No Cooperation from the Cat: A Mystery

Trixie Dolan & Evangeline Sinclair Mystery #7

by Marian Babson

Marian Babson brings back theater actresses Trixie and Evangeline in No Cooperation from the Cat , her latest cat-suffused cozy!
Trixie's daughter Martha has taken up residence in the kitchen she shares with her friend Evangeline. Martha is frantically testing last-minute recipes to meet the deadline for her cookbook, helped by Jocasta, her overworked editor. When a strange man bursts into their lives, it's revealed that Martha was not the first choice for the cookbook, and that the woman originally working on it died after eating something at a cooking demonstration. Unwanted guests descend on the already crowded and tense apartment, one of whom ends up dead. Cho-Cho-San, the lovely Japanese bobtail cat, joins in the fun as Trixie and Evangeline become entangled in another puzzling murder.
Babson delivers a delightfully witty mystery with a cast sure to induce laughs, including one cat that will steal readers' hearts.

Genres: Mystery, Cats, Cozy Mystery, Cozy, Crime, Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 27, 2012

About the author

Marian 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

Reviews

[MB (What she read) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I found myself irritated the whole way through this book because the plot rested on that fact that badly behaved people were allowed to behave badly with no attempt to control their behaviour or limit their access by the supposed heroes. (Just say "No"!) In fact, the only person who ineffectually tried to stand up against them was never successful or supported by the ones who should have been supportive. In fact, that person was held up as a figure of fun.

Now, the plot totally depended on this happening. But it was so incredibly irritating that I found myself angry the whole way through the book. It was not a fun experience for me. And that is the reason for my 2 star rating.

Remember, I have odd reactions to books, so my irritation may be your joy... Who knows. Don't let my review stop you from reading this.

[Terri · Rating 1 out of 5]

I usually love the Trixie and Evangeline series. But this one started off disjointed and never reaaly came together cohesively for me. Still enjoyed those two though - they are always fun. Frankly, I spent most of the book wanting to shake them and say why not just refuse to let the annoying people in?

[Clare · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked up this book solely on the basis of its title not realizing it was number 7 of a series. It would have definitely helped to have started with book one because the main characters are just there from the beginning with very little information as to how they are related to one another. Added to this scenario are even more characters who will be the auxiliary players in this little mystery. It took me quite a ways into the story to get a gist of how everyone connected to everyone else. Once I settled in to the plot I found the characters very melodramatic, even given that a few of them were involved in theater. The mystery itself was introduced at the beginning and alluded to throughout but really did not get much attention until the very end, most of the story concentrating on the interplay of the personalities of all those involved. There was a chuckle or two, but I found quite a few of the characters annoying and the mystery itself did not grab my attention enough to care about it.

[Mary Tonks · Rating 1 out of 5]

I should have abandoned this train-wreck, but I kept hoping it would improve. The cat was the best part, but there wasn't enough of her.

[Jamie Barringer (Ravenmount) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Anytime I get to the last 20 pages of a murder mystery with no progress or clues as to 'whodunit', I get concerned, and in this case the concern was a bit justified. If you like stories about a bunch of silly people running around hollering and annoying each other- think of the film Bringing Up Baby, or the TV series I Love Lucy- where you get a headache even though it is just a silent book, because you can hear the yelling and chaos in your mind as you read, than this book may be great for you.

The narrator, Trixie, and her roommate Evangeline, has apparently no spine to tell a bunch of complete strangers they are not permitted to take over her home to work on their projects and terrorize the household, just as she has no spine to tell her daughter Martha and Martha's friend Jocasta that they need to respect some basic boundaries while using Trixie's kitchen to test recipes. As a result of this character flaw and the caricatured awfulness of the 6 strangers who descend on their home, the majority of this book is a sort of noisy comedy, with a brief but never focal murder, and a distant and never investigated murder that also is just a bit of extraneous detail to the majority of story as it is presented. When we find out who killed both people, it is not because anyone has been asking questions, finding clues, or talking about the murders at all, but because the murder is nuts and the chaos eventually gets to him.

