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A Perkins & Tate Mystery #4
In the Teeth of Adversity
Paws for Murder...
The man who threw his cat at his dentist...
Doug Perkins, his partner Gerry and their cat, Pandora, have one job to spin gaffes into gold. But this cozy little London PR agency--a better environment for Pandora than profits--is about to get involved in a disastous affaire dentaire.. Endicott Zayle, dentist to the rich and famous--as well as to Doug and Gerry--has a problem with royal proportions. He just killed a beautiful women with an experimental anesthetic. Or did he?
By the time Doug arrives on the scene, the corpse is up and walking around--and someone else is dead instead. With Endicott losing his grip, and a line of women all claiming personal interest in the deceased, scandal is afoot. And so is a second dose of murder. For Doug, Perry and Pandora, making this mess look good will mean sorting through an old man's madness, a young man's foolishness, and a tooth-and-nail case of cat fighting--no holds barred...
The man who threw his cat at his dentist...
Doug Perkins, his partner Gerry and their cat, Pandora, have one job to spin gaffes into gold. But this cozy little London PR agency--a better environment for Pandora than profits--is about to get involved in a disastous affaire dentaire.. Endicott Zayle, dentist to the rich and famous--as well as to Doug and Gerry--has a problem with royal proportions. He just killed a beautiful women with an experimental anesthetic. Or did he?
By the time Doug arrives on the scene, the corpse is up and walking around--and someone else is dead instead. With Endicott losing his grip, and a line of women all claiming personal interest in the deceased, scandal is afoot. And so is a second dose of murder. For Doug, Perry and Pandora, making this mess look good will mean sorting through an old man's madness, a young man's foolishness, and a tooth-and-nail case of cat fighting--no holds barred...
176 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
30 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Marian Babson
62 books88 followersMarian Babson, a pseudonym for Ruth Stenstreem, was born in Salem, Massachusetts, but lived in London for the greater part of her life.
She worked as a librarian; managed a campaign headquarters; was a receptionist, secretary, and den mother to a firm of commercial artists; and was co-editor of a machine knitting magazine, despite the fact that she can’t knit, even with two needles.
A long sojourn as a temp sent her into the heart of business life all over London, working for architects, law firms, the British Museum, a Soho club, and even a visiting superstar.
She also served as secretary to the Crime Writers’ Association. She became a full-time writer whose many interests included theatre, cinema, art, cooking, travel, and, of course, cats, which feature in many of her mystery books. Her first published work was 'Cover-Up Story' in 1971 and 'Only the Cat' (2007) was her 44th novel.
The publisher's tagline for her style is "Murder Most British," a style reflected in each of her novels. Any violence is not graphically described and the sleuths are usually amateurs.
She re-used certain characters, such as the publicity firm Perkins & Tate, and a couple of ageing actresses, her books all stand-alone and can be read in any order.
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
She worked as a librarian; managed a campaign headquarters; was a receptionist, secretary, and den mother to a firm of commercial artists; and was co-editor of a machine knitting magazine, despite the fact that she can’t knit, even with two needles.
A long sojourn as a temp sent her into the heart of business life all over London, working for architects, law firms, the British Museum, a Soho club, and even a visiting superstar.
She also served as secretary to the Crime Writers’ Association. She became a full-time writer whose many interests included theatre, cinema, art, cooking, travel, and, of course, cats, which feature in many of her mystery books. Her first published work was 'Cover-Up Story' in 1971 and 'Only the Cat' (2007) was her 44th novel.
The publisher's tagline for her style is "Murder Most British," a style reflected in each of her novels. Any violence is not graphically described and the sleuths are usually amateurs.
She re-used certain characters, such as the publicity firm Perkins & Tate, and a couple of ageing actresses, her books all stand-alone and can be read in any order.
Gerry Wolstenholme
September 2010
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
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September 20, 2020This is several genres at once:
a) a mystery novel prominently featuring a cat (a Siamese named Pandora)
b) a study of dentistry (hence the title)
c) an English farce (the author is actually American – born in Salem, Massachusetts – but a longtime resident of England)
d) a book by a woman written from a male point of view
e) the story of a public relations firm.
It sounds complex, and in a conceptual way it is, but reading “In the Teeth of Adversity” does not require too much analytic skill. Let me open it at random:
“No, not you, Mr. Johnson.” She caught her reluctant patient by the arm as he swerved to try to follow us up the second flight of stairs. “Mr. Zayle is waiting for you right in here.”
