Feline Characters in Ngaio Marsh's Fiction

Ngaio Marsh, the Kiwi/British writer of Detective Fiction, was indubitably a lover of cats. She introduced many of them into her novels as crucial characters.

Probably the most famous of them is Lucy Lockett in "Black as he is painted". She is picked up after being injured in an accident by Samuel Whipplestone. She helps in solving the crime by literally depositing the clue at his feet!

Then, Thomasina in "Scales of Justice" plays an obviously important part as the "Scales" in the title refer to both "Justice" & "Scales of a fish" (which latter are the crucial clues) & Thomasina is fond of consuming fish.

Slyboots & Smartypants in "Tied up in Tinsel" are the pets of the cook, appropriately nicknamed "Kittiwee", who frighten the aspiring Chatelaine, Cressida Tottenham, by hiding in her bed. Cressida, however, proves to be the murderess at the end.