Well, I’m never a fan of giving unfavorable reviews, nor am I a fan of not finishing books. Unfortunately, this is what has happened when I attempted to read Cat in a Vegas Gold Vendetta by Carole Nelson Douglas. I usually write a little synopsis of the story to start off my reviews, but I’m not quite sure what to type here. There is a cat that is a detective and chats with other stray cats, a PR whiz that somehow turns into a detective, an ex-fiancée with no memory, and an actress with a kooky aunt. The actress hires Temple Barr to act as the detective and track down who killed her aunt’s handyman, and the cats help out. But then Temple has issues with her ex-fiancée Max, who was in a magic accident and has no memory of her. That’s about all I can do to sum it up. I don’t want to write a scathing review, I think this book simply wasn’t for me. I agreed to review it thinking it was more of a mystery book, and not some strange ode to cats. Within about four chapters, I was completely lost and was never able to get into the story or the characters, and ended up just scanning the rest.
“a strange ode to cats” — lovely line.
you are such a nice person, i know this was likely hard for you to write, but you are also honest, so you had to do it.
don’t worry — this book will get read. i work at the library — people will read ANYTHING with a cat on the cover.
You’re a good sport, Samantha! I’m sure the book will find an audience. I’m not much of a “cat” person, but the name of the book is interesting and the cover art is nice. Best of luck to the author!
Smiling at this exchange. Don’t cry for me . . . the Midnight Louie series has a long, large and loyal following and has had starred Publisher’s Weekly reviews and won awards. It’s a long-ongoing series like an ensemble TV series, and does indeed have a fantasy element in showing the secret lives of cats. It features an opening segment (like “Previously on West Wing” etc.) that explains who’s who and what’s what for new readers. I wonder if you found that, Samantha?
Anyway, it’s obviously not for you, Samantha! Thanks for reporting your reaction without rancor. Thanks for the good wishes, Laurel, and, yes, Jenny, the series has a strong library reader following.
Different folks, different tastes. If anyone’s interested in why readers love the series, this also came in my email today: http://www.squidoo.com/why-i-love-the-midnight-louie-series-by-carole-nelson-douglas
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Thanks Carol! I do think if I could have started at the beginning, maybe I would have caught on faster. But like we all know, not everything works for everyone. I appreciate the nice comments!