Make way for the long paw of the law as police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner Brigit investigate a baffling new mystery in Bending the Paw, by Diane Kelly. A MURDER WITHOUT A BODY IS LIKE A DOG WITHOUT A BONE A bloodbath is a shocking new challenge for Megan and Brigit when Detective Audrey Jackson calls them to the scene of what could only be a brutal murder. But the one thing the … be a brutal murder. But the one thing the nightmarish scene is missing is a victim. The frantic homeowner’s husband is gone, seemingly without a trace–and so is the money he was holding. Has a vicious killer committed what might just be the perfect crime?
Meanwhile, it’s hailing cats and dogs all over Fort Worth, and roofing contractors have descended on the city in droves. With plenty of damage and continuing storms, work delays are building up like so much runoff, but Megan is suspicious that one roofer may be a scam artist. Determined to leash every lawbreaker she and her K-9 partner find, Megan is building a case for prosecution, all while Brigit has her nose to the ground for a murderer…
“Be prepared for a laugh fest. Diane Kelly is first class.”–Night Owl Romance
more
Bending the Paw is the ninth book in the Paw Enforcement series by Diane Kelly. it worked fine as a standalone novel as it was the first I have read! During the story line you are given some background to help you out.
Patrol Officer Megan Luz gets a call from Detective Audrey Jackson to help with a bloody crime scene, so much for celebrating hers and Seths recent engagement. Megan and her k-9 partner, Brigit are off to help solve another crime. Upon arriving at the crime scene Megan finds out the kitchen is a blood bath with no body. Detective Audrey and Megan are working together to solve this mystery. Along comes another mystery with the Stormchaser Roofing Company with many of the neighbors in Mistletoe Heights not having their roofs replaced per their contracts. And Megan still has a wedding to think about.
I love this story! The best part is reading Brigit’s point of view in this story along with the Slasher and Megan.. I wan’t prepared for this but it was a great addition to the story. The characters were well developed, unpredictable, page-turner and action-packed!
Thanks to NetGallery for recommending this book to me and giving me a complimentary digital ARC of this novel. This is my honest review and the opinions are mine alone.
Bending the Paw is the ninth installment in Diane Kelly’s Paw Enforcement series, featuring Officer Megan Luz of the Fort Worth Police and her K-9 partner, Sergeant Brigit. In this one, Megan and Brigit team up with Detective Audrey Jackson to investigate what appears to be a particularly gruesome murder—lots of blood, but no body. Meanwhile, on her regular patrol duties, Megan searches for a conman who is cleaning up selling nonexistent roofing services to unfortunate homeowners hit by a recent hailstorm. And in between her duties, Megan is planning her wedding to Seth, her firefighter fiancé. (I’m looking forward to seeing how Brigit and Blast, Seth’s bomb-sniffing dog, fit into the wedding party.)
As always, Brigit (who doesn’t speak human and wishes Megan spoke dog) has a brief chapter between Megan’s first person narratives. Always eager to chase someone, Brigit doesn’t worry too much about anything beyond liver treats and chew toys.
Diane Kelly’s books have been on my auto-buy list for years. They always make me laugh out loud at least once. If you’re looking for a light hearted, well constructed mystery full of entertaining characters, you’ll enjoy any of her books.
I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to reading more in the series by this author. Officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner Brigit have been called in to assist Detective Audrey Jackson at a brutal murder scene. The only problem is that there is a ton of blood, a frantic wife, and missing husband and no body. While working the case Officer Luz and Brigit also encounter problems in another case where due to the heavy storms in the area of Fort Worth there appears to be a scam artist working as a contractor in the area. The story has a most unexpected ending. I received this e-book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. #bending the paw/net galley
The thing I liked about this story the most is that it gives points of view from a human, Megan, and Brigit, her K-9 partner. A nice change of storytelling in my opinion. Both Megan and Brigit are looking for a killer along with Detective Jackson. The killer left the victim’s kitchen in a blood bath and there was no body. The wife and a friend, unfortunately, found the crime scene. But why take the body? What was the purpose of that? Was there more than one killer and what were they after? Why did they kill this person? The answers are in the book. I voluntarily reviewed a copy of this book from NetGalley.
Bending The Paw
Paw Enforcement, Book #9
Diane Kelly
5 Stars
Synopsis:
Make way for the long paw of the law as police officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner Brigit investigate a baffling new mystery in Bending the Paw, by Diane Kelly.
