Sniffing out Murder

 

Sniffing Out Murder (A Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery) by Kallie E. Benjamin

About Sniffing Out Murder

Sniffing Out Murder (A Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery) Cozy Mystery 1st in Series Setting - Indiana Berkley (December 5, 2023) Paperback ‏ : ‎ 352 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0593547357 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0593547359 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BXKHGG75

When a murder unleashes a widespread investigation through Crosbyville, children’s book author Pris and her trusty bloodhound, Bailey, must sniff out the truth before the whole town goes to the dogs.

After deciding that life as a teacher wasn’t right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children’s book in her three-year-old bloodhound’s nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. After the book’s massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series, she’s surprised by how things have changed in the town, but even more so how they haven’t.

Pris is frustrated to discover that newly elected school board trustee Whitney Kelley—a former high school mean girl—is intent on making Crosbyville more competitive by eliminating “frivolous spending” on the arts and social programs, including Pris and Bailey’s beloved pet-assisted reading program. A minor altercation between them isn’t anything unusual, but after Bailey sniffs out Whitney’s body in a bed of begonias, locals start hounding Pris and Bailey as suspects for the crime.

With Bailey’s sharp senses and Pris’s hometown know-how, can they prove to the community that they’re all barking up the wrong tree?

What I Thought: 

This is the first Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery. I was drawn to this book because I think Bloodhounds are such cute doggies and I thought this would be an interesting read. I was not wrong. Bailey was the star of this book. In this one Pris his owner as a meeting with a students parents, Joe and Whitney, on her last day of bein a teacher. The mother of the student is her archrival from High School. Later on, Pris and Bailey are are Aunt Agatha's diner and  Joe and Whitney come in. There is a shouting match and threats are issued. The next morning while Pris has Bailey on his morning walk, he finds Whitney's dead body in a flower bed at the park. Even after being warned to stay out of the investigation, Bailey and Pris investigate anyone, I mean after all, Pris does write the popular Bailey the Bloodhound mystery books for kids. 

I enjoyed the setting of this book, a semi-small town in Indiana. There were some interesting characters as well, but Bailey stole the show, he was by far the best. The book flowed well and kept my attention throughout. I was not sure for a while who the killer was, then I thought I figured it out. I thought I knew but I could not figure out what the motive for the killing could be. Pris and Bailey do a good job investigating, even though Pris is juggling two love interests as well as trying to solve two murders. The reveal was a little surprising. As I said I thought I knew who the killer was just not why. I liked all the twists and turns that did leaving me second guessing if I really knew who the killer was. I will definitely be reading more in this series.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. 

About Kallie E. Benjamin

Kallie E. Benjamin (Valerie Burns) is the author of the Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery series. The first book, Sniffing Out Murder releases on December 5, 2023. Valerie is an Agatha, Anthony, Edgar, and Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist. Writing as V. M. Burns she is the author of the Mystery Bookshop Mystery, Dog Club Mystery, and RJ Franklin Mystery series. Writing as Valerie Burns, she is the author of the Baker Street Mystery series. Valerie is also an adjunct professor in the Writing Popular Fiction Program at Seton Hill University in Greensburg, PA. Born and raised in northwestern Indiana, Valerie now lives in Northern Georgia with her two poodles.

Author Links Bookbub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/v-m-burns Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vmburnsbooks/ GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16534140.V_M_Burns Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vmburnsbooks/ Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/vmburns Website: vmburns.com

Knitmare on Beech Street

 

Knitmare on Beech Street (A Knit & Nibble Mystery) by Peggy Ehrhart

About Knitmare on Beech Street

Knitmare on Beech Street (A Knit & Nibble Mystery) Cozy Mystery 10th in Series Setting - Charming fictional town of Arborville, in northern New Jersey Kensington Cozies (November 28, 2023) Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 320 pages ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1496738861 ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1496738868 Digital ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0BZBM8P55

Knit and Nibble member Pamela Paterson, and her best friend, Bettina, stumble on a body in a once grand Victorian house when they join a group welcoming new residents to Arborville—and must figure out if old secrets killed the new neighbor . . .

When Pamela, Bettina, and their friends show up at the Voorhees House to greet its new owner, they’re met with a most unwelcome sight: a dead body on the kitchen floor. Tassie Hunt just inherited the old Victorian, which had been occupied by a reclusive widow for many years and had a reputation for being haunted. But Tassie would have been unlikely to be spooked since her career involved debunking such paranormal phenomena.

