Bad Kitty by Michele Jaffe

Bad Kitty is a quirky mystery that in no way should be taken seriously. The characters are completely out there, as are the situations they find themselves in. Overall this book is just a fun distraction.

Jas is on vacation in Las Vegas on the annual family trip with her obnoxious cousin Alyson and Alyson's best friend Veronique. Jas has a history of finding trouble and this trip is no exception when a cat jumps on her lap and somehow results in the destruction of a wedding and her family being kicked out of the hotel. That is, of course, until the Hollywood star cat owner intervenes and allows them to stay. When Jas becomes friends with the Hollywood star's son (Fred), a mystery develops in her attempts to protect the boy from someone sent to possibly kill him in connection to his father who is an escaped murderer. It becomes a little more complicated when the boy of her dreams, Jack, shows up and might be the one trying to hurt Fred. Soon someone's trying to kill Jas and her best friends show up and try to help her solve the mystery.

This novel, like I said, is a little over the top. Alyson and Veronique are the typical ditz, spouting such lines as "That was so Mastercard," meaning priceless, and wearing outfits that match their bubblegum. When her best friends (Tom, Roxy, and Polly) show up, you have a character obsessed with aliens (Roxy) and a fashionista who loves to Bedazzle and destroy Jas' wardrobe(Polly). Jas is a whole extreme character in herself, making a homemade fingerprinting kit and stealing a limo among her many escapades. Sometimes the situations are a little much to swallow and other times they're fun. One thing that got annoying were the footnotes, or side conversations between the characters. Sometimes they had useful information, but other times they were just dramatic tangents that became irritating as they kept appearing. True, they sound like a regular conversation between teenage girls (the conversations are realistic) but they were a distraction that we could have done without.

This is a story that cannot be taken seriously. If you want a true mystery thriller, this is not it. This is a humorous mystery that involves plenty of eye rolls, "yeah-right" moments, and laughs. The characters may be fun and quirky, but some of the situations and reactions might get on your nerves if you're looking for something with more depth. Give it a shot, though, if you want something amusing. For another review on this novel, see July 12, 2007.
MMK