A MURDER WITHOUT A BODY IS LIKE A DOG WITHOUT A BONE
A bloodbath is a shocking new challenge for Megan and Brigit when Detective Audrey Jackson calls them to the scene of what could only be a brutal murder. But the one thing the nightmarish scene is missing is a victim. The frantic homeowner’s husband is gone, seemingly without a trace–and so is the money he was holding. Has a vicious killer committed what might just be the perfect crime?
Meanwhile, it’s hailing cats and dogs all over Fort Worth, and roofing contractors have descended on the city in droves. With plenty of damage and continuing storms, work delays are building up like so much runoff, but Megan is suspicious that one roofer may be a scam artist. Determined to leash every lawbreaker she and her K-9 partner find, Megan is building a case for prosecution, all while Brigit has her nose to the ground for a murderer…
“Be prepared for a laugh fest. Diane Kelly is first class.”–Night Owl Romance (Goodreads)
Review:
The characters are well rounded and well developed. Megan is a hard worker and loves to see justice overcome mayhem. When she gets called to a scene that is a bloodbath, it is obvious that someone was killed. But there is no body found, which makes it very difficult to solve the murder.She also has to find out if a roofing contractor is a crook or someone who is just having a run of bad luck. Oh yeah, she also has a wedding to plan. She has a lot on her plate. Brigit, Megan’s canine partner, just wants to chase the bad guys and have her snacks. The relationship between the two is heartfelt and heartwarming.
The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and these descriptions pulled me into the story from the very beginning. The book has three points of view–Megan’s, Brigit’s and the killer. Although I do not usually like that, in this case, it worked very effectively. I especially liked Brigit’s thoughts.
There were two mysteries to solve and I thought that they were both handled very well. The twist at the end of the book was really good and it took me completely by surprise.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted mystery. This series is really good and I cannot wait to read the next one.
I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book provided by the publisher, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley, which I greatly appreciate.
This crime was exceptionally well researched and thought out. A strong police procedural, Bridgit’s point of view added humor and a cozy warmth. The main characters are strong females. The third viewpoint offered (Slasher) showed human weaknesses. You almost felt compassion.
As Megan and her K-9 partner are following the clues toward answers in their bloody kitchen case, another crime comes into play. An unhappy home owner claims she is being scammed and protests loudly that the police are not taking her seriously. She demands someone take action and keep her informed,
The descriptions are precise, the cases muddy enough to cause suspicion in many directions.
This crime novel will appeal to all ages and genders.
Bending the Paw is the ninth installment in Diane Kelly’s Paw Enforcement series. I enjoyed this book immensely. Our main character, Megan Luz, is a police officer with the Fort Worth Police Department. Megan is definitely a protagonist you can root for. She is warm, genuine, determined, and clearly passionate about her job. Her K-9 partner Brigit is just adorable and adds plenty of humor to the story. The relationship between the two is very heartwarming and they make a great team.
In this installment, Megan and Brigit are called in to help investigate the disappearance of a man named Greg Olsen. His wife Shelby came home to find blood everywhere but no sign of her husband. Along with Greg’s disappearance, Megan is also investigating a home repair scam.
This was a gripping, lighthearted police procedural, with engaging characters and a well-plotted mystery that will keep you on your toes. I enjoyed getting to know Megan and following her perspective as she tries to piece together what happened to Greg Olsen. We also get the perspective of the culprit, which makes the story even more intriguing. There was never a dull moment in this book and I thought the twist was really clever.
All in all, an enjoyable read that works perfectly as a standalone. I will definitely be reading more from this series.
Thank you to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press for the opportunity to read this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Bending the Paw by Diane Kelly is the 9th A Paw Enforcement Novel. It can be read as a standalone, but you will be missing out on some entertaining cozy mysteries. I have read each book in this series and they just keep getting better. Plus, there is background information in the previous books that would enhance your understanding of the characters. The story is told from three different points-of-view: Megan, the antagonist (aka The Slasher), and Brigit. I just love Brigit’s chapters. I like getting her take on the situations plus they are amusing. There are a variety of secondary characters that include Seth (Megan’s boyfriend), Frankie (Megan’s roommate), Blast (Seth’s bomb sniffing dog), Derek (Megan’s former partner), and Detective Audrey Jackson (Megan’s mentor and role model). They are not as developed as our main characters, but they enhance the story. Megan Luz is a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas who works with her K9 partner, Brigit. Megan and Brigit make a great team (and Brigit is a step up from her last partner). I enjoyed the two mysteries in Bending the Paw. The death of Greg Olsen was a fun one to solve. It is an unusual whodunit for cozy mysteries. We get to follow Megan and Brigit as they work to solve this case. It is a police procedural mystery with Megan reviewing security footage, talking to people, digging through emails, and checking financials. The second mystery involving a roofer allowed Megan and Brigit a little more time on the street. There still was time spent searching for information, but Brigit gets a chance to stretch her legs. Megan and Seth’s romance is developing nicely. I like the direction of their relationship. Bending the Paw is a fun cozy mystery to read. I cannot wait for the next A Paw Enforcement Novel. Bending the Paw is an amusing cozy mystery with a crafty roofer, a crime scene conundrum, a sneaky slasher, beaucoup blood, lackluster leads, and a romantic proposition.
