The Recommended Reading Order for Kat Colorado
For readers diving into the world of Sacramento private investigator Kat Colorado, the best path forward is simple: read the books in their original publication order. Author Karen Kijewski structured the series with a strong focus on Kat's personal evolution, her shifting relationships, and the psychological weight she carries from case to case. Reading them sequentially ensures you experience her character arc, including her romance with police detective Hank Parker and the lingering trauma of past investigations, exactly as intended.
The Complete Kat Colorado Bibliography
- Katwalk (1989) – Kat's award-winning debut takes her to Las Vegas to check on the suspicious finances of a friend's husband, only to drag her into a dangerous money-laundering scheme.
- Katapult (1990) – The stakes hit close to home when Kat investigates the stabbing death of her cousin Johnny at a local Sacramento cafe, uncovering a web of family betrayal.
- Copy Kat (1992) – Haunting guilt from a past killing forces Kat to reflect on her career. She goes undercover as a bartender in Grass Valley, California, to solve the murder of a beloved local business owner.
- Kat's Cradle (1992) – Hired by a young woman seeking the truth about her parentage, Kat uncovers dark, decades-old family secrets and greed hidden deep within the California Delta.
- Wild Kat (1994) – After pulling a man from a burning car wreckage, Kat is hired to protect his wife and finds herself acting as a bodyguard for a corporate whistleblower.
- Alley Kat Blues (1995) – Kat investigates the tragic hit-and-run death of a young woman, a case that quickly escalates into a lethal game of cat and mouse on the streets of Sacramento.
- Honky Tonk Kat (1996) – Traveling to Nashville, Kat acts as a bodyguard for her childhood friend Dakota Jones, a rising country music star targeted by a malicious stalker.
- Kat Scratch Fever (1997) – When a prominent local attorney dies by suicide, Kat uncovers an active blackmail ring targeting wealthy citizens, putting herself and her loved ones in the extortionist's crosshairs.
- Stray Kat Waltz (1998) – In the final novel of the series, Kat is hired by a woman who believes her husband is trying to murder her, leading to a suspenseful investigation that tests Kat's resilience.
Chronological vs. Publication Order Caveats
Because the events of the series take place in real-time, there is no separate chronological timeline. However, readers may encounter minor cataloging discrepancies regarding the release dates of the early books. Some databases list Katwalk as published in 1988 due to early copyright registration, though its official commercial release was in 1989. Similarly, Copy Kat and Kat's Cradle were both published in 1992. Some older printing lists place Copy Kat ahead of Kat's Cradle, while other catalogs reverse them. Rest assured, reading either third or fourth will not disrupt your understanding of the narrative, though reading them in the standard list order (with Copy Kat third) is the most common path.
What to Know Before You Start
Karen Kijewski's series stands alongside the works of Sue Grafton and Sara Paretsky as a classic representation of the late-1980s and 1990s female private eye boom. Kat Colorado is a distinct protagonist; she isn't a former cop, but a former bartender and advice columnist. This background gives her a unique capacity for empathy and an ability to get suspects to lower their guard. Readers should prepare for a distinct 1990s atmosphere, where investigations rely on physical legwork, paper records, payphones, and landlines rather than modern digital forensics and smartphones.
Additionally, while Kijewski contributed short stories to generic mystery anthologies, none of these stories featured Kat Colorado. The character's adventures are strictly limited to the nine published novels, with no spin-offs, co-authored extensions, or companion guides.