Like almost every farce, the names are extravagant. Morgana Fane is a world-famous model. Zayle’s first name is Endicott. Then there’s the Hon. Editha Cale-Cunningham…
It’s the kind of book that takes longer to read than it did to write. (“She is a full-time writer and has published over 30 mystery novels,” is the second – and final – line of Marian Babson’s bio (actually printed on the inside of the back cover!). (There’s something a little ominous about the phrase “over 30.”)
The day after I finished “In the Teeth of Adversity” (that is, today) I suddenly recognized – it’s a play! There’s no physical description, lots of supposedly humorous dialogue, only two “stage settings,” even a protagonist closely modeled on the “Teddy Roosevelt” character in “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Suppose you were a modern playwright – born in Salem, Massachusetts – who wished to actually make some money, not just amuse the patrons of a provincial playhouse for three weekends. What would you do? You’d write pseudo-English cat mysteries, admit it!
a) a mystery novel prominently featuring a cat (a Siamese named Pandora)
b) a study of dentistry (hence the title)
c) an English farce (the author is actually American – born in Salem, Massachusetts – but a longtime resident of England)
d) a book by a woman written from a male point of view
e) the story of a public relations firm.
It sounds complex, and in a conceptual way it is, but reading “In the Teeth of Adversity” does not require too much analytic skill. Let me open it at random:
“No, not you, Mr. Johnson.” She caught her reluctant patient by the arm as he swerved to try to follow us up the second flight of stairs. “Mr. Zayle is waiting for you right in here.”
Like almost every farce, the names are extravagant. Morgana Fane is a world-famous model. Zayle’s first name is Endicott. Then there’s the Hon. Editha Cale-Cunningham…
It’s the kind of book that takes longer to read than it did to write. (“She is a full-time writer and has published over 30 mystery novels,” is the second – and final – line of Marian Babson’s bio (actually printed on the inside of the back cover!). (There’s something a little ominous about the phrase “over 30.”)
The day after I finished “In the Teeth of Adversity” (that is, today) I suddenly recognized – it’s a play! There’s no physical description, lots of supposedly humorous dialogue, only two “stage settings,” even a protagonist closely modeled on the “Teddy Roosevelt” character in “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Suppose you were a modern playwright – born in Salem, Massachusetts – who wished to actually make some money, not just amuse the patrons of a provincial playhouse for three weekends. What would you do? You’d write pseudo-English cat mysteries, admit it!
May 7, 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.
January 29, 2017
Amusing, well-written, Perkins and Tate stories are my favorite Marion Babson books. The narrator is also excellent.
January 1, 2009
A very good mystery with a twist. I love Pandora and her human.
April 5, 2009
A very entertaining mystery with plenty of characters to divert suspicion. I always enjoy Marian Babson books.
November 30, 2015
I loved the silliness of the Perkins & Tate books.
September 28, 2018
I was rather confused throughout most of this book. The characters actions were very disorienting, and the narrator didn’t pick up on the clues characters were dropping, so not a whole lot made sense until the murderer was revealed.
April 12, 2020
Great
This murder mystery has some major plot twists engendering genuine surprise. It is also quite funny with endearing characters and a Siamese cat with considerable personality. I have read many of this author 's books and have never been disappointed.
This murder mystery has some major plot twists engendering genuine surprise. It is also quite funny with endearing characters and a Siamese cat with considerable personality. I have read many of this author 's books and have never been disappointed.
August 20, 2022
DNF at Page 83. I tried to like this book, but I couldn't do it. There was a lot of talk, unnecessary talk that was not directly linked with the murder... This was tiring and boring for me. It's not my kind of book at all.
February 6, 2019
Audiobook performed by Stephen Crossly
March 17, 2020
Absolutely delightful
Wonderful characters, everyone quite weird. Amusing and scary at the same time. A hero who looks at things very differently. A terrific cat.
Wonderful characters, everyone quite weird. Amusing and scary at the same time. A hero who looks at things very differently. A terrific cat.
April 17, 2020
The charm of this series has worn thin.....
June 3, 2020
Death in the Dentist Chair
This couple of public relations professionals has their work cut out for them when their dentist client ends up with a dead woman in his chair.
This couple of public relations professionals has their work cut out for them when their dentist client ends up with a dead woman in his chair.
