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The Multiple Cat
A millionaire's pet tabby is the only witness to his catty murder. . .
When millionaire Arthur Arbuthnot mistakes gossip maven Annabel Hinchby-Smythe for a decorator-and hires her to redecorate his apartment-the fiscally challenged Annabel can't refuse. When she sees Arbuthnot's tatty London flat, she knows anything will be an improvement. And any gossip she can dig up will be pure gold for the tabloids. But when Arthur is found dead, his frisky relatives begin to lick their chops.
Arbuthnot's beloved tabby Sally was the only witness to the homicide-and the sole heir to his estate. Suddenly, cat-hating family members are eager to claim her and control the family fortune. Annabel's only hope to save the cat and catch a killer is to kidnap Sally-and see who comes sniffing around. Once the cat's out of the bag, murder is sure to follow. . .
When millionaire Arthur Arbuthnot mistakes gossip maven Annabel Hinchby-Smythe for a decorator-and hires her to redecorate his apartment-the fiscally challenged Annabel can't refuse. When she sees Arbuthnot's tatty London flat, she knows anything will be an improvement. And any gossip she can dig up will be pure gold for the tabloids. But when Arthur is found dead, his frisky relatives begin to lick their chops.
Arbuthnot's beloved tabby Sally was the only witness to the homicide-and the sole heir to his estate. Suddenly, cat-hating family members are eager to claim her and control the family fortune. Annabel's only hope to save the cat and catch a killer is to kidnap Sally-and see who comes sniffing around. Once the cat's out of the bag, murder is sure to follow. . .
272 pages, Paperback
First published March 15, 1999
134 people are currently reading
251 people want to read
About the author
Marian Babson
62 books87 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
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews
October 24, 2021
3.5 stars
As the story opens, Annabel Hinchly-Smythe - whose income relies on selling gossipy tidbits to columnist Xanthippe - has money troubles. So when multi-millionaire Arthur Arbuthbot mistakes Annabel for an interior decorater she agrees to re-do his apartment.
Annabel knows nothing about decorating but - with books from the library...….
….. and assistance from artist Kelda - she feels she can get the job done.
When Annabel arrives to assess Arbuthnot's apartment she meets his cat Sally, a sweet tabby that he's taken a shine to.
Annabel also meets an array of Arbuthbot's employees and relatives, some of whom want her gone and others who want to offer decorating advice.
Before long Arbuthnot is found insensate (or worse) in his office but his greedy relatives manage to delay the announcement of his death while they get their ducks in row. It seems Arbuthnot left his fortune to Sally (the cat) and everyone is scheming to either become Sally's guardian or to bump Sally off so the estate will be redistributed.
Fearing for Sally's welfare Annabel sneaks her out and takes her home. Sally's disappearance leads to plenty of humorous shenanigans where each interested party shows up with a tabby, claiming to have 'found Sally'.
Annabel is compelled to rescue some more cats and the kitties add a lot of fun to the story. Before long another suspicious death occurs in Arbuthnot's apartment and Annabel starts to fear for her life.
The book has an array of engaging characters including Arbuthnot's secretary - a nasty, would-be cat killer;
His pushy aunt who married a seemingly dim younger man;
His needy nephew and his girlfriend;
A bad-tempered doorman who's lost his legs;
A couple of relentless journalists looking for a scoop;
A smart lawyer;
A savvy veterinarian; and more.
There's not much investigating in this cozy mystery but it's a fun story that I'd recommend to fans of the genre.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
October 16, 2018
A charming mystery story revolving around Sally, a stray cat, whose adopted owner, Arthur Arbuthnot, is mysteriously murdered. The family and all the hangers-on expect to be beneficiaries of his will and then another accident happens. Or was it another murder? And if so who committed it? And where does Sally get to? And who are the other cats who suddenly appear in the story?
Annabel Hinchby-Smythe pretends to be an interior designer and it is her protection of Sally and her investigations that eventually lead to the uncovering of the murderer.
Spell-binding and amusing all through.
Annabel Hinchby-Smythe pretends to be an interior designer and it is her protection of Sally and her investigations that eventually lead to the uncovering of the murderer.
Spell-binding and amusing all through.
September 16, 2019
3.5 likeable heroine and cats!
