#dogsandpals – Rosepoint Publishing

Fighting Edge by Margaret Mizushima #BookReview #policeprocedurals #TuesdayBookBlog

A Timber Creek K-9 Mystery

Book Blurb:

Major crimes intersect in this nail-biting installment of the Timber Creek K-9 mysteries by award-winning author Margaret Mizushima.

A routine welfare check becomes a nightmare when Deputy Mattie Walker finds a young mother dead and a hysterical toddler, possibly the only witness to a brutal crime. Before the investigative team can start piecing together what happened, Mattie discovers another criminal act in Timber Creek.

During a traffic stop for speeding, Mattie observes a nervous driver and a teenage passenger frozen with fear. A quick sweep of the car with her K-9 partner, Robo, reveals a dangerous mix of drugs and suspected human trafficking, providing Mattie with grounds to arrest the driver. After she places the teenager in protective custody, the sheriff’s department hands the case over to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation.

As the team gathers evidence and information, Mattie’s husband, veterinarian Cole Walker, notices suspicious activity during ambulatory calls at dog kennels, indicating yet a third crime lurking in the shadows. What begins as isolated incidents quickly reveals a chilling truth: Organized crime has infiltrated their rural mountain community.

Every clue leads to more questions, and each answer brings them closer to greater danger. Do Mattie and her law enforcement partners have what it takes to shut down this criminal ring before it claims more victims? And could its next victim be someone Mattie loves?

My Review:

I don’t miss a chance to read the latest Timber Creek K-9 Mystery by Ms. Mizushima. I love the characters and have watched their growth almost from Book 1. The protagonist is Deputy Mattie Walker, of course, but the star (at least for me) is Robo, the German Shepherd.

This installment starts right off with a welfare check of a young mother who is found dead with her toddler crying nearby. As always, however, these K-9 stories are layered in between Mattie’s home life. She and the local veterinarian Cole Walker married and created a ready-made family with her step-daughters Sophie and Angie. Sophie is the youngest and easiest as Angie has progressed to sullen teen. The family recently underwent a collective trauma for which they are now consulting a therapist. Maddie’s job creates a bit of tension by duties that keep her from family sessions.

I love the parts where not only Robo, but Cole are used in her police investigations and procedures are often explained. It’s interesting how Mattie gets Robo psyched up for a pursuit, but usually just the Kevlar vest means that Robo is going to work. His demeanor changes instantly and he’s all business. Serious business.

The author has a talent for storytelling, describing her well-developed characters and tackling topical issues such as human trafficking as well as domestic issues. The people seem real—we’ve watched them grow and meld. The pacing doesn’t waver or slow and the plot builds tension and suspense as each episode thread is tackled.

It’s a series where each book can be read as a standalone, but also as an old friend when read from the beginning

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Police Procedurals, Women Sleuths
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publication Date: September 8, 2026

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Margaret Mizushima writes the internationally published Timber Creek K-9 Mysteries. She served as a past president of the Rocky Mountain Chapter of Mystery Writers of America and was elected Writer of the Year by Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers. She is the recipient of a Colorado Authors League Award, a Benjamin Franklin Book Award, a CIBA CLUE Award, and two Willa Literary Awards by Women Writing the West. Her books have been finalists for a SPUR Award by Western Writers of America, a Killer Nashville Silver Falchion Award, and the Colorado Book Award. She and her husband recently moved from Colorado, where they raised two daughters and a multitude of animals, to a home in the Pacific Northwest. Find her on her website, Facebook, X, BlueSky, and Instagram.

Rosepoint Publishing--book haul — Graphic courtesy ChatGPT

Mad Mabel: A Novel by Sally Hepworth #AudiobookReview – Dark Humor Literature & Fiction

in Dark Humor Literature and Fiction

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

Meet Mad Mabel.

Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick is eighty-one years old. She’s lived on her idyllic street, Kenny Lane, for sixty years–longer than anyone else. Aside from being a curmudgeon who minds everyone else’s business, few would suspect that Elsie has a past that she has worked exceedingly hard at concealing. Because when it comes to murder, no one ever suspects little girls or old ladies. And Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick, once a little girl and now an old lady, has a strange history of people in her life coming to a foul end.

