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The Puppy Who Knew Too Much

A Dog Club Mystery

by V.M. Burns

The Puppy Who Knew Too Much (A Dog Club Mystery)
Cozy Mystery
2nd in Series
Lyrical Underground (February 12, 2019)
Paperback: 190 pages
ISBN-10: 1516107918
ISBN-13: 978-1516107919
Digital ASIN: B07D233MVK

My Review

Lilly is eager for a fresh start. Three months ago her cheating husband was murdered and she was the prime suspect. She’s finally cleared of suspicion and moves to Chattanooga and a new beginning, Her tiny poodle, Aggie, isn’t so keen on the move and finds creative ways to make it known. Fate is on Lilly’s side and she finds the perfect rental house and a great new job at the museum. But her rosy new life hits a bump in the road when she stumbles upon a dead body. Then her new house is ransacked. She won’t sit idly by when her new beginning is threatened.

I was surprised when I reached the end of this book. It felt like I’d just started it. I was immediately charmed by the characters. Lilly is so authentic and likable and would be such a great friend to have. Some other favorites are her boss and co-worker at the museum. I loved how they welcomed Lilly, made her feel at home, and how they actually used some of the antique pieces. Dixie is the perfect best friend. And her daughter and son-in-law are very supportive and a great couple. As for the grouchy neighbor, I couldn’t wait to see if she could win him over. The author brought them all to life and I had such fun getting to know them.

I don’t want to forget the other characters. The four legged ones. So many dogs in this book. I say, the more the merrier. Each have their own personalities and charms. And the part where Lilly’s daughter rescues a stray golden retriever had me almost in tears. So sweet.

The mystery here wasn’t easily solved. There were some obvious suspects and then some that lurked off the radar. I picked my culprit and followed the story closely, sniffing out clues, wandering off the obvious paths, and I was wrong. What a fun surprise.

This is my first book by V. M. Burns and I’m thrilled to discover another cozy author and series. I’ll be following these characters to their next adventure and I’ll miss them til we meet again.

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Lilly Echosby and her toy poodle Aggie find a fresh start in Chattanooga, Tennessee, spoiled by the scent of murder . . .

Having solved the shooting death of her cheating husband, Lilly’s left behind the drama of Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana, to start over in the hometown of her best friend, Scarlett “Dixie” Jefferson. As she gets settled in her new rented house, Lilly gives Aggie, short for Agatha Christie, her own fresh start by enrolling her in the Eastern Tennessee Dog Club, where Dixie is a trainer.

But drama seems to hound Lilly like a persistent stray. Her cranky new neighbor appears unfamiliar with Southern hospitality and complains that Aggie barks too much and digs up his prized tulips. But what the poodle actually unearths is the buried body of a mysterious man who claimed ownership of the lost golden retriever Lilly recently rescued. Now it’s up to Lilly and Dixie to try to muzzle another murderer . . .

Author V.M. Burns

V.M. Burns was born in Northwestern Indiana and spent many years in Southwestern Michigan on the Lake Michigan shoreline. She is a lover of dogs, British historic cozies, and scones with clotted cream. After many years in the Midwest, she went in search of milder winters and currently lives in Eastern Tennessee with her poodles. Her debut novel, The Plot is Murder was nominated for a 2017 Agatha Award for Best First Novel. Valerie is a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and a lifetime member of  Sisters in Crime. Readers can learn more by visiting her website at vmburns.com

Author Links:

  Website / Facebook / Twitter

Purchase Links – Amazon –  Barnes & Noble – IndieBound:  – Books-A-Million – Kobo

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This counts towards my They Call It Puppy Love Challenge

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 It’s always a pleasure to share more books by Kathryn Meyer Griffith. I’ve read many of her books and plan to read everything she writes.

For today, I’m sharing my review of Scraps Of Paper from Kathryn’s Spookie Town Muder Mystery Series.

After reading my review, head on over to Sherry’s blog at fundinmental to check out her review and enter another giveaway!

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Scraps Of Paper

A Spookie Town Murder Mystery

by Kathryn Meyer Griffith

Genre: Mystery / Cozy Mystery

My Review

I’ve read many of Kathryn’s books. She writes about ghosts, vampires, witches, time travel and more. Being addicted to cozy mysteries I was curious to see how she would do in this genre.

Abigail’s husband walked out the door, got in his car and vanished. Two years later his body is discovered, a victim of a mugging. After two years of wondering what had happened to her husband, she now has answers and feels a need to move on with her life. A fresh start is in order and Abigail sets off on an adventure, finally coming across a quaint little town with the curious name of Spookie.

Kathryn’s descriptions of the town and inhabitants of Spookie felt like she was describing the small town I live in.  The buildings, the flora and the eccentric character or two could easily be what I see every day.

Feeling a strong connection to the place, Abigail buys a fixer upper and begins her new life. While doing some repairs she begins to find scraps of paper with notes scribbled on them in crayon. Inquiring about the history of her new home, she learns a mother with two small children mysteriously disappeared some 30 years ago and were never heard from again. She’s curious about what happened to them and digs deeper into the town’s history.