January 29, 2013
I enjoyed this title quite a bit, for both the adorable title characters and the incredibly neurotic cast. Ms. Annabel Hinchby-Smythe meets at a gathering a wealthy tycoon who needs his house redecorated, and thinks she'd be perfect for it after he mistakes her from an interior designer. His relatives all have different ideas about the design, until he ends up dead and everything goes insane. The cat inherits all and soon Annabel is doing everything she can to save the original and several imposters!
The first few chapters were simply pure gold, and the rest always stayed solidly interesting. Watching the constant verbal and unspoken power struggle between willful people used to getting no gruff is fascinating, from the conservative Zania to the forward Tara. Even the cats, indignant and demanding, are part of it; they were born to play politics. The constant bickering is more exciting than dull, and breathes life and personality into the large cast, who manage to stand out as separate characters.
There isn't much tension, but the fare is light enough that it doesn't need much. There are plots and counterplots, and genuine uncertainty about the outcome; since every finger is dipped in the honeypot, any could be the hand that struck death. False clues about, with the culprit of choice changing every few chapters but the evidence still adding up to the conclusion in hindsight.
And of course, the cute Sally, Sassy, and Salvadore are simply grand in their roles. Take a look if you have the chance and enjoy fluffy mysteries.
The first few chapters were simply pure gold, and the rest always stayed solidly interesting. Watching the constant verbal and unspoken power struggle between willful people used to getting no gruff is fascinating, from the conservative Zania to the forward Tara. Even the cats, indignant and demanding, are part of it; they were born to play politics. The constant bickering is more exciting than dull, and breathes life and personality into the large cast, who manage to stand out as separate characters.
There isn't much tension, but the fare is light enough that it doesn't need much. There are plots and counterplots, and genuine uncertainty about the outcome; since every finger is dipped in the honeypot, any could be the hand that struck death. False clues about, with the culprit of choice changing every few chapters but the evidence still adding up to the conclusion in hindsight.
And of course, the cute Sally, Sassy, and Salvadore are simply grand in their roles. Take a look if you have the chance and enjoy fluffy mysteries.
November 30, 2011
Delightful cozy mystery: Annabel Hinchby-Smythe is invited to decorate an eccentric wealthy man's apartment. He ends up dead a few days later and his pet cat, Sally, is named the heiress of his fortune. Sally becomes vulnerable to the schemes of the heirs so Annabel decides to protect the kitty cat by abducting her and giving her refuge in her own apartment.
The funny part of the story involves the various putative heirs trying to come up with other impostor tabbies for the family attorney's review: a male cat called Salvatore! a pretty and talkative cat called Sassy! Several others to spice up the mix... Ha, ha!
Eventually, all is well that ends well. The villain is unmasked, Sally the heiress has a good home with the family vet under a generous endowment, and Annabel adopts Salvatore.
I loved the priceless descriptions of Annabel noticing the cat expressions and actions. Not just when the cats become suspicious of the human beings intentions, but also when the cats occupy her apartment and check out the food offerings. The author must be a wonderful animal lover.
The funny part of the story involves the various putative heirs trying to come up with other impostor tabbies for the family attorney's review: a male cat called Salvatore! a pretty and talkative cat called Sassy! Several others to spice up the mix... Ha, ha!
Eventually, all is well that ends well. The villain is unmasked, Sally the heiress has a good home with the family vet under a generous endowment, and Annabel adopts Salvatore.
I loved the priceless descriptions of Annabel noticing the cat expressions and actions. Not just when the cats become suspicious of the human beings intentions, but also when the cats occupy her apartment and check out the food offerings. The author must be a wonderful animal lover.
August 26, 2017
This book was hilarious! I chose the book because it looked to be a nice, short read and it was most definitely entertaining. A few chapters in, I thought I knew what the end would be--but I was wrong. The surprise at the end made the book even better.
December 7, 2017
Fun story for mystery/cat lovers
June 30, 2020
A man with money, his cat and a mystery. What can go wrong? Murder.
I’m a sucker for a book with cats. I saw this one had a gray tabby and I knew I wanted to read it. Marian Babson is a new to me author, so I wasn’t sure what I was in for with this book. It was certainly a ride.
The writing flowed well for the most part. Every so often, it’d get clunky, but it wasn’t enough to deter me. I wanted to know what would happen next and got emotionally involved with the characters. I wanted to know what would happen to Sally (Arthur’s cat), Sylvester (the imposter being pushed as Sally) and Sassy (yet another imposter). I mean, people went hunting for cats to try say they have Sally so they get the inheritance. It was nuts. But it roped me in. I didn’t want to see the cats get hurt.
