How to Wash a Cat

Today's post is on How to Wash a Cat by Rebecca M. Hale. It is the first in her The Cats and Curios mystery series. It is 295 pages long and is published by Berkley Prime Crime Mystery. The cover has a very pretty white and orange cat looking into a trap door with a junk shop behind her. The intended reader is someone who likes cozy mysteries, quirky characters, and fun writing. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. The story is told from first person perspective of the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Uncle Oscar was one of a kind. His dusty antiques ship, the Green Vase- nestled in San Francisco's historic Jackson Square neighborhood- was like his own personal museum to the Gold Rush era. Needless to say, I was shocked when he was found dead in his shop, and even more surprised to discover he's left the venerable establishment to me!
I had no sooner started exploring the shop's fascinating array of curios and novelties- along with my two cats, Rupert and Isabella- than I began to to meet a motley crew of Uncle Oscar's former associates, all of whom seemed deeply interested in the shop and its hidden secrets. Before long, I learned my inheritance included all sorts of clues Uncle Oscar had left behind- a peculiar key, a trap door, a puzzling map...
To unravel the mystery, my feline friends and I followed a twisted trail of deadly deception that began right here in his shop and leads all the way back to the days of the Gold Rush itself...

Review- This was a very fun and fast read. The cats were fun and they moved the plot along. The mystery was interesting. I did guess who one of the villains was but the other villain was a surprise and their motives were a surprise. One clever little thing was that we did not learn the main character's name until the very end of the book and I did not even realize until she was named by one of the side characters. One of the things that I really enjoyed about this book was no love interest. It is a cute mystery about a woman discovering what her uncle left her and starting a new place in life. I doubt it will stay that way but it was a very nice change of pace. A fun cozy story with good setting that I look forward to exploring more with Rebecca, Isabella, and Rupert.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I was given this book as a gift.