Her demise sets off a new flurry of gossip and ghostly speculation in the New Jersey town, of course—and it’s tempting to think spirits were indeed involved considering there’s zero evidence so far of foul play. A nosy neighbor reports strange lights and sounds, and a man obsessed with the Victorian era starts photographing the place from the street. But it won’t take long before Pamela and Bettina are moving in on a killer . . .

Excerpt

Pamela led the way down the steps, down the narrow concrete path, and along the sidewalk, until they reached another concrete path. From this path, steps led up to another porch, smaller and with a plainer railing, onto which the back door opened. Saying “I’ll try again,” Marlene hefted the gift basket and headed up the steps. As she pressed the doorbell, the rest of the group joined her on the porch one by one. Marlene turned away after a few minutes and much enthusiastic pressing of the doorbell. “No answer,” she murmured. “And I was sure ANGWY was clear about the date and time.” She shrugged, edged past the others, and started down the steps. Bettina, however, stepped closer to the door and tipped her head to peer at the doorframe. “I’m not sure it’s closed all the way,” she said and gave the door a tentative push. The door swung open easily. After a shrug and a glance at the other women, Bettina raised a stylishly shod foot and stepped over the threshold. “Tassie?” Her voice rang out with a cheerful lilt. “Hello? It’s the ANGWY committee.” She disappeared inside, but a moment later she was back in the doorway. Her cheer had vanished, leaving her face a wan canvas that made her careful makeup appear garish. Ignoring her heart’s sudden lurch, Pamela took a few quick steps and joined her friend in the doorway. Bettina backed up against the door, anchoring it in a fully open position, and Pamela slipped past her into the kitchen. A woman lay sprawled on the ancient linoleum, a slender blonde woman wearing a light cotton robe printed with small flowers in shades of blue and lilac . . .

What I Thought:

This is the tenth installment of the Knit and Nibbles Mystery Series. I have read the first several in this series, and I will have to say, this series gets better and better with each book. I love visiting with Pamela and Bettina in their charming own of Arborville, NJ. The two always seem to find trouble, no matter if they are trying to avoid trouble or not. In this one, Pamela and Bettina accompany the ANGWY committee to the Voorhees house to welcome the new occupant to town. But when they arrive, the new neighbor, Tassie, is found dead on the floor. Foul play is not suspected at first. But Bettina and Pamela are summoned by a neighbor of the Voorhees house who gives them a tale of strange lights and noises, and suggest the home is haunted. Pamela's new gentleman friend is hired by the boyfriend of the the deceased to help clear out the Voorhees home, Pamela and Bettina again arrive to the home to find another dead body. Of course they dig deeper into the mystery. When Pamela is baking a blueberry pie for the Knit and Nibbles group, she and Bettina realize a huge clue. Again, I will say, this series just keeps getting better. Pamela and Bettina are great protagonists and I enjoy hearing about the other members of Knit and Nibble as well. I enjoy the setting of this series as well. This town seems to be very charming. As with others in this series I have read, this one kept my attention from the beginning and I finished the book in one day. I was totally surprised by the reveal in this one, it was not what I was expecting at all, it caught me completely off guard. There were many twists and turns in this one, I thought I had it figured out, but nope. I am definitely going back and reading the others in this series I haven't gotten to yet, and I sincerely hope this series keeps going for a long time to come.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. 

 

About Peggy Ehrhart

Peggy Ehrhart is a former English professor with a doctorate in Medieval Literature. Her Maxx Maxwell mysteries, Sweet Man Is Gone(2008) and Got No Friend Anyhow (2011), were published by Five Star/Gale/Cengage and feature a blues-singer sleuth.

Peggy is currently writing the Knit & Nibble mysteries for Kensington Books. Her amateur sleuth, Pamela Paterson, is the founder and mainstay of the Arborville, New Jersey, knitting club, nicknamed Knit and Nibble. Knitmare on Beech Street is book #10 in the series. Peggy herself is an avid crafter, dating from her childhood as a member of the 4-H Club in rural Southern California.

Peggy is a longtime member of Mystery Writers of America and Sisters in Crime. She regularly attends mystery-writing conferences and participates in conference panels. She also gives talks on mystery fiction at libraries and other venues in New York, Connecticut, and New Jersey.

Author Links Website: www.PeggyEhrhart.com Yarn Mania Blog on my website: https://peggyehrhart.com/category/yarn-mania/ Goodreads Blog: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/534678.Peggy_Ehrhart/blog Purchase Links - Amazon - Barnes & Noble Bookshop.org Kobo