This is the first book I’ve read in this long standing series (this is the ninth) but it was extremely easy to follow and could function as a standalone.
The book has an interesting format-chapters are told in the POV of the main character, police officer Megan and her canine partner Brigit as well as the main character involved in a grisly murder. Megan is a likeable character, she’s recently became engaged to her firefighter boyfriend who also works with a canine, bomb sniffing partner. Megan and Brigit are called to assist on a bloody murder scene with no body. Megan is appreciative of the opportunity and the mentors she’s had to date in her career (did I say likeable character) and she offers a fresh perspective as they try to discover what happened. There is also a secondary situation with a roofing salesman-is he genuine, or running a scam due to recent hail damage.
Both mysteries are wrapped up well, with plenty of leg work and deductive reasoning that we get to follow along with and even a stroke of dumb luck. I enjoyed the romantic element as well as Megan’s relationship with her family and roommate.
I enjoyed this book immensely and look forward to future installments as well as discovering the backlist.
I received an ARC via NetGalley but the opinions expressed are my own.
I absolutely loved this fabulous mystery with my favorite fictional cops, Officer Megan Luz and K-9 Sergeant Brigit!! This series is better with each successive novel, having become an instant favorite from the beginning. Megan and Brigit are entering a new season in their young lives, and life is busier than ever. Megan is being mentored by two of the detectives in the Fort Worth PD, and I enjoyed seeing Detective Jackson again. Megan loves what she does and looks forward to being a detective one day while learning all she can in the meantime. Megan and Seth, her boyfriend, continue to grow closer. Seth is a firefighter and on the bomb squad. His K-9 is Blast, trained in sniffing out bombs, Blast and Brigit are good buddies.
Megan and Brigit are called out by Detective Jackson as she needs Brigit’s expertise and Megan’s eyes. She is at the home of the Olson’s. Shelby arrived home to find blood everywhere, but no sign of her husband. Greg had texted her when he was heading home from the movie theater where he was an assistant manager. They were going away over the weekend since he had to work this Valentine’s night. With that amount of blood, one would expect multiple bodies! Or at least one…but they only found 3 different sets of footprints. Brigit could only track the scent as far as where Greg’s car must have been parked in the garage.
Megan spends her spare time researching various ideas on the case, as well as a new one she is presented with. A roofing company has taken deposits from several homeowners but hasn’t arrived to do the work, nor will the salesman return anyone’s calls. It is remarkable what a cop with access to various databases and police departments can find! If it is there, Megan can do it; she is brilliant! But can she find Greg’s killer and the thieving roofer?
Megan is my kind of gal. Not only is she great with animals, she is very close with her family, especially her mother and sister. I like her leisure time “bibliotherapy”! It is the perfect description of why I enjoy this series so much; if laughter is the best medicine, the author is an excellent doctor of fun!
There are enough details in this novel to keep me happy and my imagination alive, as if I were along for the ride with Megan and Brigit. The mysteries are both a real challenge, and the resolutions unexpected. I had suspicions based on some of Megan’s findings, but her keen intellect and good police work with Detective Jackson and others are remarkable. There are still surprises, one of which comes with great humor! I highly recommend this to anyone who appreciates well-written cozy mysteries, K-9 officers and their humans, good police work, romance, and a healthy dose of humor. Absolutely not to be missed!
From a thankful heart: I received a complimentary copy of this novel, and this is my honest review.
A mystery, police procedural, a grisly crime scene with a touch of cozy. Quite a combination that kept me guessing and formulating a hypothesis and then doing it all again. Add in the interesting characters and it is a story I won’t soon forget.
Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.
Bending the Paw is the ninth book in the Paw Enforcement series (I just love the punny name of the series)…but I believe it’s works fine as a standalone.
What a fun cozy mystery! The characters, the storyline, and the mysteries were interesting and intriguing. They held my attention from the first chapter until the last. I absolutely love Megan and her K-9 partner, Brigit.
Highly Recommend.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.
