Lilly Echosby just witnessed a murder on a pet cam. Or did she? When a last-minute opportunity arises to accompany her boss to an art auction in Atlanta, Lilly throws some money at the problem of where to board her toy poodle Aggie (short for Agatha Christie). Posh Pet Haven offers the most luxurious canine accommodations in all of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The place even provides pet cams so … provides pet cams so anxious owners can check in on their pampered pooches.
But when Lilly tries to take a peek at her poodle, she gets a terrible shock—she witnesses what she’s sure is a murder. She thinks the victim may be the wealthy co-owner of Pet Haven. The police follow her lead but find no body, no evidence of a crime, and no video record. Starting to feel like the dog owner who cried wolf, Lilly decides to go undercover to catch a killer who may be hiding in plain sight …
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Lily Echosby is enjoying her move to Chattanooga, TN and her job as temporary accountant at the Museum of Art. When said job requires she travel out of town overnight, Lilly boards her precious toy poodle, Aggie, at the posh doggie day care center, Pet Haven Pet Resort, owned by Keri Lynn and Dallas Simpson. One special amenity offered by Pet Haven is online access to a videocam by which Lilly can personally check on live views of Aggie. She never expects to witness a murder then have no one believe her because of lack of evidence.
Author V.M. Burns sizzles with her latest foray in the popular Dog Club Mysteries. The killer is cagey and able to hide for a while. I paid close attention and caught on to many of the clues, yet the complete reveal of the master plan was very satisfying. I enjoy the cast of recurring characters; especially Dixie. I highly recommend this novel and the previous 2 stories in this cozy series.
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington. Thank you.
*I received a free copy of this book which I voluntarily chose to write an honest review for.
I so love this series!! This one just makes it even better in my opinion. We catch back up with Lilly as she is surprised with a work trip that will make it necessary to board sweet little Aggi. A new doggy daycare/spa has come to the area becoming all the rage in a short amount time. After hearing about it a lot and talking to the owners at a dog show she decides to place Aggi there. A perk is it comes with a live webcam feed that let’s you check on your pet when you want to but when Lilly looks it goes a little wonky flitting through feeds until she essentially watches a murder happen. Well of course she call her law enforcement boyfriend to check it out but absolutely nothing is found anywhere. This leads to an interesting investigation into what seems like nothing until other things start popping up as well. Full of fascinating details that will keep you guessing about what is going on all mixed up with some of the most fun dogs ever throughout the whole book. The balance of all the parts is just superb making for a fantastic read that is perfect for cozy animal lovers. I totally loved it so I give it 5/5 stars.
You know that feeling when you settle into a tub of just-right water with time to relax. Your muscles unwind and the world and its demands move just a little out of focus, and you just sigh! That is the feeling I got when I read the first page of Bark If It’s Murder, the 3rd book in the Dog Club Mystery series by V.M. Burns. I was right where I wanted to be, curled up around a wonderful read and the world faded away, and it just got better from there. I love everything about the book, the characters, the relationships, the mystery, the dogs, but with V.M. Burns books, as with all my really, really favorite authors, the writing makes me settle happily into the book before I even see the whole picture. That is talent!
I also loved that I saw the series title really come into play.
Lily Echosby is starting over. She moved from New York with its extreme seasons to Chattanooga, TN. She has enough money to live on, thanks to an insurance settlement, but she is an independent woman determined to take care of herself and her family. Right now that family is mainly her dog, Aggie, but she also has two successful in their own rights human children.
She also has a part time job she is very happy with. As part of that job, Lily has the opportunity to attend an art auction, but her pup, Aggie, is not welcome to tag along.
Somewhat hesitantly, Aggie is boarded in a pet resort, with amenities better than most grand hotels, including doggie cameras so owners can check in at any time of day or night. It is during one of these check-ins that Lily witnesses what she believes is a murder. The trouble is, there is no body when the police arrive.
With a nod to great mysteries as well as fond memories of ’70s television, Lily must convince the authorities, including her budding new romantic partner, that she saw what she saw. Her son, David, a talented actor, arrives for a visit just in time to help her investigate, along with the many talents of Lily’s dog training classmates.
As if that is not stressful enough, Lily and Aggie are in search of a place to live, to call home. When everything seems to be falling into place on that front, a case of identity theft raises a red flag.