I wasn’t wild about Annabel, the gossip hunter/faux interior designer/amateur detective. She seemed to drink an awful lot during the story and a lot while she was on the job. I don’t know. It just turned me off a bit as a reader.
That said, this was a cute read and the cats were adorable. I loved Sassy and her…er… sass. She was adorable.
If you’re wanting a mystery that takes a little bit to get into, but is worth the read, then this might be the one for you.
I’m a sucker for a book with cats. I saw this one had a gray tabby and I knew I wanted to read it. Marian Babson is a new to me author, so I wasn’t sure what I was in for with this book. It was certainly a ride.
The writing flowed well for the most part. Every so often, it’d get clunky, but it wasn’t enough to deter me. I wanted to know what would happen next and got emotionally involved with the characters. I wanted to know what would happen to Sally (Arthur’s cat), Sylvester (the imposter being pushed as Sally) and Sassy (yet another imposter). I mean, people went hunting for cats to try say they have Sally so they get the inheritance. It was nuts. But it roped me in. I didn’t want to see the cats get hurt.
I wasn’t wild about Annabel, the gossip hunter/faux interior designer/amateur detective. She seemed to drink an awful lot during the story and a lot while she was on the job. I don’t know. It just turned me off a bit as a reader.
That said, this was a cute read and the cats were adorable. I loved Sassy and her…er… sass. She was adorable.
If you’re wanting a mystery that takes a little bit to get into, but is worth the read, then this might be the one for you.
March 22, 2020
Annabel Hinchly-Smith lives on the edge of high society, ferreting out scraps of gossip to sell to newspaper columnists. She meets Arthur, a rich but reclusive target at a party and takes on a job to be his interior decorator, although she has no experience in the field.
Little does she know that she will get a bigger story than she bargained for when her client is found mysteriously deceased. Only she seems to believe he was murdered; his relatives are only interested in the fortune he left behind.
The members of the household clearly dislike his beloved pet cat and several overtly wish it harm now that its owner is dead. Annabel scoops up his cat to take home with her to keep it safe until a new home can be found for it.
When it turns out Arthur’s huge fortune has been left to the cat, the family scrambles first to find the cat and then, failing that, to find a look-alike cat and each claim the fortune.
The author definitely knows her cats and there were some really funny bits. There’s nothing surprising or complicated in the plot, but I liked this light and Fluffy (excuse the pun) mystery enough to pick up another by this author if one crosses my path.
Little does she know that she will get a bigger story than she bargained for when her client is found mysteriously deceased. Only she seems to believe he was murdered; his relatives are only interested in the fortune he left behind.
The members of the household clearly dislike his beloved pet cat and several overtly wish it harm now that its owner is dead. Annabel scoops up his cat to take home with her to keep it safe until a new home can be found for it.
When it turns out Arthur’s huge fortune has been left to the cat, the family scrambles first to find the cat and then, failing that, to find a look-alike cat and each claim the fortune.
The author definitely knows her cats and there were some really funny bits. There’s nothing surprising or complicated in the plot, but I liked this light and Fluffy (excuse the pun) mystery enough to pick up another by this author if one crosses my path.
June 1, 2025
When cocktail & gossip-loving Anabel Annabel is mistaken for a decorator by a millionaire with a drab home, she can't pass up the opportunity! But when her eccentric employer is found dead and his beloved cat is at risk from greedy relatives, she finds herself guilty of purloining a feline (or three) and trying to catch a murderer. I don't know if this is my favorite Babson novel, but it's the one I keep by the bed to read when I can't sleep. Annabel is endearing, but my favorite characters are, of course, the purloined felines, who are written with delightfully distinctive personalities. There are a few places where cat lovers might be concerned (e.g., feeding a cat gin and liver with onions) but otherwise the author really gets felines.
A fun, fast who-done-it with CATS!
A fun, fast who-done-it with CATS!
October 10, 2025
Amusing cosy mystery with cats featuring in central role. Annabel meets a rich man at a party and through a silly confusion he offers her the job of redecorating his apartment for his beloved Sally. A cat. When the man is found murdered, his family and staff all become suspect.
The audiobook is read by Sarah Nichols, who manages to do the large cast's voices in such a way that it's possible to imagine each one.
Even the cats' voices are good.