August 1, 2021
A morass of banal gibberish containing about 5 pages of plot.
September 27, 2022
4.0 Another light read.
March 5, 2011
"The man who threw his cat at his dentist ...
Doug Perkins, his partner Gerry, and their car, Pandora, have one job to do: spin gaffes into gold. But this cozy little London PR agency--a better environment for Pandora than profits--is about to get involved in a disastrous affaire dentaire>...Endicott Zayle, dentist to the rich and famous--as well as to Doug and Gerry--has a problem of royal proportions. He just killed a beautiful woman with an experimental anesthetic. Or did he?
By the time Doug arrives on the scene, the corpse is up and walking around--and someone else is dead instead. With Endicott losing his grip, and a line of women all claiming a personal interest in the deceased, scandal is afoot. And so is a second dose of murder. For Doug, Gerry, and Pandora, making this mess look good will mean sorting through an old man's madness, a young man's foolishness, and a tooth-and-nail case of cat fighting--no holds barred..."
~~back cover
This is my least favorite style of writing. There are too many characters, and most of them are barking mad, so their actions (not to mention the plot) don't make any sense at all. To add to that misery, the writing style is vignettes: a suspect does something or says something, and our Doug wonders "what did that mean? Is he trying to tell me that Minerva* ate the centerpiece? Or perhaps it wasn't Minerva at all but really the General? But why would the General be munching on flowers?" The story (and dialog) then hares off in a completely different direction, and no mention is ever made of the bloody centerpiece again. Or Minerva, come to that. But there's a new musing after every conversational exchange, a new madcap comedy of errors on every page, and not much sense to be got out of any of it.
I'm sure there must be readers who appreciate this style of plot & characterization. I don't happen to be one of them.
*Minerva, and the centerpiece, are not part of the story, but appear in this review merely to serve as examples.
Doug Perkins, his partner Gerry, and their car, Pandora, have one job to do: spin gaffes into gold. But this cozy little London PR agency--a better environment for Pandora than profits--is about to get involved in a disastrous affaire dentaire>...Endicott Zayle, dentist to the rich and famous--as well as to Doug and Gerry--has a problem of royal proportions. He just killed a beautiful woman with an experimental anesthetic. Or did he?
By the time Doug arrives on the scene, the corpse is up and walking around--and someone else is dead instead. With Endicott losing his grip, and a line of women all claiming a personal interest in the deceased, scandal is afoot. And so is a second dose of murder. For Doug, Gerry, and Pandora, making this mess look good will mean sorting through an old man's madness, a young man's foolishness, and a tooth-and-nail case of cat fighting--no holds barred..."
~~back cover
This is my least favorite style of writing. There are too many characters, and most of them are barking mad, so their actions (not to mention the plot) don't make any sense at all. To add to that misery, the writing style is vignettes: a suspect does something or says something, and our Doug wonders "what did that mean? Is he trying to tell me that Minerva* ate the centerpiece? Or perhaps it wasn't Minerva at all but really the General? But why would the General be munching on flowers?" The story (and dialog) then hares off in a completely different direction, and no mention is ever made of the bloody centerpiece again. Or Minerva, come to that. But there's a new musing after every conversational exchange, a new madcap comedy of errors on every page, and not much sense to be got out of any of it.
I'm sure there must be readers who appreciate this style of plot & characterization. I don't happen to be one of them.
*Minerva, and the centerpiece, are not part of the story, but appear in this review merely to serve as examples.
August 29, 2019
This final of the PR firm cozy mystery series takes us to a celebrity dental practice that is a tad dysfunctional. Hilariously dysfunctional, and a murder or two does little to make things more normal. Nor will I quite look at the dental chair and the spit sink the same way again. Even though I had read this before, I did not remember the ending at all, nor most of the twists and turns taken, nor who was the murderer and why. Enjoyable, light entertainment, even if not the best of the series.
July 31, 2014
An amusing little trifle of a mystery, with a few nice touches--having a PR practitioner as the protagonist is a nice change, and all the other characters are slightly loony, eccentric, or both. It doesn't amount to much, but it's a quick read.
Read
September 27, 2019A little sillier than the others.
May 9, 2011
reminded me a little too much of "arsenic and old lace" for my taste.
November 11, 2014
This should be 2-1/2 stars. Mildly amusing.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews