Tourists are for Trapping (Perkins & Tate Mysteries) (Mass Market Paperback)

~ (Author) "I was lying back comfortably, up to my earlobes in hot steaming water..." (more)
Key Phrases: luxury tour, pub crawl, Professor Tablor, Billie Mae, Larkin's Luxury Tours (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

British public relations partners Doug Perkins and Gerry Tate make a third appearance here, called in to soothe the disgruntled American tourists on Larkin's Luxury Tour #79. It seems that one of the group, an elderly math professor, died accidentally while the tour was in Zurich. Meeting the travelers in London, Perkins finds them edgy, morose and in a state of collective shock. Then he discovers that the professor's death was a murder, and that the tight-lipped group is staging a conspiratorial cover-up. When another member disappears, Perkins's troubles multiply. Fattened with unrelated subplots, this sluggish book springs to life only in the last few pages when Perkins intuitively divines the reasons behind some nefarious deeds. But neither Perkins's irrepressible good humor and staunch perseverance nor the antics of his spirited cat Pandora are enough to salvage this lackluster story, doomed by pallid characters and a low-key, never fully developed mystery.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Review

"Marian Babson's name on a mystery is a guarantee of quality writing wrapped around an unusual crime."-Houston Chronicle

"What can a reviewer say about Marian Babson? If you haven't read at least one of her books, you have definitely missed the boat. She is consistently witty."-Mystery News
-- Review

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Minotaur (July 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312990995
• ISBN-13: 978-0312990992
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 3.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #884,555 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Always Enjoyable, September 16, 2004

By	Louis M. Perdue (Amsterdam, the Netherlands) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book is typical Marian Babson, although a little lighter weight than normal. There are, as usual, plenty of characters to sort out BUT unlike most of her other books, most of them stay in the background or fade quickly into the background. That was a little disappointing to me but I still enjoyed the antics of Doug Perkins (of Perkins & Tate, a PR firm) and his cat Pandora. Pandora is a treat and, in this book, has as much personality as any of the characters.
The mystery revolves around the death of a member of an American tour group working its way through Europe and now in London. The tour company is a client of the PR firm and Doug is called upon to sooth the moods of the remaining members of the tour. The mystery is secondary to the descriptions of the dynamics of the tour group but it was fun to figure out who the culprit was and the mystery is wrapped up rather quickly and neatly.
If you are a fan of Babson's, add this to your list to read. If not, don't start with this one because it does not do justice to her usual higher standards.