Cats Prowl at Night

by A.A. Fair

Book Overview

Dealing with debtors turns deadly for a prickly PI in this hard-boiled mystery by the creator of Perry Mason and author of Bats Fly at Dusk.A hot-headed widow and a glass-jawed ex-lawyer, Bertha Cool... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B000GWLNP8
• Release Date: January 1971
• Publisher: Dell Mystery
• Length: 224 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Cats Prowl

The book was wrapped in plastic and in a perfect condition. I am very satisfied.

Diabolical Murder Mystery

Cats Prowl at Night, by A. A. Fair Sales Engineer Everett Belder goes to see Bertha Cool about an uncollected judgment from a judgment-proof person; his wife has the property. Belder wants Cool to make a deal for less than the full amount. His creditor George Nunnely needs money quickly to keep out of jail! Chapter 2 shows Bertha's skill at diplomatic mediation. Belder's wife Mabel received an anonymous letter that can make trouble (Chapter 3). Bertha tries following Belder's wife, but she loses the car (Chapter 4). Belder's mother-in-law Theresa Goldring and her daughter Carlotta showed up; Mabel has missed seeing them (Chapter 5). Bertha is awakened by pounding on her door; Sergeant Sellers tells her a body was found in Belder's house. Bertha tells all to Sergeant Sellers (Chapter 7). Chapter 8 discusses the portable typewriter used for that poison pen letter. Could someone across the street from the office have observed Belder? Imogene Dearborne, Belder's secretary, has filed a defamation of character suit against Bertha since Bertha's comments led to Imogene being fired (Chapter 10)! Chapter 11 is a short tutorial about a defamation suit. A stranger visits Bertha to get information; she is Carlotta's real mother (Chapter 13). Bertha retraces the route Mabel Belder took, and discovers where Mabel's car was hidden. Bertha now knows what happened (Chapter 16). Sergeant Sellers recapitulates the known facts, and the likely suspect (Chapter 17). There is a question of who gets the inheritance (Chapter 18). Bertha continues to dig up facts (Chapter 19). [Note how people assume the name given over the telephone is correct?] Sergeant Sellers shows up at Bertha's office to arrest Belder for murder. Another policeman guards Bertha in her office, they may or may not arrest Bertha as an accessory (Chapter 21). Bertha returns to Belder's house, discovers something, and is discovered (Chapter 22). When Sellers shows up the case is concluded (Chapter 23). Some of the elements in this story were repeated in later novels of Erle Stanley Gardner.