Published by: Ingrid King. Last Updated on: February 1, 2023 by Crystal Uys
I first discovered Blaize Clement’s Dixie Hemingway series when the cover of the first book in the series, Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter, caught my eye. Dixie Hemingway is a pet sitter who lives on one of the Florida keys – just based on those two pieces of information, I had a feeling I was going to thoroughly enjoy the series, and I wasn’t disappointed. I’ve since read the entire series, and I was eagerly awaiting The Cat Sitter’s Pajamas.
From the publisher:
Blaize’s beloved heroine Dixie Hemingway is back for another adventure, and she has her hands full when the worlds of celebrity hijinks, counterfeit fashion, and naughty cats collide.
Dixie Hemingway, no relation to you-know-who, accepts a job taking care of famous linebacker Cupcake Trillin’s cats, Elvis and Lucy, while he’s away. But what seems like an easy job turns scary when Dixie finds a celebrity fashion model in Cupcake’s house. The woman refuses to leave AND she also claims to be Cupcake’s wife. But Dixie has met Cupcake’s wife, and this woman certainly isn’t her.
Soon, Dixie is spun into the world of counterfeit high fashion. When a valuable list of fake merchandise sellers goes missing, the criminals go after Dixie. Once again, what started as a simple cat-sitting job has turned into a mess that only Dixie can solve.
The book delivers everything promised in this introduction. My favorite part about reading series mysteries is always the development of the main character, and Clement does this well. When we left Dixie in the last book, her love interest had moved away, and we now find her struggling with whether she made the right decision by not following him. I don’t want to give anything away, but let’s just say I was rooting for Dixie to stay in the Florida keys beachfront slice of paradise she lives in. I really love that these books always seem to come out in the middle of winter, when reading anything set in a warm climate makes a book an even better reading experience. You’ll have to read the book to find out more about Dixie’s love life.
This book will delight mystery and cat lovers alike. It was hard to put down and I would recommend not starting it until you have a good chunk of time available for uninterrupted reading.
You’ll enjoy the book without having read any of the previous ones in the series, but I encourage you to put the entire series on your reading list.
Blaize Clement is the author of Curiosity Killed the Cat Sitter, Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund, Cat Sitter on a Hot Tin Roof, Even Cat Sitters Get the Blues, and Raining Cat Sitters and Dogs. Blaize passed away last year. The Cat Sitter’s Pajamas is the last in the Dixie Hemingway series written in full by Blaize herself – she was still working on it the week before she died. Her son John Clement will continue the series, the next book will come out in January 2013. For more information about Blaize, and her books, please visit her website.
About the author
Ingrid King is an award-winning author, former veterinary hospital manager, and veterinary journalist who is passionate about cats.
I never miss a new Dixie Hemingway. I didn’t realize she had died. I hope her son can do as good a job.
How sad. I didn’t know she had passed. I had recently found the books and had read a few but I was “saving” the rest so I could savor them.
Thanks for the review. We are huge Blaize Clement fans over here and were saddened when she passed away. It’s so wonderful that her son is going to keep on writing them.
pawhugs, Max
I’m really happy that John is continuing the series, too, Max.