Doggone Dead

Doggone Dead by Dane McCaslin is the debut of The 2 Sisters Pet Valet Mysteries. I thought Doggone Dead was a quick book to read. Gwen Franklin and Nora Goldstein have been friends since they were children. They are as opposite as two people can be from looks to disposition. Gwen is a newly retired English teacher who lives in Portland, Oregon. She is looking forward to sleeping late and reading mystery novels. Nora has been married several times and came out of each marriage richer. She is loud, pushy, and dresses like a woman in her twenties. Nora has more money than sense and comes up with various business ventures. The last one was a fish pedicure salon that the city nixed. There are a variety of quirky characters in Doggone Dead. I was not a fan of our main characters. Nora is a bully who pushes people into doing what she wants or pays them. She is also rude. Nora comes up with the pet sitting and walking business knowing Gwen is allergic. Nora refuses to listen. Of course, Gwen should have stood up for herself. I know this is supposed to be campy and funny, but I was just plain irritated. Brent Mayfair is hired to handle all the pet clients plus a variety of other odd jobs. Gwen treats him like a blithering idiot. Brent does come across as a few cards short of a full deck, but now and then, Brent will surprise you. The murder occurred in the first chapter and then nothing until a third of way into the story. The mystery took a backseat to the zaniness. The whodunit can easily be solved. One piece of information gives readers the identity of the killer. The clues were obvious (might as well have been a giant neon arrow pointing out each clue). As you can tell, Doggone Dead was not my cup of tea. Those readers who prefer lighthearted, humorous cozies will find Doggone Dead right up their alley (my mother says I was absent the day sense of humors were passed out in heaven). Doggone Dead is a madcap cozy mystery with a bawdy bird, a piddling puppy, a knifed neighbor, covetous stepchildren, a distasteful detective, and two fast friends.

Doggone Dead is the first book in The Two Sisters Pet Valet series. Gwen Franklin, has just retired after 20 years as a high school English teacher. Nora Goldstein, her best friend, with several ex-husbands, tends to get Gwen involved in many of her schemes. All Gwen wants to do is enjoy her leisurely days of retirement, Nora, on the other hand, has a different plan for her. From the moment they meet for coffee, take a terrifying Uber ride, where the driver is a past student, to returning to Nora’s apartment, and discovering the dead body of her neighbor, and nemesis, the fun begins!

This book was fun to read with all it’s comical moments. Friends since childhood, Nora always has something going on the that head of hers, and Gwen tries to keep her grounded. That in itself is a challenge. This book and me laughing out loud over and over due to their antics, and Gwen’s snarky comments, both out loud and in her thoughts. Using her skills as a teacher come into play nicely when dealing with a variety of personalities. The friendship between the main characters shows they will stick together no matter what trouble they get into. The story was well crafted, the secondary characters developed nicely, fitting into the various parts of the story. This series will become one of my favorites. With so many suspects coming into play, I really had a difficult time figuring who the killer was. Just when I thought I knew; a surprising turn of events would throw me off. A very entertaining, laugh-out-loud cozy mystery! I am looking forward to the next book, coming out in March of 2021

Pet Walkers and Mystery Solvers
This is the ‘first in series’ book of a new, very fun cozy mystery series. The story takes place in Portland. Two life-long retirement age friends start a pet walking business and wind-up in the middle of murder investigations. It is very funny and witty. Besides the client dogs, they end up adopting homeless dogs. It is a cute story that is quite the page-turner. I can’t wait to read the next book. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Gwen Franklin has retired from teaching and is looking forward to sleeping in and relaxing with some good mystery books and her favorite cup of coffee. But her best friend Nora Goldstein has other ideas. She calls and wakes Gwen up early with another harebrained scheme. She has summoned Gwen to The Friendly Bean to tell her all about it.

Nora has decided Gwen now has plenty of time on her hands so it is the perfect time for the two women to go into business together and her big idea is a pet-setting service that includes dog walking. She is excited about all the money they will be raking in even though Nora already has her own fortune collected from the several exes she has left behind. Gwen has to be careful, she can only earn so much money before it affects her pension and she is severely allergic to animals including dogs. But Nora doesn’t seem to care, they head back to Nora’s condo to firm up the details to promote the new business over a cup of tea.

But their plans are going to have to wait. The dead body of Nora’s neighbor and arch enemy Linda Fletcher is lying in a pool of blood on Nora’s kitchen floor with a knife protruding from her chest. Gwen knows her friend is pushy and can be overbearing but she wouldn’t kill someone, especially in her immaculate kitchen. Also, her reaction is not an act, her face goes pale and she is trembling like a leaf. That means someone is trying to frame her for the crime.

Nora’s extended family starts dropping in thinking Nora was the one killed and being sadly disappointed. Some are quickly dealt with but most want to know what they will inherit when Nora does kick the bucket and if there was any way they could get their inheritance now.

Gwen knows her retirement is going to include some amateur sleuthing to clear her friend. Sleuthing that could make her the killer’s next victim.

I really didn’t like Nora. A best friend would have allowed her friend to at least enjoy being retired for a few days. Plus she comes across as a very entitled woman with more money than sense. She is rude to everyone including Gwen. She has been married and divorced several times and comes out richer after each relationship. She also dresses like a 20-year old on high stiletto heels and wears make-up applied with a trowel instead of a gentle hand. But Gwen has known her since childhood and has stood by her and has let her bowl over her for years. I would expect a retired school teacher who has dealt with a room full of children would have more backbone.

We also meet Brent, a former student of Gwen’s who was a crazy uber driver. They hire him to do most of the work for Nora’s new business scheme. The ladies try to do some pet sitting themselves but it doesn’t go well. It is kinda comical though.

The mystery does have several suspects but it is overshadowed by the craziness of the pet sitting business and all the stepchildren coming to call. The clues to the mystery are dropped haphazardly through the story until the big reveal of the killer. I am happy to say I did have the culprit as number one on my suspect list but I need more of the motive explained which happened at the end.

I did enjoy the ending very much with the two main characters in a happy place in very different ways. Gwen had some redeeming qualities that won me over but the verdict is still out on Nora.

Doggone Dead is an interesting start for this series. There are some very quirky characters and some endearing pets. There was a lot of madcap comedy which I really enjoyed. I would have liked a stronger mystery but for the first book in a series, the author did a great job of introducing the characters. I am looking forward to seeing what hijinks they get up to next.

Amusing