When a new little girl (talkative, curious, nosy) moves into the neighborhood and stops at nothing to befriend Elsie, her carefully-constructed life threatens to come crashing down as the secrets in Elsie’s past start coming to light. Who was “Mad Mabel” fifty years ago? Who is Elsie Fitzpatrick today? And if the past has a habit of repeating itself, who has the most to lose?

Told with Sally Hepworth’s twists, humor, charm, and heart, MAD MABEL is novel that weaves past and present together–through the power of justice and redemption, and all the way to its stunning conclusion.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press

My Review:

Oh I have greatly enjoyed this author previously in deeply suspenseful literary novels, the last one being Darling Girls. The lady can write. This one doesn’t carry that tension-filled nail-biting thriller genre quite like that one, but nonetheless, was unique and quite entertaining.

Yes, once again, a protagonist near my age—I loved it! And of course I was listening to the audiobook and expected to hear that querulous voice so often attributed to an octogenarian, but, thank you, while just a little sharp, it merely reflects the woman’s no-nonsense personality. She’s had it tough and the book will explain why. But not right away.

I loved Elsie Mabel Fitzpatrick. She’s a great main character and oozes personality. It’s one of those tough hide, soft heart things and it almost immediately bumps up against the latter when seven-year-old Persephone moves into the neighborhood with her single and struggling mother, Roxanne.

Persephone drove me nuts and for awhile, I had the same go away reaction to her as did Mabel. Long after I was ready to kick Persephone to the curb, Mabel was grudgingly beginning to hide obvious tender feelings for the poor thing, needy and lonely as she was.

In the meantime, Mabel discovered her neighbor in his little home…dead. This will not go well with her history and as there was a bit of antagonism between the two, it won’t take long for that bit to be discovered. Mabel’s background includes a murder conviction when she was fifteen. Even in her old Australian neighborhood, will she never be able to outrun that history?

The author does a fine job of weaving dual timelines with little twists that tease the imagination and beg the question—was Elsie the unfortunate child of deadly circumstances, bad timing, questionable coincidences and circumstantial evidence? Can anyone have this much bad luck? Is she, after all, innocent?

I enjoyed the sense of humor, the dialogue, and the build of empathy for Elsie…and the kid, as well as the contradictions in how her neighbors perceived her. No one believed this. She took in the victim’s dog? She didn’t like that dog. This is some great storytelling and the twists at the end truly caught me by surprise. Loved it. Yeah, I’ve got to recommend this one to my book club.

Recommended for anyone who enjoys a good satirical plot that will keep you flipping pages and forgetting the main character’s age. As my good motobuddy used to say, “age is just a number.”

Many thanks to Lynne at Fictionophile for her recommendation and to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Dark Humor Literature & Fiction, Domestic Thrillers, Dark Humor
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Narrator: Hannah Fredericksen, Jenny Seedsman
Release Date: April 21, 2026

Title Links:

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Sally Hepworth is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including The Good Sister and The Soulmate. Her latest novel, Darling Girls, was released in Australia in September 2023, and will be released in North America in April 2024.

Drawing on the good, the bad and the downright odd of human behaviour, Sally writes incisively about family, relationships and identity. Her domestic thriller novels are laced with quirky humour, sass and a darkly charming tone. They are available worldwide in English and have been translated into twenty languages.

Sally lives in Melbourne, Australia, with her three children and one adorable dog. She has recently taken up ocean swimming (or to put it more accurately, ocean dipping).

5 stars

How to Age Disgracefully: A Novel by Clare Pooley #AudiobookReview #FlashbackFriday

Book Blurb:

A senior citizens’ center and a daycare collide with hilarious results in the new ensemble comedy from New York Times-bestselling author Clare Pooley

When Lydia takes a job running the Senior Citizens’ Social Club three afternoons a week, she assumes she’ll be spending her time drinking tea and playing gentle games of cards.

The members of the Social Club, however, are not at all what Lydia was expecting. From Art, a failed actor turned kleptomaniac to Daphne, who has been hiding from her dark past for decades to Ruby, a Banksy-style knitter who gets revenge in yarn, these seniors look deceptively benign—but when age makes you invisible, secrets are so much easier to hide.

