Author: Laura Scott
Genre: Mystery
Hardcover; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781643856575
Crooked Lane Books
320 Pages
$20.49; $13.99 Amazon
July 13, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Ally Winter is going through a ruff patch. The thirty-something veterinarian lost her fiancé, her clinic, and her savings in rapid succession. So when Ally's grandfather undergoes hip replacement surgery, she moves back to Willow Bluff, Wisconsin, to care for him. She arrives home, tail between her legs, only to find sleazy lawyer Marty Shawlin murdered in his home office. And the only witness was Marty's faithful boxer, Roxy.
Quick as a greyhound, Noah Jorgensen is on the case. The good news is, he's the best detective around. The bad news, at least the way Ally sees it, is that Noah is still just as fetching as he was back in high school. He also just happens to have witnessed every embarrassing incident that befell accident-prone Ally -- including the fire ant attack that set tongues wagging and won her the unshakable nickname Hot Pants.
Meanwhile, true-crime aficionado Gramps fancies himself a sleuth, and he is doggedly determined to sniff out the culprit himself...with Ally's reluctant help, of course. Ally has no choice but to team up with Noah -- and the irrepressible Roxy -- to solve the case while keeping Gramps on a short leash.
Ally had better learn some new tricks, lickety-split. Because if she can't bring the killer to heel, she won't just be playing dead.
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Ally Winter is a veterinarian who had her life savings stolen by her fiancé, who ran off with their vet assistant. In order to keep her head above water, she sold everything she owned and bought out the vet practice in her home town of Willow Bluff, Wisconsin; and also to be nearer to her grandfather, who recently had hip surgery.
When she goes to see her grandfather at his residence, Legacy House, she hears him arguing with a man who dashes past her and out of the house. She finds out that he's an attorney who wanted the other residents -- all elderly women who have their eye on Gramps -- to set up financial trusts. Ally is struggling for clients and is happy when someone wants her to walk their dog daily for a week -- but she's surprised when it's the attorney, Marty Shawlin; but he paid in advance so she's not saying a word.
The next day she goes to pick up his boxer, Roxy, and is stunned when she finds him dead. Calling the police also gives her a surprise when she sees that the detective in charge is none other than Noah Jorgensen, a football player she once had a crush on. But for now, she vows to keep Roxy with her and safe until Marty's ex-wife can contact her.
Still, when her gramps is questioned, she's not happy. She's even doubly unhappy when he demands an a lawyer -- all because he's hooked on true crime books and Dateline on television. Gramps thinks it makes him a better detective than Noah, and Ally is forced to go along with whatever Gramps is going to do anyway, just to keep him safe. But when Ally has someone attack her business that puts her in danger, she realizes that if they don't find the killer, the killer is going to find her...
This is the first in a new series and I found it delightful. It's not high literature, nor is it supposed to be. It's a fun, bright, cozy mystery that centers around a veterinarian and her grandfather, who is a hoot. The elderly man thinks he's more like Sam Spade all because he watches real life crime on television and reals true crime books. He drags Ally into his schemes, which causes tension with the real life detective. (Got that?) Anyway, it's a hilarious run around town, with Gramps and Roxy in tow, questioning people and watching him work his magic on the women he meets.
Which brings us to the widows he lives with who are all trying to get his attention -- and if that means going through Ally, then so be it. Not that she wants it; but she's got to be in contact with them, so she reluctantly is drawn into their circle, too.
But when the murderer discovers what's going on, they target Ally and she starts to realize she's in real danger. She notifies Noah of everything -- which I heartily approve of, by the way. I absolutely hate it when the protagonist learns something and then refuses to contact the police to give them the information (who would do that in real life?) So Ally has to work with Noah, which she finds a bit humiliating, considering her past, but does anyway.
Ally's life is one stumbling block after another, and she's a bit accident-prone; but she's fun to be around, and I love all the characters in this book. I would love it more if Ally would also get a cat, but we can't have everything, I guess. When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, we know the clues are there, but the climax is different, and worth reading. A new mystery series that I will continue to read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Recommended.
More on Laura Scott's Books: https://www.amazon.com/Laura-Scott/e/B003DAV6T8/ref=dp_byline_cont_pop_book_1
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