Author: Cathy Tully
Genre: Mystery
Trade Paperback; Digital Book
ISBN #: 9781736446744
Visions & Revisions Unlimited
290 Pages
$11.99; $3.99 Amazon
August 25, 2021
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A hound, a hog and a homicide.
It's Thanksgiving and foul play has been served along with dessert. Though Dr. Susannah Shine expected a relaxing holiday, the mysteries keep piling up. A stranger is found dead, a stray dog appears in the dark, and a precocious pig calls at her door.
With BFF Bitsy's Grandpa as a primary suspect, Susannah must figure out who killed the real estate agent, while juggling the demands of an A-List actress who is paying extra to keep her chiropractic treatments secret.
With all clues leading to Grandpa's Pecan orchard, Susannah, Bitsy, and Little Junior parlay a porker's visit to the vet into the undercover adventure of the century. Or at least of the last week.
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All Dr. Susannah Shine wants for Thanksgiving is to be left alone. Just a few hours to herself so she can unwind and relax. But her best friend Bitsy doesn't think that's a good idea, and before you know it, Susannah is at the home of the Long clan, and enjoying Thanksgiving with a horde of people.
Bitsy has other things on her mind, too; she wants to make the best dessert for the family and has been using Susannah for a guinea pig. She also wants to find Hogzilla, a giant hog that's supposedly out in the woods. But first she needs to gather some pecans, so her grandmother lends her and Susannah her 'pecan picker', and they go to the Long's orchard to gather. Unfortunately, all they gather is a dead man lying up against a tree. Now Susannah is once again involved in a murder, much to the annoyance of the police.
Then a stray hound shows up at Susannah's, along with a pot-bellied pig, and Bitsy decides to keep the pig, making things more of a mess than they already are. But with the main suspect being Grandpa, Bitsy and Susannah have no intention of allowing the detective to nail the wrong man for the crime, so they figure out their own plan, hoping to nab a killer before he or she gets wind of it...
This is the third book in the series and just as funny as the first two. When the animals show up practically on Susannah's doorstep, Bitsy decides what she's wanted all her life was a pig, and proceeds to name her, taking her everywhere. The dog isn't trained much better, trying to escape his leash and outrun everyone. But Susannah has bigger fish to fry: catching a killer who's willing to let an old man go to jail for their crime. Unfortunately, the police are keeping their eye on her and don't want her anywhere near the investigation.
But Bitsy has eyes and ears everywhere, and a grand plan. Once they discover the dead man was a real estate agent who was working with her cousin Stella, they find out his name and determine that he had sinister motives of his own. So Bitsy decides to go undercover and over the top and drags Susannah right along with her. What ensues is a one hilarious scene and quite a few others along the way, most of them having to do with a pig.
Then things get hotter at home, and Susannah knows she's on the right trail. She's also trying to treat her celebrity client, but things aren't perfect in that area, either. When everything comes to a head, there's a major meltdown, an unexpected addition, and Susannah faces what might be the most desperate situation of her life. What comes out of it is a book that is both invigorating and interesting, and so much fun to read. I loved this book and can't wait for the next in the series. Highly recommended.
More on Cathy Tully's Books: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4210662484
