Murder, She Meowed by Liz Mugavero: A Review and a Giveaway!

Murder, She Meowed

(A Pawsitively Organic Mystery)

by Liz Mugavero

About the Book

Murder, She Meowed (A Pawsitively Organic Mystery)

Cozy Mystery

7th in Series

Kensington (January 29, 2019)

Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages

ISBN-10: 1496717589

ISBN-13: 978-1496717580

Digital ASIN: B07CWDC8G9

Kristan “Stan” Connor loves concocting tasty organic treats for dogs and cats—and she also loves her fiancé, pub owner Jake McGee. But she’s not so enthusiastic about finding a dead body at her own bachelorette party . . .

Stan and Jake’s wedding will soon take place on the town green in Frog Ledge, Connecticut, followed by a reception at their beloved Irish pub filled with friends, family, and their four favorite canine companions. Stan just has to endure the traditional girls’ night out first. Male strippers jumping out of gigantic cakes aren’t her preferred entertainment. But the hired hottie never gets around to taking it all off . . . because someone takes him out first with one of Stan’s kitchen knives. A heartbroken Stan recognizes the victim as one of the delivery men from the local farm—who must have been moonlighting for some extra cash. Now the guest list has turned into a suspect list—and Stan’s making a vow to find the killer . . .

Includes Gourmet Pet Food Recipes!

About the Author

Liz Mugavero has been writing stories since she could hold a pen. Before that, she would tell them to anyone who would listen (not many at the time). After deciding early on she would write books for a living, she practiced by writing bad, angst-filled poems, short stories and even a storyline for a soap opera–all by age 15. She never wavered from her goals despite all the usual questions including, “So are you going to be an English teacher with that degree in English?” or, “That writing thing sounds nice, but how are you REALLY going to make a living?”

She went on to get a master’s in writing and publishing and spent time in journalism, PR, and presently, corporate communications. And she’s confident this writing thing IS the way to make a living.

Aside from writing, she loves animals (has a houseful), the beach, reading other writers’ masterpieces and Starbucks coffee.

Author Links:  Webpage, Twitter, GoodReads, and Facebook

My Thoughts

Murder, She Meowed by Liz Mugavero has readers journeying to Frog Ledge, Connecticut.  Kristina “Stan” Connor is getting married to pub owner, Jake McGee in three weeks.  The couple have spent the winter planning their wedding which will be at McSwigg’s (Jake’s pub) followed by a reception.  The pub holds a special place in their hearts, and they want to celebrate the day with their close family, friends and pets.  Unfortunately, Patricia, Stan’s mother, has her own ideas for the wedding and makes plans without consulting Stan.  Stan’s sister, Caitlyn is insisting on giving her a bachelorette party and a reluctant Stan attends.  At the bachelorette party the excitement ramps up when a giant cake is wheeled in and, instead of a half-naked man jumping out of the cake, they see blood seeping from the bottom of the cake.  Inside they find Perry Puck dead from a knife wound with one of Stan’s kitchen knives inside with him.  Perry is one of the farmhands at Spring Hill Farm and has been moonlighting as a stripper.  Sgt. Jessie Pasquale, Stan’s soon to be sister-in-law and an unenthusiastic guest at the party, quickly takes charge of the crime scene.  Stan would like the murder solved before her wedding day and begins asking questions around town.  Stan soon finds a threatening note on her car and then the individual gets into Pawsitively Organic, Stan’s pet patisserie, to leave another one.  As if Stan does not have enough on her plate, her mother has hired a wedding planner to “reshape” her wedding.  She needs to stand up to her mother or the town will soon have another murder on its hands with Stan taking her marriage vows in an orange jumpsuit.  Can Stan pinpoint Perry’s killer before her big day?  Will Stan and Jake get the wedding they planned, or will Patricia get her way?

Murder, She Meowed is seventh book in A Pawsitively Organic Mystery series.  If you have not read any of the previous books in the series, you will not be lost.  The author provides the necessary background information for new readers.  I like the town of Frog Ledge, Connecticut with its quirky residents and unique shops.  Stan has cultivated a wonderful group of friends who have become family to her, and she wants to celebrate her special day with them.  Stan is a woman of simple tastes and she does not want an extravagant wedding.  Unfortunately, Stan’s mother, Patricia refuses to listen and steamrolls right over Stan’s objections.  I did not understand why Jake was not more supportive of Stan.  When the wedding planner shows up, Jake ducks out (the chicken).  Stan is lucky to have her good friend, Nikki Manning in town.  I found Murder, She Meowed to be entertaining and easy to read.  I love the adorable cats and dogs featured in the story.  Nutty, the Maine Coon cat, is my favorite.  I did not like Patricia and Caitlyn ignoring Stan’s wishes.  I found it frustrating, aggravating, annoying and many other words ending in “ing”.  It is supposed to be humorous, but, as you can tell, I was not laughing.  The mystery had several suspects and misdirection to distract readers from the real culprit.  The author upped her game with this whodunit (thank you).  The ending of Murder, She Meowed is extremely satisfying.  I enjoyed my latest visit to Frog Ledge, and I was smiling when I finished this engaging tale.  I am giving Murder, She Meowed 4 out of 5 stars.  There are pet food recipes at the end.  Murder, She Meowed is a delightful cozy mystery with its friendly residents, delectable delights at Izzy’s, adorable fur babies, a wedding and a dead man in red satin undies.

Murder, She Meowed is available at Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Google Play, and IndieBound.  Now it is time for the giveaway information!  You can enter the giveaway via the Rafflecopter form below or click here.  Three lucky winners will receive a print copy of Murder, She Meowed.  Good Luck! Do not forget to visit the other stops on the tour for author interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews, character interviews, and recipes (see schedule below). You can find the complete list of books in A Pawsitively Organic Mystery series here.I appreciate you visiting today.  I plan on featuring The Forgiving Jar by Wanda E. Brunstetter tomorrow.  It is the second book in The Prayer Jars series.  Take care of yourself and Happy Reading!

Kris

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February 4 – The Avid Reader – REVIEW

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