A new cozy mystery series from USA Today best-selling author Dale Mayer. Follow gardener and amateur sleuth Doreen Montgomery—and her amusing and mostly lovable cat, dog, and parrot—as they catch murderers and solve crimes in lovely Kelowna, British Columbia.Riches to rags. … Controlling to chaos. … But murder … seriously?After her ex-husband leaves her high and dry, former socialite Doreen … and dry, former socialite Doreen Montgomery’s chance at a new life comes in the form of her grandmother, Nan’s, dilapidated old house in picturesque Kelowna … and the added job of caring for the animals Nan couldn’t take into assisted living with her: Thaddeus, the loquacious African gray parrot with a ripe vocabulary, and his buddy, Goliath, a monster-size cat with an equally monstrous attitude.
It’s the new start Doreen and her beloved basset hound, Mugs, desperately need. But, just as things start to look up for Doreen, Goliath the cat and Mugs the dog find a human finger in Nan’s overrun garden.
And not just a finger. Once the police start digging, the rest of the body turns up and turns out to be connected to an old unsolved crime.
With her grandmother as the prime suspect, Doreen soon finds herself stumbling over clues and getting on Corporal Mack Moreau’s last nerve, as she does her best to prove her beloved Nan innocent of murder.
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the trio of pets were hilarious and loveable.. the characters were so real… loved it
a fun woman lead completely out of her element. Wacky grandmother. Smart, charming cop. adn way too much excitement for ones first days in town!
Entertaining easy reading
I liked other books by Dale Mayer but this one was not at all the same standard. Perhaps it is a first attempt? Time is short, find a different book to read.
Loved reading this book. Look forward to getting next book!
I really liked the story but didn’t care very much for the main character. I understand where the author was going but it just made her seem more ditzy than naive. I liked this book enough to try the next one.
Not my style
Good plot tying together four dead bodies over the span of decades. I was rooting for Doreen to stand on her two feet and contest the divorce settlement.
Interesting. Fresh from a divorce that leave her with nothing Doreen moves into her Grandmother’s house, her Grandmother, Nan, has moved to an assisted living facility. The house is old and somewhat dilapidated but Doreen is finding herself after years spend as an arm ornament for someone who sounds awful. Day one in the house and she (or really her dog Mugs) finds a dead body. Chaos endues and we get to meet Goliath (a Maine coon cat) and Thaddeus (the parrot). Nan is a hoot and so is Thaddeus. Doreen presents as a credible divorcee who has not done much but look good for her husbands business acquaintances. Now she is learning to stand for herself. For someone as independent as she seems to be, it seems difficult to imagine her allowing her husband to isolate her from others. Even so the story is good and moves along.
Grandmother leaves broken down house to granddaughter. Granddaughter finds corpse in garden. Mayhem ensues. The granddaughter is a little too simplistic, the plot a little mundane, but I read it to the end, so I wasn’t that bad.
I liked this book enough to want to read more. I will investigate other books by this author
When you just want to take a break from something really serious
A charming cozy mystery. Doreen is something of an odd character – a thirty-five year old woman who’s just been dumped after fourteen years of marriage. She is basically helpless (she can’t cook – the stove doesn’t work but only because she doesn’t know how to light the gas). And she’s broke because she brainlessly signed paperwork that gave away all her rights in the divorce. Fortunately her grandmother Nan has provided a house for Doreen, and Doreen has an upbeat attitude.
Loved it. Want to read more by this author.
If you are looking for an enjoyable read, this might be the book for you. After reading this one, I ordered the rest in the series and have enjoyed them all.
a truly fun read
I read the book in one sitting.
Well written. Looking forward to the next one.
Fun story, light weight cozy mystery
Unrealistic naive clueless main character. Should have been set in a bygone era to make it more believable.