Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | How to Wash a Cat | 2008 | Rebecca M. Hale | Buy |
| 2 | Nine Lives Last Forever | 2010 | Rebecca M. Hale | Buy |
| 3 | How to Moon a Cat | 2011 | Rebecca M. Hale | Buy |
| 4 | How to Tail a Cat | 2012 | Rebecca M. Hale | Buy |
| 5 | How to Paint a Cat | 2014 | Rebecca M. Hale | Buy |
| 6 | How to Catch a Cat | 2015 | Rebecca M. Hale | Buy |
How to Wash a Cat (2008) introduces a San Francisco woman who inherits her uncle’s antiques shop in the Jackson Square neighborhood, along with two opinionated cats named Rupert and Isabella. The shop comes with more than inventory: there are historical mysteries baked into the building and the surrounding area, and the cats seem to know more than they should.
Rebecca M. Hale built six books around this premise between 2008 and 2015. Each novel uses a real aspect of San Francisco history or geography as the foundation for its mystery. The titles all follow the “How to [Verb] a Cat” pattern, and the cats remain central throughout. It’s a series built squarely for readers who want their mysteries served with purring.