One Bear's Opinion -- Book Review

The Cat Next Door by Marian Babson

Marian Babson's books always surprise me.  I have read quite a few, and with each new one, I remember that I really like them and should read more.  Usually I stop at just one though, so I get to have that surprise each time.

The Cat Next Door is one of the many books that were retitled for the American market.  Originally this book was published as Deadly Deceit and frankly that is a far better title.  It appears to me that publishers of books in the US, especially mystery books, have to have a unifying theme for the "series."  Whether the hook is the detective's hobby, the detective's business, the setting, or some other connection, every mystery book is described as a "something or other mystery."  There are chef mysteries, teacher mysteries, librarian mysteries, mom mysteries, crafting mysteries, tea shop mysteries, dog mysteries, vampire mysteries, Regency mysteries, Jane Austen mysteries, the list goes on and on and on.  I fully expect to see series of "One Eyed, Left-Handed, Vegan, Wedding Planner Werewolf" mysteries on the shelf the next time I'm in a bookstore.

Admittedly, I read many mysteries, and many mystery series with such dubious series descriptions.  But Marian Babson's books are not one of those.  If only because Marian Babson's books are not a series in the way the word is traditionally understood.  Marian Babson authored some 40 books, and of those, maybe 10 or 12 make up a couple of series.  The rest of her works are independent books, with no character, location, or plot cross-over or continuation.

I think the books have all been retitled for the US market, highlighting the "cat" aspect so that they can be marketed as a "series."  This is a disservice to both the author, whose works can surely stand on their own, and to the reader, as it gives the impression that the books are connected in some way.  They are not.  And what's more, the cats in the titles usually have very little to do with the mystery.  They are most often merely house-pets that are mentioned in passing, simply characters who pop and in out of the story as they float in and out of the main characters' days.

That was certainly the case here.  The title cat, a registered purebred Abyssinian cat named Tickety-Boo, called Tikki, was the family's pet, who had decided to move in next door for the duration of the plot events.  Beyond that, the cat had no real role in the story.  His scenes could have been completely removed and the book would have been no different.  So calling the book The Cat Next Door is quite misleading.

Anyway, the mystery was quite good.  Like all Marian Babson books I've read, the first two-thirds of the book is background information, situation set-up, and plot exposition.  Many readers get frustrated by this, but I find it interesting.  By the time that the actual murder occurs, I am usually so wrapped up in the back-story that it makes it difficult to figure out the killer.  And in my mind, that is what makes a good mystery.  For this one, I was pleased by the mystery, but there were some points made in the back-story that I wish the author had flushed out, so I was a bit disappointed by plot twists that went nowhere.

Overall, it was a very good book, and reminded me why I like Marian Babson's books so much and that I really should read more of them.

One Bear's Opinion:  Four cups of tea in a window seat with a purring cat on an autumn afternoon

Happy Reading Everyone, 
Oliver