But, the cat is cute, and the best character in the novel, and at least Trixie and Evangeline are actresses and have an excuse for being over the top, even if the rest of the characters are not theater or film people and have no real excuse for seeming so phony. I also did manage to read this book roughly 'in order', since I already read the one before it in the series, which helped some of the story make more sense. Otherwise I'd have been confused as well as exhausted by this book, even as short as it thankfully is.

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't appeal to my sense of humor. I got tired of stupid Jocasts hiding in the bathroom from someone she "loved," Banquo -- it seemed like 10 times. His three interchangeable sisters who doted on him for the money he was going to make; insipid Teddy (why couldn't she just say, I'm sorry, you're not welcome), and her daughter Martha who is angry through the entire book (well, almost). At one point they ate three doughnuts each (or was it four?).

Again, Jocasta doesn't realize that Melisande was allergic to nuts until chapter -- oh, forget it! And Banquo did WHAT in the Arctic???? No.

Marian Babson started the book okay, the first chapter promised much, but it went downhill. At least to my mind.

Cho-Cho has nothing to do, so why the title of the book???
Sales?

[Crystal · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't give this book a chance past page 47. Nothing had happened and I doubted whether anything would. The cover, with the most adorable kitten in a chef's hat, held high promise, but did not deliver. Set in London, it never left the apartment for 47 pages, where various people came and went, came and went. There was hint of a murder, maybe, when a cook book author had died eating something she made, but was this going to be the mystery? I guess I'm used to Agatha Raisin, who usually stumbles on a dead body in the first few pages of the book.

[Lynne · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful. The mystery doesn't start until you are 3/4 of the way through. The murderer is revealed in the last 5 pages or so. I didn't like any of the characters. They are all self-centered, angry, mean people. I liked the cat. I won't read another by this author. I was really disappointed.

[Olgalijo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cozy murder mysteries with cute cats are always a don't-think-too-much kind of fun. But this time the don't-think-too-much part was, well, too much. Cute characters, not enough plot.

[Barbra · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was beyond belief, the mystery did not start until almost at the end, so after the fifth chapter I started to skim because it was too ridiculous to even try to understand.

[Michelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’m going to start with one huge GLARING error that drove me absolutely crazy throughout this entire book. How did this not get picked up on through editing?! How did this book get published like this - seeing as it is the base of the entire murder plot?!

**SPOILERS AHEAD**

The book only mentioned Melisande being allergic to ONE specific thing - peanuts. Did no one else realize that she was allergic to “peanuts”, but the women went on about walnuts in the flour and almonds in the oil saying that’s what killed her?! That would NOT have killed her (or done anything to her at all for that matter) unless she was also allergic to tree nuts (walnuts, almonds, cashews, etc) - THEY ARE NOT THE SAME THING AS PEANUTS!! Peanuts are legumes - they grow out of the ground. People with peanut allergies can eat TREE NUTS. I seriously cannot believe how stupid this was. I was literally waiting the entire rest of the book waiting for someone to tell them that wouldn’t have been the cause of her death. This took my initial 2 star rating down to a 1.

I did not realize when I got this book that it was several down the road of a series. The beginning jumps right in assuming you already know the characters (this also happens a few more times throughout the book), so already it was off to a slightly confusing, poor start.

I guess another mistake was believing the woman who sold it to me when she said “it’s like Marley and Me, but with a cat!”. The cat has hardly anything to do with the book other than it is mentioned here and there that the cat is around in the background, only being mentioned more toward the last bit of the book. Seems as though the cat was a marketing gimmick, then thrown in at the end for convenience.

I should have given up on it when literally nothing happens in the first quarter of the book, but decided to keep going anyway. Flimsy, over dramatic, selfish characters; just about everything about them rubbed me the wrong way.

Would not read a book by this author again.

[Lila · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Babson's treatment of cats. This one continues with Cho-Cho, the Japanese bobtail that Trixie rescued from a taxidermist in a previous book. I think while most of the Trixie and Evangeline mysteries work as standalones, you do need to know the earlier adventures to make sense of this one.

