Review of Bite The Biscuit

Synopsis:

Carrie Kennersly, a veterinary technician, has become known for offering healthy and popular dog treats at the clinic where she works. When the local bakery’s owner moves away, Carrie jumps at the chance to convert it into the Barkery, a shop to make and sell her canine delights.

But Myra Ethman, co-owner of another pet product store, hates the new competition. At the Barkery’s opening party, she badmouths Carrie’s homemade dog biscuits, insisting she’ll find a way to shut the place down. So when Myra is found dead with a Barkery biscuit beside her, Carrie must prove she didn’t do it before she’s collared for murder. (Goodreads)

   Review:

Carrie Kennersly is a very busy lady.  She works as a vet technician part time and she is the new owner of a human and pet bakery.  She is used to making healthy pet treats for the dogs at the vet clinic and now she is able to provide these treats for the canines in the community.  This is a dream come true for her and she is so excited at her grand opening.  She is happy to see how many people have come to help her celebrate and are showing an interest in her shops.  But when Myra Ethman shows up at the grand opening, that happiness disappears.  Myra and her husband own another pet supply shop and Myra is not very happy about the competition.  And she is very vocal about her unhappiness.  Carrie tries to be nice and explain that the two businesses could compliment each other, but Myra continues to verbally attack her and her store.  Before the grand opening is finished, many people have witnessed Carrie and Myra arguing loudly and both threatening the other.  When Myra is found dead with a biscuit from Carrie’s shop right next to her, Carrie becomes the prime suspect.  This is so not how Carrie wanted to start off her new business.  Carrie must try to find the real killer before she is behind bars instead of behind the counter at her bakery.

The characters are well developed and well rounded.  They have many human traits that we all have, including flaws and and problems.  This made them more realistic in my opinion and I enjoyed that.  There are a lot of characters introduced and it will be fun to watch them grow and develop relationships in upcoming books.  I like the small town feel to the setting and the fact that everyone wants to be in everyone else’s business.  This makes for some humorous moments.

The mystery is well plotted and carried on throughout the book.  There are many different suspects and with several twists and turns thrown in, it is difficult to figure out who the killer is.  I did not know until it was revealed at the end, even though I consider myself good at solving mysteries,  I also enjoyed that fact.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  I think the author is very talented  and uses the written word in describing the mood or the food or the action taking place.  Sometimes I feel there is a little too much detail and repetitiveness about certain aspect of her daily routine.  Numerous times it is mentioned about washing her hands and not petting any animals if she is going to be working one the human side of the bakery.  And numerous times it is mention how she would tie up Biscuit (her dog) or how she would hug and pet him.  Now I am a believer in good hygiene and I love dogs as much as anyone, but I just feel like this is overkill.  I got it after reading about it the first ten times, I did not need to be continually reminded.  This is my opinion and it may not bother any other reader  but I found this a little tedious.  I will say that this was the only thing that distracted me from my enjoyment of the book.

I would recommend this book to anyone enjoys a well plotted cozy mystery, and if you enjoy animals then that is a plus.  I have read other series by this author and I have enjoyed them all.  The same can be said for Bite the Biscuit.  I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series to see what will happen next.