Mystery Women Authors
Lydia Adamson
Biography
Who is Lydia Adamson? The cover notes on her books just say "Lydia Adamson is the pseudonym of a noted New York mystery author."
According to the Library of Congress, Lydia Adamson is really Franklin B. (Frank) King (1936- ) -- not to be confused with Frank King (1892-1958), who also wrote mysteries.
Books
Alice Nestleton Mystery Series
A Cat on a Bus
On
a crosstown bus, Alice finds herself the witness to a senseless multiple homicide,
perpetrated by a bizarre killer who leaves her cat behind. (From Amazon.com
synopsis)
For once, everything seems to be going Alice Nestleton’s way. She has a good role in a television series that looks like it is going to be picked up by the network and she has a new beau who is also starring in the same series. She is on a bus taking her to her favorite department store when a non-descript lady holding a shopping bag and a cat starts firing at everyone. People are killed but the woman escapes. Shortly after Alice gives her testimony to the police. RETRO, the Cold Case Division of NYPD, offer Alice a six week lucrative contract to investigate a possible link between the bus shooting and a similar incident that happened three years ago. Try as she might she can’t uncover a connection but she must be doing something right because Tony Basillio gets knifed in her darkened apartment. More affected by Tony’s pain than she expected, Alice puts a plan in motion to flush out the killer. A CAT ON THE BUS is a delightful cozy that stars an intrepid heroine who likes adversity better than peace and harmony. Though why RETRO hired Alice is questionable, her bumbling investigation leads to connections that make the plot more credible. For the first time Alice does some soul searching to decide what she really wants and then goes after it. Lydia Adamson scores again with this winning mystery. Harriet Klausner
Published Signet 2002
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A Cat Named Brat
New York actress and cat-sitting sleuth Alice Nestleton sets out to solve the
murder of a nightlife journalist. (From Amazon.com synopsis)
Published Signet; 2002
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A Cat with No Clue
When actress and amateur sleuth Alice Nestleton whips up an anniversary meal
for her actor friends, the happy couple just die-of food poisoning. The only
witnesses are the couple's two little kittens. Definitely cute, but certainly
not viable on the witness stand. Which means that Alice is the prime suspect.
And while the actor in Alice may love the spotlight, this is not the kind of
attention she needs...
Published Signet; 2001
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A Cat with the Blues
Alice
Nestleton is cat-sitting a beautiful Russian Blue - who also happens to be the
center of a raging custody battle. Sidney and Beatrice Woburn are fighting over
Frenchy, and just about everything else...so Alice, at the request of the lawyers,
is keeping the cat company in the couple's luxurious high-rise apartment. But
this profitable job is turning perilous. First, Alice narrowly escapes death
while buying cat food at a nearby bodega. Then the building's doorman turns
up dead, allegedly the victim of a mugging. And finally, Frenchy disappears,
sending his erstwhile sitter on a nose-to-the-ground hunt for a catnapper -
and, maybe, a killer...
Published Signet; 2000
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A Cat of One's Own
The
perfect read for cat and mystery lovers alike, the latest addition to the Alice
Nestleton series centers on a two-toned cat named Jake. The cat-sitting actress's
latest adventure begins innocuously enough when her old friend Amanda asks her
help in selecting a feline companion for her Gordon setter. While the shelter
workers warn that Jake will be nothing but trouble, Amanda and her setter insist
on taking him home immediately. When Jake is cat-napped and Amanda's rescue
attempt has fatal results, Alice decides she must turn to sleuthing once more.
Up to her neck in a cryptic array of clues, a cast of cunning killers, and a
cat worth more than she thinks, Alice is sure of only one thing-- this time
her curiosity might well cost her her life...
Published Signet; 1999
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A Cat on Stage Left
Alice
has her suspicions when a woman named Mary Singer offers to pay her $2,500 to
board a cat named Dante. With her bank account nearly bare, Alice says yes.
