Whiskers and Smoke was published in 1984, as A Trail of Ashes. This is one of Babson's stand alone mysteries, and is set in the U.S. It is also one of her mysteries that feature cats with personality.
Rosemary Blake is a recent widow with two children, and all of them are having trouble coping with their grief. When her daughter, Tessa breaks her arm, she is vulnerable when her sister, Celia, tries to talk Rosemary into doing a house exchange with Celia's friend and spend some time healing while visiting Celia, her husband, and son, Luke.
When Rosemary and her children arrive in Edgemarsh Lake, she feels something is going on with her sister and brother-in-law, but Celia doesn't seem to want Rosemary to know. Rosemary is also having a little trouble adjusting to the cat that came with the house, Errol, as he is a Maine coon, much bigger and with a more distinct personality than the laid back Esmond they had left at hom. There is also a next door neighbor, Noah, who thinks Errol is responsible for impregnating his pampered kitty, Pitti-sing. This makes Noah a little hard to get along with.
Rosemary also ends up meeting and becoming friends with Pixie Toller, who is the Welcome Wagon lady. Pixie tries to help Rosemary adjust to the new environment. Rosemary also signs her kids up to a day camp nearby, and meets others who try to help her and the kids deal with things.
With all of the other things that are causing stress in her life, there is the undercurrent of stress that is being suffered by everyone in the area because of several random fires that have been started by someone, causing a lot of damage. Everyone is on the lookout for the arsonist.
I enjoyed this book. Looking forward to reading more of the Babson cat stories, I enjoyed the distinct personality that Errol displayed, and interested in seeing how Babson describes other kitty personalities. I'm particularly looking for Paws for Alarm, as I've heard this book is the flip side of Whiskers and Smoke, and follows the people that took over Rosemary's home back in England. Based on the letters Rosemary received from across the sea, I think it will be very interesting.
This is part of my 2014 Vintage Mystery BINGO challenge--Silver--S--Book with color in Title.
This is a BINGO in the S column.
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