Book Review: Barking with the Stars by Sparkle Abbey (Pampered Pets Mysteries #9)

Stars: 4 out of 5

Pros: Fun characters, laughs, good mystery

Cons: One plot point

The Bottom Line:

Fundraiser murder

With a big pop star victim

Pet cuteness and laughs

A Star is Dead

In addition to pets, the Pampered Pets Mystery series has also featured plenty of “celebrities.”  Okay, so everyone mentioned has always been fake, but it is fun to imagine that real celebrities are part of the action.  We get plenty of that in Barking with the Stars, the ninth book in the series.

Being an odd numbered book, we are once again visiting Caro, the pet therapist.  However, her focus in this book is on the Barking with the Stars fundraiser she is helping put together.  The fundraiser is going to raise funds for a charity that matches service dogs with retired military members to help them navigate life after they’ve left the service.  Caro’s main job is working with the celebrities and their dogs who will be appearing on stage to make sure everyone stays calm during the actual event.

The headliner of the event is Purple, the huge if eccentric pop star.  However, Purple is found dead in her hotel room a few days before the event.  The police suspect foul play, and they focus on Caro’s ex-husband, Geoffrey.  Ever since Geoffrey moved to town, he’s been making Caro’s life miserable.  But he’s not a killer, is he?

Caro starts digging early, but it seems to take a little time before she finds a theory or two she thinks is possible.  Of course, when we do reach the end, everything makes perfect sense.  And don’t misunderstand, I was entertained the entire time as I watched Caro try to figure out what is going on.

However, I do have one complaint with the plot.  At one point, we get information that is pretty much ignore after a few pages.  Still, this is a minor complaint.

The characters are wonderful.  Caro is real as are some of the others in her world, but the rest of the cast can be eccentric.  Don’t worry, they fit into the feel of the book, and they work as viable suspects.  I get a kick out of them.

And these characters provide us with some good laughs.  The best laughs once again come from Betty, a recurring character who is a hoot.  I always love seeing her pop up.  The other characters who populate the pages do provide us with some laughs as well, and Caro finds herself in a funny situation or two.

Naturally, there’s pet cuteness.  While we don’t see quite as much of Caro in therapist mode, she still does work with a few clients over the course of the book.  And there are Caro’s own animals and the pets who are part of the event.

If you are new to the series, it is unique in that it follows two cousins, with the odd books focusing on Caro and the even books focusing on Mel.  Yet there are some threads that tie all the books together, and I enjoyed seeing those parts of the longer narrative move forward here.

This series is always light and fun, and Barking with the Stars is no exception.  If you are looking for perfect escapism, you’ve come to the right place.

Be sure to check out the rest of the Pampered Pets Mysteries.