No sooner does Mary arrive in a luxurious limo to drop off her pet than she
is shoved out of the car - and shot to death right in front of Alice's horrified
eyes. And the cat in the carrier? It's just a stuffed toy. With the police baffled,
Alice feels duty-bound to lend a hand. She joins up with a neighbor of the dead
woman, a hard-bitten old pulp writer named Sam Tully, the current caretaker
of Mary Singer's pet, an exotic Bengal cat known as Pickles. Aided by Tully,
Alice is stunned to discover that Mary Singer's past eerily intersects with
her own. Now all Alice has to do is stay alive long enough to let the cat out
of the bag.
Published Signet; 1999
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A Cat on Jungle Bell Rock
When
a Manhattan homeless shelter's generous annual anonymous donation fails to arrive,
board member Jack contacts popular series sleuth/actress/cat-sitter Alice Nestleton
for help. Two behind-the-scenes manipulators steer her in different directions?one
away from the truth, the other toward it?so she jumps to several embarrassing
conclusions before connecting the donor's murder with the suicide of another
board member. Several cats and Alice's lover, Tony, inspire Alice and amuse
readers. No padding here - just smooth prose and a clever plot.
Published Signet; 1998
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A Cat on Beach Blanket
Alice
Nestleton - a beautiful off-broadway star who pays her bills by cat-sitting
between stage roles - has a special talent for detection. She's as crafty as
Miss Marple, as ingenious as Hercule Poirot, and as cunning as...well, a cat.
Now Alice is adding housesitting to her resume as she heads for a seaside mansion
in the Hamptons. Fateful events begin with Alice attending a poetry reading
at a neighboring beach house. Liquor is flowing, bon mots are being bandied,
and recitations are offered by a lecherous local artist, an unpublished cookbook
writer, a flamboyant hostess, a pretty poet, and a rich novelist. The evening
ends with a bang when a booby-trapped car blows the poet to kingdom come - and
Alice into the role of prime suspect. While Alice knows the police are digging
in the wrong litter box, she's determined to find out who made the poet go to
pieces. Her only clue is a bell-wearing feral cat she saw shortly before the
explosion. Yet everyone denies the cat exists. Then a second killing and threats
against her own life convince Alice to trap the culprit by "belling the cat"
in a risky scheme. Now all Alice needs to stay alive is to know the right time
to pounce.
Published Signet; 1998
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A Cat in a Chorus Line
Budding
actress/amateur sleuth Alice Nestleton discovers that life on the big stage
can be murder. And once again, she must depend on a beautiful cat to lead her
to the culprit--before the final curtain on her life!
Published Signet; 1996.
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A Cat under the Mistletoe
Fast,
short paragraphs hasten the pace of Adamson's latest. Alice Nestleton, aspiring
actress and sometime catsitter, discovers the body of a successful but stingy
cat therapist. When her current beau, Aaron the cop, remarks on a similar modus
operandi some ten years earlier, Alice cannot resist reverting to sleuthing
mode. She careens around New York, interrogates likely cat owners and the victim's
estranged younger husband, and finally identifies a murderer. Lightweight adventure,
plucky heroine, standard city surrounds; a good choice.
Published Signet; 1997
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A Cat on a Winning Streak
Alice's
latest acting job is a stint for a casino promotion in Atlantic City. A beautiful
feline leads Alice to the nasty scene of Adele Houghton slashed to death and
her roommate, Carmella, standing there covered in blood. Alice is ready to bet
that the real murderer did in Adele in order to steal her legendary dice-charming
cat.
Published Signet; 1995
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A Cat on the Cutting Edge
When
sleuth Alice Nestleton has her cat Pancho taken to his nail-cutting appointment,
she doesn't know she's about to enter a very foreign and violent world--a world
made up of murder, aging Bohemian anarchists and secret buried treasure.
Published Signet; 1994
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A Cat in Fine Style
Unable
to resist investigating the death of a New York fashion designer, actress, model,
and amateur sleuth Alice Nestleton calls on her boyfriend, Tony, to help unravel
the mystery, and tries to figure out what the victim's beloved cat may revel.
