Murder, She Meowed

Murder, She Meowed is seventh book in A Pawsitively Organic Mystery series. If you have not read any of the previous books in the series, you will not be lost. The author provides the necessary background information for new readers. I like the town of Frog Ledge, Connecticut with its quirky residents and unique shops. Stan has cultivated a wonderful group of friends who have become family to her, and she wants to celebrate her special day with them. Stan is a woman of simple tastes and she does not want an extravagant wedding. Unfortunately, Stan’s mother, Patricia refuses to listen and steamrolls right over Stan’s objections. I did not understand why Jake was not more supportive of Stan. When the wedding planner shows up, Jake ducks out (the chicken). Stan is lucky to have her good friend, Nikki Manning in town. I found Murder, She Meowed to be entertaining and easy to read. I love the adorable cats and dogs featured in the story. Nutty, the Maine Coon cat, is my favorite. I did not like Patricia and Caitlyn ignoring Stan’s wishes. I found it frustrating, aggravating, annoying and many other words ending in “ing”. It is supposed to be humorous, but, as you can tell, I was not laughing. The mystery had several suspects and misdirection to distract readers from the real culprit. The author upped her game with this whodunit (thank you). The ending of Murder, She Meowed is extremely satisfying. I enjoyed my latest visit to Frog Ledge, and I was smiling when I finished this engaging tale. I am giving Murder, She Meowed 4 out of 5 stars. There are pet food recipes at the end. Murder, She Meowed is a delightful cozy mystery with its friendly residents, delectable delights at Izzy’s, adorable fur babies, a wedding and a dead man in red satin undies.

Murder She Meowed
Pawsitively Organic Mysteries, Book #7
Liz Mugavero
5+ Stars

Synopsis:

Kristan “Stan” Connor loves concocting tasty organic treats for dogs and cats–and she also loves her fiance, pub owner Jake McGee. But she’s not so enthusiastic about finding a dead body at her own bachelorette party . . .

Stan and Jake’s wedding will soon take place on the town green in Frog Ledge, Connecticut, followed by a reception at their beloved Irish pub filled with friends, family, and their four favorite canine companions. Stan just has to endure the traditional girls’ night out first. Male strippers jumping out of gigantic cakes aren’t her preferred entertainment. But the hired hottie never gets around to taking it all off . . . because someone takes him out first with one of Stan’s kitchen knives. A heartbroken Stan recognizes the victim as one of the delivery men from the local farm–who must have been moonlighting for some extra cash. Now the guest list has turned into a suspect list–and Stan’s making a vow to find the killer . . .

Includes Gourmet Pet Food Recipes!

Praise for Purring Around the Christmas Tree

“For fans of pet-themed mysteries, Mugavero pens a purrfect New England Christmas cozy, which also includes gourmet pet treat recipes.” (Goodreads)

Reviews:

The characters are well developed, well rounded and three dimensional. I enjoy any time that I get to spend with Stan and her family and friends. You never know what Stan and her cohorts are going to do, it is always an adventure. Stan is still having trouble with her mother. Now she is trying to take over her wedding, changing all the plans that Stan and Jake have made. Will they come to an agreement or will the happy couple elope?

The writing style flows smoothly and it defined the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and through much of the book, I felt like I was right there, visiting Frog Ledge, Connecticut, and enjoying my visit. I felt like I was visiting Pawsitively Organic Pet Patisserie, seeing all the pet treats and food that she makes.

The mystery was well plotted and fast paced and it was not easily solved. The suspense and tension kept growing as I swiped the pages, and although I wanted to see what would happen next, I was afraid to find out.

I would recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Sometimes a book just clicks with the reader, and that is what happened to me. I have read the whole series and they just keep getting better.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.

With three weeks before her wedding, Stan Connor is finding it hard to keep her mother and sister from taking over and planning things their way. She does finally give in to her sister’s desire to throw her a traditional bachelorette party, but things end on a somber note when the stripper is found dead in the cake he was supposed to jump out of. Worse yet, Stan knew the young man. Feeling the need to investigate, Stan tries to figure out who would have wanted to kill him. Can she do it?

I did feel this book got sidetracked at times by the wedding planning sub-plot, but that might be because I’m a guy. There is definitely a strong mystery here with several viable suspects and a great climax. Along the way, we get plenty of twists and turns. While Stan’s relationship with her family has grown some, the wedding planning brings out some of their old relationships, and it was interesting to see this side of the characters again. Some of the regulars play smaller parts here, but it is great to see the regulars no matter how much page time they got. Those who have pets will be interested in the two new recipes for organic treats at the end of the book.

