Review - Doggone Deadly

I have read other books by Deborah Blake.  Her Veiled Magic series (click here) and her Baba Yaga series (click here) were great.  This is her second in her new cozy mystery series and I jumped at the chance to read and review it.

First book: Furbidden Fatality (click here)

Author: Deborah Blake

Copyright: Nov 2021 (Berkley) 288 pgs

Series: 2nd in Catskills Pet Rescue Mystery series

Sensuality: n/a

Mystery Sub-genre: Cozy mystery, Amateur sleuth

Main Characters: Kari Stuart, lottery winner and new owner of  pet shelter 

Setting: Contemporary, Lakeview New York

Obtained Through: Netgalley for an honest review

Book blurb: "When the woman running the big regional dog show calls out sick, dog groomer Suz Holden is asked to take over. But it’s too much for her to handle by herself— considering the president of the kennel club, Olivia Weiner, criticizes her at every turn—so she calls in her best friend, Kari Stuart, for help.

A long, stressful day goes from bad to worse when a local breeder is found dead, and the murder weapon seems to incriminate Suz.

While Kari knows her friend isn’t guilty, the police aren’t so sure, especially after a second murder points to Suz again. 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."

Kari Stuart is finding fullfilment in fixing up the beleaguered pet shelter she purchased. She is loyal and determined.  Suzanne (Suz), is her supportive best friend and a dog groomer with lavender colored hair who is the main assistant running the dog show.  Shelter volunteer Sara Hanover is a retired ninth-grade English teacher who is somewhat a mother figure.  Bryn, a younger volunteer training to be a Vet-Tech, gets more page time in this book.  Angus McCoy is a local veterinarian who volunteers his time to the shelter and is the potential love interest.  A little black kitten, Queenie, is the star of the show with personality and a sixth sense. Queenie helps in the investigation in a very natural way.  

The majority of time is at the kennel club regional dog show with the shelter and a few trips to investigate in or around town or with Kari at home.  The dog show is used well as the hectic stage for the story.  

The story has a good pace that kept moving and thus I had to read "just one more page".  If you have been with me on this blog for a while, you know I love tense or nail-biting killer reveals.  Although this didn't have that sort of unmasking of the murderer, it was very effective none-the-less.  The wrapup leaves you with a smile and looking forward to returning to Lakeview and Kari very soon.

My thoughts: All around a good mystery with interesting characters that you miss when the story is done.  The writing style is clean and draws you in effortlessly.  Queenie, the kitten, is written so you question whether she is helping solve the murder or is that just giving her too much credit.  Sneaky!  I love this new series and it is now on my list of "must-read" books.

Rating:  Near Perfect - Buy two copies: one for you and one for a friend.