How to Wash a Cat (Cats and Curios Mystery) [Mass Market Paperback]

Rebecca M. Hale (Author)

Book Description

Series: Cats and Curios Mystery | Publication Date: March 6, 2012

Two cats are better than one...

First in an adorable new series!

A deceased uncle and a surprising inheritance propel a woman and her two very curious cats into the mystery surrounding his death.

An investigation that starts amid the curios and novelties of a San Francisco antiques shop follows a twisted trail of dangerous deception that leads all the way back to the days of the Gold Rush itself.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"...just plain funny...In today's popular use of cats in storytelling, this one ranks as one of the best." --Bill Duncan, The News-Review, March 6, 2008

A "delightful little mystery" with "an intriguing cast of kooky characters..." --Faye Dasen, The Pilot, March 21, 2008 --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

Rebecca M. Hale worked as a patent attorney in the San Francisco Bay Area for several years before taking time off to write her first novel, How to Wash a Cat. Thoroughly addicted to the writing process, Rebecca and her two cats, Rupert and Isabella, now live in Western Colorado where they are hard at work on the sequel, Nine Lives Last Forever. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (March 6, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425232042
• ISBN-13: 978-0425232040
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (56 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #465,737 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A mystery out of history, March 4, 2010

By 

Chrijeff (Scranton, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: How to Wash a Cat (Cats and Curios Mystery) (Mass Market Paperback)

If you've read any number of my reviews, you know that cats are probably my favorite animals; and San Francisco is probably my favorite of all cities. Thus a book that brings the two together is sure to catch my eye. This first of a new series, told in first person by a heroine whose name isn't revealed till the last page, is a mystery without a murder (or at least none that's ever established as such, though I have my reservations). Our narrator, a former accountant, unexpectedly inherits a beloved uncle's rather shabby antique shop, which specializes in memorabilia relating to the Days of '49, and decides to keep it up and move into the apartment above. Accompanied by her two cats, siblings Isabella and Rupert (who, from their descriptions, are probably Turkish Vans), she soon finds herself accumulating a series of mysterious clues regarding an equally mysterious figure from Gold Rush days. Eventually she discovers a hidden tunnel underneath her store and finds out that the neighborhood's aged Oriental flower-seller is actually a retired cop with an agenda of his own. There are eccentric characters galore (San Francisco has always been noted for them), humor, suspense (including the search for a horde of hidden diamonds), beautiful cats and a lovely city. What more can you want from a cozy mystery? (By the way, William Alexander Leidesdorff really existed, and you can look him up on Wikipedia.) I definitely plan to read the next volume.

35 of 42 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fun and Enjoyable, August 30, 2008

By 

Brandon T. Minster (Virginia, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How to Wash a Cat (Hardcover)

I bought this book for my wife's birthday, but ended up reading it before she has. I thought it was pretty enjoyable. The mysterious part was sufficiently difficult to figure out without being impossible (I hate when mystery authors keep you from guessing the ending by not telling needed information). Sometimes I said while reading, "Oh, Main Character [who is nameless until the end of the book, which was somewhat distracting in places], why are you going to trust that guy who probably is going to kill you?" but then I realized it was because I knew Main Character was in a mystery novel and she did not, which was appropriate. The only other questionable part was when Main Character meets a carpenter and describes him in a way I took to mean she thought he was attractive, and then she notices his mullet. What?! Does Main Character find mullets attractive? Why would she? She seems like such a normal girl! I expect a full explanation from the author the next time I run into her in my local bookstore.

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Quirk, August 4, 2008

By 

Sarah M. Anderson (Quincy, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How to Wash a Cat (Hardcover)

This is a quirky little novel, but it's a good kind of quirk. Rebecca M. Hale blends the line between narrator and author, reality and fiction, in such a subtle way that you only might figure it out by the last line. An intricate lesson in Gold Rush San Francisco that never bores, with cats that are almost as expressive as the people - certainly easier to understand. I had to read the last two chapters twice to pick up all the little details, but it was worth it. Looking forward to her next one.