Published Signet; 1995
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A Cat with No Regrets
While
shooting her first film in southern France, Alice Nestleton finds her big break
threatened by the deaths of the movie's producer and several others, and discovers
that three Abyssinian cats hold the key to the murders.
Published Signet; 1994
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A Cat with A Fiddle
At
a remote Massachusetts artists' colony to deliver a Scottish fold kitten to
its new owner, cat-sitter Alice Nestleton must soon do some sleuthing when the
pianist of a visiting quartet is murdered.
Published Signet; 1996 Reissue
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A Cat in Wolf's Clothing
There's
a serial killer on the loose in New York who kills cat owners, and when the
police run out of ideas they turn to Alice Nestleton, cat-sitter, part-time
actress, and the cagiest crime-solving cat expert around. Alice discovers a
tangled web of intrigue that leads to an ominous subculture devoted to felines
and homicide.
Published Signet; 1994
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A Cat in a Glass House
Alice
thinks she is about to get her big break when she goes to dinner with a powerful
Hollywood producer. When their waitress gets murdered, Alice's instincts say
the red tabby she saw in the restaurant is the key to the crime.
Published Signet; 1994
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A Cat in the Wings
When
a former ballet star is found murdered backstage at a production of The Nutcracker
in Lincoln Center, Alice Nestleton takes a keen interest in the case, especially
when her best friend is charged with the murder.
Published Signet; 1994 Reissue
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A Cat by Any Other Name
Hopeful
actress, occasional cat-sitter, and amateur detective Alice Nestleton discovers
murder in a catnip garden.
Published Signet; 1994 Reissue
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A Cat of a Different Colour
Alice
Nestleton, actress-sleuth, starts snooping after someone kills a fellow student
in her acting class -- and steals his gorgeous white kitty. With the help of
her own trusty felines, Alice sets out to corner the culprit. But her trap nearly
snares her instead in a drama driven by the dead actor's secrets.
Published Signet; 1994
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A Cat in the Manger
When
Alice Nestleton, actress and sleuth, goes to a friend's Long Island estate to
cat-sit, she comes face to bloody face with a corpse. Unwittingly, Alice has
stepped into a deadly conspiracy plot of high-stakes horse-racing and seduction.
Her curiosity might land her a whisker away from death!
Published Signet; 1994 Reissue
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Dr Deirdre Quinn Nightingale Mystery Series
Dr Nightingale Follows a Canine Clue
The
twelfth and final book in the popular and long-running series finds Dr. Nightingale
investigating the murder of her free-spirited friend, Rose-and digging deep
into Rose's apparent double-life. If anyone can sniff out the killer, it's Deirdre
Nightingale.
Published Signet 2001
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Dr Nightingale Seeks Greener Pastures
Meet
Dr. Nightingale, large animal vet, who becomes embroiled in a series of murders
that revolve around horses, racing, and betting. As Nightingale works to untangle
the web of intrigue and murder, her past relationship clamors for attention
and resolution. Laura Hicks ably portrays each character, making the older men
sound gruff, the women loud and sometimes strident. The mystery holds the listener's
attention as the doctor and the police try to round up the suspect.
Published Signet 2000
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Dr Nightingale Traps The Missing Lynx
After
Dr. Nightingale appears at a local fund-raiser to check on six mixed-breed bobcat
kittens, the party host walks in covered with bloody scratches and drops dead.
The rural vet knows it's not the kittens, because she recognizes the symptoms
of a fatal snake bite. Now it's time to go hunting for a snake that walks like
a man.
Published Signet 1999
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Dr Nightingale Races The Outlaw Colt
Dr. Deirdre Quinn Nightingale is just setting down to some fun after a long
night spent saving some local dairy cows, when a young police officer is gunned
down outside a local restaurant. Once again, it's up to Didi to do some moonlighting
to solve the mystery. And along the way, she uncovers something even more baffling--a
runaway colt mysteriously linked to the murder. Now she finds herself confronting
a cold-hearted killer burning with revenge and with a sinister plan to strike
again!
Published Signet 1998
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Dr Nightingale Rides to the Hounds
When the organizer of the county's biggest fox hunt is shot dead, Dr. Nightingale
unearths bizarre allegations of witchcraft and a possible link to a past murder.
Published Signet 1997
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Dr Nightingale Meets Puss in Boots
Country vet Deirdre Nightingale knows a swine when she sees one--whether human
or animal. But a trip to New York City to learn about the common cat turns deadly
when she witnesses a nightclub owner being gunned down by a bicycle messenger.
The NYPD is on the case, but soon Didi has gathered more clues than cat hairs,
inspiring a clever scheme that will either trap the killer--or be the end of
her!
Published Signet 1997
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Dr Nightingale Enters the Bear Cave
Veterinarian Deirdre "Didi" Nightingale is happily taking a break from her practice
to join a research team tagging pregnant black bears in the northern Catskills.
Awaiting her are the thrill of adventure, the fun of taking her friend Rose
along--and murder.
Published Signet 1996
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Dr Nightingale Chases Three Little Pigs
Dr. Nightingale finds herself a suspect in a millionaire's murder, but when
she starts rooting around for clues, it's her bacon in the fire! With the real
killer's trail muddied and no one squealing, Dr. Nightingale knows something's
definitely not kosher. But will the Doc be able to find the guilty swine before
she's carted off to the pen?.
Published Signet 1996
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Dr Nightingale Goes To the Dogs
Veterinarian Didi Nightingale becomes involved in the search for the killer
of her neighbor, and the investigation leads her to Alsatian House, a monastery
where the members raise German Shepherds. But not all is what it seems there,
and another murder draws Didi further into the mystery.
Published Signet 1995
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Dr Nightingale Goes The Distance
Published Signet 1995
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Dr Nightingale Rides The Elephant
A country vet gets a circus for a client . . . and an animal act that's a real
killer. Shortly after Dr. Didi Nightingale becomes the vet on call for a small
traveling circus, an extremely gentle elephant goes berserk and kills a beautiful
dancer before a horrified crowd. Determined to save the beast from a bum rap,
Didi is walking the high wire between compassion and murder.
Published Signet 1994
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Dr Nightingale Comes Home
From the queen of cat mysteries comes a new mystery series for animal lovers
of all kinds. Lovable veterinarian Deirdre Quinn Nightingale embarks on her
first investigation of a human death when her good friend Dick Obey, a dairy
farmer, is found dead and horribly mutilated.
Published Signet 1993
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Lucy Wayles Mystery Series
Beware the Laughing Gull
Amateur sleuth Lucy Wayles and her bird-watching group are surprised by the
sudden announcement that one of their members is planning to get married after
their morning session of birding. But before the bride can say I do, she's shot
down during the ceremony. When the police are unable to find the killer, Lucy
hatches a plan to trap the killer herself!
Published Signet 1998
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Beware The Butcher Bird
When Lucy Wayles and the quirky members of her bird-watching crew arrive at
a dinner for a famous field guide illustrator, they are just in time to witness
him plummet to his death from the hotel's upper floors. The police call it a
swan dive, but the unflappable Lucy calls it fowl play. Now she's hatching a
plan to catch a killer, but if her scheme goes south--her own goose is cooked!
Published Signet 1997
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Beware the Tufted Duck
Lydia Adamson has made her mark on the mystery genre with not one, but two popular
mystery series, and now she unveils yet a third! This wonderful new series introduces
former librarian Lucy Wales, an eccentric birdwatcher with a knack for solving
crimes. In this premiere mystery, Lucy investigates the strange death of a fellow
birdwatcher.
Published Signet 1996
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Page created by Leone Moffat
Last updated 14-Feb-2004