Monday, November 18, 2019

Cuteness Overload!

TITLE: In the Dog House (Dog Club Mystery #1)
AUTHOR: V.M. Burns
PUBLISHER:  Lyrical Underground
PUBLISHING DATE: August 21, 2018


FROM GOODREADS:  

Lilly may be losing a husband but she's gaining a toy poodle. That could be seen as a win-win, since her new adopted pooch Aggie (named after Agatha Christie) is cute and adorable, and Lilly's dirty dog of a spouse is cheating on her with a blond bimbo—except for one problem: Albert Echosby’s just been murdered, and Lilly is the number-one suspect. 

With the cops barking up the wrong tree, it's a good thing her best friend Scarlett "Dixie" Jefferson from Chattanooga, Tennessee, decided to take a break from the dog club circuit to pay a visit, along with her own prize pair of poodles. With help from Dixie, her defense attorney daughter, and a blue-eyed man in blue with a K-9 partner, Lilly is determined to collar the real killer. But when a second murder occurs, it's clear they're dealing with one sick puppy . . .

MY THOUGHTS: So I had all three books in this series and I always wanted to make time for them, so it was a perfect time to do so with the "Read a Series in a Month Challenge."  In this first installment, we are getting to know all the players.  Lilly is newly separated and in the process of getting a divorce when we first meet her.  She has spent her entire adult life taking care of her husband and raising her children and feels she is being traded in for a younger, newer model.  However, before the ink gets a chance to dry, Lilly's soon-to-be-ex ends up dead and Lilly is the prime suspect.  Her college best friend shows up in town to help Lilly and she just happens to be a dog trainer and this is where the dogs enter. She gives Lilly a poodle who soon becomes her new sidekick and all of them together, with Lilly's attorney daughter thrown in, set out to prove Lilly's innocence.

I could tell right off I was really going to enjoy the characters in this series.  Lilly is an older adult starting her life over and I found myself feeling very sympathetic toward her.  Also, never having a puppy before, it was fun to see Lilly increase her knowledge of dogs and also grow to realize how much this little pup can help her as she starts a new chapter of her life.  Dixie, Lilly's friend, is a very colorful character and was even compared to a larger-than-life Dolly Parton as one point.  The mystery was extremely interesting and not too easy to solve.  I had my suspicions but the book also kept me on my toes.

Having read several of the author's Mystery Bookshop books and not being solely convinced that I enjoyed them as much as I wanted, I know why I was hesitant to start this series.  That being said, I LOVE this series and can't wait to read the rest of them.  If you like cozies and pets, then get to reading!

RATING: 4 PAWS



16 comments:

  1. Glad this one turned out to be such a fun read!

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    1. It definitely was. I'm very glad I started it.

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  2. First that cover is adorable, and second, that Lily is an older adult makes it even better.

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    1. She is a really great character. I immediately liked her.

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  3. This sounds great - especially the cosy feel. I hope you enjoy the rest of the series equally
    Lynn :D

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    1. Well, I'm done with book 2 and about 30% into book 3 so yep, the rest of the series is going well.

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  4. This sounds wonderful, Barb! I love seeing a more mature main character and a puppy is always welcome. Glad you enjoyed it!

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    1. Yea. A lot of times the cozy MC's I run across are in their 20s so it has been a nice change of pace.

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  5. Yes to us both getting started on this challenge! I've read two and I'm on my third one now so even if I don't get any further I'm happy with progress! Now I just need to review the second one sometime this week! Good luck with the series!

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    1. We're both making progress so that's great!

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  6. This does sound fun. And such a sweet cover:)

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    1. I think so too. We had a poodle when I was growing up. He kind of annoyed me but was also kind of cool. I remember he barked a lot though.

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  7. I am glad this series is better than the other one!

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  8. I saw an entire cart dedicated to canine mysteries the other day and thought of you! :)

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