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A Pigeon Among the Cats
New York:: Stein & Day,, (1977.). Very good in a good dust jacket (some rubbing and minor edgewear to the dust jacket.).. First US printing. A retired English schoolteacher takes a bus tour to Italy and finds herself caught up with some dubious characters using the tour as a cover. A Jubilee Mystery. 190 pp.
- GenresMystery
190 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1974
About the author
Josephine Bell
89 books18 followersJosephine Bell (the pseudonym of Doris Bell Collier Ball) was born into a medical family, the daughter of a surgeon, in Manchester in 1897.
She attended Godolphin School from 1910 to 1916 and then she trained at Newnham College, Cambridge until 1919. On completing her studies she was assigned to University College Hospital in London where she became M.R.C.S. and L.R.C.P. in 1922 and M.B. B.S. in 1924. She married Dr. Norman Dyer Ball in 1923 and the couple had a son and three daughters.
From 1927 until 1935 the couple practised medicine together in Greenwich and London before her husband retired in 1934 and she carried on the practice on her own until her retirement in 1954.
Her husband died in 1936 and she moved to Guildford, Surrey and she became a member of the management committee of St. Luke's Hospital from 1954 to 1962.
She began writing detective fiction in 1936 using the pen name Josephine Bell and her first published novel in the genre was 'Murder in Hospital' (1937).
Perhaps not surprisingly many of her works had a medical background and the first one introduced one of her enduring characters, Dr David Wintringham who worked at Research Hospital in London as a junior assistant physician. He was to feature in 18 of her novels, ending with 'A Well Known Face' (1960).
Overall she wrote more than 60 books, 45 of them in the detective fiction genre where, as well as medical backgrounds, she used such as archaeology in 'Bones in the Barrow' (1953), music in 'The Summer School Mystery' (1950) and even a wildlife sanctuary as background in 'Death on the Reserve' (1966).
She also wrote on drug addicition and criminology and penned a great number of short stories. In addition she was involved in the foundation of the Crime Writers' Association in 1953, an organisation in which she served as chair person in the 1959–60 season.
She died in 1987.
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2010
She attended Godolphin School from 1910 to 1916 and then she trained at Newnham College, Cambridge until 1919. On completing her studies she was assigned to University College Hospital in London where she became M.R.C.S. and L.R.C.P. in 1922 and M.B. B.S. in 1924. She married Dr. Norman Dyer Ball in 1923 and the couple had a son and three daughters.
From 1927 until 1935 the couple practised medicine together in Greenwich and London before her husband retired in 1934 and she carried on the practice on her own until her retirement in 1954.
Her husband died in 1936 and she moved to Guildford, Surrey and she became a member of the management committee of St. Luke's Hospital from 1954 to 1962.
She began writing detective fiction in 1936 using the pen name Josephine Bell and her first published novel in the genre was 'Murder in Hospital' (1937).
Perhaps not surprisingly many of her works had a medical background and the first one introduced one of her enduring characters, Dr David Wintringham who worked at Research Hospital in London as a junior assistant physician. He was to feature in 18 of her novels, ending with 'A Well Known Face' (1960).
Overall she wrote more than 60 books, 45 of them in the detective fiction genre where, as well as medical backgrounds, she used such as archaeology in 'Bones in the Barrow' (1953), music in 'The Summer School Mystery' (1950) and even a wildlife sanctuary as background in 'Death on the Reserve' (1966).
She also wrote on drug addicition and criminology and penned a great number of short stories. In addition she was involved in the foundation of the Crime Writers' Association in 1953, an organisation in which she served as chair person in the 1959–60 season.
She died in 1987.
Gerry Wolstenholme
June 2010
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 21, 2009
Rose Lawler is a retired English schoolteacher who decides to take a holiday tour of Italy. On the tour, she makes the acquaintance of Gwen Chilton, a soon to be divorced woman who seems to be up to something, and Owen Strong, a badly scarred but still handsome man who reminds Rose of her dead husband. Before long, Rose finds that she is caught up in something she can't quite understand. As always in a Josephine Bell book, very little is what it seems on the surface. Almost everyone in the story has something to hide, and even when you think you've figured out what that something is, you just may be in for another surprise.
I have several online friends who have been reviewing great 'noir' books, and I thought, "I've never read anything like that." Then I checked this out from the library again, and remembered, "maybe this is sort of what they are talking about." Rose is a great central character, and I liked her, but any temptation to dismiss her as a sort of Miss Marple-ish schoolmarm is very unwise. There are several sets of villains involved, but you never know which is the one you really need to beware of. Bell seldom wraps her books up with a nice clean ending, and this is no exception, but it is a fun rollercoaster ride all the way through to the end.
Josephine Bell's books are out of the print now, I think, and maybe because she was a female author, audiences expected something different from her. Modern readers who find her books may find her to be more relevant now than they expect.
I have several online friends who have been reviewing great 'noir' books, and I thought, "I've never read anything like that." Then I checked this out from the library again, and remembered, "maybe this is sort of what they are talking about." Rose is a great central character, and I liked her, but any temptation to dismiss her as a sort of Miss Marple-ish schoolmarm is very unwise. There are several sets of villains involved, but you never know which is the one you really need to beware of. Bell seldom wraps her books up with a nice clean ending, and this is no exception, but it is a fun rollercoaster ride all the way through to the end.
Josephine Bell's books are out of the print now, I think, and maybe because she was a female author, audiences expected something different from her. Modern readers who find her books may find her to be more relevant now than they expect.
May 18, 2013
Rose Lawler decides to go on a coach tour of Italy. She is looking forward to it but she soon starts to wonder whether Gwen Chilton, who seems very disorganised, is going to spoil her pleasure after she attaches herself firmly to Rose. Before long Rose is sure there is something sinister going on when a strange man keeps turning up everywhere the coach stops.
This is an exciting and fast-paced story which proves to Rose herself on several occasions that while she may be old in years she is still fit and active and more than a match for the younger generations. The ending is especially well done and kept me turning the pages to see how it was all going to work out.
I thought the atmosphere of a coach tour was very well done with the mixture of characters and the minor disagreements between dissimilar personalities. I liked the way the criminal elements in the story were pieced together to produce a satisfying mystery and there was the added bonus of the Italian background.
This is an exciting and fast-paced story which proves to Rose herself on several occasions that while she may be old in years she is still fit and active and more than a match for the younger generations. The ending is especially well done and kept me turning the pages to see how it was all going to work out.
I thought the atmosphere of a coach tour was very well done with the mixture of characters and the minor disagreements between dissimilar personalities. I liked the way the criminal elements in the story were pieced together to produce a satisfying mystery and there was the added bonus of the Italian background.
July 13, 2021
I know I have a gem in my hands.
January 12, 2026
Wasn’t a bad read.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews