A Cat in the Wings

November 2, 1992
Cat sitter, actress and amateur sleuth Alice Nestleton returns in this amusing yarn. A derelict shot on Christmas Eve turns out to be Peter Dobrynin, who had been a brilliant and hard-living ballet dancer until he dropped out of sight three years earlier. Alice attends the dancer's funeral with her acquaintance Lucia Maury, who was once Peter's lover; when the two leave the church, Alice sees the mysterious name Anna Pavlova Smith painted on the hearse. Then, a bigger surprise: Lucia is arrested and charged with the murder. Thanks to her knack for finding whodunit, Alice is hired by Lucia's attorney to track down Peter's murderer. The investigation leads her to the ballet world's reigning royalty: Louis Beasley, the arrogant man who ``discovered'' Peter; Vol Teak, Beasley's lover; Betty Ann Ellenville, ballet critic and admirer of Dobrynin's; and Melissa Taniment, ex-ballerina and ex-lover of Dobrynin's. Alice explores both the glamour and the squalor of Peter's life, while Adamson ( A Cat of a Different Color ) deftly muddies the waters, making the investigation a trial for Alice but a diversion for the reader.