Marian Babson - Free Library Land Online - Reference

The Twelve Deaths of Christmas

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 05:08:51 +0200

"A top-notch thriller . . . The identities of the murderer and the twelfth victim come as a stunner" (Publishers Weekly).

At Maude Daneson's rooming house, the holiday season has everyone bustling about in anticipation, and Maude herself is planning a glorious Christmas dinner.

But neither the landlady nor her lodgers realize that a killer walks among them. The police have so far been unable to track the culprit—and when murder strikes close to home, it threatens to chill the festive mood.

"A fast-moving, one-sitting treat." —Kirkus Reviews

Marian Babson - Nine Lives to Murder

Sun, 23 Oct 1994 12:10:41 +0200

Someone is trying to kill leading British Shakespearean actor, husband, father, ladies man, and soon-to-be Knight of the Realm Winstanley Fortescue. The actor, rehearsing his starring role in the forthcoming play Serpent in the Heather, is conked on the head backstage. He falls off a ladder and lands on the resident Pest Control Officer, Montmorency D. Mousa (otherwise known as Monty), the company cat.

When Fortescue comes to, he finds to his horror that he has been switched into Monty's body, while the cat, installed in the heroic frame of the distinguished thespian, has been carted off to the intensive-care unit reserved for humans. Now this actor, who has played to the crowned heads of Europe, must suffer such indignities as being forced to use a litter box and still must evade his unknown enemy.

Marian Babson - The Company of Cats

Sat, 23 Oct 1999 12:10:37 +0300

When millionaire Arthur Arbuthnot mistakes gossip maven Annabel Hinchby-Smythe for a decorator—and hires her to redecorate his apartment—the fiscally challenged Annabel can't refuse. When she sees Arbuthnot's tatty London flat, she knows anything will be an improvement. And any gossip she can dig up will be pure gold for the tabloids. But when Arthur is found dead, his frisky relatives begin to lick their chops.

Arbuthnot's beloved tabby, Sally, was the only witness to the homicide—and the sole heir to his estate. Suddenly, cat-hating family members are eager to claim her and control the family fortune. Annabel's only hope to save the cat and catch a killer is to kidnap Sally—and see who comes sniffing around. Once the cat's out of the bag, murder is sure to follow.

Marian Babson - Past Regret

Sat, 23 Oct 1993 12:10:35 +0200

Through the mists of London's waterfront, a young woman staggers, unable to remember who she is or how she got here. Across the Atlantic a career housewife boards an airplane, certain that her child is in trouble. For both Delia Sawyer and her daughter, Connie, a college year abroad in London has become a season in hell.

Traumatized by a mysterious event, Connie is adrift, making up each step as she goes along, guarding a fat, blood-stained roll of money in her pocket. Delia finds an indifferent school administration, a list of similarily missing students, two overly helpful men, and a maze of clues and contradictions. What happened to Connie Sawyer? Determined to find out, Delia cannot guess the danger she is courting—that someone close by also wants to find Connie—and make sure that she never remembers a thing.

Pretty Lady (1973)

Thu, 23 Oct 2014 12:10:27 +0300

The Diamond Cat

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 05:08:52 +0200

A pigeon in the sky with diamonds pulls an ordinary woman into a perilous mystery, in this novel by an Agatha Award–winning author.

Bettina Bilby doesn't have much fun living with her nagging, critical mother—but at least this weekend she gets to temporarily take in her friend's four cats. Then, after a rainstorm, one of her four-footed guests finds a dead carrier pigeon—and a fortune in diamonds—outside the house.

As Bettina wonders what to do about this treasure that fell from the sky, some dangerous types start showing up around town, and before she knows it, Bettina's dull life is enlivened by a murder mystery.

Praise for Marian Babson
"What can a reviewer say about Marian Babson? If you haven't read at least one of her books, you have definitely missed the boat. She is consistently witty." —Mystery News

Marian Babson - To Catch A Cat

Mon, 23 Oct 2000 12:10:33 +0300

The last thing 11-year-old Robin wants to hear is that his mother and her new husband are extending their honeymoon indefinitely. Not that staying with his Aunt Mags is so bad, but there's her boyfriend to contend with, and the members of the school gang are insisting that he complete a dare before they let him join the group. They want Robin to kidnap Mrs. Nordling's prize-winning cat when no one is home.