Once again, we are in the crazy household of these two heavy drinking stage actresses, Trixie and Evangeline, while daughter Martha is working on a cookbook with her stressed and overworked editor, Jocasta. Add in an arctic explorer with a deceased wife, and chaos and murder ensues. I read these books for the cats and the witty dialogue, not for any mystery puzzles.

[Jaret · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't like any of the characters, except the cat, so it made it harder to get into the story. The plot itself was okay, and I think the nasty characters were supposed to add humor. The humor was just lost on me. I can see many others really enjoying the antics though, so my recommendation would be to give it a try.

[Caitlyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give this 3 1/2 stars if I could.
Normally, I quite enjoy dry British humor, but this left something to be desired. There is a fine art to “showing” not “telling” in writing. It would’ve actually been more helpful if the author had done a bit more “telling” so that the readers could keep up with her. If this had been a screenplay, it would’ve translated better than a a written novel.

[Cathie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have liked other mystery series with cats so when the cover of this one caught my eye in the library I checked it out. I read several chapters and gave up - I was having trouble keeping the characters straight and found the whole setup too "precious."

[Carol · Rating 2 out of 5]

There was nothing on the cover of this book to indicate it was part of a series. I enjoyed the story, but there were an awful lot of characters
, most of whom were clearly introduced in previous books.

[Elizabeth · Rating 1 out of 5]

Awful book. It was so confusing at first with all the characters and trying to figure out how they were related to each other (even at the end I wasn't 100% sure). The whole story line was ridiculous and stupid.

[Lynn Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. The too true humor kept me and my family enthralled. Even the mystery behind two baffling deaths, each seemly for no reason, kept this book hopping.

[Elizabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Good thing last one in series as I wouldn’t have read another.

[Peggy Sinden · Rating 3 out of 5]

Somewhat boring without much progress toward the end.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some of the characters were annoying to the point I was yelling at them. I hope her other books don't have characters this weak.

[Jan Sjostrand · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found the book to be fun through a little irritating lots of people with no control. The cookbook writing and the cat kept the story moving and the end was a surprise

[Pat Beard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this visit with Trixie and Evangeline. Absolutely didn't see the ending coming.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had this cozy on a shelf for quite a while and then decided to read it next because of the sweet picture of the cat on the cover. I confess that I read the reviews before starting the book. Most of them were quite negative for No Cooperation From the Cat by Marian Babson.

I was surprised when I started to read it. I enjoyed the fussy and sometimes stupid chatter. I loved the character Cho-Cho-San. The author is an expert at capturing the ways that cats signal their displeasure or annoyance. The other main characters, Trixie, the narrator of the book, Martha her daughter were different from the usual main characters of cozies. They really did not spend a lot of their time or thoughts on the murder of Melisande.

At the opening of the story, Martha is proud that she was chosen to work on a cookbook but finds out later that she was the second choice. From then on, Martha is in a snit. The first choice had been Melisande, the wife of Banquo. The autopsy report had already declared that Melisande died from an allergic reaction to nuts. How she got the nuts was the starting point of the mystery. Martha and Trixie are theatre people and so are all most of their friends. Jocasta was helping Martha with cooking and testing the recipes in the future cookbook. For some unfathomable reason she had a serious crush on Banquo. Banquo is pampered by three sisters of Banco’s who are constantly fawning over him. Also, there is character who reminded me of someone I know who kept popping over to see Cho-Cho. Cho-Cho was originally his but his wife was allergic to cats and wanted to kill Cho-cho.

After getting to know Trixie and Martha, I do think I would like to read more of this series. I was disappointed by the ending, it seemed too sudden and I wasn’t prepared to find out who the murderer was. So this book kept my interest in the end but seemed to fizzle at the conclusion. I am wondering if the main characters are more active in trying to figure out the mystery in this book.

