Review: Murder Under the Marquee (Elmo Simpson Mysteries Book 2) by J.C. Kenney

 

Wild animal removal specialist Elmo Simpson has another murder on his hands. It’s starting to become a habit…

When a body is found on the beach near the Paradise Springs marina in the sleepy panhandle of Florida, Elmo’s disinclined to weigh in on it. But the victim is Desiree LaFontaine, former first mate of Elmo’s girlfriend, Nic, who apparently was the last person to see Desiree alive. Which makes Nicola suspect number one.

But there are other suspects. Like Craig Abbott, owner of Craig’s Cruises, who’s been taking a slice of Nic’s tour boat customers ever since he set up shop. Or could it be Desiree’s old boyfriend Bobby Darrin, who just plain doesn’t want to be found? And why is Drunk Paul, who’s rarely drunk but hangs around the marina, acting so squirrelly?

Elmo doesn’t believe for a minute Nic’s a murderer, so he dives headlong into the seamy underbelly of Paradise Springs’ tourism industry to try to clear her name. But time is short, and Elmo must reel the murderer in before Nic is put away and Elmo ends up under water–for good.

 

My Review:

A great cozy mystery with fun characters.

This is a fun story set in a beach town with lots of quirky and interesting characters.  In this book, Elmo’s girlfriend’s former employee is murdered and all clues point to Nic.  Elmo works hard to clear Nic’s name and find the real murderer.  The story moved along at a quick pace.  Just when I thought I knew who the killer was, my ideas went out the window.  I really enjoyed this book and couldn’t wait to see how it ended. 

Review: Made to Love You (The Walkers of River's Edge Book 4) by Nan Reinhardt

 

She’s not looking for love, but a handsome veterinarian and a lost puppy have other plans…

Gorgeous and gifted,Annabelle Walkeris a force of nature. A talented architect who has brought new designs and concepts to her family’s construction firm, Anna’s happy and doesn’t feel anything’s missing from her life, even as her siblings have all fallen in love this year. And then she finds an injured puppy on a bike ride.

Veterinarian Sawyer Braxton is lost while driving to his first day at Price Veterinary Clinic. He stops to ask directions of a bicyclist on the side of the road, and discovers three things: She’s beautiful, stranded with a flat tire, and holding an injured puppy. Sawyer’s fascinated, and it feels like fate as he offers the intriguing and vibrant woman a ride to the vet clinic.

It’s a meet-cute, and Annabelle’s definitely attracted, but she’s determined that this time, she really will take a break from men. Sawyer’s as stubborn as he is sexy, and he hits on a plan for a date—they’ll both foster the pup while it heals.

 

My Review: 

A sweet small town love story.

Who knew a puppy could change a life?  The last thing on Anna’s mind was romance, but that changed pretty quick.  While out on a bike ride, Anna came across an injured puppy.  Shortly after that, Sawyer, the new veterinarian in town, found himself lost and stopped to ask for directions to the animal clinic. When Anna said she found an injured puppy, they rushed her to the clinic.  This was just the beginning of a great friendship which eventually grew into love.  There were a lot of cute moments with Trixie’s silly antics all woven into the story of Anna and Sawyer falling in love.  This book is a great addition to The Walkers of River’s Edge series.

Review: A Golden Guilt Trip (The Pecan, Texas Pet Groomer Cozy Mysteries Book 5) by M. Alfano

The difference between saying what’s on your mind and minding what you say can be deadly…

I never thought I’d be back in my hometown of Pecan, Texas, grooming dogs or solving murders, let alone find success at both.

But now that my boyfriend—I mean, fiancé—Detective Adam Waltz has put a ring on my finger, it’s time to start getting serious about the future. And that includes a storefront for my mobile grooming business.

However, Councilman Rodriguez is determined to prevent that dream from happening, even if he can’t give his own golden retriever a haircut to save his life. In hindsight, I maybe should have kept that opinion to myself, however, because now the councilman’s six feet under and I’m the prime suspect in his murder.

Can my tail-wagging counterparts and loyal friends help me find the real killer, or will I be found guilty and forced to eat kibble with the jailhouse dogs?

 

My Review:

Unpredictable and entertaining.

Dog groomer/amateur sleuth, Leslie, is being framed for a murder and she needs to find the real killer before she is put in jail and the real killer gets away with it.  There were a lot of twists and turns in this story and every time I thought I had the murder suspect nailed down, I soon learned I was wrong again.

This book was a lot of fun to read and hard to put down.  It is a great addition to the Pecan, Texas Pet Groomer Cozy Mysteries series.