Marian Babson

Marian Babson a pseudonym for Ruth Stenstreem. She is a mystery author with a large body of work that rotates in and out of print. She was born in Salem, Massachusetts, USA, but has lived most her life in London, England.

Her books are short— usually under two hundred pages— and revolve around mysterious deaths for the most part, though some of her books are more in the line of gentle thrillers than actual mysteries. The publisher's tagline for her is "Murder Most British," and the style of the books reflects that; the violence is not graphically described and the sleuths are usually bumbling amateurs. While she re-uses certain characters, such as the publicity firm Perkins & Tate and a couple of aging actresses, her books are all stand-alone and can be read in any order. Many of the books, in particular the Perkins & Tate books, involve cats.

Bibliography

• Cover Up Story, 1971
• Murder at the Cat Show, 1972
• Pretty Lady, 1973
• The Stalking Lamb, 1974
• Unfair Exchange, 1974
• Murder Sails at Midnight, 1975
• There Must be Some Mistake, 1975
• Untimely Guest, 1976
• The Lord Mayor of Death, 1977
• Murder, Murder, Little Star, 1977
• Tightrope for Three, 1978
• So Soon Done For, 1979
• The Twelve Deaths of Christmas, 1979
• Dangerous to Know, 1980
• Queue Here for Murder, 1980. Also released as Line Up For Murder.
• Bejewelled Death, 1981
• Never as Strangers, 1982
• Death Beside the Seaside, 1982
• Death Warmed Up, 1982
• A Fool for Murder, 1983
• Cruise of a Death Time, 1983
• A Trail of Ashes, 1984. Also released as Whiskers and Smoke.
• Death Swap, 1984. Also released as Paws for Alarm.
• Death in Fashion, 1985
• Weekend for Murder, 1985. Also released as Murder on a Mystery Tour.
• Reel Murder, 1986
• Fatal Fortune, 1987
• Guilty Party, 1988
• Encore Murder, 1989
• Tourists are for Trapping, 1989
• Past Regret, 1990
• In the Teeth of Adversity, 1990
• Shadows in Their Blood, 1991
• Nine Lives to Murder, 1992
• Even Yuppies Die, 1993
• The Diamond Cat, 1994
• Break a Leg, Darlings, 1995
• Canapes for the Kitties, 1996
• The Company of Cats, 1999
• To Catch a Cat, 2000
• Worlds Apart, 2000
• Deadly Deceit, 2001. Also released as The Cat Next Door.
• Not Quite a Geisha, 2003. Also released as The Cat Who Wasn't A Dog.
• Retreat from Murder, 2004. Also released as Please Do Feed the Cat.
• Only the Cat Knows, 2005

External links

• Works by or about Marian Babson in libraries (WorldCat catalog)