[Nadine in NY Jones · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm DNFing this after only 22 pages. I've never given up on a book so quickly before, but then again, I've never picked up a book blind for no reason other than a stranger's recommendation.

This was dreadful - the writing was twee, the characters were brainless, and the humor was NOT funny. There's like a dozen people living in this house (no, not really) and they are all running around like chickens without heads. They are being awful awful people. A world adventurer shows up looking for his wife, and the only person in the house who knows what happened to her (she DIED, and he doesn't know it because he was out of contact during his trek) runs away and hides in the bathroom because she can't bear to tell him, and no one else thinks this is the least bit awful of her. HIS WIFE DIED AND HE DOESN'T KNOW IT YET. Have some compassion for the man. But no. It's all played for laughs.

Also, there's a cat named Cho Cho San, and a poodle named Fou Fou (I think?). Give me a break.

This was meant to fulfill the "recommended by someone you just met" category in the 2016 Popsugar Reading Challenge, but since I'm quitting it, I'll get another (BETTER!) recommendation from someone else. The one mercy here is that the very nice woman who recommended this to me will never know how much I hated it!!

[Ann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actresses Evangeline Sinclair and Trixie Dolan have a London apartment. Trixi's daughter, Martha, with the help her friend Jocasta need to finish the work on Martha's cookbook to get it to the publisher on time. Banquo Fitzfothergill, an Arctic explorer, arrives at the house shouting for his wife Melisande. Melisande died while giving a cooking demonstration but no one has told him. Jocasta was there when she died and is afraid to tell Banquo, whom she idolizes.

The house soon fills with Banquo's assistants, followers and all sorts of people. Evangeline and Trixie try to get things sorted out but don't get much help from either Jocasta, who runs away every time Banquo is mentioned or Martha, who is upset that Banquo is getting more attention than she or her cookbook.

This book is a manic mess. I sort of liked it but it was confusing and rather difficult to keep track of who and what was going on.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For various reasons, Trixie's daughter Martha has decided to test recipes for her new cookbook in the sublet penthouse Trixie shares with her long-time friend and rival Evangeline. Martha brings her editor, Jocasta, who is also supposed to be working on a saga of arctic exploration by the widowed Banquo, and soon Banquo and his posse--two of his support team and his three obnoxious cousins the Graces--also decide that the penthouse is an ideal place to work. Also at their door, too often for Trixie's comfort, is Teddy, an unsuccessful actor who gave her a lovely Japanese bobtail cat, wanting to visit Cho-Cho. Although I found this delightful, the number and previous relationships of the large cast were confusing unless the reader remembered what had happened in the previous books in this series.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 3 out of 5]

I looked forward to reading the latest Trixie Dolan and Evangeline Sinclair mystery, but found a chaotic whirlwind of activity, and there is a hint of a possible murder that occurred previous to the book's beginning. The chaos caught me up in a 'what could possibly happen next?' mode but not with a sense of a murder mystery. Perhaps, the Author intended this book to be that way.

Ms. Babson is a very capable author and I love her writing, but, this book just wasn't what I expected. There was another murder late in the tale but it was almost swept into the clutter of the kitchen.

Perhaps, we could hope this series evolves into a novel without murders and we just visit the Ladies in their own lives. I would love to read that.

[Sharla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great installment in the series featuring Trixie and Evangeline, a pair of aging British film stars. They find their penthouse apartment has been invaded by a group of unwelcome interlopers thanks to Trixie's daughter Martha and her latest venture, a cookbook. The problem is that Martha's predecessor died under suspicious circumstances. To solve this puzzle they will need the help of Trixie's precious cat, Cho-Cho-San. These two flamboyant characters and their cohorts keep things lively. Marian Babson, like Trixie and Evangeline, has only improved with age.

[DJ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was one of the most irritating books I've ever read. Just reading about how people barged in their house and their seemingly inability to make them leave annoyed me to no end. The mousy characters were too mousy and the tough ones too tough. The main character spent most of the time wishing that some characters would speak up for themselves while others would just shut up and I found myself wishing the same thing long before the second chapter.