Murder, She Barked, published in 2013, is the first book in the Paws & Claws Mystery series. Currently, there are seven books in the series.
The story follows Holly Miller as she visits her grandmother’s Sugar Maple Inn in Wagtail, Virginia. By the time Holly arrives, one of her grandmother’s employees has already been killed, and her grandmother has been injured. On the way up Wagtail Mountain to the Inn, Holly inadvertently adopts a stray Jack Russell Terrier and witnesses an explosion. After Holly reaches the Inn, one of the guests is attacked. Then a Wagtail bigwig is murdered. Worried for her grandmother, Holly stays at the Inn until the crimes are solved, doing a little investigating herself and getting adopted by the Inn’s calico cat.
Lots of interesting characters inhabit the story. There’s Holly and her grandmother, whom she refers to as Oma. Then there’s Holly’s boyfriend Ben, whom Oma refers to as “The Ben,” making it clear she doesn’t think Ben is the guy for Holly. Officer Dave is the local police officer investigating the crimes. Holmes is Holly’s childhood crush. Too bad he’s engaged. Kim is Ben’s ex-girlfriend and clearly wants him back. Philip owns the town’s Bed and Breakfast and pursues Holly romantically, urged on by Holly’s pushy Aunt Birdie. Zelda works at the Inn and claims to be a pet psychic. Brewster owns Hair of the Dog, the town’s bar. Peaches and Prissy are the mother-daughter mean girls of Wagtail. Then there are Trixie and Twinkletoes, Holly’s newly adopted dog and cat. But the quirkiest, cutest characters of all are Wagtail and the Sugar Maple Inn themselves, both being destinations for people with pets. They have charm galore, and I can’t wait to visit with my own cat, if only I could.
The worst I can say is that, for such a small town, Wagtail has a significant violent crime rate. Then again, this is a cozy mystery. Without any crime, there could be no mystery. The town, the Inn, and the pets more than make up for the murders.
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