No Cooperation from the Cat

January 16, 2012
At the outset of Babson’s lively eighth mystery featuring aging London actresses Evangeline Sinclair and Trixie Dolan (after 2003’s The Cat Who Wasn’t a Dog), Trixie’s daughter, Martha, and Martha’s book editor, Jocasta, are busy testing recipes for a new cookbook in Evangeline and Trixie’s kitchen when an unexpected guest arrives at the actresses’ apartment. Banquo Fitzfothergill, who’s “just returned from a solo mission to the North Pole to monitor the retreating glaciers,” demands to see his “beautiful bride,” Melisande, who he believes is the one putting together the new cookbook. Alas, Melisande dropped dead after giving a cooking demonstration while Banquo was away, and Jocasta, afraid to tell Banquo the bad news, hides until he departs. Meanwhile, Martha is annoyed to learn that she was the second choice to edit the cookbook. Fans of frothy, dialogue-heavy British cozies will be in heaven right up to the madcap climax. Agent: Dominick Abel, Dominick Abel Literary Agency.

February 15, 2012
This character-rich cozy gathers a cast of faded theater types who must protect their home from unwelcome drama. Gracefully aging actresses Evangeline and Trixie have opened their home, and their kitchen, to Trixie's daughter Martha and Martha's editor Jocasta as the two put the finishing touches on Martha's cookbook. When manly explorer Banquo comes stomping into the house with his sidekicks Tom and Mick, Jocasta is horrified to see him. While he was on his latest adventure, Banquo's wife Melisande, the original designated author of the cookbook, met an untimely end during one of her cooking demonstrations. Not only does the suspicion of foul play make Jocasta, Melisande's former assistant, a primary suspect, but it also derails the romance Jocasta hoped might develop between her and the rogue adventurer. Worse still, no one has had the good grace to tell poor Banquo about Melisande's demise. Now Evangeline and Trixie's home is invaded not only by these guests, invited and not, but also by Banquo's trio of sinister aunts, who think that it's Jocasta's job to bear the bad news to their nephew. Added to the mix is the hapless Teddy, who's always ready to visit his beloved Cho-Cho-San, the clever bobtail cat he had to give to Evangeline and Trixie. The actresses must do what it takes to reclaim their home, and possibly their careers, as the mystery threatens to engulf them. Though Babson (Only the Cat Knows, 2007, etc.) provides a title that's a bit of a misnomer, the charming heroines' adventures are satisfying if a bit overstuffed.

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