Author: Chelsea Thomas
Genre: Mystery
Digital Book
ASIN #: B09MDQ1J5K
Independently Published
203 Pages
$5.99 Amazon
July 21, 2022
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Welcome to Santa Barbara, a quaint coastal village just a short drive north of Los Angeles. There are wineries, cute little shops, beautiful missions, and all the charm and scenery a girl could ask for. It's the kind of place where life feels easy and simple...
...until the dead bodies turn up.
When Amy and her grumpy Granny head up the California coast for a pet care convention, they think it'll be the perfect getaway. But nothing kills vacation vibes like a corpse, especially when the killer could strike again.
There were no signs of a struggle and the poor, unsuspecting victim left a note, so the death seems like a suicide. But something doesn't add up. For one thing, the note makes no sense, and for another, the victim's widow swears he would never do something like this.
Will our sleuths crack the case in time? Or will this pet care convention be murder?
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In this seventh outing of the series, Amy, Granny, and Betsy are headed to Santa Barbara for a pet care convention. Along for the trip is Amy's boyfriend (maybe?) Mike Fine, who is taking a vacation from his police detective job to spend it with Amy. Upon arriving, Amy is upset to learn the room she requested has been given to someone else, but Mike seems fine with it, so Amy, disappointed, goes along with it.
But Granny and Betsy can't stop arguing about anything and everything. So much for a vacation. While Amy is off to get them something for their booth, she runs into a man -- literally -- and he's rude and almost threatens her. To her dismay, the man's booth is right next door to them, and it appears he's trying to stop people from going to their booth. However, both Amy and Betsy are sidetracked by finding a dead body, and Amy, with her penchant for wanting to know the killer, spends her time looking for him or her; and if that's not bad enough, Mike is spending his time without her. So what else can she do except try to solve the case?
This is a very fun cozy, with a lot going on. You have a killer on the loose, Granny being Granny and scaring away people, Betsy trying to write a screenplay (again), and Amy at loose ends looking for clues. What can go wrong? Apparently, everything. Without giving too much away, as I don't want to spoil it for others, let me tell you that this book is one that keeps you reading in one sitting, because you don't want to miss anything. It's not only fun, it's full of clues that make it difficult to discover until almost Amy does at the same time.
Granny is still Granny; loud and grumpy; Betsy is still a hoot; and I love the fact that there might be a new addition to the cast (hopefully). Amy has her hands full trying to keep the peace between her two coworkers, and doing some things that might not be legal, but oh, well; it's all in the name of justice, right?
What we wind up with is a whirlwind of action, with Amy finding it hard to keep her mind on business (even though she knows she should) and using all her wits to find the murderer before the convention ends. She might not have a horse in the race, but she's determined to get to the finish line first.
I loved this mystery and all that it entailed; it is witty, fun, and I feel Amy's frustration right along with her. When the murderer is revealed, it's satisfying and gives us something to look forward to in the next in the series. Highly recommended.
I was given an advance 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/
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