Good books often come via small publishing houses. Here are a few that have recently come my way.

How to Wash a Cat

By Rebecca M. Hale

Green Vase Publishing, 2008, $21.95

Just the title was enough to make me curious, cat lover that I am.

This delightful little mystery, set in San Francisco, does indeed have two feline characters.

The narrator has inherited a small antique shop from her Uncle Oscar, who has died quite unexpectedly. She and her cats have taken up residence in an apartment over the store. She is finding that Oscar, whose special interest was in the history of Gold Rush days, had many secrets.

An intriguing cast of kooky characters makes this a good first effort for the author, who was a patent attorney.

A River to Die For

By Radine Trees Nehring

St. Kitt's Press, 2008, $16

Carrie McCrite and her husband, Henry King, return in another mystery.

Henry plans to take Carrie on a camping trip, along with her son, Rob, and Catherine, the half-sister Henry has just begun to get to know. When it becomes obvious that Carrie really isn't into the idea of sleeping in a tent, Henry agrees to go without her.

After Rob and Catherine go missing while on a hike, Carrie wishes she had gone in the first place. Rob turns up, a little the worse for wear after having been conked on the head, but there is no sign of Catherine.

All all-out search leads to danger for everyone.

This is the fifth book in Nehring's "Something to Die For" mystery series. I thoroughly enjoy this series, which features a somewhat older protagonist. Nehring tries to give her novels a historical connection, offering readers some interesting information about the setting.

Scratch Golfer

By Willie Thompson

Mainland Press, 2008, $21.95

Even if you're not a golfer, you'll get a kick out of Thompson's book.

Webster Daniels is not having a good year. He can't seem to shoot a great round of golf, his new co-worker is a jerk, and his wife is buying out the yard sales.

When a new golf pro comes to the club, Web's golf game reaches a new high even as the rest of his life falls apart.

This book is hilarious. You'll immediately see the similarity of Web's life to that of Job.

Brooklyn Dodgers

The Last Great Pennant Drive, 1957

By John R. Nordell Jr.

Tribute Books, 2008, $14.95

True fans of the game of baseball will enjoy this look at the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1957, the final year the team played at Ebbets Field

The author tells the story of the Dodgers' mid-season surge in the standings during that last year in Brooklyn.

The book includes photographs and information from various sources as well as the author's personal remembrances of seeing a Dodgers' game.

Contact Faye Dasen at fdasen@thepilot.com or 693-2475.