Getting into the Nordling's house is easy, and Robin manages to find the cat and put him in his bag. As Robin is leaving, however, he stumbles upon a terrifying scene—Mr. Nordling leaving the master bedroom with blood all over his body. Robin is momentarily paralyzed and then flees down the stairs. He can't be sure whether or not he has been seen, but realizes that in order to stay safe, he will have to hide the unusual-looking cat.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nordling is getting desperate. He knows that if he can find the unmistakable cat, he will also find the witness to his brutal crime. He begins a frantic search for the young boy, but his infuriating neighbor won't leave him alone. She is beginning to understand what happened that night, and he decides that he will have to deal with her too.

So Soon Done For (1979)

Thu, 23 Oct 2014 12:10:36 +0300

Murder, Murder, Little Star

Sat, 15 Nov 1980 14:44:24 +0300

From the moment Frances Armitage saw the American film star, she knew she was in for trouble. Ten-year-old Twinkle was a box office attraction and Frances was her new chaperone whilst filming in England. Suspicious and insecure, Twinkle made enemies the way other children make mud pies. Frances believes she must try and protect Twinkle after a series of attempts on the girl's life. But Twinkle is probably capable enough to look after herself!

Reel Murder

Wed, 23 Oct 1985 12:10:28 +0300

Written by Marian Babson. When two grand dames of Hollywood, silent film star Eve Sinclair ('she put the sin in Cinema') and ex-hoofer Trixie Dolan set out for London to attend a film retrospective held in Eve's honour, they fully expect to be the centre of attention. What they don't expect is that all the lovely attention will be generated not by an appreciation of their talents but by a series of grisly murders associated with the retrospective. Even less do they expect to find themselves co-starring as the prime suspects in the entire murder investigation!The well-known fact that life imitates the movies is borne out shortly following the opening of the festival when several murders are committed, and each one is straight out of a scene from Eve's old films. Suspects include a group of would-be thespians occupying the flat above Eve's and a few jealous old cronces. Eve and Trixie once again pool their talents in order to find the cinematic culprit ...and barlye avoid ending up on the cutting floor themselves, so to speak. Marian Babson was born in Salem, Massachusetts, but has lived in London for the greater part of her life. She worked in many different kinds of business before becoming a full-time writer.

Nine Lives to Murder

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 05:08:52 +0200

This whimsical mystery starring an actor who takes a fall and wakes up as a feline is "quite simply, the cat's meow" (Publishers Weekly).

Shakespearean actor Winstanley Fortescue is known as a hound dog when it comes to the ladies. But when someone pushes him off a ladder, he falls on the theater's resident cat—and somehow the two of them wind up trading bodies.

It takes a while to get used to living on four legs, but it's the perfect way for Winstanley to sneak around while he tries to uncover the attempted murderer, in this fun "first-rate" mystery from an Agatha Award–winning author (Library Journal).

"Clever and witty."—Booklist

Weekend For Murder (1985) aka Murder On A Mystery Tour

Thu, 23 Oct 2014 12:10:38 +0300

Marian Babson - Only the Cat Knows

Tue, 23 Oct 2007 12:10:29 +0300

Vanessa and her twin brother Vance are very close. So when someone pushes Vanessa down a flight of stairs and puts her into a coma, Vance wants revenge. He decides that masquerading as Vanessa will lead him to the villain. With her clothes, her makeup, and what he knows about his beloved sister, he pulls it off very well and is on the verge of learning what he needs to know—until he discovers a serious threat that might destroy all his efforts.

But there is one pair of eyes he can’t pull the wool over: Gloriana, Vanessa’s beautiful Angora cat who regards her “mistress” with a dark suspicion. If the cat can’t be won over, then the whole deadly charade is likely to fall apart.

There Must Be Some Mistake (1975)

Thu, 23 Oct 2014 12:10:26 +0300