Death by Chocolate Lab by Bethany Blake
Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery, book 1
Publisher: Kensington Mystery
Genre: Contemporary, Mystery/Suspense/Thriller
Rating: 3 stars
Reviewed by NymphaeaPet sitter Daphne Templeton has a soft spot for every stray and misfit who wanders into the quaint lakeside village of Sylvan Creek in the Pocono Mountains. But even Daphne doesn’t like arrogant, womanizing Steve Beamus, the controversial owner of Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy. When Steve turns up dead during a dog agility trial, Daphne can think of a long list of people with motives for homicide, and so can the police. Unfortunately, at the top of the list is Daphne’s sister, Piper—Steve’s latest wronged girlfriend.
Certain that Piper is innocent, in spite of mounting evidence to the contrary, Daphne sets out to clear her sister’s name—and find Axis, Steve’s prize-winning chocolate Labrador, who went missing the night of Steve’s death. Aided by Socrates, her taciturn basset hound, and a hyperactive one-eared Chihuahua named Artie, Daphne quickly runs afoul of Detective Jonathan Black, a handsome and enigmatic newcomer to town, who has no appreciation for Daphne’s unorthodox sleuthing.
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A romance–sort of–, a murder, and a bunch of dogs.
There is a lot going on in this book. Like I said in the introduction, there’s a murder or two, a romance (kind of) and a bunch of dogs. Now that’s simplifying the story way down. There’s more than just those elements. If you’re into cozy mysteries with animals in them, then this one delivers on the animal front. Socrates, the basset, is a riot.
The writing in this story is a tad…cumbersome. It’s not bad writing, but there is a lot more detail than maybe needed to be shown as it really slowed down the pacing in the first 3/4 of the book. I realize this is the first in the series and some build up needs to be done, but at times, it really slowed the book.
Then there are the characters. I wanted to root for them. I did. Daphne seemed funky and fun at first, but there were times when I wondered how anyone would get herself into these situations. She’s supposed to be a businesswoman–she has a pet sitting business–but she’s unreliable. She never has any gas in her vehicle and always seems to be late going place. Then there’s her ability to never have money, yet she’s always doing something that involves someone else paying or her getting freebies. It’s cute at first, but after a while, seemed a bit sophomoric. She has a romance of sorts going with Dylan and it really did feel too much like him being strung along. As a romance reader, I wasn’t impressed, but this is a cozy, so the back and forth was more expected. There’s Jonathan Black, the detective. I liked his story and wished he’d come across more officer-like and less strange. He shows up at strange times and almost seems like he’s chasing Daphne. Now, she tends to get herself into strange situations, so it’s a good thing he does show up. And those situations…she has the dogs with her, the ones she complains about and, as a pet sitter, it felt a bit irresponsible.
But this is a cozy mystery and it’s fiction, so the book wasn’t bad. Far from it. It’s a nice story to pass the time during this pandemic era or on the beach. Plus, there are dogs!
If you like cozies with animals in them, then try this book.
Bjorn and Ylva. Two warriors who fight side by side. Two lovers who avoid commitments. But their convenient relationship just got complicated.
Mairibeth MacMillan lives on the shores of Loch Long on the edge of Argyll and Bute. While very picturesque, living there seems to involve endless driving and family life currently involves running a taxi service.
Crystle was the love of his life. For thirty-six years they had done everything together. As retirement approached all he could think of was spending even more time with his beautiful wife, growing old together. Just three years earlier they had sold their home in the Toronto area and moved to Niagara in preparation for retirement. Then on her 58th birthday, Crystle was diagnosed with stage four brain cancer. A terminal diagnosis that Glenn never allowed himself to accept. But just eight months later she had succumbed to her illness and Glenn was thrust into a time filled with uncontrolled grief that seemed to almost suffocate him. This is his real life story. He shares the raw emotions and the dark places he visited in his mind. His story will make you laugh and cry. It will makes you cherish your loved ones. You will be uplifted as you follow his path in overcoming grief. His inspirational story will provide comfort and hope to others struggling with grief.
I grew up in Canada’s east coast and moved to Toronto in my late teens. I was ready to sow my wild oats in the big city. But I met Crystle on a blind date and everything changed. I knew she was the love of my life. I have a business degree from the University of New Brunswick and I have worked in the information technology sector much of my working career. That hardly is credentials for an author, but life makes us all experts, even in areas we may prefer not to hold that title. When Crystle passed my life was forever changed. My grief was so overwhelming I felt I needed to share my story and if even one person is inspired to defeat grief then my writing career will be a success.
