A Cat with a Fiddle

In this sixth Alice Nestleton mystery, Adamson's ( A Cat of a Different Color ) amateur sleuth returns to solve the brutal murder-by-chisel of a string quartet's egomaniacal accompanist. Nestleton, an actress and part-time cat sitter, is dejected by harsh reviews of her latest performance, so she jumps at the chance to leave New York City to deliver Lulu, a Scottish Fold cat, to her owner, a violinist on retreat at an artists colony in the Berkshires. Alice and Lulu are treated to an indifferent reception from the arrogant members of the world-famous Riverside String Quartet and their equally pompous entourage minus one--the freshly murdered pianist Will Gryder. Already an unpopular figure, Gryder had a plan to dish the dirt in his upcoming tell-all book about the quartet, which makes for no shortage of suspects wishing to plant him six feet underground. Relying on past sleuthing experience and the reluctant help of the local police, Nestleton sets into motion her plan to trap the killer. Oddly both farfetched and predictable, this cat mystery is probably best left in the bag. (May)