Rating: 
Summary: It grows on you
Review: Under normal circumstances I hate anything that can be described as "cute." That includes people, sculpture, movies, books, etc. "Cute" means stupid, shallow, superficial, and self-consciously pretty. At first glance, this book appeared to be merely cute--having a cat that solves crimes--and something I wasn't going to like at all.But I was pleasantly surprised by the relaxing atmosphere of Moose County, somewhere in the northern part of the U.S. The characters were engaging. The plot is perhaps just a trifle weird. I still have a problem with the gimmick detectives, as opposed to the standard sleuth, i.e., the police detective or private eye vs. a cat, an antique dealer, a school marm, etc. The real detective here is, of course, the newspaper columnist who gets hints from Koko, his cat. I groaned a little at the concept, but the atmosphere and characters made me keep reading. I wouldn't put this at the top of the list of mysteries, but the novel is a pleasant, light diversion, with "cute" being the major flaw.
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