Dog lovers will be interested in this first book of the Mary McGill's series about a Christmas celebration in Santa Louisa, California. A gruesome scene unexpectedly faces Mary McGill but to counter the unpleasantness, she finds a small black and white puppy nearby and adopts it. PUREBRED DEAD is the title, and whether the pup is a purebred cocker spaniel seems moot but Cliff Matthews, the dead man, was a veterinarian - maybe not the most reliable - and other pet owners may have borne grudges against him.

Mary and her husband Dan are on their second marriages each, and it seems to be working out fine. Mary teaches home economics, so she knows all the local kids, and she's now wondering how well she knows their parents. Everyone in town is a potential suspect, including Father D'Angelo, who was at the church. While working on a food bank - to include pet food - and learning about champion dog DNA and the breeding of the designer variety cockapoos, Mary learns more about the background of the murder. Naturally, this is a big talking point in town. Wineries are big business locally but so, it seems, is selling puppies. Not everyone adheres to the best standards, and those who cut corners potentially make more money.

Many modern issues are debated as we read the mystery, in which few words are wasted. Mary is learning the subjects but her own good sense and years of experience stand her in good stead. As we meet the locals and see the food bank swell, we can't help wondering which of the apparently decent neighbours is a killer.

Kathleen Delaney has wound the threads of the tale tightly and explained concepts which may be unfamiliar. She has written five previous mysteries so readers are in good hands. As the town gears up for Christmas, the twists become livelier and characters grow stronger. PUREBRED DEAD is a great start to this series, which is just made for fans of Susan Conant and Laurien Berenson, but will also get readers unfamiliar with canine crime hooked on the theme.

Book Summary

This lively cozy, set in smalltown California, is the first in a brand-new dog mystery series
Pillar of the community, Mary McGill has a finger in every pie, a place on every committee. She’s the one the townsfolk can count on when they need help. Everything Mary organizes runs smoothly – apart, that is, from the town’s traditional Christmas pageant. For the festivities are rudely interrupted by the discovery of a blood-stained corpse lying in the manger. Cowering beside the body is a small black-and-white puppy.

Two local children report seeing a shadowy figure fleeing from the scene – but there are no clues as to the murderer’s identity. If Mary could only find out what the puppy was doing there, she would be one step closer to finding the killer. As someone who knows nothing about dogs, purebred or otherwise, Mary had better learn – and fast – before she and the children become the next victims.

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