It's Book Release Day! Some great new books are now available! A few of the titles are Enforcing the Paw by Diane Kelly (a must read), Booked 4 Murder by J.C. Eaton, Grace to the Finish by Julie Hyzy, A Ghostly Light by Juliet Blackwell, The Confusion of Languages by Siobhan Fallon, Weddings at Promise Lodge by Charlotte Hubbard, Murder at the Puppy Fest by Laurien Berenson, The House of Memory by Carolyn Haines, The Tell-Tale Torte by Maya Corrigan, A Crime of Passion Fruit by Ellie Alexander, Death of a Lobster Lover by Lee Hollis, Lowcountry Bonfire by Susan Boyer, Come Helen High Water by Susan McBride, Death of a Bachelorette by Laura Levine and If the Haunting Fits, Wear It by Rose Pressey. I hope you find some new books to add to your library.
Murder at the Puppy Fest by Laurien Berenson is the twentieth book in A Melanie Travis Canine Mystery series. Melanie Travis is driving her oldest
son, Davey home from soccer practice when they see a car toss a puppy out. The pair stop and rescue the poor pooch who
gets named Bud by the time they reach home (this little pup has a new home). The next day Melanie is off to help Claire Travis
at the Third Annual Puppy Fest sponsored by millionaire Leo Brody. The money from
the benefit goes help Puppy Posse, a dog rescue foundation (a very worthy
cause). Melanie agreed to help wrangle
the pups, but she did not count on finding Leo Brody on the floor in his
study. Melanie immediately calls 911,
but it is too late to save Leo Brody.
The suspect list includes Leo's nine children and several of his
grandchildren. The person who killed Brody
knew his routine and about his nut allergy.
Melanie had decided to not get involved in the investigation, until she
speaks with Libby (thanks to Aunt Peg’s meddling). Libby Rothko, one of Leo Brody’s daughters,
is confident that her father was murdered.
Someone deliberately left him cookies spiked with nuts. Melanie agrees when she hears that Leo’s
EpiPen was gone from his desk. Libby
arranges for Melanie to talk to her siblings to help gather clues and find the
culprit. Unfortunately, this does not
help to narrow down the suspect list.
Every single one of them had a motive to harm Leo. The killer, though, does not wish to be
caught. What will the murderer due to
avoid capture?
Murder at the Puppy Fest is
well-written and has a good pace which makes for an easy to read (and engaging)
cozy mystery. I thought the characters
well-developed, relatable and entertaining.
The only person I am not fond of is Aunt Peg (nosy, controlling busy
body). Though, she does provide some
humor. I like Melanie, Sam and her two
kids. It is a nice change to have a
married main character (instead of someone who is dating). While Murder at the Puppy Fest is the
twentieth book in the series, it can be read alone (you might find it helpful
to read A Pedigree to Die For). Readers
are provided the necessary background details on Melanie and her family. I give Murder at the Puppy Fest 4.5 out of 5
stars. The mystery is slightly
complicated, but avid cozy mystery readers should be able to resolve it before the
reveal. Other readers will be surprised
when the solution is revealed. The
author provides good clues to help readers solve the whodunit. It is interesting to get an inside look at
dog shows. I had no idea so much went
into preparing the dog and the judging criteria. I look forward to reading Wagging through the Snow when it comes out (in September).
I appreciate you visiting today and reading my review. I will be sharing my thoughts on Enforcing the Paw by Diane Kelly next time. May each of you have a very special day. Take care and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
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