REX TABBY: CAT DETECTIVE

In his debut caper, feline police detective Rex Tabby sets out to collar two bad-to-the-bone kittens intent on springing tough-talking Ma Manx from the Whiskerville lockup. A legend in his own mind, Rex sallies out into the field, for one inept effort after another, punctuated with lists of police slang and such largely bogus crime-fighting tips as, “Most often, liars will look anywhere but in your eyes.” The plot’s more Three Stooges than 39 Steps, but Rex’s square-jawed, trench-coated figure gives nearly every spread that “Naked City” look, and as Ma Manx’s bickering offspring are even less capable, the clawed Clouseau does eventually catch them up. Chet Gecko’s still top egg in the hardboiled department, but life’s going to be no bowl of cream for crooks with Rex—and sidekicks Si Meese and Frankie Fluff—on the case. (Fiction. 9-11)