Book Review: Get Fluffy by Sparkle Abbey (Pampered Pet Mysteries #2)

Stars: 5 out of 5

Pros: Mystery filled with fun

Cons: Having too much fun to look for cons

The Bottom Line:

Murder in mansion

With fun pet antics to spare

A page turning read

One Good Turn Deserves a Murder

As I mentioned when I reviewed the first Pampered Pets Mystery, the idea behind the series really intrigues me.  The books in the series flip flop between two cousins who live in Laguna Beach, California.  I can’t remember a series quite like this, and I wanted to revisit the series as soon as I could for Mel’s turn in the spotlight in Get Fluffy.

The book opens with the gala that Mel’s cousin Caro was busy planning in the first book in the series.  While the cousins are not speaking, Mel is there along with anyone who is anyone.  Mel is looking forward to a night of supporting a great cause when she is accosted not once but twice.

The confrontation with Mona Michaels might have gotten a little out of hand, but Mel is not ready to apologize the next day, which makes it a little awkward when she winds up with Fluffy, Mona’s famous dog.  Heading out to Mona’s mansion to return the dog, Mel is shocked to find her lifeless body instead.  She has no plans to follow in her cousin’s footsteps by getting involved in the investigation, but can she help it if she happens to talk to people who knew Mona and learns things relevant to the case?

Any doubts I had (and I really didn’t have any) that this switch off could work were shed as I read this book.  At least so far, the two characters and their circle of friends are separate since the cousins are feuding.  Yet there are still references to each other that I love.  The voice of the first person narration is just different enough to be a different person but still feels like part of the series.

Of course, none of that would matter if there wasn’t a good mystery.  There’s nothing to worry about there since there are enough secrets to keep you guessing until the end.  I did figure things out a little before Mel did, but only a chapter or two before, so I’m not complaining in the slightest.

The characters are strong as well.  I didn’t feel like they were as over the top funny as the characters in the first book, but they were certainly still amusing.  The subdued tone make them seem more real to me, however, which helped pull me into the book.

But don’t worry, there’s still plenty of humor.  Being the Pampered Pets series, there are plenty of animals in the book, and their antics are quite fun.  One of the things that Mel and Caro are feuding over is a brooch that one of them inherited from their grandmother – they just both think it was them.  The back and forth on that was a ton of fun as well.  While I do hope the two bury the hatchet at some point in future books, for now I am enjoying their antics.  (And personally, I have a theory on who their grandmother really left the brooch to, but maybe that’s just because of a running joke in my family.)

Since Get Fluffy features a different main character, you could easily jump into the series here, but there are fun nods to the first book for those who are reading them in order.  Either way, be sure to check out this delightfully fun series.

Once you read one book, you'll want to read more of the Pampered Pets Mysteries.