Nine Lives to Murder, Marian Babson
Nine Lives to Murder, Marian Babson
List: $16.95 | Sale: $11.87
Club: $8.47

Nine Lives to Murder

Author: Marian Babson

Narrator: Steven Crossley

Unabridged: 6 hr 48 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 06/07/2016


Synopsis

In this hilarious tour de chat, Marian Babson goes beyond the many bubbling mysteries she has written to add an element of comic fantasy to the menace of murder.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 become trapped in Monty’s body, while the cat, now installed in the heroic frame of the distinguished thespian, has been carted off to the intensive-care unit reserved for humans. How this actor, who has played to the crowned heads of Europe, suffers such indignities as being forced to use a litter box and having to evade his unknown enemy makes this most recent work tops among all the author’s delightful novels.

About Marian Babson

Marian Babson (1929–2017) wrote more than forty novels in the traditional amateur-sleuth style, “murder most British.” In 1996 she was awarded the Crime Writers’ Association Dagger in the library category for her body of work. Her many interests—theater, cinema, art, cooking, travel, and cats—were often reflected in her novels.

About Steven Crossley

Steven Crossley has won more than a dozen AudioFile Earphones Awards and was nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. He has appeared in numerous theater, television, film, and radio dramas.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ping on May 19, 2017

I almost faint when I realize I’m listening to a story of a man trapped in a cat’s body while the cat is trapped in the man’s body! I’m not prepared for a surreal experience! Am I not listening to a murder mystery? But as I continue listening I’m surprised I enjoy it so much I don’t want to stop. Winst......more

Goodreads review by Monica on May 06, 2008

I really enjoy light mysteries, and Marian Babson's cat books fit the bill. You won't figure out whodunit, but just sit back with a cup of tea and enjoy the atmosphere. ***I have read other books of hers, but have found them slightly more disturbing and less fun than the ones that feature cats.......more

Goodreads review by Sara on July 27, 2021

while an entertaining read, the mystery plot played second string to the idea of a man trapped in a cat's body. and later moved to third string when we start experiencing the cat in the man's body. they get that way when someone tries to kill the man and the cat breaks his fall. neither he nor his w......more

Goodreads review by Emily on October 20, 2021

I love quirky stories done right and this is one that I thoroughly enjoyed. Although I'm a "dog person" by inclination it's obvious that Babson knows her cats and gets the emotions and actions just right. This isn't "fluff" and will keep you thinking, so if you're looking for something that isn't th......more

Goodreads review by Amy on December 13, 2021

I thought this was going to be a silly but fun mystery involving a cat. Instead, it was a ridiculous and not even really enjoyable book involving a cat and sort of a mystery. Honestly, it wasn't even really a mystery for most of the book, just wild speculation over who might be suspicious, and (view spoiler)[the a (hide spoiler)]......more


Quotes

“Clever and catty in Nine Lives to Murder, the prolific author of more than thirty…novels in the comedy-of-manners vein demonstrates how to make a fluffy tale bristle…There seems no end to Ms. Babson’s ingenuity as she puts Win through his hilarious paces as a cat…For the marvels of metamorphosis, stick to Kafka. For the joy of cats, consider Ms. Babson.” New York Times

“Babson’s…comic latest is, quite simply, the cat’s meow.” Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Humorous dialogue and a creative plot.” School Library Journal