When the city council threatens to sell the doomed community center building, the members of the Social Club join forces with their tiny friends in the daycare next door—as well as the teenaged father of one of the toddlers and a geriatric dog—to save the building. Together, this group’s unorthodox methods may actually work, as long as the police don’t catch up with them first.

My Review:

I caught the title from a buddy bookblogger and had to check it out! Literally—from my local library. That pink cover might be off-putting, but it has a dog on it. How bad can it be?

Oh my goodness. Where does this Yankee start? Is there much difference between aging in the UK or the US if both are well seasoned and busy trying to find what mischief to get into next? I think not.

It’s Daphne’s 70^th birthday, the youngster, and she’s thinking of maybe getting back out into society after lying low for some time. She’s looking at the 70s and feeling a bit lonely. It’s that colorful background, you see.

So she finds a senior social club at the local community center and quietly sets out to get some online dating experience at the same time. I spent some time at the beginning of the book wondering where this thing was going and if it would be worth it. But the writing style? Got me. I kept reading.

I enjoyed the dialogue, the sense of humor, the intelligence, and the life going on with these supposed aging citizens. Okay, maybe retired doesn’t mean dead from either the waist up or down.

Then, a plot begins to manifest, as well as glimpses of Daphne’s life experience and the support characters are beginning to develop into real people. The descriptions paint a picture of seniors as they might see themselves, absent facial lines and thinning hair: vibrant, driven, determined to save their community center.

AH! So at this point, you’re thinking BOORING!…not so! This is written with such heart, emotions. It is pure entertainment.

Is it a mystery? Yes. (well, sorta)

Sassy, snarky? Yes.

Is there a bit of romance? (Don’t groan!) Yes.

Is a dog involved? Yes

It’s sweet and it’s fun. And it hits many topical themes, aging of course, but loneliness, abuse, and teen pregnancy. The characters are memorable and I loved that little zinger at the end.

The narrator does a terrific job of mastering those voices. Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Friendship Fiction, Humorous Fiction
Publisher: Penguin Audio
ASIN: B0CKKNS75X
Listening Length: 8 hrs 11 mins
Narrator: Clare Corbett
Publication Date: June 11, 2024
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Clare Pooley graduated from Newnham College, Cambridge and spent twenty years in the heady world of advertising before becoming a full-time writer.

Clare’s memoir – The Sober Diaries – has helped thousands of people worldwide to quit drinking.

Clare’s first novel – The Authenticity Project – was a BBC Radio 2 Bookclub pick, a New York Times Bestseller and the winner of the RNA debut novel award. It has been translated into 30 languages. Her second novel, The People on Platform 5 (titled Iona Iverson’s Rules for Commuting in the USA) was published in 2022, and How to Age Disgracefully is out in June 2024.

Clare lives in London and Cornwall with her long-suffering husband, three children and two border terriers. When she’s not writing, you’ll find her cooking, at the theatre, walking the South-West cliff path or wild swimming on the North Cornish coast.

happy holidays

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry #AudiobookReview #ThrowbackThursday

A Voice of the Wilderness Novel Book 1

Book Blurb:

This gripping novel about survival and family is based on the real story of one wolf’s incredible journey to find a safe place to call home. This irresistible tale by award-winning author Rosanne Parry is for fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax and Katherine Applegate’s The One and Only Ivan.

Swift, a young wolf cub, lives with his pack in the mountains learning to hunt, competing with his brothers and sisters for hierarchy, and watching over a new litter of cubs. Then a rival pack attacks, and Swift and his family scatter.

Alone and scared, Swift must flee and find a new home. His journey takes him a remarkable one thousand miles across the Pacific Northwest. The trip is full of peril, and Swift encounters forest fires, hunters, highways, and hunger before he finds his new home.

Inspired by the extraordinary true story of a wolf named OR-7 (or Journey), this irresistible tale of survival invites readers to experience and imagine what it would be like to be one of the most misunderstood animals on earth. This gripping and appealing novel about family, courage, loyalty, and the natural world is for fans of Fred Gipson’s Old Yeller and Katherine Applegate’s Endling.

