When Missy Kingston brings her pooch party program to an annual gala fundraiser for the city’s local women’s shelter, she didn’t expect a murder. But when the most prominent financial contributor to the shelter is found dead, the big night comes to a halt. The suspect list is big, but Missy knows one person who shouldn’t be on it, her friend Max Hoover. Missy vows to prove his innocence, and that … innocence, and that determination leads her down a path of power, politics, and money. And it’s a path the killer doesn’t want her taking.
Can Missy clear her friend’s name before the killer catches on?
If you love animals and cozy mysteries, you’ll love the Pooch Party Cozy Mystery Series. Get this book now.
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This book has everything…murder, politics ( not too much), and the old evil money plus animals!!! Another great story as only Carolyn can write them. I can’t wait for the next one! I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
Wow! Great book, never figured out who did it until the author revealed it towards the end of the book. Enjoyed every minute of this book I can’t wait for more.
Missy Kingston runs the town’s animal shelter. She has taken her pooch party to the gala fundraiser for the women’s shelter. During the night one of the town’s largest benefactor is killed. Missy worries that her friend Max will be jailed for murder. As Missy jumps from one theory to the next, the murderer goes after Missy.
Nice story with great characters.
This is the 2nd book of a fantastic new series. Missy Kingston, a widow, has donated a good amount of her late husband’s life insurance proceeds to start and run a training program for shelter dogs to make their adoption chances greater. However, she seems to frequently find herself in the middle of murder investigations! In this book, Missy finds herself trying to prove the innocence of her longtime friend, Max, and is getting too involved with local politics in the process. I just love this series, full of suspense and drama, a little humor as well, and a lot of dogs (and cats), making this a winner in my mind!
I really enjoyed Hounds, Harvest and Homicide. This is a fun, interesting mystery. I really like the characters and enjoy the animal shelter setting is great. I love all the wonderful dogs. The plot is interesting and the mystery has many twists that kept me guessing right until the end.
Once again, Carolyn Ridder Aspenson has done extensive research into the world of dog training and shelters. This series would be an excellent guide if you ever thought about volunteering in the shelters. So much detail, you can almost see yourself there. Missy has the greatest friends and family. So supportive. The mystery was deep in the political world, or was it. Lots of twists, lots of suspects, and definitely a surprise ending. Everyone needs a friend like Max in their life.
Hounds, Harvest and Homicide by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson was an intriguing cozy mystery. There are several suspects, plenty of twists and a smoothly paced plot that kept me reading.
I confess that Missy did disappoint me in this one. Don’t get me wrong, I like Missy and her determination to help her friends and the shelter animals. However, she seemed to be jumping from one conclusion to another in this story. She kept assuming that the information she was getting was true without verifying any of it. All in all this was a entertaining book and I will continue with the series.
The author provided me with a copy of this book to review. This did not influence my thoughts and opinions in any way. All opinions expressed are my own.
A contentious politician is murdered during a winter gala. With Missy’s friend on the suspect list, she sets out to find the true villain. This was a very enjoyable read and I was kept guessing until the very end. The plot is rich and multi-layered, the characters are well-developed and believable and the prose moves the story right along. I received this book free and chose to make a voluntary, unbiased review.
Finally! A cozy nosey sleuth gets an eye opener!
I love cozy mysteries. They are fun, easy to read and I don’t need to stress myself out…after all, I’m reading to relax. But in nearly all of them the main character’s actions are so over the top that it’s impossible to ever see them as realistic at all. Missy, in this story, sometimes makes me want to slap her b/c she is just too unbelievable in what she does and says to people. And no real cop would EVER let her get away with some of things she does and says. Nope…not happening. So to have Missy get a tiny bit of a slap down made me cheer for the protagonist…lol. Sad but true. Loads of twists and turns in this story and I loved it! I was rooting for the “bad guy” this time…lol.
Missy is a widow with two dogs and helps run the local animal shelter. She also has a knack of being around recently dead bodies. She can’t keep her nose out of an investigation and has some good ideas. They’re not always right, but she does eventually find a killer. This cozy mystery has a good plot and I love the main characters. I also love animals, so the whole shelter side of the book grabs me too. Once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down!
I received an Advanced Readers Copy of this book. The review is my own opinion.
Hounds, Harvest, and Homicide (Pooch Party #2), my thirteenth highly enjoyable read from author Carolyn Ridder Aspenson and the second in her Pooch party series. After having read Dogs, Dinners, and Death (Pooch Party #3), the third in her Pooch party series I knew I had to get the first two books and read them as well. Well-written & enjoyable, I was only familiar with this author from the Lily Sprayberry Realtor mysteries and Holiday Hills Witch series before these two reads. Another excellent read. I look forward to reading more in this series & from this author. (RIP Marley January 20, 2014 – July 24, 2018).
