Exes, Handbags, and Murder
As I’ve been reading the Pampered Pets mysteries, I’ve gotten caught up in the lives of the main characters. There is more than enough plot threads to keep you coming back for each book. So I was thrilled to catch up with the gang once again with The Dogfather.
If you are new to the series, it is a bit different. The books in the series alternate between feuding cousins Caro and Mel. But both of the cousins are very involved in the pet loving community of Laguna Beach in Southern California. This book focuses on Mel, who owns the Bow Wow Boutique, which features high end pet products.
Mel Langston is surprised when she gets a request from Grey Donovan. Mel and Grey have been off for the last eight months, and this time, she thought their relationship was over for good. But Grey, an undercover FBI agent, wants to use Mel’s store as cover for an assignment. Reluctantly, Mel gets talked into it, but she wants to maintain their distance while it happens.
Then the owner of the high-end handbag store down the street is murdered. The day before, Mason had had an argument with Grey, so the police are looking at Grey as a suspect. Mel knows that too much time in the spotlight from the police will ruin his career, so she begins to investigate. What will this mean for their relationship? Will Mel figure out what happened?
If you are familiar with the series, you know to expect a wacky ride on the way to the solution, and this book is no exception. While the murder and the mystery are treated seriously, there are some funny characters along the way. The highlight is Betty, Mel’s assistant in the shop, who walks the fine line here of making us laugh without wearing out her welcome. That’s always a good thing. Some of the others are also much more caricature than we would normally see in a cozy, but they work for this series.
And the mystery? It is well done with enough clues and red herrings to keep us engaged. I did feel like the climax was a bit rushed, but everything was wrapped up.
Speaking of wrapping things up, this appears to be the final in the series – at least for now. Fans who have been along for the entire ride of the series will be happy to see how some of the on-going storylines are wrapped up. However, if the authors do ever revisit the characters, I will gladly jump on board to see what happens to them next.
While not a traditional culinary cozy, this book does feature two recipes at the end, one for pets and one for their owners.
If The Dogfather is the final Pampered Pets Mystery, it will leave fans very satisfied with the journey we’ve been on over the course of these ten books. If you haven’t started the series yet, it’s not too late to jump in and enjoy these funny mysteries.
Need to back up? Here are the Pampered Pets Mysteries in order.
This author's books always look so fun and this one looks so cute!
ReplyDelete