Thus begins the mystery. And this is where you get to meet some of the other players in the story. It seems every small town has stereotypes and you get some of them here. I’d say my favorites are the two older sisters, both quite eccentric and both with some secrets to share. And retired Chicago homicide detective, Frank Lester. Kathryn wrote him so well. I could see Frank, calmly contemplating the mystery while also being amused by Abigail. Her naivete and his quiet, confident demeanor would be a good fit and I had hopes they might find some peace and happiness together. Yep, I’m a match maker.

Scraps Of Paper reads at a steady pace. As the crime happened over 30 years ago, there’s no violent scenes.  And while the mystery of who might have committed the crime was apparent fairly early on for me, I was still  tantalized by the story. Kathryn writes so visually that I found even the little things engrossing. And she added this tiny bit of paranormal to the story that had me wondering right along with Abigail. Is her house really haunted?

Did I enjoy this as much as Kathryn’s other books? Yes, I did. I do like her darker books, but I was just as happy with this cozy mystery.

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Synopsis

Abigail Sutton’s beloved husband walks out one night, doesn’t return, and two years later is found dead, a victim of a long ago crime. It’s made her sympathetic to the missing and their families.
Starting her new life, Abigail moves to small town and buys a fixer-upper house left empty when old Edna Summers died. Once it was also home to Edna’s younger sister, Emily, and her two children, Jenny and Christopher, who, people believe, drove away one night, thirty years ago, and just never came back.
But in renovating the house Abigail finds scraps of paper hidden behind baseboards and tucked beneath the porch that hint the three could have been victims of foul play.
Then she finds their graves hidden in the woods behind the house and with the help of eccentric townspeople and ex-homicide detective, Frank Lester, she discovers the three were murdered. Then she and Frank try to uncover who killed them and why…but in the process awaken the ire of the murderer.

Amazon / B&N

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In exchange for an honest review on Amazon and Goodreads, Kathryn will send a free eBook copy of any of her other 26 books. You can find the complete list of her books in her author bio below. Just send your request to this link HERE.

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To enter, please leave your email address so I can contact you if you win and answer this question:

What is one ingredient you look for in a mystery?

Giveaway ends February 6th.

This is a Tag Team Event hosted by myself and Sherry at fundinmental.

Now hop on over and check out Sherry’s review, and enter for another chance to win HERE.

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Other books I’ve read by the author.

Click on the covers for my reviews.

Full length novels.

Short stories.

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Moon Games

by Shelly Frome

Moon Games
Cozy Mystery/Amateur Sleuth
Milford House Press (August 6, 2018)
Paperback: 264 pages
ISBN-10: 1620061848
ISBN-13: 978-1620061848
Digital ASIN: B07G6LN41H

My Review

Right from the beginning Miranda had me going in circles. She’s disorganized and going in several directions at once. This is why I keep lists. LOL And like her, I work more than one job. This all helped me to connect with her quickly and I had some laughs as she would her way through this mystery.

About the mystery. At first I was confused, not sure just what was occurring. Then, things started coming together and making sense, the suspense ramped up,  some surprise twists were dropped on me and the mystery became something I had to solve. Wish I could have been there with Miranda. I could see us having some laughs, throwing our hands up in exasperation and putting our heads together to sort things out.

I’m always a bit worried when I try a new author. Will I like their writing? Will their characters be genuine and will I be able to connect with them? Will I enjoy the plot? Shelly Frome fairly quickly put my worries to rest and I had fun reading Moon Games. He’s now on my to read again author’s list.

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Synopsis

At the outset, Miranda Davis has nothing much going for her. The tourists are long gone by October in the quaint Carolina town of Black Mountain, her realty business is at a standstill, and her weekend stint managing the local tavern offers little to pull her out of the doldrums. When prominent church lady Cloris Raintree offers a stipend to look into the whereabouts of a missing girl hiker on the Q.T, Miranda, along with her partner Harry (an unemployed features writer) agree.

But then it all backfires. A burly figure shambles down a mountain slope with a semi-conscious girl draped over his shoulder. Miranda’s attempts to uncover Cloris Raintree’s true motives become near impossible as she puts up one smokescreen after another, including a slip of the tongue regarding an incident in Havana. The local police keep stonewalling and Harry is of little help.

Tarot cards left on Cloris’ doorstep and arcane prompts on her e-mail only exacerbate the situation. Growing more desperate over the captive girl’s fate, Miranda comes across a link to a cold case of arson and murder. With the advent of the dark of the moon, she is summoned to “Tower Time” as this twisty tale continues to run its course.

About Author Shelly Frome

Shelly Frome is a member of Mystery Writers of America, a professor of dramatic arts emeritus at the University of Connecticut, a former professional actor, a writer of crime novels and books on theater and film. He is also a features writer for Gannett Media’s Black Mountain News. His fiction includes Sun Dance for Andy Horn, Lilac Moon, Twilight of the Drifter, Tinseltown Riff, Murder Run, and The Secluded Village Murders.  Among his works of non-fiction are The Actors Studio and texts on the art and craft of screenwriting and writing for the stage. Moon Games is his latest foray into the world of crime and the amateur sleuth. He lives in Black Mountain, North Carolina.

Author Links

Website / Facebook / Twitter / Goodreads

Purchase Link – Amazon

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