Missy and her cute puppies attend a Fashion Fundraiser for the local woman’s shelter. While she is there a murder takes place , unfortunately her good friend Max is a suspect , Despite the politics, snow storm and shelter pups responsibility’s , Missy will do everything she can to get the police to see the light!
Curiosity can kill you!
Missy is known about town to be quite curious. Once again she finds herself at the scene of a murder. She seems obsessed to investigate the murder even though those close to her caution her that it is not safe for her to do so. Her inquiries lead her from one suspect to the next. She doesn’t understand that curiosity can kill you. Even after a near death scare, her curiosity is not tamed.
I love the possibility of a romantic connection between Missy and Max and the rekindling of a romance between her daughter, Hayden, and the police lieutenant, Justin. A little something extra to add to the story is always a nice treat.
I am really enjoying this series. Missy has put some of the insurance money she received when her husband died a couple of years ago to good use. She donated it to a local animal shelter that trains its rescued dogs in order to make them more attractive for adoption and then offers free training for the adopting family to help ensure the dogs have found a forever home. I mentioned in an earlier review of this series that I find it unusual for murder mysteries to have a HEA ending; but the secondary story of dogs getting a HEA is great.
This is a good, clean read. There is no vulgar language, sexual situations, or graphic violence; and yet, the story is intriguing and entertaining. Kudos to Carolyn Ridder Aspenson for a great story.
This is another fun book in the series. When a man is killed at a fund raiser when Missy is present, she goes about locating the killer. Max is temporarily a suspect. Can she trust him? I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
Missy Kingston loves animals. In fact she helped set up a nonprofit animal shelter. I admire her dedication to the animals. Her plan to have a pooch party is inspired. It allows the children living at the women’s shelter to play with the pups during the fundraiser for to help the women. Unfortunately murder puts an end to the festivities. George Watson is dead. Who killed him and why? After all he just made a generous donation to the women’s shelter. Missy wants to help find the killer. She’s good at following the clues and she’s motivated to clear her friend, Max. Her investigation puts her in danger, but that won’t stop her. I admired her courage. Carolyn Ridder Aspenson’s story kept me on the edge of my seat. This is a fast, paced cozy filled with sweet animals and an unexpected killer. Missy is a great character. She reinvented herself after the death of her husband. I liked how her friends and neighbors support her. I felt the love and caring. I can’t wait to see what’s next for Missy.
This is the second in the series of The Pooch Party Mystery and could be a stand alone but if you want to know the characters better then you should read the fist one too.
Missy Kingston a widow with a grown daughter funded the animal shelter for something to do each day. She spends a lot of her time at the shelter with the animals and has adopted two dogs of her own named, Allie and Bandit. While at the latest Pooch Party located at the Women’s Shelter, George Watson is found dead! Missy’s friend Max is one of the suspects and Missy gets involved in the investigation to clear his name. I loved the twist and turns but Missy had way to many theories which drove me crazy.
All and all it was a good book and great characters!
I really like this new cozy mystery series from Carolyn Ridder Aspenson. In my opinion, it’s more than a cozy mystery. It has the things you associate with cozy mysteries, the good people, small town feeling, animals, (a lovely mix), and of a good mystery. But then the author goes further. The animals come from the shelter that is a huge part of the main character’s life. It’s not just background noise. You learn a lot about shelter life and the pets up for adoption. You may think it’s a distraction in a mystery. You would be mistaken. Ms. Aspenson handles well the tricky balance. It’s not the only thing the author expertly handles in this series. Missy, the main character, is grieving the loss of her husband, Sam. It has been awhile since his death, (if there is one truth in life, it is grief has no time limit and no easy path), and some feel Missy should start dating. This isn’t something Missy can move fast on. I’m happy it isn’t. The reason for it? The author is real about grief. Using Missy she tells us the things no one really talks about, which makes it feel like we are doing grief wrong. The loneliness after the “acceptable“ grief time. The shattered dreams, the pain, the bittersweet memories. The way the world keeps going when your heart stops. It might sound depressing but Ms Aspenson has a magic touch with it. She keeps it real yet she doesn’t drown us in it. Death and grief are a big part of life. She acknowledges that and allows us to see that whatever we are feeling, how ever long it takes, it is normal. We are normal. I really appreciate this message. I appreciate this honest approach to grief. It truly isn’t depressing. Missy is a functioning person. She is intelligent, funny, caring, kind, animal lover, good mother and good friend. There is even someone who may, or may not, turn into a love interest. Ms Aspenson’s willingness to bring out and deal with realistic parts of life makes this cozy mystery a unique and don’t miss series. You could read this book on its own.The mystery is complete. But I recommend starting with the first book, Pooches, Pumpkins and Poison. You are going to get attached to Missy, Hayden, (her daughter), and the shelter. Do yourself the favor and get both books. You won’t be sorry, I promise.