A killer wants Lilly Echosby to roll over and play dead . . . Lilly may be losing a husband but she’s gaining a toy poodle. That could be seen as a win-win, since her new adopted pooch Aggie (named after Agatha Christie) is cute and adorable, and Lilly’s dirty dog of a spouse is cheating on her with a blond bimbo—except for one problem: Albert Echosby’s just been murdered, and Lilly is the … Lilly is the number-one suspect.
With the cops barking up the wrong tree, it’s a good thing her best friend Scarlett “Dixie” Jefferson from Chattanooga, Tennessee, decided to take a break from the dog club circuit to pay a visit, along with her own prize pair of poodles. With help from Dixie, her defense attorney daughter, and a blue-eyed man in blue with a K-9 partner, Lilly is determined to collar the real killer. But when a second murder occurs, it’s clear they’re dealing with one sick puppy . . .
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Really a cute cozy that had me giggling out loud which was fine at home but people thought it was odd on the bus:)
This involves some of your normal cozy things, a cheating husband with a dancer named Bambi Love no less, and a divorce. It also has that handsome blue-eyed, necessary in a cozy type of cop for someone to fall in love with. He has a canine companion named Turbo that you’ll fall in love with. There are gorgeous poodles brought to visit by Lily’s best friend Dixie and a teensy mini rescue poodle for Lily to cuddle. What better to cuddle than a sweet little puppy when you have a cheating husband. While Lily might be smart about dogs, she is a pushover about husbands and agrees to give a birthday party for the cheater husband’s grandmother. The cheater tells his family Lily is a lesbian because he needs a reason to have Bambi at the party of course. This all leads up to exactly what you’re thinking. It’s the cheater that gets murdered. Seems like V.M. Burns sure picked the most deserving person for her murder. I mean you have to have a murder in a cozy, don’t you?
To be perfectly honest, if you are a fan of Berenson’s Melanie Travis series, I think the beginning of this book will seem as if that’s what you are reading. Lily’s best friend brings her standard-sized poodles and is full of talk about showing them at dog shows. However, as it turned out it was a very different storyline and Burns gives her characters their own unique personalities. In fact, Burns made her characters real, funny, and enjoyable. Even the bad guys or girls were entertaining.
This is Book 1 in a series titled “Dog Club Mystery”. It’s a great one and I’m anxious for Book 2.
However, Burns has two other series and they have great reviews as well. Check them out.
***This book was provided to me free of charge by NetGalley and all opinions are definitely my own.
This LOL cozy mystery is first in the new Dog Club Mystery series. It is outrageously funny and well-written, and I can almost see the author thinking “what else can possibly happen to Lilly this week?” The characters, in particular Lilly and her Dolly-Parton-haired friend Dixie, are designed for maximum impact. We get a tiny glimpse into the world of dog competitions. Underneath it all is the pervasive murder mystery awaiting resolution, so Lilly won’t have to find out if a well-bred Catholic girl can survive in prison.
Lilly’s divorce from the man whose business she helped build in the early years of their marriage is almost complete. Albert has taken up with a sweet young thing who is younger than their children. Bambi’s assets are there for all to see, especially when he has the audacity to bring her to his and Lilly’s home for the 95th birthday party of his grandmother. Almost as irritating is that he told his family that Lilly is gay…that Dixie, the college friend she recently reconnected with is her partner. (NOT!) Lilly’s plan to pack up and move to Tennessee near Dixie, while made in less time than one can learn to spell Chattanooga, is a sound one. Both of her children are grown and living away from home. Their daughter is a very successful attorney and their son a highly acclaimed stage actor.
The morning after the birthday party, the police come to advise Lilly that Albert is dead, shot when confronting a would-be thief in his and Bambi’s apartment. While Lilly doesn’t care a lot about what Albert does any more, she does care that he was murdered, and makes the funeral arrangements for the family. Bimbo…um…Bambi keeps calling with stuff like she needs money and she was shut out of Albert’s bank account. The corvette Albert gave her was stolen, and did Lilly take it.
Things only go downhill from there. For several reasons, including that she would inherit the car dealership and Albert was found to have $1 million stashed in an offshore account, Lilly is accused of his murder. Before she has to find out how to pack for prison, she and Dixie team up for a slightly older version of Nancy Drew. Lilly’s son and daughter get in on the action, as well as Dixie’s elegant, well-trained standard poodles and Lilly’s new toy poodle, Aggie.
Lilly is a fabulous new protagonist in the cozy mystery world! She has a wicked sense of humor evidenced throughout. I felt as if I got to know her well over the course of the novel. Other characters are as well-defined as fitting their roles, most are 3-D in HD color. I like Lilly and Dixie best, and am happy these college roommates have been able to reconnect.
This cozy mystery has almost everything I love in the genre. It drew me in from the first page, the first sentence. It is at times serious, such as when Lilly is going to be arrested. There is also a great deal of humor, necessary to survive a really nasty divorce and murder allegations. The characters are unique, and there are pets that contribute to the story. The murder is complex, a challenge to solve. I was only partially right in picking the killer, completely missing the motives. There are several plot twists as well as a second murder and a couple red herrings that kept me turning pages. The ending brought some surprises, and all loose ends were tied up. I highly recommend this fun-tastic new series!
From a grateful heart: I won a copy of this through a Goodreads First contest and was not required to post a review.
This book took my by surprise. It starts with Lilly Anne staring at her soon-to-be ex-husband and his bimbo girlfriend. Not the way I expected a cozy to start. There is some angst as she faces the divorce and betrayal she feels. Wisdom from a stranger on the train guides her to seek what makes her happy and one item that does that is to re-establish her friendship with Dixie, a friend from college. Dixie (Scarlet Jefferson) arrives with her 2 standard poodles and a toy poodle she rescued. She is thrilled that Lilly Anne is thinking of moving to Chattanooga which is where she lives. Now comes the mystery–after Lilly organizes a a birthday party for her husband’s grandmother he turns up dead and Lilly becomes the main suspect. With the help of her children, Dixie, and a cute policeman who has eyes for her daughter, Lilly sets out to discover who killed her husband. Very entertaining. I enjoyed the writing style and the characters are fun. I also loved the dogs!
I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
In the Dog House by V.M. Burns was a great beginning to a new series (I hope). I’ve enjoyed her Mystery Bookshop series; and I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to read this new series.
Lilly Echosby and Dixie Jefferson are best friends and women who I would love to know in person. Ms. Burns’ descriptive writing painted a clear picture for me of Lilly, her daughter and son, Dixie and Lilly’s ex-husband and his family. As in her other series, Ms. Burns included dogs, 3 poodles who stole each scene when they appeared. The plot moved swiftly with twists and red herrings that kept me turning the pages to find out more. I confess that I did have an inkling of who the culprits might be before the reveal; but I was greatly surprised by how much more was involved than just murder. A well-crafted mystery that kept me totally intrigued until the last page. I want the next one in this series now!
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Underground via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own.
I chose this book because a friend recommended it and I love the cover. What a treat it turned out to be—great characters with personality plus, cute dogs , a well plotted mystery, and a quick pace. I love it when there is humorous lines tucked into a mystery . I can’t wait to start book two!
I enjoyed this first in the series.
Lilly’s life is turned upside down, going through a divorce with her cheating husband, she decides to start over and calls her friend Dixie who shows up to give her a hand. When her soon to be ex turns up dead, Lilly becomes the main suspect. With the help of her friend and defense attorney daughter, they try to clear Lilly’s name.
I love the characters and the emotions that Lilly is going through are real. I adore her friend Dixie, a friend that turns up when you need her and stands beside you, she gave me quite a few laughs. The mystery was good and wraps up nicely.
I will continue on with this series.
I love the way that V.M. Burns crafts her stories. This is the first book that I have read in the Dog Club Mystery series and I can’t wait to read the next one. I loved the characters, especially Lilly and her determination, and how her friend Dixie showed up even though they hadn’t seen each other or talked in a while. I also loved how the dogs, Aggie, Leia and Chyna were so involved in the story. The mystery was only one aspect of this wonderful book, there was also embezzlement, suspected drug dealing, and so much more. There were many suspects that could have committed the crime and there was also a lot of comic relief with Dixie and the dogs. I really enjoyed this story and all of the other books that I have read by this author.
I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Lyrical Underground through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Lily Echosby thought she had her life together…until het husband of over 25 years asked for a divorce and moved in with his 20 year old girlfriend. Just when she thought things couldn’t get any worse, her soon-to-be-ex husband is killed….and somehow she’s the prime suspect. Will Lily and crew figure out who the real killer is before it’s too late?
A fun first book in a new cozy mystery series. I enjoyed meeting Lily, her children, Stephanie and David, and her best friend from college, Dixie who came all the way from Tennessee to help her, and the dogs. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series.
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the dogs and the author’s sense of humor. The main character and her best friend were great.
