hires Kat to find the funds. Kat quickly discovers that Sam's in over his head with a money-laundering scheme. And it must be huge, because as Kat continues to dig, people around her start dying.
Thumbs Up
This book has a very cute style. Remember I told you that Charity is an advice columnist? Well, each chapter starts with a short letter, like you would find in any advice column, with Charity's advice-filled response. The letters and responses give the reader a clue about what's about to happen in that chapter. One letter is about proper etiquette during a business dinner. Sure enough, Kat has a dinner meeting during that chapter. Another letter talks about being able to keep a secret, and a secret comes into play in that chapter. I found this technique to be very cute.
The characters are very well developed. Even though it's a short book (only 232 pages), you get a very good feel for the characters. This is important to me; I want to feel like I understand the characters, especially their motives when they do bad things. Along the way, Kat picks up a new boyfriend, Hank. Hank seems to be overly protective of Kat. But we very quickly learn his tragic background, giving us an understanding of why he feels as he does. Without that understanding, I would just find him annoying.
Thumbs Down
So, what went wrong? Well, this story is just way too simple. What you see is exactly what you get. Don't worry about someone not being all they're cracked up to be. Don't worry about any red herrings. Don't worry about any surprises. None of these things make an appearance in this story. It is straight-forward as can be. Put another way - it's BORING.
The other problem is that Kat's not a very likable character. She's sarcastic, reckless, and just plain dumb. She agrees to meet dangerous people who want her dead, without any backup. She follows a suspect into a deserted house, at night, with no weapon. After a major accident she checks herself out of a hospital long before she's ready and re-injures herself in the process. She's just not too bright. I had a lot of trouble caring about her, or sympathizing with her plight.
Overall
Skip it!
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