This is the first book I’ve read in this series and I enjoyed it. It had cats, dogs, a business that sold homemade pet treats. Stan (Kristan) is getting married and her sister insists on throwing her an engagement party even though Stan doesn’t want one. Her sister surprises her one night at her business with her friends and food and a bar setup and Stan thinks well thinks is cool until the huge cake is pulled out of the back room.

I enjoyed the mysteries and the interactions with Jessie the State Police officer who is also going to be her sister in law. Stan is always calling her with tips on conversations she overheard or on her own sleuthing which she keeps promising everyone she won’t do but she just can’t help herself.

I need to start this series from the beginning.

Murder, She Meowed by Liz Mugavero is the 7th book in the Pawsitively Organic series. Even though, this was the first in the series I have read, I was able to get up to date quickly.
When the stripper at Stan’s bachelorette party turns up stabbed in her shop, Stan is in the middle of the investigation, all while trying to finalize her wedding plans and keep her mother happy.
The characters are likeable, as is the setting. I love the fur baby characters. Of course, since there is a wedding, you have romance and some humor. You also have a couple of tips, first, make sure your wedding dress is kept in a safe place and second, when you have special chocolate, don’t wait to enjoy it! There are plenty of suspects to keep you guessing until the end.
There are recipes for your fur baby included.
I was given an ARC by Netgalley and Kensington Books for an honest review.

Murder Before Marriage
This cozy mystery is about a murder in the midst of wedding preparations. The setting is great. The plot has many twists and an abundance of potential culprits. The back story of family issues, wedding preparations, and businesses to run is also appealing. All of the characters are like people you know and very believable. The author is careful to give the new reader a bit of history without boring the familiar reader in an unobtrusive manner – nicely done! I am new to this series and feel the need to catch up! I received this ARC book at no cost and this is my honest review.

MURDER, SHE MEOWED by Liz Mugavero is the seventh book in the Pawsitively Organic Mysteries series.

MURDER, SHE MEOWED is the story about the upcoming wedding between Kristan “Stan” Connor, owner of Pawsitively Organic – a pet patisserie, and Jake McGee, owner of the local Irish pub McSwigg’s. The wedding is greatly anticipated among family and friends and has all the makings of a major event by Frog Ledge, Connecticut standards – especially if Stan’s Mom, Patricia has anything to do with it.

Stan and Jake both have a love for critters as evident by their four canine companions and two felines. It was just a natural for Stan to bake up “real” and tasty organic treats for her customers who love their four legged babies as much as she does.

Stan seems to be constantly at her wits end with her Mother trying to “change” their wedding plans – everything from where the wedding is held to the dress she should wear. Now her sister, Caitlyn, insists on throwing her a bachelorette party to which Stan finds easier to concede to than to fight. Naturally it has to be complete with a large “cake” in which a stripper jumps out of. However, instead of jumping out they find the stripper, Perry Puck, slumped inside the cake stabbed to death by one of Stan’s own knifes.

During the course of Sergeant Jessie Pasquale’s investigation, there are a lot of twists and turns making several people tops on the suspect list like Andrea – Jake’s little sister’s best friend, Wallace Ames – who worked with Perry at Spring Hill Farm, and even Perry’s parents. Along the way, Stan becomes a target it seems by the same stalker that had stalked Perry. Her place of business and her home – where she was happy and had always felt secure at – were invaded with threats left behind. There were also threatening notes left on her car and on Facebook. Thankfully Stan’s best friend, Nikki, has moved in to help her any way she can and so she isn’t alone. She’s not only a great friend, but a wonderful sounding board for Stan to keep her from losing it.

Besides all the emotions and turmoil with normal wedding planning, Stan now has to deal with a murder, being threatened and determination to solve it all before their happy day. Between hunting down clues for the police department, running a successful business and finding time to appreciate the love of her life, Stan has to figure out how to derail her mother’s elaborate planning, find the perfect wedding dress, have the small intimate wedding of her dreams and keep sane while doing it.

MURDER, SHE MEOWED can definitely be read as a standalone even though it’s seventh in the series. This is the first book of this series that I have read, but it won’t be the last. I loved it! I would recommend it to anyone that loves a great cozy mystery that is a page turner, leading you in every direction only to find you were wrong and then surprises you with a wonderful ending. The author keeps you interesting and intrigued in this well written cozy which is bound to be a hit with everyone that reads it. The author even includes some wonderful recipes for our furbabies.