Left Fur Dead
A Jules & Bun Mystery
by J.M. Griffin
About the Book
Cozy Mystery
1st in Series
Kensington (June 25, 2019)
Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
ISBN-10: 1496720571
ISBN-13: 978-1496720573
Digital ASIN: B07HVS38YB
On Fur Bridge Farm, Jules cares for rescued rabbits. But when a killer strikes, she'll need a rabbit to rescue her . . .
Juliette “Jules” Bridge prides herself on the tender rehabilitation she provides for injured or abused rabbits on her New Hampshire rescue farm, but she has a very special relationship with one bunny in particular. Bun is a black-and-white rabbit who happens to have the ability to communicate through mental telepathy. Once she got over the shock, Jules found her furry friend had a lot to say.
One frigid March morning on their walk together, Bun spots a body. The police identify the frozen stiff as Arthur Freeman, aka Arty the Mime. Jules and Arty knew each other on the children's party circuit, where he’d perform magic tricks and she had an educational rabbit petting pen. With Bun egging her on, Jules decides it’s time they hop to it and put their heads together to discover who silenced the mime. But their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole of more suspects and lies, while a killer sets a trap for them . . .
About the Author
J. M. Griffin is the bestselling cozy mystery author of sixteen novels, including the Vinnie Esposito series. She lives in rural Rhode Island with her husband and two very mysterious cats. Visit her at jm-griffin.com.
Author Links
My Thoughts
Left Fur Dead is a cute cozy mystery. Jules Bridge is the caretaker of Fur Bridge Farm which takes injured and abused bunnies. She also breeds and raises rabbits as well as runs a store on the farm that sells yarn and rabbit related items. Bun is Jules bunny housemate that she rescued from Margery Shaw who called the little fellow the devil spawn. Margery just did not understand what Bun was trying to communicate. Oh, I may have forgotten to mention that Bun talks to Jules using mental telepathy and he is a very curious little bunny. When the pair find Arty the Mime dead in the snow, Bun is eager to investigate. He has a nose for sleuthing plus he has keen hearing. Jules is having trouble at the farm with someone breaking into the barn and opening the rabbit cages. The situation continues to escalate, and Jules is worried about her little rabbit charges. Left Fur Dead is nicely written and progresses at a steady pace. I like the main characters of Jules, Bun, Sheriff Jack Carver and Jess Plain. The mystery has a handful of suspects and there are clues to help readers identify the guilty party. I did feel that the case was a little drawn out. Weeks go by before this case is put to bed. Also, Jules was a little reckless. She put herself into danger more than once (and then what would happen to the rabbits). There are some clever aspects to the mystery with a good reveal and a nice wrap-up. Jules and Bun are cute together and I enjoyed their interactions. Jess is a good friend to Jules, and I look forward to getting to know her better in future books. Sheriff Jack Carver is a nice man with a sweet wife who loves to buy yarn. Jack frequently tells Jules to keep her nose and Bun’s out of the case. I did wonder why Jack told her this right after she found the body. I have a feeling that Jules has tried to help Jack in the past. Left Fur Dead is an upbeat cozy mystery with a dead mime, an inquisitive rabbit, a cunning killer, and a worried rabbit rescuer ready to hop to it to find the mime's killer.
Excerpt from Left Fur Dead
Who was this dead person, and what was he doing by the lake? Inwardly, I shivered at the thought of him dying in the cold, and then turned my attention to what the sheriff was saying.
He waited for an answer to the question I hadn’t heard and then repeated it as he tipped his head in the dead man’s direction. “Are you familiar with him?”
“No, I don’t recognize him. Do you?” I pointed to the dark spot. “Is that blood on the ground?” “It doesn’t concern you.”
Bun moved around, then wiggled his head out of the sling again. He watched the sheriff with keen eyes. Jack gave Bun a glance, then offered me a cool attitude that surely meant he’d be asking the questions.
“You’re certain you’ve never met him before? Maybe he stopped by the farm, or you ran into him in town?”
“Not that I know of. If I did come across him somewhere, he didn’t make an impression. Sorry, Jack.” We walked from the beach onto the upper part of the road where his patrol car sat running. “Do you always walk with the rabbit?”
I smiled a bit. “Every morning. It’s good for us both.” With a smirk, he nodded. “If I think of anything else, I’ll be in touch.” Jack tipped his hat-covered head and got into the cruiser. He drove off without a backward glance as I walked on while Bun chatted up a storm.
“Why was he so insistent on you knowing that man? Do you know him? Has he been by the farm? Why didn’t I see him if he did?” “Stop talking long enough for me to answer you. I have no idea why Jack thinks I’ve seen the guy. He hasn’t been at the farm when I’ve been there, and that’s why you aren’t familiar with him.”
I heaved a sigh. “And, by the way, we aren’t going to get involved in the investigation, so get that idea out of your head right now.”
Left Fur Dead will have you wondering what life would be like if your fur baby talked to to you. Left Fur Dead is available through Amazon, B&N, Kobo, Google Play, and IndieBound. The next A Jules & Bun Mystery is Who's Dead, Doc? which will be out on February 25, 2020. To enter the giveaway for a print copy of Left Fur Dead (US Only), click here or enter using the Rafflecopter form below. Good Luck! Please take the time to stop by the other stops on the tour (schedule below) for character interviews, guest posts, excerpts, and character guest posts. Thank you for joining me today. Next time I am sharing my review of The Pawful Truth by Miranda James which releases on July 16. It is the eleventh novel in A Cat in the Stacks Mystery series. Have a beautiful day and Happy Reading!
Kris
The Avid Reader
Tour Participants
July 8 – A Wytch's Book Review Blog – REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 8 – Socrates Book Reviews - SPOTLIGHT
July 8 – Christa Reads and Writes – REVIEW
July 8 – Mystery Thrillers and Romantic Suspense Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – Mochas, Mysteries, and Meows - REVIEW, CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 9 – FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
July 9 – The Book's the Thing – REVIEW
July 9 – The Power of Words – REVIEW
July 10 – I'm All About Books – GUEST POST
July 10 – Books a Plenty Book Reviews – REVIEW
July 10 – Moonlight Rendezvous – REVIEW
July 10 – That's What She's Reading - SPOTLIGHT, EXCERPT
July 11 – Cozy Up With Kathy - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 11 – Sneaky the Library Cat's Blog - CHARACTER INTERVIEW
July 11 – Celticlady's Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – eBook Addicts – REVIEW
July 12 – Teresa Trent Author Blog - SPOTLIGHT
July 12 – The Cozy Pages – REVIEW
July 13 – Sapphyria's Books – REVIEW
July 13 – Here's How It Happened – CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 13 – Laura's Interests – SPOTLIGHT
July 13 – Lisa Ks Book Reviews - REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 14 – Brianne's Book Reviews – REVIEW
July 14 – The Avid Reader - REVIEW, EXCERPT
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July 15 – Books Direct – GUEST POST
July 15 – Author Teresa Watson - AUTHOR INTERVIEW
July 16 – Bibliophile Reviews – REVIEW
July 16 – Brooke Blogs - CHARACTER GUEST POST
July 16 – Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – REVIEW
July 17 – Melina's Book Blog – REVIEW
July 17 – Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
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