Includes information about the real wolf who inspired the novel.

My Review:

Okay, so it’s billed as a middle school book, but certainly not one that an adult can’t enjoy as well.

As most of you who follow my blog know, I tend toward animal stories (well, among the suspense and thrillers), most predominantly dogs. This is close, and while not exactly a Canis Lupus Familiaris (domestic dog), a Canis Lupus (wolf). Our domesticated dogs, of course, a subspecies of the wolf, though it’s uncanny how many look and still have inborn Lupus traits.

Such a controversy with wolves! The ranchers cite the wolves’ tendency to take down domestic animals and hunters their game animals. The ever-encroaching spread of human habitation tends to push their boundaries.

Still, they go a long way to creating a balanced ecology and restoring biodiversity. Their management creates a tear in the normal cycle of life.

A Wold Called Wander by Rosanne Parry — A Wolf Called Wander-US cover

This is a story remarkably told from a wolf pup’s POV. He is Swift and his pack includes brothers and sisters along with mom and dad who keep them fed, train them in noble wolf ways, and protect them—until the day a rival pack attacks and he and his family are forced to flee.

It’s a coming-of-age story. And Swift has a lot to learn to survive as he is suddenly thrust into a raw world he is not totally prepared for. Since each in the pack has its “job”, he has never yet truly brought down prey.

A Wolf Called Wander by Rosanne Parry — A Wolf Called Wander – UK cover

I love that the narrative follows the true story of a real wolf that had been tagged and followed through a thousand mile journey as he seeks a new territory to call his home. The epilogue at the end describes the life of the wolf and wolves in general, as well as the tracking of the wolf’s odyssey. Along the way, he encounters coyote packs, a deadly forest fire, and a lack of food/prey and water confronting and surviving each. He meets a female eventually and together create their own pack family in the Siskiyou’s of northern California, southern Oregon.

Having lived in Yreka (California) a number of times, I can attest to the beauty of the area and the miles of remote forested wilderness. It’s a gorgeous, largely untamed area, boasting 14,000 foot Mt. Shasta (a dormant volcano).

I greatly enjoyed the narration by Kirby Heyborne for his lively reading of the audiobook. I had to chuckle, however, when he mispronounced Siskiyou—obviously never having heard it pronounced correctly.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four point Five Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Children’s Fox & Wolf Books, Animal Action & Adventure for Children, Animal Fiction for Children
Publisher: HarperAudio
ASIN: B07NDLGJL1
Listening Length: 3 hrs 54 mins
Narrator: Kirby Heyborne
Publication Date: May 7, 2019
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: Rosanne Parry is the author of seven award-winning middle grade novels, including the newly released A Whale of the Wild and the NY Times best seller A Wolf Called Wander which is published in 11 languages. Rosanne is a part-time bookseller at legendary Portland independent bookstore, Annie Blooms, and is the captain of the League of Exceptional Writers, a free mentoring workshop for young avid readers and writers (on hiatus until 2022). She lives with her family in an old farmhouse in Portland Oregon and writes in a treehouse in her backyard. You can find Rosanne at http://www.rosanneparry.com

Here’s a list of all her books

Heart of a Shepherd
Second Fiddle
Written in Stone
The Turn of the Tide
Last of the Name
A Wolf Called Wander
A Whale of the Wild

#throwbackthursday

The Snow Lies Deep by Paula Munier #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

A Mercy Carr Mystery Book 7

Book Blurb:

Mercy and Troy are looking forward to baby Felicity’s first holiday season, and they’re determined to make it a Christmas to remember. At Northshire’s annual Solstice Soirée, hosted by Northshire’s finest and funded by Mercy’s billionaire pal Feinberg, Amy’s little girl Helena is sitting on Santa Claus’s lap. She’s telling him she’d like a Bitty Baby doll just like little Felicity when the bearded man leaps up, thrusts the toddler at her mother Amy, and staggers away from the festivities. He disappears into the woods. By the time Elvis and Mercy find him, Santa Claus aka the town mayor, is lying on his back, dead. A yule log made of oak sits on his chest, burning bright, a beacon of light on the darkest day of the year.

