When Dame Cecile Savoy loses her beloved Pekingese, Fleur-de-Lys, on the eve of opening a revival of Arsenic and Old Lace, she is inconsolable. She summons her aging thespian friends Evangeline and Trixie from London to help her through her mourning period. In fact, Dame Cecile has every intention of keeping Fleur with her permanently by bringing her remains to a taxidermist. Alas, things do not go well in Marion Babson's humorous mystery, The Cat Who Wasn't A Dog (#605).
When the trio arrive for Dame Cecile's appointment at the taxidermy shop, it appears at first to be empty. But as they and their driver, Eddie, look around the deserted shop, a fire breaks out in several places at once. Trixie is in the office where she has discovered a charming Japanese Bobtail cat in a cage. Cho-Cho-San is very much alive, and when the fire begins in a waste basket and cabinet drawers, Trixie grabs the cat from the office and runs for the exit. Dame Cecile is relieved to see Trixie with the cage until she discovers that it contains a live cat and not her darling Fleur-de-Lys! Meanwhile Eddie has discovered a body in the shop. Who killed the shop owner, and who wanted him to kill Cho-Cho-San? And will the show go on?
Marion Babson's mysteries are delightful for those cat lovers among us. It's an easy afternoon or evening read with an interesting group of characters, with an emphasis on the "characters". If you like your British cozies with touch of humor, any of her books will fit the bill, but The Cat Who Wasn't A Dog is a good place to start..
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