by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of Bird, Bath, and Beyond, a link to purchase it from Amazon, and an indie bookstore where a portion of the sale goes to help support KRL.

Kay Powell is a theatrical agent to the stars, at least to the wannabes. Well, it’s hard to tell sometimes, just how much they want to be stars. They’re all animals. Take for instance, Barney. He’s a parrot and replacing the late Babs on a show about a medical examiner when zombies roam the city. One of Barney’s best lines is, “Can’t kill a zombie!”

Patty, Barney’s handler, is ill so Kay is on set to make sure Barney doesn’t miss a cue. When the crew takes a break and Barney’s not needed, Kay lets him rest in the star’s trailer while she runs an errand for another client. She’s only gone an hour but all that can go wrong, has gone wrong, by the time she returns. The star is dead, and Barney is a witness.

Although she explains to the detective in charge, Barney repeats words he’s heard over and over. He can’t have a conversation or answer a question on his own. Of course, right in the middle of the explanation, Barney blurts out, “Put down the gun!”

Because Patty’s still sick, Barney gets to stay at Kay’s house. Already crowded with three dogs and two parents, what’s one more guest? Kay’s parents are entertainers, mostly on cruise ships now. Kay used to be part of the act until she decided to go to veterinary school. That dream was derailed by some of the classes (gross) so she became a lawyer. Working with animals is a lot more fun but at least she knows her way around a contract.

For all the security and signing in at the gate, a great number of people are on the lot every day. That means the suspect pool is huge. Motive is unknown. Means—the gun was a prop, supposed to be loaded with blanks.

On the home front, Kay is marginally interested in Steve who owns the coffee shop. Of course, if they actually dated and then broke up, where would she get her coffee? Best to leave it at friends. Speaking of breaking up, her mom and dad are thinking of letting her father be a solo act for a while. This is a true disturbance in the family dynamic.

The mystery is a good one with possibilities everywhere. It takes a clever mind to figure out how it all happened—but will Kay figure it out in time?

This is the second book in this series (Dog Dish of Doom was first). Both are enjoyable reads with great characters. Also look for three Aaron Tucker mysteries, three books in the Comedy Tonight series, nine Haunted Gatehouse mysteries, five Asperger’s mysteries (including one reviewed and given away in this issue), and two Mysterious Detective books—written as E. J. Copperman or Jeff Cohen. You won’t be sorry.

To enter to win a copy of Bird, Bath, and Beyond, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “beyond,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen November 10, 2018. U.S. residents only. If entering via email please include your mailing address (so if you win we can get the book sent right out to you), and if via comment please include your email address. You can read our privacy statement here if you like.

Check out other mystery articles, reviews, book giveaways & mystery short stories in our mystery section. And join our mystery Facebook group to keep up with everything mystery we post, and have a chance at some extra giveaways. Be sure to check out our new mystery podcast too with mystery short stories, and first chapters.

Use this link to purchase the book & a portion goes to help support KRL & indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy:

Bird, Bath, and Beyond: An Agent to the Paws Mystery

You can also use this link to purchase the book on Amazon. If you have ad blocker on you may not see the link:

Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She writes about eco-friendly topics, pets and wildlife for magazines and reviews mysteries and thrillers for KRL. A collection of her short stories, published by Untreed Reads, From Hay to Eternity: Ten Tales of Crime and Deception can be found at all the usual outlets. Each one is a little weird and all have a twist you won’t see coming.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases using those links. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.