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Pretty Lady
Collins,, (1973). Very near fine in a like dustjacket.. First printing. Her third book, a novel of suspense. A woman wanting to be free of her marriage uses Billy, a good-natured and eager to please man of thirty with the mind of a child as her dupe in the attempted murder of her husband. INSCRIBED on the front endpaper "For ---, Something to read for the New Year." Babson was awarded the Crime Writers' Association Dagger for her body of work. 128 pp.
- GenresMystery
224 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1992
About the author
Marian Babson
60 books90 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 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 26, 2024
the book cost me 300pesitos, which here in argentina is very cheap. so to say i was surprised when i found myself actually being invested in it wouldn't do it justice. the story advances very quickly and it reaches its conflict pretty soon (page 20ish) yet the ending seemed rushed and unplanned, despite having about 80 pages to develop it. to sum up, it's the kind of book you would read on the train or waiting for the bus, the characters are real enough and the plot is interesting, making it an easy read. 4 out of 5
June 17, 2019
And the award for the most boring book of the summer so far goes to....
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews