Welcome to Adlebury where village life can be downright deadly.Veterinarian Petronella Knight seems to have it all. A job she loves, good friends, and patients who adore her. But when she gets into an argument with dog breeder Gladys Harrington, and she finds the woman dead, she also finds herself accused of murder.Ella will need all her friends, including the new and very handsome American … handsome American policeman, and all her sharpest sleuthing skills to figure out who murdered the dog breeder before another dead body pops up.
Paws for Murder contains one enthusiastic amateur detective with a penchant for rescuing animals, a guard duck called George, a large amount of homemade gooseberry wine, and a very confused American who has never met an English village quite like this one.
You’d be Barking Mad to pass this one by.
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Surprise ending!
Great characters, both human and animal. Smooth read with an overall upbeat feel.
Paws for Murder takes place in a small village in England. It has all the characteristics of one as well. Everyone knows your business, your strengths, weaknesses, every mistake, public humiliation, and so forth. They are also there if you need help, someone to watch over you… You get my meaning. You’ve got good people and bad. But murder? Not in their small little village.
The author kept me guessing as to who did what, why, and how. All while introducing me to some unique souls that I couldn’t help falling in love with. Just wait to you find out who George the guard duck was named after.
A couple of times I thought I knew who the culprit or culprits were, but a few twists and turns jept me guessing until the end.
Overall it was a diverting read and I look forward to reading more by this author.
Petronella Knight is a veterinarian in the small village in which she grew up, Adlebury. She finds herself accused of murder after an argument with a client. Garrett has moved to Adlebury to join their police department. He has left behind the crime in Atlanta for what he imagines will be a quiet career. He moves in with his grandmother, Petronella’s neighbor.
This is the first book in the Barking Mad Mystery series. I enjoyed the book and recommend it.
Set in a quaint English village, this mystery has all of the elements of the typical cozy mystery – including a likable amateur sleuth, a charming detective, and a victim that is hard not to dislike. And animals. Lots of animals. With a sprinkling of humor and a healthy dose of romantic suspense, Paws for Murder makes a delightful start to a new cozy mystery series.
I absolutely adored Paws for Murder! It has all of the elements that I love in a cozy mystery book: humor, great characters, animals, and squeaky clean content. I’ve given it 4.5 stars rather than 5 only because of a couple of cases of inconsistency….one pretty big one in the epilogue. I read the section several times to make sure I didn’t miss something, but I didn’t. So I had to take a half star away for that.
Paws for Murder is a very quick read. You’re not going to want to put it down. Despite the fact that it’s a quick read, you’ll be totally invested in the lives of these characters. They’re well-developed and jump off the page at you. I love the small English village setting as well as the fact that a former American detective moves there to be with his grandma. I sure do miss my grandma! Since Petronella (Ella to the detective) is his grandma’s neighbor, I’m sure a romance will develop between the two. That’s fine with me as long as the romance doesn’t overshadow the mysteries! I enjoy reading cozies with no romance in them too. However, I do like these two characters a lot, so I am fine with a romance between them.
I definitely recommend Paws for Murder. It’s a fun, quick, quirky cozy mystery that will leave you ready for the next book! This book is FREE with Kindle Unlimited!
Paws for Murder by Scarlett English is a wonderful mystery, set in a quaint English village, with terrific characters.
If Petronella didn’t kill Mrs. Harrington, then who did?
Petronella
Petronella Knight or better know to her clients as Dr. K. is our sleuth. She is also the number one suspect for the murder of Gladys Harrington. Petronella is one of the local veterinarians. However, this is the village that she grew up in, and lots of the people still think of her as the little girl with a learning disability instead of a veterinarian. However, for the most part, Petronella just ignores them, but with Garrett, she seems to have a bit of sass.
Petronella is a fabulous character. I like that she knows when to be quiet and when to speak up. She has a great heart, and her friendship with Lilly is lovely.
Garrett
Garrett O’Leary’s mother is from Adlebury, and his father was in the USAF. He left his life as an Atlanta Police Detective to move to England and take care of his Nan (his mom’s mother). He took a job as a supervising Constable (or something like that) in the local village.
Garrett is a great character, and I love the way he is there for his grandmother. He seems like a competent investigator. He will have a hard time keeping his Nan (Lilly) and Petronella out of trouble.
The Mystery
Well, I thought that the victim deserved what she got, especially after getting to the conclusion. As for the second victim, I also believe he was an idiot using her power for personal gain. I didn’t figure out the culprit. But it was fun reading about how we got to this point. The story is told by Petronella and Garrett’s points of view. This book is the first cozy that I can think of with two points of view. And I enjoyed getting both of their perspectives.
Four Stars
The story has a marvelous mystery, and I like the characters. Therefore I am giving Paws for Murder by Scarlett English four stars. It’s a sweet read; check it out if you have time; it is worth the time.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Great Escapes Book Tours. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Paws for Murder by Scarlett English.
This Guest Review is for Baroness’ Book Trove.
Until the next time,
~Jen
If you would like to see other reviews like this one, check out BaronessBookTrove.com.
So, first of all, I absolutely love cozy mysteries but I find it hard to find a true cozy mystery. Well, the search is over. This one has everything that I look for and more. We have the lovely Petronella (that is one name that will stick with you) who finds herself embroiled in a murder and Garrett, the American detective that is still adjusting to life in an English village. Add in their interactions and you have everything possible you would want in a cozy mystery. I can’t wait for more.