Desperate Housedogs
Pampered Pets Mystery, Book #1
Sparkle Abbey
5 Stars
Synopsis:
In posh Laguna Beach, murder has gone to the dogs.
When Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to help Kevin Blackstone with his two misbehaving German Shepherd dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog owner, she even expects frantic neighbors. What she doesn’t expect is that two hours later the police will find Kevin dead, his dogs impounded; and that as the last person to see Kevin alive (well, except for the killer) she is suddenly a person of interest, at least according to Homicide Detective Judd Malone.
Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets - Sparkle (Mary Lee’s cat) and Abbey (Anita’s dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day either an iced tea or a margarita.) Visit the authors at [...] (Goodreads)
Review:
Caro Lamont finds her pet therapy business thriving and growing, especially within the neighborhood of Ruby Point. In the affluent neighborhood, many of the dogs are displaying behavior problems
that are not becoming of a rich animal. Is it something sinister in the air or the water that is causing problems in the neighborhood? With the death of one her clients, Caro knows she needs to get to the bottom of things before someone innocent is charged with murder.
The characters are well developed and well rounded. I enjoyed reading about the feud between Caro and her cousin and could picture in my mind their plotting and scheming to take possession of Grandma’s brooch. I also enjoyed the bickering between Caro and Detective Malone. One of the things I enjoyed the most about the book was Caro’s occupation. I found the information on different dog breeds and training techniques fascinating and very informative.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in descriptive writing, whether it be concerning the setting, the animals or the relationships between characters. I was able to sit down and start reading and was transported into the world created by the author and it was a place I wanted to stay in. The mystery is carried on throughout the entire book, and with so many suspects and twists and turns, it was near impossible to figure out the culprit.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you enjoy animal cozies, you will love this book. I am looking forward to reading all the books in this series. Check them out and I am sure you will feel the same way.
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Reviews with images
Great story, likeable characters, leaves you wanting more. Love the backstory of the authors!
Evidently this has been sitting dormant on my Kindle for several years and I just read it. Let me start by saying that this author (duo), got the hard part right. They have a great story, likeable characters, and leave you wanting to come back for more. Usually when I find a book or author I like, I will buy the rest of the series or books.After reading this book, I considered it buying the series but there were a couple of concerns I had. My concerns may not bother other people, and are things the authors could fairly easily fix with better research.The main character supposedly lost her license to practice therapy because of what her partner/ex-husband did. This was my area of study – and you do not lose your license to practice because of what your partner does, unless she was also complicit in her husband’s affair with a client.We also grew up and spent decades of our careers in the locations in this book. A couple of very non-factual things; the color of the water off Laguna Beach, (and most of Southern California), is a gray blue most of the year. More importantly, no one would push their way through a pink bougainvillea hedge because they would be impaled, maimed, and ripped up – even through their clothes. Bougainvillea have sturdy thorns that are much worse than roses and are up to two inches long. Lastly, the bugs in California are much smaller than many other states we have visited. Southern California, especially close to the beach, does not have a huge bug problem. Central California, with all the agriculture, does struggle more with the number of bugs, but not the size of the bugs.Now that I have complained, let me add that, after reading this book, I just read two others, hoping to find another author and storyline I would enjoy. Both were recommended by Amazon and had pretty decent reviews – but they were hopeless. Two bad books in a row – and I am buying the rest of this series in the hope that through time you have been able to do better research. The story and people are worth following. Additionally, I loved your back story and hope you have continued to appreciate each other and enjoy your writing together.I’ll let you know how it goes.BTW – there seems to be something wrong when searching for you, your books, and/or your series. I searched by your name, the name of your first book, and the name of the series, and my content, to no avail. I had to go back to Google to get back to purchase the series on Amazon. If others have this issue, you probably lose sales.
Top reviews from the United States
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Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2020
After reading this book, I considered it buying the series but there were a couple of concerns I had. My concerns may not bother other people, and are things the authors could fairly easily fix with better research.
The main character supposedly lost her license to practice therapy because of what her partner/ex-husband did. This was my area of study – and you do not lose your license to practice because of what your partner does, unless she was also complicit in her husband’s affair with a client.
We also grew up and spent decades of our careers in the locations in this book. A couple of very non-factual things; the color of the water off Laguna Beach, (and most of Southern California), is a gray blue most of the year. More importantly, no one would push their way through a pink bougainvillea hedge because they would be impaled, maimed, and ripped up – even through their clothes. Bougainvillea have sturdy thorns that are much worse than roses and are up to two inches long. Lastly, the bugs in California are much smaller than many other states we have visited. Southern California, especially close to the beach, does not have a huge bug problem. Central California, with all the agriculture, does struggle more with the number of bugs, but not the size of the bugs.
Now that I have complained, let me add that, after reading this book, I just read two others, hoping to find another author and storyline I would enjoy. Both were recommended by Amazon and had pretty decent reviews – but they were hopeless. Two bad books in a row – and I am buying the rest of this series in the hope that through time you have been able to do better research. The story and people are worth following. Additionally, I loved your back story and hope you have continued to appreciate each other and enjoy your writing together.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
BTW – there seems to be something wrong when searching for you, your books, and/or your series. I searched by your name, the name of your first book, and the name of the series, and my content, to no avail. I had to go back to Google to get back to purchase the series on Amazon. If others have this issue, you probably lose sales.
Great story, likeable characters, leaves you wanting more. Love the backstory of the authors!
Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2020
Evidently this has been sitting dormant on my Kindle for several years and I just read it. Let me start by saying that this author (duo), got the hard part right. They have a great story, likeable characters, and leave you wanting to come back for more. Usually when I find a book or author I like, I will buy the rest of the series or books.Reviewed in the United States on December 20, 2020
After reading this book, I considered it buying the series but there were a couple of concerns I had. My concerns may not bother other people, and are things the authors could fairly easily fix with better research.
The main character supposedly lost her license to practice therapy because of what her partner/ex-husband did. This was my area of study – and you do not lose your license to practice because of what your partner does, unless she was also complicit in her husband’s affair with a client.
We also grew up and spent decades of our careers in the locations in this book. A couple of very non-factual things; the color of the water off Laguna Beach, (and most of Southern California), is a gray blue most of the year. More importantly, no one would push their way through a pink bougainvillea hedge because they would be impaled, maimed, and ripped up – even through their clothes. Bougainvillea have sturdy thorns that are much worse than roses and are up to two inches long. Lastly, the bugs in California are much smaller than many other states we have visited. Southern California, especially close to the beach, does not have a huge bug problem. Central California, with all the agriculture, does struggle more with the number of bugs, but not the size of the bugs.
Now that I have complained, let me add that, after reading this book, I just read two others, hoping to find another author and storyline I would enjoy. Both were recommended by Amazon and had pretty decent reviews – but they were hopeless. Two bad books in a row – and I am buying the rest of this series in the hope that through time you have been able to do better research. The story and people are worth following. Additionally, I loved your back story and hope you have continued to appreciate each other and enjoy your writing together.
I’ll let you know how it goes.
BTW – there seems to be something wrong when searching for you, your books, and/or your series. I searched by your name, the name of your first book, and the name of the series, and my content, to no avail. I had to go back to Google to get back to purchase the series on Amazon. If others have this issue, you probably lose sales.
Images in this review
Reviewed in the United States on October 4, 2017
Top reviews from other countries
maureen brophy
I enjoyed it. But books with pets in the story ...
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 11, 2017
Lynda Kelly
Even Includes Dogcare Tips !
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 1, 2012