This strange murder is the first of a series of similar Solstice-themed killings targeting the town’s most prominent citizens. Beloved family friend Lillian Jenkins, the grande dame of Northshire, could be next. Mercy and Troy and the dogs must team up with Thrasher and Harrington to capture The Yuletide Killer before he strikes again, this time far closer to home.

My Review:

I’ve been a fan of the author and this series since the first Mercy Carr mystery I stumbled across, the last one being Home at Night (#5) read and reviewed in July 2023. (Dang! I missed number six!) And I greatly enjoyed them all, so grabbed this one as soon as I saw it offered on NetGalley.

Last I read, Mercy and Troy (her game warden hubby) had bought an old Victorian called Grackle Tree Farm as they were expecting to expand their family beyond their respective working dogs, Elvis (the Malinois) and Suzy Bear (the Newfoundland). “A fed bear is a dead bear.”

I still trip over that name every time I see it printed, but this installment has the couple looking forward to baby Felicity’s first Christmas. They are preparing for the Solstice Soirée, as well as other activities, including choirs and Santa.

Unfortunately, Elvis finds Santa (the town’s mayor) dead in the woods with a Yule log burning on his chest. It’s followed shortly by the second murder, and soon the Druid-inspired celebration and ensuing village festivities are not looking so jolly.

I still love those dogs, complementary to each other, and look forward to their contributions to the plot line. However, this novel, meant to be a Christmas-themed narrative, tries to keep the spirit of the season at the forefront.

“As she spoke, she was struck by the contrasts that marked their lives: crime and crib, poaching and playtime, murder and motherhood…a seemingly random and yet eternal cycle of hope and despair, happiness and sorrow, light and dark.“

The storyline appears to put the domestic themes in front of the mystery. Mercy tends to find babysitters easily enough when she wants to dash off on another clue in the murders. (So much for “just being a mom” now.) Also, while I was fascinated with the Druid folklore and practices, I became a bit disillusioned that the antagonists reverted to the Russian oligarch thing. (There’s gotta be other bad guys out there.)

“The neo-pagan legend recounted the story of two brothers, the Holly King and the Oak King, and their endless battle of the seasons. The Holly King ruled winter…the winter solstice marked the victory of the Oak King…until the summer solstice when the Holly King won the crown…”

I do enjoy the author’s writing style, which includes quotables and prose:

“May the log burn,
May the wheel turn,
May evil spurn,
May the Sun return.”

While I was a bit disappointed in this installment, I look forward to the next, and indeed will go back and see if I can find the one I missed.

“The past is prologue.”

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Cozy Animal Mystery, Cozy Animal Mysteries, Police Procedurals
Publisher: Minotaur Books
ISBN: 978-1250389992
ASIN: B0DPTMPYYZ
Print Length: 308 pages
Publication Date: December 2, 2025
Source: Publisher and NetGalley

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: PAULA MUNIER is a literary agent and the USA TODAY bestselling author of the Mercy Carr mysteries. A BORROWING OF BONES, the first in the series, was nominated for the Mary Higgins Clark Award, and was recently named the Dog Writers Association of America’s Dogwise Book of the Year. The second, BLIND SEARCH, pubbed in November 2019. The third, THE HIDING PLACE, will debut in March 2021.

Paula was inspired to write the series by the hero working dogs she met through Mission K9 Rescue, her own rescues, Newfoundland/retriever mix Bear, Great Pyrenees/Australian cattle dog mix Bliss, and Malinois mix Blondie, and a lifelong passion for crime fiction.

Paula also written three popular books on writing: PLOT PERFECT, THE WRITER’S GUIDE TO BEGINNINGS, and WRITING WITH QUIET HANDS, as well as the acclaimed memoir FIXING FREDDIE: A True Story of a Boy, a Mom, and a Very, Very Bad Beagle, and HAPPIER EVERY DAY: Simple ways to bring more peace, contentment and joy into your life.

She lives in New England with her family, her three rescue dogs, and a rescue torbie tabby named Ursula. Find Paula at http://www.paulamunier.com.

