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The Amazon Store at MillionDollarPetPix.com ( In association with Amazon.com )Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter (Dixie Hemingway Mysteries, No. 1) - boredom killed the readerThere is an excellent plot in this book. However, the descriptions of the day to day running of a pet-sitting firm are endless and better suited to a guide to starting your own business(half a page devoted to how she logs entries of the daily activities of each pet) or a how-to book for pet care (another half page describing how to brush a cat). Some of Dixie's actions also make no sense. She walks into a client's house and finds that the bedroom has been tossed. She decides to feed the cat before calling 911. Anyone who's ever had the police respond to a burglar alarm knows the drill - get to a safe place because the intruders may still be in the house. But this veteran ex-cop takes the cat into the kitchen for breakfast. These incongruities pile up and become very irritating. Dixie is a likeable character and the assorted pets are loveable. Again, the underlying plot is interesting. However, better editing is needed. Rating:  - Throughly enjoyed this bookI have to say that for this to be the first book by this author, I truly enjoyed it. The main character, Dixie Hemingway, is very believable because she is experiencing many of the same issues that people face daily and yet know that life has to move forward, be it ever so slowly. The author provides enough information so that you can understand Dixie and her behavior and keeps the story moving at a pace that makes you never want to put the book down. The element of surprise in this book is great too. I was totally surprised by who the villian turned out to be. A great read! I suggest it to anyone that likes "cozies". Enjoy!!! Rating:  - Buy it if you own or love a cat!Other reviewers covered Blaize Clement's main character and plot quite nicely, so I won't in my review. I want to suggest Curiousity Killed the Cat Sitter because of the extraordinary insight that Blaize's main character, Dixie, displays towards animals, specifically cats. I've lived with cats for most of my 50 years and never quite "got them" like Dixie does! The portrayal of their moods and thoughts seems to be uncanningly accurate and adds tremendously to the story. Authors struggle to develop characters as well as Blaize develops the cats throughout this story! Oh, and the story and plot make for a great read even if you wouldn't give a hairball for cats! Enjoy! Rating: - A good start for a new writer!Kudos to Clement for choosing as her crime something fairly controversial. A first time writer, Clement selected a hate crime to revolve her story around. The story introduces widow Dixie Hemingway who is somehow able to sustain a living as a pet sitter. Dixie is a woman who definately does better with animals than humans, but as a former deputy sheriff, she feels compelled to solve the mystery surrounding the death of one of her clients. Clement avoids quirky characters and instead surrounds Dixie with walking wounded. We meet a sensitive pianist who's bound for Juilliard and has a secret he must keep from his parents and one of her confidents is a waitress who has rarely seen a kind side of a man. She also avoids the trap of setting up a romance for her wounded widow character - we're introduced to a handful of possibilities, but nothing is certain. Dixie tells the reader repeatedly that she's not too sure about a new relationship having lost both her husband and daughter just a few years ago. However, she responds to a couple of men who may end up being the new one in her life. My only real complaint is minor: we spend way too much time learning how Dixie is a wiz at interpreting animal behavior. By the end of the novel, the reader is almost a pro at knowing what all the different meows are that a cat can make...and what breed of cats are friendly and what ones are stand-offish. It's obvious that Clement did her homework - something that I rarely find in a first time novelist - and she does offer some restraint, it's just it makes some scenes a little long when we learn all the different ways a cat likes to be brushed. Rating: - Good first in a seriesMs Clement uses a believable premise, humor and serious life situations to weave an intriguing tangle for her readers to work through. Her plot complications are enough to keep you interested without being frustrating--you want to hurry through it, not yell at the author to get to the point--and the Florida setting is very appealing.
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