by Sandra Murphy

Details at the end of this post on how to enter to win a copy of the book, and a link to purchase it from Amazon and an indie bookstore.

Ally Winter, DVM, moved home to Willow Bluff, Wisconsin, to restart her life after her fiancé and business partner imploded their successful practice. He emptied their joint accounts, skipped to Mexico with their veterinary assistant, and left Ally holding the bag. Now she’s sitting in her new office, hoping the phone will ring.

Gramps broke his hip and is living in a residential home while recuperating. Harriet is a wonderful cook, Tillie plays cribbage and poker, and Lydia knits. All three keep him busy.

Ally advertises she has the veterinary practice but also boards, and/or grooms dogs, and is a pet sitter. No job too small is her motto to keep her bank account in the black. Her first assignment is to walk Roxy, a boxer, every day for a week. When she arrives, Roxy is barking up a storm. Who wouldn’t if a murder had just taken place? Roxy is the only witness.

Ally is caught between two men—Gramps who loves true crime stories and wants to investigate and Noah, the police detective she last saw as a high schooler who teased her. Gramps is able to charm the female suspects and learns more information than Noah does—at least as far as they know. Noah is tight lipped about it.

When a second murder occurs and Ally’s business is vandalized, Ally realizes she’s on the killer’s To Do List, as in Kill Ally.

I enjoyed the antics of the three women living in the residential home with Gramps as each tried to outdo the other to get his attention. Sadly, Harriet did not include recipes for her tasty dishes. Roxy, the Boxer, is a big help in solving the case. Amanda, the neighborhood kid who rescues all kinds of animals, makes frequent appearances that are always good for a laugh.

This is the first of two books so far. Description and back story were a little heavy at the beginning, but the story soon hit its stride and moved along well from then on. Look for Tailing Trouble in January 2022.

To enter to win a copy of Dogged by Death, simply email KRL at krlcontests@gmail[dot]com by replacing the [dot] with a period, and with the subject line “dogged,” or comment on this article. A winner will be chosen August 28, 2021. U.S. residents only, and you must be 18 or older to enter. If you are entering via email please include you mailing address in case you win, it will be deleted after the contest. You can read our privacy statement here if you like. BE AWARE THAT IT WILL TAKE MUCH LONGER THAN USUAL FOR WINNERS TO GET THEIR BOOKS DUE TO THE CURRENT CRISIS.

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You can use this link to purchase this book from indie bookstore Mysterious Galaxy, and KRL gets a portion of the sale:

Dogged by Death: A Furry Friends Mystery

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Sandra Murphy lives in the shadow of the Arch in St. Louis Missouri. She’s editor for Peace, Love, and Crime: Crime Stories Inspired by the Songs of the ’60s, with twenty-two cozy stories. She also edited A Murder of Crows, twenty-one stories featuring animals and crime (no animals were harmed). She also writes for magazines, newsletters, and the occasional guest blog. Both anthologies are available at the usual outlets, print or ebook.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. 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.