Marian Babson (1929–2017)

Murder at the Cat Show was Ms. Babson's second published novel, which may explain the one incident that surprised and dismayed me. Other than that, it made me laugh several times. I liked Doug Perkins well enough from the previous book, Cover-Up Story, but I like him even better as he finds himself learning why cat fans are cat fans.

Perkins & Tate (Public Relations) Limited's current clients are a cat exhibition, 'Cats Through the Ages'. While it's mostly thanks to Perfection Hosiery that show more the exhibition can go on, organizer Rose Chesne-Malvern brought in Doug's firm to make sure cats other than the Perfection Hosiery mascot, Lady Purr-fect, will get their fair share of publicity. As the show's PRO (Public Relations Officer), Doug is having to spend more time with Mrs. Chesne-Malvern than he'd like. To put it bluntly, yet keep it clean, the organizer is a termagant, a shrew, and a battleaxe.

Among the non-living cats that will be on display is a hollow gold statue by famed Hugo Verrier, his interpretation of the statue of Dick Whittington's cat that's at Highgate Hill. The Golden Cat's eyes are genuine emeralds. (Dick Whittington was a real-life Lord Mayor of London who died in 1423, but the story about him and the cat who made his fortune is folklore. If you've never read the story, please do so. It's charming.)

Of all the working cats that will be part of the exhibit, Doug is most nervous about a pair of Sumatran tigers, Pyramus and Thisbe. These colorful, outsize cats have an equally colorful owner, Carlotta Montera, who was a Latin American revolutionary in her youth. (She and her husband still can't go home.) We know this is a murder mystery. Will the tigers turn out to be the murder weapon?

Other noted female owners and their cats are Helena Keswick, of Keswick Catteries. Her Burmese, Mother Brown, and her current kittens are adorable (Their sire, Father Thames, will not be in attendance. Don't bother asking how much for one of the highly desirable kittens. They're already sold.) Then there's Betty Lington, whose Silver Fir ('Silly Fur'), a star of film and TV, is as stupid as she is gorgeous. Mrs. Chesne-Malvern's 8-months-old Siamese, Pandora, is also on display.

Moving on to noted male cat owners, we have Kellington Dasczo, who has written books about his pathetic childhood, then a biography of Pearlie King, the black alley cat he adopted. The other is Marcus Opal, who is hoping to found Precious Jewel Cattery Manx cats now that he has found his perfect stud, Precious Black Jade. For some reason, the yellow-eyed black tom HATES Marcus. He's much nicer to Doug, although he seems to be imploring the PRO about something. Doug wishes he understood. Roger Chesne-Malvern, Rose's husband, isn't Pandora's owner, but he is attending the exhibition. He's allergic to cats. Let us hope those shots he's been taking are working.

Dave Prendergast is another PRO. The product he's hawking is an excellent new cat litter, but its name is mortifying: 'Pussy No-Poo'.

Doug's partner, Gerry Tate, and their young secretary, Penny, will be around. The other named member of the cast is a boy named Brian. He and his younger sister and brother really, really want to see the cat show. Doug is a soft touch for these kids. He's also a soft touch for Pandora, who is neglected by her owner.

The Inspector who is brought in after the golden cat disappears is merely 'the Inspector'. He's not a can fan, poor man.

NOTES:

Chapter 1 Mentions: Bast, Dick Whittington, and the Cheshire Cat

Chapter II: We learn about a fake film Mother Brown appeared in, with an interesting murder method in the plot.
Mentions: Puss-in-Boots and the Colossus of Rhodes

Chapter III:

a. We're taught the trick for being able to say something as cringe-worthy as 'Pussy No-Poo' with a straight face.

b. Doug finds out why the Siamese is named Pandora.

Chapter IV: Look here for the scene with the twits shooting the 'Purr-fect Year' calendar.

Chapter V: These are fictional cats. In real life, cats shouldn't eat onions.

Mentions: Charing Cross Underground and Pepsi

Chapter VIII: Here's the scene where Rose Chesne-Malvern takes Pandora from Doug over Pandora struggles.

