Four Fatal Elements

Cat Caliban #4

by D.B. Borton

Please note this is a revised edition of Four Elements of Murder

Cat Caliban is not your average grandmother . . . she has a surprisingly sharp tongue, a good supply of gin and loves to solve mysteries.

Cat is gardening in the summer sun when she gets an unexpected call from an old friend. Louella’s uncle, Red McIntrye, is dead. A tragic car crash on a rural Tennessee road.

But something doesn’t add up.

Red was a former employee of Chem-Tech, a large toxic waste disposal company — a company with some hazardous secrets.

Cat and Louella race to the wreckage. Only to find the evidence has been tampered with. Someone else got there first.

This was no accident. Red’s death is about to set off a chain-reaction . . . with explosive results.

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery

242 pages, Kindle Edition

First published May 1, 1995

About the author

D. B. Borton is a Professor Emeritus of English at Ohio Wesleyan University and now a full-time writer. Specializing in humorous mysteries, she has published eleven mystery novels in two series, the Cat Caliban series (Berkley, Hilliard and Harris) and the Gilda Liberty series (Fawcett), as well as the mystery novel SMOKE (Boomerang) and the humorous science fiction novel SECOND COMING (Boomerang). Her latest mystery, BAYOU CITY BURNING (Boomerang), was published in June 2019.

A native of Houston, Texas, Borton became an ardent admirer of Nancy Drew at a young age. At the age of fourteen, she acquired her own blue roadster, trained on the freeways of Houston and the broad stretches of oil-endowed Texas highway, and began her travels.
She has lived in the Southwest and Midwest and on the West Coast, where she has collected three degrees in English without relinquishing her affection for the expressiveness of the everyday language that real people speak. Her research skills and her ear for language both serve her well in mysteries set in realistic places and featuring characters with authentic voices.

Reviews

[Christmas Angel · Rating 5 out of 5]

WRITTEN OVER 20 YEARS AGO THIS STORY IS STILL RELEVANT TODAY. POLLUTION FROM BIG COMPANIES GOES UNNOTICED BY THE BIG WIGS OF A SMALL TENNESSEE TOWN BECAUSE OF BIG PAY OFFS. IS EVERYONE INVOLVED? WHO CAN YOU TRUST? CAT AND FRIENDS ARE OUT TO FIND THE ANSWERS. MS. BORTON'S CHARACTERS HAVE THE CHARISMA, WIT AND THE GRIT TO GET THE JOB DONE RIGHT.
ENTERTAINING AND INFORMATIVE. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a humorous mystery it's great, but even more it is a cautionary tale worthy of a post menopausal Erin Brockovich.
As for the mystery, Cat and friend drive over to Tennessee because of an uncle's death. But it was VERY suspicious and lots more irregularities kept coming up as the investigated the will which (among other things) left all of his clothing to his niece. Good sleuthing and lots of laughs to balance out some hard truths. Excellent read!

Boomerang Books/IBPA

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

toxic chemicals, garbage incinerators and the suspicious death of Cat's friends, uncle. Their investigation uncovers a lot of cover up and corruption. Also puts them in harms way

[Denise Brennecke · Rating 5 out of 5]

another cracking story

I love these books they are so funny in places but totally gripping from start to finish. I read this in just over a day !! On to the next adventure

[Grey853 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cat is asked to go with a friend whose uncle has died in Tennessee. Once there it's pretty clear it wasn't an accident and even more so after the man's house is burned down. Cat's investigation discovers illegal dumping of toxic waste and extreme political corruption. There's a lot of talk of pollution, conspiracy, and payoffs. Plus, there's a side story of her teenage cousin who just happens to be a talented computer wiz hacker.

While I love Cat's biting humor and her wit, this one seemed far too massive a plot to be the least bit realistic. Still, it was fun in a wild caper kind of way.

[Trish · Rating 2 out of 5]

A decent story right up to the end, where it rather petered out. Pity.

[Helen Fleischer · Rating 5 out of 5]

fast paced, interesting people, lots of action

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this back in 2007.
Remember very little about it except that I liked it.

[Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is about catching polluters, killing whistleblowers, & corrupt law enforcers.