Prolific mystery writer Marian Babson was born in the United States but has spent most of her life in Great Britain, which is the setting for many of her books. She has written more than thirty mysteries, a number of which feature felines in prominent roles.
Most of Marian Babson's books are in print and available; check for out-of-print and used copies at
An English widow and her two children visit New Hampshire to be near her sister, exchanging homes temporarily with an American family. But a local firebug, the sister's strange behavior, and an independent Maine coon cat disrupt their peaceful summer.
This inventive tale is the flip side of Whiskers and Smoke: Americans who swap houses with an English family deal with culture shock, difficult neighbors, and a polite orange cat in their new British digs--as well as a series of mysterious brushes with death.
Out of print
Nine Lives to Murder, 1992
A freak backstage "accident" somehow causes thespian Winstanley Fortescue's consciousness to enter the body of theater cat Montmorency D. Mousa--and vice versa. In his brand-new cat body, Win investigates the mysterious attempt on his life while Monty recuperates in Win's battered body.
The Diamond Cat, 1994
Bettina Bilby's boarders--a bevy of visiting felines--are fascinated when they find a dead homing pigeon on Bettina's porch after a storm--and Bettina finds herself rather fascinated, too, when she discovers that the unfortunate bird was carrying an interesting cargo: a vial of diamonds.
Reality and fantasy blur when a mystery writer wants to kill off her "Spinster Sibling Sleuths": the fictional ladies aren't exactly happy, and the local cats have something to say about it as well.
When little Sally the alleycat inherits a millionaire's fortune, worried Annabel (who'd been mistakenly hired as an interior decorator) hides her from his avaricious relatives--who then show up with a procession of Sally look-alikes in an attempt to claim the inheritance.
A brutal wife-killer, a scared young boy who accidentally witnesses the crime, and the dead woman's beautiful prize-winning Norwegian Forest cat are the main elements in this skillfully crafted mystery. Read the review.
The Cat Next Door, 2002
Did Chloe really kill her twin sister, Claudia? The police certainly think so, and cousin Margot and the rest of the extended family, including the Abyssinian cat Tikki, are already in turmoil as Chloe's trial begins--and then another dead body turns up in the garden.
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