Chapter XI mention: Lloyds of London

Aside from the one incident that dismayed me, I found this book very amusing. A cat hater would probably prefer to skip it, but cat lovers should enjoy most of it. Even if you're not a cat fan, there's plenty of character interaction and description to keep you happy. Okay, the murder is practically incidental and not much time is spent trying to solve it, so if you read mysteries for the plot, Murder at the Cat Show is not the book for you.
It was definitely right my alley, though. show less

This is a suspenseful mystery that follows five main characters sailing from New York to Genoa, Italy. Mrs. Abercrombie, who is recovering from a medical condition and is wheelchair bound; Valerie Meadows, Abercrombie’s private nurse/companion; Susan Emery, returning to the family estate in England to claim her inheritance; Gloria Grandé Pontini and her toddler son, travelling to Genoa to visit family. The four women were wealthy and could afford the high price of the first class show more accommodations on the luxury ship, Beatrice Cinci. The fifth character was there to do a job and was on his client’s dime.

The story line bounces between the main characters, revealing their pasts and the possible futures. Each has their own trove of secrets that have a deadly side.

Tension builds with each chapter for each character’s storyline. One of the ladies is to die, but who, when, how and by whom is where the tension and suspense compounds.

It wasn’t a fast read for me. I did better reading one chapter at a sitting. Definitely a read to be savoured. I have read other of Marian Babson’s books and enjoyed them too. show less

Alas, we Trixie and Evangeline fans had to wait nine years for the seventh book, No Cooperation From the Cat, to come out. It takes place not long after book six, The Cat Who Wasn't a Dog, ends. Martha, Trixie's daughter in every way that counts, is still working on that Lady Lemmings cookbook. Miss Jocasta Purley, whose surname has become 'Lambert,' and not because she got married, is still helping her. From a remark Jocasta makes in chapter one, I gather that they've decided to pad the show more book out with recipes that weren't donated by actors. (Given the problems Martha wailed about in book six, they're being wise.)

That leftover subplot takes center stage with an addition. Jocasta is also supposed to be helping Banquo Fitzfothergill, self-styled gentleman adventurer, with his latest book about his Arctic expedition. 'Banquo's Baggage' might be what the publishers call his pushy cousins and two old school friends, but Jocasta has some Banquo baggage of her own: unrequited love. Sadly for her, he was in love with his bride, Melisande, who died while he was communing with the cold.

Remember Teddy, the not-that-good-an actor who was the original owner of Cho-Cho-San, Trixie's beloved Japanese bobtail cat? He keeps showing up for visitation at inopportune times.

The members of Banquo's Baggage make thorough pests of themselves, too. It's a situation made for murder -- but whose and by whom? A big storm doesn't help.

NOTES (pop culture references, fictional and real name-dropping, character facts, and non-spoiler tips to help those who've read the book find things again):

Chapter 1:

a. Evangeline's old friend, Dame Cecile Savoy and her black poodle puppy, Frou-Frou, from book six, The Cat Who Wasn't a Dog, are present.

b. The children with whom Evangeline claims Trixie has been playing with Play-Doh are Orlando and Viola, Hugh's children by his first wife. Trixie thinks of them as her grandchildren, not step-grandchildren, and dotes on them.

c. The 'BAFTA' in BAFTA Awards stands for the 'British Academy of Film and Television Arts'.

d. Martha's husband, successful producer Hugh Carpenter, walks in.

e. Evangeline talks about her role in 'Mad Beast of the Bayou,' the one that got her the Karloff-Lorre Award for Best Beleaguered Heroine of the Year. Boris Karloff and Peter Lorre were real horror actors, but the award isn't.

e. Dame Cecile and Evangeline bring up some theater superstitions.

f. The closest Trixie has ever been to Shakespeare is a few seasons as Bianca in 'Kiss Me, Kate' on the Straw Circuit.

g. There's an Errol Flynn comparison.

Chapter 2:

a. Jocasta has hysterics and she didn't even find a body this time.

b. All of Jocasta's relatives are in Cornwall. Her friends are all colleagues.

c. Trixie remembers Fanny Brice singing about the man she loved in 'Second-Hand Rose'. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxEwMcJ8GXc

d. See book two, Encore Murder, for the murder of Hugh's first wife.

e. Banquo had been trying to recreate the conditions the original Arctic explorers faced.

f. Bast, also known as 'Bastet,' is a cat-headed Egyptian goddess.

g. Seventh heaven is the highest level of Heaven.

h. We met Jem and theater cat Garrick in book six.

i. Melisande used to say that Banquo's cousins, Edytha, Isolde, and Valeria, was like having three mothers-in-law.