In the Dog House is the first book in V.M. Burns’ A Dog Club Mystery series. The storyline is well plotted and the well-developed characters are affable. The story flows at a steady pace, with humorous moments, and an interesting mystery with enough twists and red herrings to keep the reader engaged and guessing. I’m looking forward to reading the next book in this series.
Lilly and Albert Echosby have been married for twenty-five years and have two adult children, Stephanie (a lawyer) and David (an actor), but Albert cheated on Lilly and they’re getting a divorce. After an unsettling meeting with her soon to be ex-husband and his young stripper girlfriend, Bambi Love, in their daughter’s Chicago law office, Lilly took the train back to their home in Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana. While on the train, she met Miss Florrie, who listened to her problems and gave her sage advice. Following Miss Florrie’s advice, Lilly decides to find her happy place and contacts her friend and college roommate, Scarlet “Dixie” Jefferson, who lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee. They reconnect, Lilly falls in love with a toy poodle rescue Dixie had with her along with her two champion standard poodles, and Lilly starts planning to move to Chattanooga. Lilly reluctantly agrees to host a birthday party for Albert’s grandmother, he brings Bambi, tells his family he’s divorcing Lilly because she’s a lesbian rather than tell them he broke his marriage vows, and they get into an argument. The next day, police officers show up at Lilly’s door to inform her that Albert is dead. Stephanie calls her grandmother and learns that Bambi said they surprised a burglar and Albert was shot. It doesn’t take long for the authorities to start taking a hard look at Lilly. The books at their car dealership look suspicious and Albert had a million dollars in an offshore bank. When the murder weapon shows up in one of the family cars, Lilly, Dixie, Stephanie, and David believe she’s being set up. Her attorney, Christopher Williams, arranges for her to turn herself in, but before she can, her wheelchair bound neighbor is murdered and the police place her under arrest.
I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book from NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed it.
Something I can watch on a Sunday night for a good funny mystery
Lilly is getting a divorce when her ex-husband is murdered and she is a suspect. She, her friend Dixie, and her children Samantha and David, have to figure out who the real murderer is before Lilly is arrested. Oh, and there is a cute K-9 officer who helps out.
I liked the characters and the mystery was good. I had a problem with reality. Lilly’s 25-year-old daughter is a lawyer in a big firm in Chicago and has court experience as well as lots of other experience. Since, at best, most 25-year-olds are just taking the law boards, this girl must be a genius and went to school very young. There were other inconsistencies that interfered with my enjoyment of the book, so I only gave it 3 stars.
Very entertaining mystery with lots of humor to reduce tension.
In the Dog House by V.M. Burns is the debut novel in A Dog Club Mystery series. Lily Echosby is getting a divorce after being married for twenty-five years. Her husband, Albert cheated on her with Bambi Love (I am betting that is not her real name). After a disastrous divorce meeting, Lily meets Miss Florrie on the train home who gives her some excellent advice. Lily reconnects with her old friend, Scarlett “Dixie” Jefferson from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Upon hearing what Lily has been going through, Dixie arrives the next morning in her RV with her two Standard Poodles and an adorable toy poodle in need of a home. Lily promptly adopts the endearing puppy and calls her Aggie (short for Agatha Christie). The morning after a disastrous party to celebrate Albert’s grandmothers ninety-fifth birthday, Lily is surprised to find police on her doorstep. Albert was shot by someone who broke into his residence during the night and he did not survive. Since Lily’s alibi will not hold up in court (Aggie), she is the number one suspect. Lily with the help of Dixie, Stephanie (her daughter), and David (her son) set out to find Albert’s killer. When Lily’s next door neighbor is murdered, it leads to her being collared. Can this foursome prove Lily’s innocence and keep her out of prison? Orange is not Lily’s best color.
In the Dog House is a light-hearted, humorous cozy mystery. I thought the story had a steady pace and I found it easy to read. I wish, though, that the author had taken the time to develop her characters. Since it is the first book in the series, I wanted more information on Lily (not just her immediate background). It also would have been nice to have details on the town where Lily lived (I missed the small town feel). A lot of time is spent on the day-to-day activities. I do not need to know every little detail about Lily’s life (cooking, laundry, getting dressed, doing dishes, walking dogs). The mystery is uncomplicated, and the solution was handed to readers on a silver platter. There are limited number of suspects and the pointed clues make solving the crime a cinch. There are cute dog antics and Aggie sounded adorable (I wanted her). I liked that Lily used creative curse words (instead of real ones that offend me), but the same could not be said for Bambi Love. There was a stakeout scene that included dogs that I found amusing. In the Dog House is for the cozy mystery reader who prefers a light mystery with comical antics.