Even in St. Louis, the California trend of dogs as fashion accessories has caught on. Mystery shopper Josie Marcus is surprised when she's asked to mystery-shop a pet store chain, Pets 4 Luv. They are concerned that some of their stores are selling puppies from puppy mills instead of from reputable breeders. Josie doesn't want to take this assignment because it sounds a lot like investigative work and might be dangerous but the extra money Pets 4 Luv is offering is sorely needed.

Josie suspects that two stores are selling puppy mill animals despite corporate policy banning it. One clerk offers to tell all after work but she doesn't get the chance to tell Josie much before being run down in the Pets 4 Luv parking lot. Was Edna run over to keep her from talking? As Josie struggles to deal with seeing Edna's murder, she's also facing a failing romance, a daughter lobbying for a cat, a friend determined to buy a pedigreed pup, and more mystery shopping involving pet specialty stores.

The more Josie learns about puppy mills, the more appalled she is. She wants to do what she can to help but her limited financial means she can't do much. But she can try to educate her friends about puppy mills. When an attack appears to be targeted at Josie, she knows that someone is out to silence her. Can she find proof to put away the murderer?

Fifth in the Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper series, THE FASHION HOUND MURDERS is an engaging story with plenty of appeal. The animal antics are just the icing on the cake. Readers need not have read the first four books in the series to enjoy this one; I was able to follow along with no trouble despite not reading the earlier books. This is a winner for cozy readers and animal lovers alike. As an extra, Ms. Viets has included shopping tips and some animal rescue info.

Book Summary

Josie Marcus has been hired to check out a big pet store's involvement with puppy mills. When an employee who clued her into the mills' existence shows up dead, Josie realizes that sinking her teeth into this case could mean getting bitten back...