This can be read as a stand alone and enjoyed. If you are a fan of dog loving cozy mystery characters, you will want to read this entire fascinating and entertaining series. You may even get some valuable dog training tips as you read. The only thing that could have made this better would have been a recipe for dog treats!
Bark If It’s Murder
Dog Club Mystery, Book #3
V. M. Burns
5 Stars
Synopsis:
Lilly Echosby just witnessed a murder on a pet cam. Or did she?
When a last-minute opportunity arises to accompany her boss to an art auction in Atlanta, Lilly throws some money at the problem of where to board her toy poodle Aggie (short for Agatha Christie). Posh Pet Haven offers the most luxurious canine accommodations in all of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The place even provides pet cams so anxious owners can check in on their pampered pooches.
But when Lilly tries to take a peek at her poodle, she gets a terrible shock—she witnesses what she’s sure is a murder. She thinks the victim may be the wealthy co-owner of Pet Haven. The police follow her lead but find no body, no evidence of a crime, and no video record. Starting to feel like the dog owner who cried wolf, Lilly decides to go undercover to catch a killer who may be hiding in plain sight … (Goodreads)
Review:
The writing style flows smoothly and it defines the characters very clearly by their actions and words. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning and took me on a great adventure.
The characters are well rounded and well developed. Lilly and Dixie are two of my favorite friendships in all of cozy books that I read. You can tell how much they love each other and would do anything for each other. Some of their interactions had me laughing out loud. And all of the animals are just the icing on the cake for me.
The mystery was well plotted and had enough clues to sift through and suspects to consider. There was enough intrigue to keep me engaged and the mystery was not easily solved. That’s my kind of mystery.
I would highly recommend this book, and series, to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. Do yourself a favor and grab this book, you will enjoy it.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, Kensington Books, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
When Lilly Echosby guess out of town for work, she decides to leave her beloved dog, Aggie, at a boutique doggy day care. While checking in on Aggie, via the day care’s doggy cam, Lilly witnesses a murder. Or does she?
When the police arrive to check things out, the find no evidence of a crime. Lilly’s not sure what’s going on…butt she’s determined to find the truth.
I loved this book! Lilly, her dog, Aggie, and all the characters are fun and multi-dimensional. The mystery was interesting and kept me guessing until the end. I definitely recommend this book and the whole series.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or remuneration.
From the first book in this series I have loved this series. Three books (so far) and every single one is a winner. Full disclosure – I grew up with poodles and I adore them. So that was the hook that got my attention right out of the gate. The humans are winners, too. Lilly and her BFF Dixie are very well developed and are women I would like to know. Lilly has a sweet toy poodle named Aggie and Dixie trains standard poodles. Now Lilly is in the process of buying a house in Chattanooga, TN, starting a new life chapter after the death of her no good husband in book one and making her first move in book two. She is putting down roots and works part time as a CPA for a local museum. She even has some romance in her new life. Life is good if she can just stop getting involved with homicides.
Lilly’s boss asks her to travel with her to Atlanta and Lilly decides to board Aggie at a posh doggie spa. She gets more than she bargained for when she decides to look in on her pup via the puppy webcam offered to all human parents of the boarded pups. When she does, she is certain she has witnessed the murder, on camera, of one of the spa owners at the hands of her husband. Not one to just sit there and wonder, Lilly contacts her boyfriend who works for the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation. Upon further investigating there is no body and the co-owner of the spa says his wife is fine and out of town. Nothing to worry about. So no body and no identity of the murdered woman. No way will that stop Lilly and Dixie from snooping.
This entry can easily be read as a stand alone but I would encourage anyone new to this series to line up all three and binge read them. They are that good, full of twists, turns and enough red herrings to have you guessing wrong as to who done it. I’m ready for book #4.
My thanks to the publisher, Lyrical Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
Cozy Murder Mystery at the Dog Spa
This was an exciting book to read. I have not yet read other books in this series, but will now! This story has a great murder mystery and lots of cool dogs. The characters are great and totally believable. While there was no great ‘reveal’ as to the culprit, the journey was very entertaining. I have read other books by this author and have never been disappointed. She is on my list of authors whose books I will never pass up. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
This was a fun and informative book. I learned a lot about dog shows that I didn’t know and I loved the characters in the book. In this book it touches on dogs, romance and murder. It is action packed from the beginning and keeps you on the edge of your seat through the whole book.
