Review of Dogged By Death

Synopsis:  

In Laura Scott’s Furry Friends series debut, veterinarian Ally Winter must collar the killer of a shifty lawyer. Does the dead man’s dog know who committed the arf-ul crime?

Ally Winter is going through a ruff patch. The thirty-something veterinarian lost her fiance, her clinic, and her savings in rapid succession. So when Ally’s grandfather undergoes hip replacement surgery, she moves back to Willow Bluff, Wisconsin, to care for him. She arrives home, tail between her legs, only to find sleazy lawyer Marty Shawlin murdered in his home office. And the only witness was Marty’s faithful boxer, Roxy.

Quick as a greyhound, Noah Jorgensen is on the case. The good news is, he’s the best detective around. The bad news, at least the way Ally sees it, is that Noah is still just as fetching as he was back in high school. He also just happens to have witnessed every embarrassing incident that befell accident-prone Ally–including the fire-ant attack that set tongues wagging and won her the unshakable nickname Hot Pants.

Meanwhile, true-crime aficionado Gramps fancies himself a sleuth, and he is doggedly determined to sniff out the culprit himself…with Ally’s reluctant help, of course. Ally has no choice but to team up with Noah–and the irrepressible Roxy–to solve the case while keeping Gramps on a short leash.

Ally had better learn some new tricks, lickety-split. Because if she can’t bring the killer to heel, she won’t just be playing dead.   (Goodreads)

Review:  

The characters are well developed and well rounded.  I enjoyed getting to meet all of the characters.  You can tell how much Ally and her grandpa love each other and care for each other.  We also got to meet the Willow Bluff Widows, the three elderly widows with whom her grandpa lives.  The dynamics between them all was very funny.  And Roxy was a cute addition to the story.  After a while I got a little tired of hearing about how much Grandpa enjoyed mysteries and could not wait to investigate.  Murder is nothing to play games with.  That is only my opinion and others may not agree with me.

The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning.  And the fact that Ally was a vet held my interest and added another layer to the story.  The writing style flows smoothly and the book was an easy read.  The mystery was well developed and there were enough clues and suspects to consider.  

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery.  I look forward to reading the next book in the series.  

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Crooked Lane, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate. (Goodreads)