Greetings from Lavender Valley by Tammy L Grace #BookReview #TuesdayBookBlog

Sisters of the Heart Book 1

Book Blurb:

Six women. Four decades. One long, unexpected reunion.

Jewel Austin is a foster mother to dozens, but forms a special bond with five foster girls she welcomed under her roof long ago. Through handwritten letters, Jewel keeps in touch with these women she nurtured to adulthood.

Now in her eighties, Jewel’s time is short, and her last letter spells out an unusual request. The five women have never met but Jewel’s last wish is for them to return to Lavender Valley Farm together, back to the refuge where they once found the love and support they craved. Jewel has a keen sense of knowing their needs before they do and she knows they are going to need their sisters of the heart.

Life’s been hard, but facing the inevitable loss of the only parental figure you’ve known can be harder. Will the five women be able to overcome the obstacles that stand in their way of granting the beloved matriarch of their family her last wish?

My Review:

Not my first experience with the author as I’ve read offerings in a couple other series, the most recent being Welcome Aboard, a collaboration.

This short and sweet offering is actually a prequel to the Sisters of the Heart series and through a series of letters to her foster children introduces the five who stood out from the dozens. Of course, not all children were with her long term and these were those with whom she had extended experience from child to adult.

The setting is rustic, rural farm country in Oregon where Jewel and her husband Chuck took in dozens of foster children. It’s a look at not only those who sacrifice to take in children, some in the worst circumstances, but of the children themselves and the stake that is given them to continue.

Each of the letters introduces us to that special someone who stayed until aged out and moved on. Then she continued to follow them, through triumphs and tribulations, marriages, happiness and heartbreak. She wishes for a grand reunion in which each now adult acknowledges the sisterhood that was created in the home that became their shared sanctuary.

It’s an interesting concept, the letters, though I assume would not be everyone’s cup of tea, particularly as it’s a one-way communication, only getting ideas of what the response might have been to the previous letter by the next.

Still, the letter whets the interest in what the girls might be like now, the reunion, and how they might all relate to each other—and to their foster mom. Might very well be something of interest to you and worth checking out. Enjoy unusual domestic fiction? Uncommon concepts of family?

Many thanks to our local library for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Rating: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Friendship Fiction, Women’s Sagas, Saga Fiction
Publisher: Lone Mountain Press
ISBN: 978-1945591419
ASIN: B0BQ4T1C39
Print Length: 119 pages
Publication Date: April 5, 2023
Source: Local Library

Title Link(s):

Amazon-US | Amazon-UK | Barnes & Noble | Kobo

The Author: Tammy L. Grace is a USA Today bestselling author of women’s fictions, family sagas, mysteries, and Christmas stories. She’s known for writing perfect escapes, unforgettable characters, and binge-worthy stories. Readers often say her characters feel like old friends and love the dogs she weaves into all her books. She brings readers entertaining stories that take them on an emotional journey, filled with complex relationships of friendship and family in her women’s fiction novels. Mystery readers delight in her fast-paced whodunits and fans of Christmas love her small town holiday stories filled with family, friendship, and furry characters.

Tammy also writes under the pen name Casey Wilson and has released two emotional and heartwarming stories about the bond we have with our beloved canine companions.

When Tammy isn’t working on ideas for a novel, she’s spending time with family and friends or supporting her addiction to books, tea, and chocolate. She and her husband make their home in Nevada and have one grown son and a spoiled golden retriever.

Tammy invites you to subscribe to her newsletter at http://www.tammylgrace.com/newsletter and she’ll send you a free interview with all the dogs in her Hometown Harbor Series as a thank you gift. Find her on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/tammylgrace.books

#TuesdayBookBlog

Dogged Pursuit by David Rosenfelt #AudiobookReview #animalfiction

An Andy Carpenter Mystery Book 31

Rosepoint Publishing: Five Stars

Book Blurb:

In Dogged Pursuit, David Rosenfelt takes listeners back to the start of this beloved series as Andy Carpenter begins his career as a defense attorney in Paterson, New Jersey.

