"Does a cat find clue that solves murders at the dog show?"
Doggone Deadly
By: Deborah Blake
Genres: Mystery Cozy | Mystery Pet Lovers | Series
Posted: October 30, 2021
Kari Stuart returns in the second Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery, DOGGONE DEADLY, and embarks on finding who is committing murder at the Tri-County Kennel Club Show.
Suz (short for Suzanne) Holden, coordinator for the show, bribes Kari to assist her by allowing Kari to set up a tent for Serenity Sanctuary at the event. A local animal rights group, SHAFFT, conducts an aggressive demonstration across the street from the show’s entrance during the first day of activities. Miriam Rosebaum accuses Francine Carver, owner of Blue Skies Kennel, of actually being Lois Keller, a breeder who AKC barred from all events.
At day’s end, as Suz and Kari are leaving the show grounds, Queenie, Kari’s kitten, darts into the closed supply tent. When Kari and Suz follow Queenie inside, they find Francine’s body with a “pair of grooming shears with lavender handles protruding from her chest.” Since Suz is a professional pet groomer and the shears are hers, she becomes a person of interest, as does Miriam Rosebaum.
Deborah Blake spins an intriguing yarn in DOGGONE DEADLY that weaves animal rescue and abuse issues, animal shows, and animal rights into an engaging cozy mystery. Sounds easy, and Ms. Blake manages to make this a suspense-driven, entertaining read. An important character that adds a special touch is Queenie, Kari’s irrepressible and persistent kitten.
Book Summary
Kari Stuart is roped into helping out at a dog show--but soon finds she’s bitten off more than she can chew when her best friend is framed for murder in this new Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery.
When the woman who is supposed to run the local dog show calls out sick, dog groomer Suz is asked to take over. But it's too much for her to handle by herself--especially with the president of the kennel club, Olivia Weiner, criticizing her at every turn--so she calls in her best friend, Kari Stuart, with the promise that Kari can set up a fund-raising and kitten-adoption station at the show.
A long and stressful day goes from bad to worse when a local breeder's body is found in the supply tent, with Suz's signature purple-handled shears embedded in her chest. Kari doesn't think for a second that her friend is capable of murder; the police aren't so sure. But trying to run a dog show and investigate a murder at the same time is like herding cats, and Kari will have to rely on the rest of the Serenity Sanctuary staff to keep things running smoothly while she--and her beloved and clever kitten, Queenie--sniff out the truth.
Read an Excerpt
by: Deborah Blake
A Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery #2
Berkley
November 1, 2021
On Sale: November 16, 2021
Featuring:
288 pages
ISBN: 0593201523
EAN: 9780593201527
Kindle: B08VRRS1YK
Mass Market Paperback / e-Book