Cat and Mouse

In Christianna Brand's intriguing mystery, 'Cat and Mouse,' readers are drawn into the perplexing world of Katinka Jones, known to her readers as the compassionate agony aunt, 'Mrs Friendly-wise.' Feeling adrift in Swansea, Katinka decides on an impulse to visit 'Amista,' a frequent and increasingly desperate correspondent to her magazine column. However, upon arriving at the isolated, mountain-perched house vividly described in Amista's letters, a chilling truth emerges: no one there has ever heard of an 'Amista.' As Katinka finds herself increasingly captivated by Carleon, the enigmatic master of the house, the lines between reality and deception blur. Strange occurrences multiply, plunging Katinka into a labyrinth of secrets and potential danger. The arrival of the astute Detective Inspector Chucky further intensifies the search for the elusive truth, as Katinka grapples with burgeoning feelings and a pervasive sense of unease, all set against a backdrop of self-consciously lurid mystery and melodrama where every character seems to harbor hidden motives.