Review of Doggone Dead

Synopsis:

Retired high school teacher Gwen Franklin has a new pet valet business with her BFF, and a whole new leash on life. But a killer is about to come sniffing around . . .

Gwen Franklin is looking forward to spending her retirement drinking her favorite coffee and reading mystery novels. Those peaceful plans are brought to heel by her best friend, Nora. Sporting stiletto heels, leggings, and a “more is better” makeup routine, fifty-something Nora Goldstein has a penchant for marrying—and divorcing—rich men. Now that Gwen’s got free time, Nora figures they should start a dog-walking and pet-sitting service together.

But it’s far from a walk in the park when the corpse of Linda Fletcher is found in Nora’s kitchen. Linda was Nora’s nemesis, and the large knife protruding from her chest points to murder. With no doubt that her bestie’s being framed, Gwen puts her sleuthing skills—acquired from reading every Agatha Christie mystery—to the test as she digs through suspects, including four disgruntled ex-husbands, ten greedy ex-stepchildren, not to mention all her exes’ exes. But with death threats and another body surfacing, can Gwen curb a killer before her own (dog) days come to an end?

Review:  

The characters are well developed and well rounded.  Gwen and Nora are quite the characters and they really know each other well.  Gwen has just retired from teaching but she does not have very long to enjoy it.  Nora wants to start a dog-watching/pet sitting service.  Even though Gwen is highly allergic to pet dander, she is willing to give it a go.  They hook up with an old student of Gwen’s and hire him as a pooper-scooper.  They are all set with their new business venture but before it can really get going, someone is found dead in Nora’s kitchen.  Now they have to figure out if Nora was the intended victim and who the killer is.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning.  The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read.  The mystery was well plotted and had enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider.  

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery.  I will definitely read the next one in the series.    

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.