Book two of my 12 in 12 challenge for January is In the Teeth of Adversity by Marian Babson.
Marian Babson is the author of very many cosy crime novels and was especially prolific in the 1970s to 90s. These are a library staple and I read most of them originally by borrowing them. Most of the books of hers that I own in paperback are ex-library copies. This is an early book of hers and one of four she wrote about a PR company who get involved in murders when looking after their clients’ affairs and publicity. A lot of her books have cats featured.
Although these books are a bit outdated now they are still enormous fun. They are full of humour and the author has a very dry wit. I own most of them and am currently rereading them although this is a new one to me.
In this novel the partners in the PR agency become involved with a society dentist who has a client apparently die in the chair and needs to maintain his reputation. There is a lot of chasing around, a disgruntled wife, a disloyal partner and things are not always what they seem. The dentist’s father still believes that he is fighting WW2 and adds a surreal note to the proceedings. I haven’t read many books set in a dentist’s surgery but thankfully it doesn’t dwell on the teeth aspect too much.
You really cannot take this book too seriously but it will happily occupy a couple of hours and make you smile a lot.
Keep reading.
Anne Is Reading 