A Midwinter’s Tail

Pet sitter Daphne Templeton loves the holidays in Sylvan Creek, Pennsylvania. And nothing gets her into the spirit more than the town’s annual Bark the Halls Ball. The whole community will be there to wag their tails, especially this year’s special guest—Celeste “CeeCee” French, founder of a national chain of pet care franchises, who is returning home to announce plans for a bright new flagship store.

But not everyone’s celebrating CeeCee’s homecoming. Daphne’s friend Moxie Bloom, owner of Spa and Paw, a unique salon for people and their pets, has plenty to growl about. So, when CeeCee is found face down under Sylvan Creek’s town Christmas tree, stabbed with a distinctive pair of professional-grade pet shears, suspicion lands squarely on Moxie. Despite Daphne’s promises to Detective Jonathan Black, she quickly reprises her role as an amateur sleuth. Ably assisted by her basset hound sidekick, Socrates, she must hurry to prove her friend’s innocence before a killer barks again.

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Series: Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery – Book 4
Author: Bethany Blake
Genre: Cozy Mystery/Business/Holiday/Pet
Publisher: Kensington Books

Rating:

The Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series is a fun, happy set of books that any cozy lover will cherish. A Midwinter’s Tail is no exception. This is a fast-paced, enjoyable read in a wonderful pet-friendly town with tons of memorable moments and plenty of twists and turns that will keep the reader guessing.

Daphne is a great character who is very much like many small-town shopkeepers. She is always trying to keep her head above water and always wanting to help her fellow business neighbor. Unfortunately, she keeps having to find killers to help, and that lands her in trouble much of the time. Daphne loves and cares for her neighbors and friends, and no matter what the cost to her personally, she will find a way to solve a murder to protect them.

The characters in this story are truly dedicated to animals and their businesses. They are very robust, lifelike, and pleasant. Even the murderer is not a horrible person, just one that has some issues that just about anyone could understand but still doesn’t excuse murder. However, the victim is not someone anyone would like and has no redeeming value.

A Midwinter’s Tail is a page-turner. The writing is smooth without being too formulaic. The characters are believable, the location perfect, and the murder unique. The dog treat recipes in the back are worth getting the book by themselves. This book can stand on its own without the need for a lot of background information. I highly recommend this series and this individual book to anyone who loves pets, and a wonderful who-done-it.