Author: Chelsea Thomas
Genre: Mystery
Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9798763335866
Independently Published
258 Pages
$12.99; $5.99 Amazon
November 9, 2021
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Amy Stewart moved back home to her small town of Toluca Lake, CA for the palm trees, the cute pets, and the relaxation. She opened the world's cutest pet salon and quickly settled into life in a town where people are friendly, the weather is perfect, and everyone knows everyone else's dog by name.
She didn't anticipate solving so many murders.
But Amy and her grumpy granny have an incredible eye for detail, and they've got determination, they've got the persistence needed to solve any crime. So when something goes wrong in town all eyes turn to them.
This time the body shows up at a local bar.
A dear family friend is targeted as the primary suspect, so Amy and Granny need to work fast in order to keep their friend out of jail. But this case is dangerous and if they're not care our heroes could be the killer's next victims.
✽✽✽✽✽✽✽✽
Amy Stewart moved home to Toluca Lake, CA after a disastrous relationship, and opened a pet salon along with her granny. Her sole other employee is her best friend from school, Betsy. In between making dogs look their best, the trio are off solving murder mysteries -- even when they don't want to.
When a friend at the local bank asked Amy to look into a missing Canadian man who was supposed to show up for a meeting at the bank but never arrived, she's not sure she's willing to do it, since they don't want to get involved in other crimes. But Amy agrees, and while heading out one night to Little Canada, Amy finds the man. In a bathroom. Killed with a hatchet. Now there's another murderer on the loose, and Amy and her granny Petunia are out to find a killer once again.
The problem is that they don't know anything about him, so they have to start from scratch. While the clues are all pointing to one person, Amy isn't sure that person is the guilty party. But who else could be a suspect, when everything is steering her in that direction?
To top it off, both surgeon Jacob and detective Mike are pursuing Amy, and she's feeling both guilty and torn. She hasn't given romance a thought, doesn't want to lead them on, and doesn't know who she likes better. So what's a girl to do?
Meanwhile, her cat Fluffy is in a conundrum himself. His love interest, Queen Elizabeth, has asked him a very special favor, and he wants to do everything he can to help her. But even Fluffy has his limits, and he might have to ask someone else to help him. It seems there are two in the household who are having romance problems, and neither one knows quite what to do...
However, finding a murderer this time out is different, with Amy having doubts and no help from the police, since she isn't able to either ask Mike or find him when she needs him. So Amy and Granny are on their own, and Little Canada isn't the only place they wind up where they don't belong...
This is the fifth book in the series and just as delightful as all the others. I do love the chapters with Fluffy, as he contemplates life and love in the feline masses. It's always fun and interesting to read what he has to say.
Meanwhile, we have Betsy and her ever-changing screenplay -- all because she spent a night in jail and is now deciding she needs to sell her story to an agent so it can be made into a movie. It's a hoot with the lines she comes up with, but at the same time, I'm grateful I don't have a Betsy in my own life. I'd probably stop answering the phone after awhile...
Then there's Petunia, who's still playing poker and teaching her 'life skills classes' to unsuspecting males, all of whom are in need of dire confidence in themselves. Those poor men. It comes at a cost, but at least they're learning something worthwhile, right?
At the last, there's Amy, who is such a muddle inside that she can't think straight outside when it comes to men. And murder keeps getting in the way. Her professional life is just fine, because she's doing what she wants -- grooming the creatures that mean most to her -- but it's the humans she has troubles with, and never more so than when they commit murder...
In the end, the story was intriguing so much that I read it in one sitting. It was almost exhausting with everything that was going on, and it was definitely hard to put down, which is just what a book is supposed to achieve. What it also achieved was finding a murderer that came as a complete surprise. We find out at the same time as Amy, so it was just like being there when it occurred (which, of course, we are). It was unexpected and worth reading, and it all made sense when it came together. All in all, the book was put together well with taut prose and a very good plot...and I have to say that I'm team Jacob -- which I usually don't take sides, but in this case I'll make an exception. Highly recommended.
I received a copy of this book from the author and Booksprout but this in no way influenced my review.
More on Chelsea Thomas's Books: https://www.fantasticfiction.com/t/chelsea-thomas/
Oh wow! This is stunning! Great site very helpful, it's a great source of inspiration. many thanks for sharing these templates....
ReplyDeletebest rated personal books
Best Books on Personal Development