Chapter 3:

a. See the end of The Cat Who Wasn't a Dog for the story about the ostriches.

b. Cho-Cho has to choose among Teddy, her first taste of smoked haddock, and the catnip mouse Nigel brought her.

c. There's a reference to actresses Beatrice Lillie and Joyce Grenfell.

d. There's a reference to Banquo's ghost from Shakespeare's 'Macbeth'.

Chapter 4:

a. There's a King Kong comparison.

b. Jocasta's job is '...with the Glorious Gourmand Press branch of Perfection Publications.'

c. Evangeline has Detective-Superintendent Ron Heyhoe on speed dial. (I think he would blanch if he knew.)

e. Nice to know that taxi driver Eddie didn't let the events of The Cat Who Wasn't a Dog stop him from ferrying our heroines around.

f. The Harpo restaurant has been featured in this series before.

Chapter 5:

a. There's a reference to 'The Stage'.

b. Teddy has been replaced in 'Arsenic and Old Lace'.

c. This is where Jocasta is called 'Miss Lambert'.

d. Banquo's pushy friends, Tom and Mick, are no match for Martha and Evangeline. (I like the joke our heroines made when Evangeline bought that heavy brass dolphin candlestick.)

e. 'Monstrous regiment' is from John Knox's 'The First Blast of the Trumpet Against the Monstruous (sic) Regiment of Women'. Funny that he should use the Bible to argue against female rulers. Did he forget or ignore Judge Deborah and the Queen of Sheba in that book?

f. Tom Hampton corrects what Mick Quinlan said his job was.

g. Kensington gore is stage (fake) blood.

Chapter 6:

a. Jocasta doesn't understand the saying about walking in the middle of a movie. Trixie explains for the reader.

b. Jocasta talks about how Melisande died.

Chapter 7: Enter the landlord, Jasper. He's been their landlord since book one, Reel Murder, if I recall correctly.

Chapter 8: Trixie is reminded of her role as one of Fagin's pupils in 'She Lifted His Heart'.

Chapter 9:

a. Trixie refers to 'Moth to the flame' as an old movie subtitle.

b. Isolde recites her recipe for Brazil nut crisps.

c. Banquo uses a gesture Trixie hasn't seen since the days of silent films.

d. There's mention of a fake film that was one of Trixie and Evangeline's early ones.

e. Martha is still very literal.

f. There's a howling gale outside.

g. Trixie listens to 'Rose Adagio' on the radio.

Chapter 10:

a. According to the Cambridge Dictionary, the Grey Pound is ' money that older people as a group have available to spend'.

b. There hasn't been even a postcard from their playwright.

Chapter 13: Tom, Mick, and Teddy's plight reminds Trixie of an old Red Skelton comedy involving a lift [elevator] and Ann Rutherford.

Chapter 15: Evangeline talks about a substitute for glass windows in movies in the old days.

Chapter 16:

a. There's a reference to a World War II radio show character, Mrs. Mopp.

b. Enter the waiter from The Harpo. 'Robin' is his waiter name. His real name is Toby Trent. He's hoping for advice about the parts he should try for. One expression he shows our ladies is very effective.

c. Toby tells them something about Teddy's wife, director Frella Boynton, whom we met in The Cat Who Wasn't a Dog

d. Toby also cleans houses under the name 'Jake'. He mentions something about the dock outside Jasper's building.

Chapter 17:

a. Martha puts her foot in it when the police come after the discovery of the body in the last chapter.

b. Martha has some sensitivity, but she's socially clueless and lacks tact.

c. One of the officers remembers seeing Martha at the St. John's Wood nick [jail]. See book two, Encore Murder.

d. Detective-Superintendent Ron Heyhoe arrives -- with doughnuts and doughnut holes!

e. Martha and Jocasta lack our heroines' experience in snagging what one wants from tea trolleys on studio sets. Too bad.

f. 'Bismarks' named for Germany unifier Otto von Bismark, are Berliners, or jelly doughnuts. (The Wikipedia entry busts the legend about President Kennedy mistakenly claiming he was a jelly doughnut.) 'Bismark' is the name used in parts of Canada and the USA.

Chapter 18:

a. Torquemada was Tomás de Torquemada, the first Grand Inquisitor of the infamous Spanish Inquisition.

b. Nigel introduces Trixie and Evangeline to his uncle, Humbert, who invites them to call him Bertie. He's a fan of theirs.

