Dogged by Death: A Furry Friends Mystery

Laura Scott

Jul 2021 · A Furry Friends Mystery Book 1 · Crooked Lane Books

About this ebook

“A purr-fect mystery for animal lovers! Kind-hearted veterinarian Ally Winter finds a terrific sleuthing team in her lovable grandfather and clever boxer.” —Krista Davis, New York Times–bestselling author

Veterinarian Ally Winter must collar the killer of a shifty lawyer. Does the dead man's dog know who committed the arf-ul crime?

Ally Winter is going through a ruff patch. The 30-something veterinarian lost her fiancé, her clinic, and her savings in rapid succession. So when Ally’s grandfather undergoes hip replacement surgery, she moves back to Willow Bluff, Wisconsin, to care for him. She arrives home, tail between her legs, only to find sleazy lawyer Marty Shawlin murdered in his home office. And the only witness was Marty’s faithful boxer, Roxy.

Quick as a greyhound, Noah Jorgensen is on the case. The good news is, he’s the best detective around. The bad news, at least the way Ally sees it, is that Noah is still just as fetching as he was back in high school. He also just happens to have witnessed every embarrassing incident that befell accident-prone Ally—including the fire-ant attack that set tongues wagging and won her the unshakable nickname Hot Pants.

Meanwhile, true-crime aficionado Gramps fancies himself a sleuth, and he is doggedly determined to sniff out the culprit himself...with Ally's reluctant help, of course. Ally has no choice but to team up with Noah—and the irrepressible Roxy—to solve the case while keeping Gramps on a short leash.

Ally had better learn some new tricks, lickety-split. Because if she can’t bring the killer to heel, she won’t just be playing dead.

Ratings and reviews

Dogged by Death is the debut of A Furry Friends Mystery series. I enjoyed this entertaining new cozy mystery. I laughed often while reading it. Ally Winter is a solid protagonist and I just love Gramps. He is a hoot. Roxy, Marty Shawlin’s dog, is smart and such a sweetie. The secondary characters are a great addition. The Willow Bluff Widows who live with Gramps at Willow Bluff Legacy House, an assisted living facility, nicely round out the cast along with Noah Jorgensen. I am glad the author took the time to establish the characters (characters can make or break a series). The mystery was fun to follow thanks to Gramps and Ally. I did feel that we really do not get to know the suspects. I understand why they are suspects, but the emotions were lacking. Readers should have no problem solving the whodunit before the reveal. There is repetition of case details and I wish the whodunit had been more of a challenge. I love how Ally and Gramps would “share” their information with Noah. Noah was always finding them in compromising situations. He has a facial twitch that was getting out of control by the end of the investigation (he found Gramps to be a challenge). Dogged by Death moved along at a quick pace with good dialogue and plenty of humor. I am looking forward to Tailing Trouble when it comes out next year. Dogged by Death is a tail wagging delight with a septuagenarian sleuth, a benevolent veterinarian, willing widows, a bright boxer, an enduring detective, and a cruel killer.

small-business, small-town, Wisconsin, veterinarian, law-enforcement, murder, murder-investigation, amateur-sleuth, pets, family, situational-humor***** Have to admit that I'm pleased to see more cozies set in the Upper Midwest (where I live). This fun thing is about a thirtyish veterinarian who was swindled by her fiance/business partner and has returned to the small town where she grew up and her grandfather is residing in a small assisted living home. He is addicted to crime stories in books and TV, so when she comes across the body of the man who hired her dog walking services he gets busy investigating. Much to the irritation of the local law who was known to her in high school. Lots of situational humor and beloved pets. Loved it! I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

good character development fun story great hero the dog.

About the author

Laura Scott is a registered nurse by day and an author by night. She has written over 60 books and has more ideas than time to write! Laura lives in Wauwatosa, Wisconsin with her husband of 35 years and takes care of a variety of pets, including a beautiful chocolate lab named Moose.