It is centered around a place called Pet Haven where you can take your dogs for a mani/pedicure, a massage and board them while you are away on business. They also have a web cam that you can see your dogs and what they are doing while they are out of your sight. Seems like an awesome place to leave your pet but it has an awesome price tag as well.
A really nice book to curl up on the couch with, keeps you entertained and you feel like part of the gang. Helping to solve the murder.
Bark If It’s Murder by V.M. Burns was a great addition to this cozy series. I confess I love this series and never miss a chance to read Ms. Burns’ books.
Lilly is adjusting to her new home in Tennessee and loves her temporary accounting position, being close to her best friend, Dixie, and her poodle Aggie. In this book we get to know her son, David, better as he comes to visit while on a forced hiatus from his acting role due to plumbing issues in the theater. Ms. Burns is a master at developing her characters and I find each one of them to be likable and real and would love to meet them, especially Dixie. A plot that twisted and turned with a limited cast of suspects and very few clues kept me turning the pages.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Underground via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
Lilly Echo by has moved out of the home she was renting and is currently residing in a hotel with her miniature poodle, Aggie (named for her favorite author Agatha Christie}. Dixie, Lilly’s best friend, has persuaded her dog obedience class to help at a dog show where she is judging the Poodle category. Lilly and her classmates are dismayed when they find out they are on the “clean-up” team. Thankfully they get breaks where they can wander around the event. While doing so, she and Monica Jill come across the Pet Haven Resort and Spa tent. Since Monica Jill takes her dog Jac to the resort, she introduces Lilly to the owner, who explains how the posh resort caters to an elite cliental. When Lilly gets a phone call the next morning from her boss asking her to take a last-minute trip to an art auction, she is ecstatic! Reality sets in when she realizes she has no one to care for Aggie while she is gone. After talking Dixie to assist her in speaking with the owners of Pet Haven, she decides to place Aggie at the high-tech resort.
The next day as Lilly drops Aggie off, she is given a complete tour along with the information to their website. Lilly can check on Aggie twenty-four hours a day to see what she is up to. Feeling relieved, off she goes for her trip. Later that night as Lilly checks on Aggie, who is happily asleep in her private kennel, there is a computer glitch during a storm and the camera changes from Aggie to a worker hosing out the dog runs. As she is watching, the woman is suddenly grabbed from behind and murdered!
How is Lilly going to convince the others what she saw really happened? Once again, Lilly is caught up in a murder mystery. With the help of her friends, and her son David who comes to visit, will she be able to catch the killer before she ends up like the chopped liver used in training!
Once again, this enjoyable story does not disappoint! The characters are delightful, and their determination to help find the killer impressive. I found it very easy to relate to Lilly and her adjustment to her new state of Tennessee. Ms. Burns weaves humor, twists and turns throughout the story to keep you guessing until the killer is revealed. Just the right combination for a cozy mystery! Thank you to #NetGalley and #Kensington for giving me the opportunity to review this book.
An absolute delight.
I loved the background of dog training & information about breeds, confirmation etc. The characterscwere well fleshed out & it always helps to have a little canine help.
I enjoy these books. Good escape.
This was a fun book to read with the dog behaviors and mystery. Loved it!
This book was, excellent. I could not put it dow, loved it. Hated to see it end.
All you readers out there, will love it.
Enjoyed this book and the characters, was a fun read
This was another good book in a wonderful series. I love the characters and the dogs.
I love the characters and the dogs in this wonderful series. Lilly is making new friends in Chattanooga and the new characters added to the story. I love how the dogs are brought into the story and really add to it. I was drawn into the story from the first chapter and couldn’t put this book down. There were a lot of questions,including who was the person that Lilly thought she saw get strangled while checking on Aggie via video feed? And if that did happen where is the body?
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Kensington through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
In this latest book, Lilly thinks she witnesses a murder at the doggie day care and spa where her puppy, Aggie, is staying while she is out of town. The police don’t find a body, though, so Lilly and Red investigate with the help of Lilly’s son. Intriguing book with a twist. Looking forward to what is next for Lilly and Red and Aggie, too!