Chapter 19:

a. Evangeline parodies 'Father, Dear Father, Come Home With Me Now'. If I remember correctly, see Encore Murder for when Trixie got on top of a table at The Harpo. (Robin is a passable baritone.) Jem can play water glasses with a spoon.

b. Evangeline does the Charleston. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNAOHtmy4j0 and Trixie ripostes her version of 'I Wish I Could Shimmy Like My Sister Kate.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lpQ_pWev24w (3 tables have cancelled their theater reservations.)

c. They both harmonize 'Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.' https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eL7ETLLkQTY

d. Cho-Cho is not entranced with 'Yummykins Gourmet Gala Fish Feast'.

e. Martha is upset about a picture in a tabloid.

Chapter 21:

a. Loved what Trixie said about Hollywood movie directors and Mick's air of menace.

b. Tsk -- Evangeline did something naughty to her insurance company after a burglary.

c. Edytha has a shop in Glastonbury, Isolde plays around with food, and Valerie runs the show. They make their real money in giving courses. Mick gives the title of two of them.

d. Evangeline is in full 'Happy Couple' mode. (This is a fictional film series she starred in.)

e. So why aren't three charming photos of the Arctic expedition being used in the book?

Chapter 22: A dozen bottles of the best Scotch are delivered to Nigel's flat. Evangeline and Trixie learn that a case of champagne was delivered to their flat, currently being infested by Banquo's Baggage.

Chapter 23: There is a scene over the champagne. There's also a hint of romance.

Chapter 24:

a. The Jewel Box theater is described.

c. Bertie collapses when he sees the theater's grey cat.

Chapter 25:

a. The theater has two cats.

b. Trixie has been in enough Straw Circuits with 'Gypsy' to recognize her cue.

c. 'Curtain up.. light the lights (Evangeline sings 'We've got nothing to hit but the heights'. Here Ethel Merman sings 'Everything's Coming Up Roses': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGyiuFZ7cs8

d. 'Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend' comes up again.

e. Hugh knows something about Jem that makes our ladies happy.

Chapter 27:

a. Mick makes an odd remark about Cho-Cho, who is helping to devour the pizzas.

b. Mick quotes that nursery rhyme line about what are little boys made of.

c. Banquo is clueless about why a revelation upsets Trixie, Evangeline, Martha, Nigel, Tom, and Jocasta.

No Cooperation From the Cat is heavy on this series' enjoyable character interaction. Our heroines never even met the woman who might or might not have been murdered. Their interest in that case stems from the impact Banquo and his baggage have on Jocasta -- which has a big impact on daughter Martha, not to mention our ladies' apartment. (The definite murder strikes closer to home.)

Ms. Babson also furthers the running subplot of Trixie and Evangeline finding a play to star in and a theater to stage it in. I don't know how much a reader unfamiliar with this series would enjoy this book, but this fan gives it a two thumbs up! (Well, not for the cover. It's cute, but the cat looks nothing like Cho-Cho-San.)

Dog lovers: Except for a brief appearance of Frou-Frou the poodle puppy, this one isn't for you.

Cat lovers: Cho-Cho-San gets to shine in this one. show less

Anytime I get to the last 20 pages of a murder mystery with no progress or clues as to 'whodunit', I get concerned, and in this case the concern was a bit justified. If you like stories about a bunch of silly people running around hollering and annoying each other- think of the film Bringing Up Baby, or the TV series I Love Lucy- where you get a headache even though it is just a silent book, because you can hear the yelling and chaos in your mind as you read, than this book may be great for show more you.

The narrator, Trixie, and her roommate Evangeline, has apparently no spine to tell a bunch of complete strangers they are not permitted to take over her home to work on their projects and terrorize the household, just as she has no spine to tell her daughter Martha and Martha's friend Jocasta that they need to respect some basic boundaries while using Trixie's kitchen to test recipes. As a result of this character flaw and the caricatured awfulness of the 6 strangers who descend on their home, the majority of this book is a sort of noisy comedy, with a brief but never focal murder, and a distant and never investigated murder that also is just a bit of extraneous detail to the majority of story as it is presented. When we find out who killed both people, it is not because anyone has been asking questions, finding clues, or talking about the murders at all, but because the murder is nuts and the chaos eventually gets to him.

But, the cat is cute, and the best character in the novel, and at least Trixie and Evangeline are actresses and have an excuse for being over the top, even if the rest of the characters are not theater or film people and have no real excuse for seeming so phony. I also did manage to read this book roughly 'in order', since I already read the one before it in the series, which helped some of the story make more sense. Otherwise I'd have been confused as well as exhausted by this book, even as short as it thankfully is. show less