Annabel's drinking of martinis is rather overdone--she basically sounds like an alcoholic to me. But the drink becomes a central plot device later, so it has its place in this light read.
The audiobook is read by Sarah Nichols, who manages to do the large cast's voices in such a way that it's possible to imagine each one.
Even the cats' voices are good.
Annabel's drinking of martinis is rather overdone--she basically sounds like an alcoholic to me. But the drink becomes a central plot device later, so it has its place in this light read.
Read
June 15, 2023I enjoyed this because of the cats whose behavior was described in an entertaining way. The main character was likeable, but the other characters didn't make much of an impression on me. So it's hard to rate except that it kept me entertained while working on a tedious drawing that would have been hard to keep doing without this light entertainment. I plan to read more by this author.
December 29, 2019
Good, short read if you like cats
Straight forward mystery. Likeable though not very fleshed out protagonist, or other characters. Cats were more differentiated. Lovely with a margarita.
Straight forward mystery. Likeable though not very fleshed out protagonist, or other characters. Cats were more differentiated. Lovely with a margarita.
February 19, 2021
The Millionaire Cat
Annabel takes her hand at interior design when a multimillionaire asks her to redo his house. Her lack of knowledge is only shadowed by her lack of funds. What she finds an unusually horrible bunch of relatives and one of them killed the millionaire.
Annabel takes her hand at interior design when a multimillionaire asks her to redo his house. Her lack of knowledge is only shadowed by her lack of funds. What she finds an unusually horrible bunch of relatives and one of them killed the millionaire.
April 7, 2021
This mystery featured charming cats, obviously written by someone who knows those felines well, but the mystery is not overly involving, with most of the characters quite unsympathetic and a bit stereotyped, making the novel very disappointing.
February 23, 2025
Amusing, but not always believable.
I enjoyed this read, but rolled my eyes at a number of typos, and some far-fatched plot twists. And as a cat lover, I strongly disliked the instances where cats were drugged with gin!
I enjoyed this read, but rolled my eyes at a number of typos, and some far-fatched plot twists. And as a cat lover, I strongly disliked the instances where cats were drugged with gin!
July 31, 2018
Quick cozy mystery. If you like cats, this is a good pick.
December 10, 2019
This book was initially amusing but as I read on the characters became too over the top and the situations required more suspension of disbelief than I am capable of.
December 23, 2019
Cute but sometimes bordering on silly
February 2, 2020
Annabel is an appealing and amusing heroine and the cats are of course delightful. Some of the humans are less interesting than others, but the story moves along swiftly and the plotting s strong.
February 9, 2020
Book with a cat in it
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 11, 2020
Delightful
Annabel unwittingly becomes a cat lover and solver of murders. There are plenty of despicable suspects to hate. You only wish they could all be guilty!
Annabel unwittingly becomes a cat lover and solver of murders. There are plenty of despicable suspects to hate. You only wish they could all be guilty!
August 1, 2021
A few swamp pits of pointless dialogue, but somewhat engaging most of the time. Sweet passages with the cats.
Read
September 17, 2021Really liked this book. It was an easy, fun read. Didn't get bogged down with unnecessary details.
April 9, 2023
Love all the cats 🐈
March 26, 2024
This book puts the 'cozy' in 'cozy mystery'. And I would recommend it for cat lovers everywhere.
May 2, 2024
Cats
Loved the personalities of the different cats. It was difficult to figure out the murderer amongst such a dysfunctional family.
Loved the personalities of the different cats. It was difficult to figure out the murderer amongst such a dysfunctional family.
March 3, 2025
This was an amusing witty book, purrfect for cat-lovers and cozy mysteries. Actual good writing!
April 5, 2022
I love cats which is why I picked up this book (and I'd read other Marian Babson books previously and enjoyed them).
Yes, there are cat(s) featured in story, but as much as I have enjoyed other mysteries featuring cats, I wasn't all that thrilled with this one, mostly because I really didn't like the protagonist Annabel Hinchby-Smythe despite her concern with the cats.
The plot is simple, eccentric billionaire is killed and leaves fortune to his kitty.
3.5 stars
Yes, there are cat(s) featured in story, but as much as I have enjoyed other mysteries featuring cats, I wasn't all that thrilled with this one, mostly because I really didn't like the protagonist Annabel Hinchby-Smythe despite her concern with the cats.
The plot is simple, eccentric billionaire is killed and leaves fortune to his kitty.
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 30 of 47 reviews