Andy Carpenter has spent the three years since graduating law school working as a prosecutor in Paterson. But having seen how the system never looks out for the little guy, he leaves to start his own practice as a defense attorney. His office might be a little bit of a dump, but he’s excited to make a change.

Andy goes to the shelter to adopt a dog, where he meets his beloved golden retriever, Tara, for the first time and feels an immediate connection. The shelter is crowded and Tara’s been sharing space with a dog named Sunny; Andy hates to break them up and so asks to take Sunny, too, but since there’s a pending criminal case involving the owner, he’ll need to get written permission for temporary possession.

Andy discovers that Sunny’s owner, Frank Tierney, has been arrested for the murder of his ex-boss. But he takes an immediate liking to Frank and his clear dedication to his dog, and ends up with his first case along with the two dogs.

This prequel to the long-running and perennially popular Andy Carpenter mysteries is a gift for fans and a terrific entry-point for newcomers.

My Review:

I never get tired of the Andy Carpenter Mystery series and haven’t missed many since discovering them in 2016. In this case, I shared the wealth with the CE back in June of this year. Have to admit, however, he got gypped when he read the ebook, as you can’t beat one of my favorite narrators as the wise-cracking but extremely effective defense attorney.

This is actually a prequel to the popular series, introducing the reader to his first marriage, then to Tara, the Golden Retriever who starts it all. Additional support characters are gradually brought in and we see how the team is formed.

The prequel starts a fledgling criminal attorney position, having left the prosecution side of the court. Tara comes with a buddy, a little dog belonging to a man arrested for murder. Taking on the case of a person accused of blowing up a car resulting in multiple deaths also deals a blow to his already shaky marriage. It is also the introduction to Laurie, an ex-cop investigator.

As he is making friends and influencing people, the stakes are rising to deadly heights. The “I didn’t do it” mantra becomes centrally significant and begs the question, “then, who did?”

It gets complicated and there are no Carpenter books that aren’t. Combined with a snarky sense of humor, lively courtroom scenes, and heart-melting doggy vignettes, it’s a perfect launch for someone who hasn’t started the series. For those who have, but didn’t actually start with Book 1 (when do I ever?), it answers a number of questions.

Grover Gardner became Andy Carpenter a long time ago, but those discovering the series through the prequel will understand how and why he’s now the voice of the quintessential attorney. I always recommend Gardner’s narration over an ebook.

Many thanks to my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Book Details:

Genre: Animal Fiction, Animal Cozy Mysteries
Publisher:
Macmillan Audio
ASIN: B0DFRLWNHG
Listening Length: 6 hrs 30 mins
Narrator: Grover Gardner
Publication Date: July 1, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

The Author: David Rosenfelt, a native of Paterson, New Jersey, is a graduate of NYU. He was the former marketing president for Tri-Star Pictures before becoming a writer of novels and screenplays. “Open And Shut” was his first novel; “First Degree,” his second novel, was named a best book of 2003 by Publishers Weekly. He currently lives in Southern California with his wife and 35 dogs.

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Website

The Narrator:

Grover Gardner’s narration career spans twenty-five years and over 550 audiobook titles. AudioFile Magazine has called him one of the “Best Voices of the Century” and features him in their annual “Golden Voices” update. Publishers Weekly named him Audiobook Narrator of the Year for 2005. His recordings have garnered 18 “Golden Earphones” awards from AudioFile and an Audie Award from the Audio Publishers’ Association.
http://grovergardner.blogspot.com/

Have a Happy Thanksgiving

Solid Gold Murder by Ellen Byron #AudiobookReview #cozymystery

Golden Motel Mystery #2

Book Blurb:

Dee Stern’s Golden Motel-of-the-Mountains promises a tranquil getaway for outdoor lovers in the scenic Californian village of Foundgold. But when Dee accidentally triggers a modern gold rush, she suddenly turns her peaceful retreat into a hotspot for mayhem and murder . . .