Patrol Officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner, Brigit, are back again in the 9th book in the excellent series. It can be read as a stand alone but reading them in order would be my choice. Megan works for the Fort Worth, TX police department and her goal is to become a detective. She has been lucky in that regard with a mentoring relationship with two detectives. Megan’s day is going well – it’s Valentine’s Day and her firefighter boyfriend, Seth, has just proposed and she said yes. Before day is done, however, crime intrudes and she and Brigit are called to the scene of what could be called a blood bath. A wife returns home from dinner with co-workers to find her kitchen awash in blood and every indication that the one who did the copious bleeding was her now missing husband. Along with this case, Megan is also trying to sort out a possible roofing scam. It’s a lot to juggle but Megan and Brigit are up for the challenge.
This series is different with the use of three points of view. The reader is privy to Megan’s POV, Brigit’s POV and the “bad guy” as well – in this case called The Slasher. The mystery is balanced out with humor, great family relationships and some romance. The mystery itself is well laid out and it kept me guessing.
My thanks to the publisher, St. Martin’s Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
I love every book I’ve read in this series. Bending the Paw is Book 9 and I’ve read at least 5 so I think I can have a legitimate opinion. I love the cop and the cop dog and I love the fireman and the fire dog 🙂 I love the mystery and story of a cop’s life and I love the humor of a chapter or two where the POV is from the dog’s view. The cop dog (Bridgett, that is).
I’m going to say I thought this one started out a little slow. As I thought back, I decided that maybe too much cop procedure or description of a crime slowed it down. However, it didn’t take long til I couldn’t put it down. It’s story and the writing did not disappoint.
I hope we can count on Dianne Kelly to keep writing about her great characters and their lives and of course about Bridgette and Blast. I’m not going to tell you which of the characters I love the most, but they do have perky ears and they wag a lot. Hint, hint.
Excellent Police K-9 Crime Story
This book is 9th in the Paw Enforcement series and the first that I have read. The book was written to stand alone, yet be part of a story arc. This story has an intriguing plot with plenty of twists. Nothing is given away so the reader is discovering things along with the police. The German Shepherd K-9 is wonderful and is shown as a professional, working dog that is exceptionally well trained. The other animals are also totally believable and lovable. I definitely want to go back and read the previous books. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
Megan and Brigit are back in two baffling cases. She has a lot of blood but no body and she has a roofing contractor who isn’t following through but is it a crime? With the help of her furry partner and an active imagination Megan proves once again that sometimes you have to think outside the box to solve a puzzle. This is a wonderful addition to the series.
BENDING THE PAW by Diane Kelly is the ninth book in the Paw Enforcement police procedural series. I have also seen it classified as a cozy animal mystery. Despite being ninth in the series, it worked fine as a standalone novel, but background information and experiences from books one through eight would likely add to a reader’s enjoyment of the book.
Fort Worth, Texas Patrol Officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner Brigit are called to assist at a crime scene. A woman had returned home to find blood all over her kitchen along with her husband’s phone and wallet, but no husband or body. In addition to helping Detective Jackson with the case, Megan has her usual patrol duties and cases that arise from that.
The unusual approach to this novel is that we get not only the point of view of Megan and the antagonist, but also Brigit’s take on each situation. Megan and Brigit are likeable characters with distinct voices and clear goals. Their motivations seem believable. The secondary characters were not quite as well developed, but they did enhance the story rather than overwhelm it. The internal and external conflicts were well defined and arose out of characterization and circumstance rather than feeling contrived or forced.
Overall, this was an enjoyable and entertaining police procedural with plenty of hard work, some action, a little humor and a bit of romance. If you are a fan of cozy animal mysteries or police procedural, then you may want to check this one out. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series as well as reading the earlier books in the series.
St. Martin’s Press and Diane Kelly provided a complimentary digital ARC of this novel via NetGalley. This is my honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
law-enforcement, k-9, mystery, investigation, fraud
It was really interesting having both the K-9 and her handler’s perspective on all the steps to solving both the bloody disappearance of a man from his home and the fraudster with a reroofing scheme.
Megan is a uniformed officer being mentored by a FWPD detective, recently engaged to a firefighter and his dog, and the handler of K-9 officer Brigit. The first crime appears in the blood soaked kitchen of an apparently devoted couple discovered when the wife came home with a female co-worker. The second series of possible crimes comes after a particularly nasty hailstorm has damaged countless roofs in the area. Both cases involve extensive due diligence, red herrings, and plot twists. An exciting read from an author new to me!
I requested and received a free ebook copy from St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley. Thank you!