Nine Lives to Murder [Hardcover]

Marian Babson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1994

Shakespearean actor Winstanley Fortescue has been marked for murder, and when an accident causes him to switch bodies with a cat named Monty, he must, in Monty's body, track his killer, while his own body remains in intensive care. By the author of Past Regret.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Winstanley Fortescue, Shakespearean actor and ladies' man (with the morals of an alley cat, according to his wife Miranda), is pushed off a ladder, lands on Monty, the theater's cat, and awakes in the role of his life. His horror at regaining consciousness as a cat--"The . . . tip ? Of his . . . tail ? . . . Twitched ?"--wears off as he realizes he's disguised and well equipped to track down his would-be killer, if he can endure the outrage of the litter pan and control his new interest in mice. Meanwhile, Monty, occupying the actor's body, sits "with a meltingly sweet smile on his face" and doesn't have much to say until he taps the actor's repertoire of dialogue from plays past--complete with accents. Miranda chalks up "Win's" oddities to concussion, although she does wonder at his sudden fondness for fish. Of the two mysteries here, murder takes second billing to the question of how and when Monty and Win will regain their true natures. The solution to this problem, the discovery of the would-be murderer--and the reason why Win, restored to his own body, suggests the name "Kitty" for the child he and Miranda are expecting--should all keep an audience rapt. Babson's ( Past Regret ) comic latest is, quite simply, the cat's meow.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

YA-A novel with humorous dialogue and a creative plot. Winstanley Fortescue, an eminent Shakespearean actor, and Monty, the resident theater cat, exchange souls in the violent collision resulting from an attempt on Win's life. Now in the cat's body, the man must learn to purr, use the litter box, and eavesdrop as he pulls together clues to learn the identity of the would-be killer. A wide, but realistic assortment of theater personages form the novel's cast of characters. Babson's knowledge of cats is evident in Monty and Win's thoughts and actions. Both of them retain some of their original instincts but must learn to cope with new limitations. The cover is eyecatching: an orange cat dressed in Shakespearean costume. However, Monty is described as being black and white! A delightful diversion by a clever author.
Claudia Moore, W.T. Woodson High School, Fairfax, VA
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 188 pages
• Publisher: St Martins Pr (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312105118
• ISBN-13: 978-0312105112
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,232,438 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most intelligent cat-oriented mystery I've ever read., August 17, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Nine Lives to Murder (Paperback)

Marian Babson knows both mysteries and cats. I've read many cat mysteries, and Babson's Nine Lives to Murder is the most fun of them all. Most of the book is told from the perspective of a self-important English actor whose mind is suddenly trapped in the body of the theater's cat. I still chuckle when I remember him discovering feline pleasures even while he desperately tries to get his own body back. If you don't like books about cats this isn't for you, but if you do you should borrow or buy it right now

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A cat's eye view of the theatre and murder., May 26, 1996

By A Customer

This review is from: Nine Lives to Murder (Hardcover)

_Nine Lives to Murder_ is a fast moving mystery set in the world of English theatre. During an attempted murder, Winstanley Fortescue, a famous stage actor, butts foreheads with Montmorency D. Mousa, theatre cat. Cat and man exchange bodies. Fortescue in a cat's body, must try to solve the mystery and save his human body from further attacks. The cat's point of view and the quirks and foibles of the theatre world make this mystery a really good read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Purrfect little mystery, November 12, 2001

By 

Mara Addison "Mara Addison" (Pittsburgh, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nine Lives to Murder (Audio Cassette)

I admit it. I'm a smart woman who is a sucker for cat mysteries. I can't help it.

I just started reading Babson's books, picking them up here and there, and I very much enjoy them. I like having different characters in every book (rathering than wondering which character in the little town of Catville is going to get murdered this year).

Babson's books are a joy to read. They do not insult your intelligence (as much as other books in this genre), the characters are developed, the stories are interesting.

If you like cat mysteries and have never given Babson a try, please do. You will be very pleasantly surprised. She's quite a good writer, her stories are fun...and you can always be sure the cats never get seriously hurt. ;-)