With the summer season looming, former Hollywood sitcom writer Dee Stern has one small goal—scrubbing her motel’s unflattering moniker as the “Murder Motel.” Dee and ex-husband-turned-business-partner Jeff Cornetta are excited to introduce a family-friendly panning activity complete with fool’s gold just in time for the peak tourist months. Except neither could have anticipated the discovery of a real gold nugget or the ensuing social media frenzy. In a flash, the viral sensation draws grizzled prospectors, wide-eyed adventurers, and trend-chasing thrill seekers to the abandoned mines scattered around the woods . . .

The instant popularity proves great for business, but it also attracts a group of out-of-touch Silicon Valley techies with dreams of striking it rich—again. Dee finds herself particularly annoyed by the insufferably smug Sylvan Burr, a retired CEO who sold his startup before age 30 and won’t let anyone forget it. But things take a sinister turn when Sylvan meets a grim fate at the bottom of a mineshaft, leaving Dee at the center of a deadly mystery that could end her days as a motelier. And while Sylvan had plenty of enemies, Dee suddenly faces adversaries rooting against her own success. Now, with her life and the future of the Golden Motel hanging by a thread, Dee must unearth a minefield of suspects and outwit a greedy killer before she finally digs herself too deep . . .

My Review:

Another new series in which I managed to pick up in Book 2, but read it like a standalone. In this installment, Dee and ex-husband Jeff motel partner have successfully concluded their brainstorming session with the idea of having a gold panning experience.

Touted as a family-friendly experience and expecting to salt the sluice with some fool’s gold for fun, their brilliant idea turns viral when a real gold nugget is discovered.

Hoping the whole panning idea would smother the nickname of “Murder Motel,” the place suddenly swarmed with paying motel guests also attracting the wrong kind of tourists. When one is found dead, it definitely doesn’t help their rep. Especially when the death is obviously not a natural one.

Some of her guests are serious gold hunters, while others just want to soak up the tree-dotted mountainscape, the clear pine air, the quaint tiny town of Foundgold and Goldgone. Goodness, a lovely cross-section of characters, including Bud the bear, and an old hound dog named Nugget, left behind by the late owner.

It’s an easy, laid back mystery, as much character driven as mystery plot, the characters and setting accounting for much of the charm of the book, particularly the conversations, dialogue between the exes. There are bits of humor interwoven through the plot. Of course, the deceased was a nasty guy with lots of people who’d want to see him at the bottom of an abandoned mine and not moving.

There are twists and turns and lots of theories bantered around, all designed to throw you off the trail. Enjoyable little cozy escape from the everyday, and includes the requisite denouement you may not have seen coming.

Many thanks to the publisher and my local library for providing me with the opportunity to listen to and review this book. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Rosepoint Publishing: Four Stars

Book Details:

Genre: Amateur Sleuth Mysteries, Cozy Mysteries
Publisher: Tantor Media
ASIN: B0DVMHQQ3L
Listening Length: 7 hrs 23 mins
Narrator: Amy Melissa Bentley
Publication Date: August 5, 2025
Source: Local Library (Audiobook Selections)
Title Links: Amazon-US
Amazon-UK
Barnes & Noble
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Ellen Byron - author — Ellen Byron – author

The Author: Ellen is the USA Today bestselling, award-winning author of the Vintage Cookbook Mysteries, Cajun Country Mysteries, and Catering Hall Mysteries (under the pen name Maria DiRico). Her mysteries have won multiple Agatha Awards for Best Contemporary Novel and Lefty Awards for Best Humorous Mystery Lefty awards from the Left Coast Crime conference. Bayou Book Thief, her first Vintage Cookbook Mystery, was also nominated for an Anthony award. A Very Woodsy Murder, debuting in July 2024, will be the first book in her new Golden Motel Mystery series, which is inspired by her former career as a sitcom writer.

Ellen’s TV credits include Wings, Just Shoot Me, and Fairly Odd Parents; she’s written over 200 magazine articles; her published plays include the award-winning Graceland and Asleep on the Wind. She is a native New Yorker who lives in Los Angeles and attributes her fascination with Louisiana to her college years at New Orleans’ Tulane University. She also worked as a cater-waiter for Martha Stewart, a credit she never tires of sharing. Have an early copy of Martha’s first book, ENTERTAINING? Ellen’s standing right next to her in the group shot.

Happy Thursday