Holly
Miller is left in charge of the Sugar Maple Inn, located in
Wagtail, Virginia, while her grandmother has gone on vacation.
Holly is delighted to have the chance to prove herself as
a businesswoman who can handle any situation that arises at
the inn.
It's
January, and Wagtail is hosting a murder-mystery weekend to
bring winter post-holiday tourists to their town, which is
the top pet-friendly destination in the country. This also
offers an opportunity for some of the dogs from the Wagtail
Shelter to meet potential new owners in the "If the Dog
Fits" portion of the event. The murder-mystery is dubbed
"Murder Most Howl," and the game is set up with
clues and weapons for the participants to put together to
try to solve the murder of one "Baron von Rottweiler."
Harmless fun, right?
Then
the weather takes a turn for the worst when a blizzard moves
in; and when Holly takes out her dog. Trixie, the Jack Russell
discovers a real dead body. Town businessman Norm Wilson is
dead, sitting on a bench, presumably frozen to death. In fact,
Norm is an actual murder victim, and it starts to look as
though the new handyman Holly hired, Shadow Hobbs, could be
the killer. Holly's instincts tell her otherwise, and the
true-life murder-mystery quickly eclipses "Murder Most
Howl," for her.
Although
this is the first book in this series that I have read, I
quickly realized why it is such a popular series. Holly is
an intelligent woman, and the cast of characters surrounding
her each have their own charm and appeal. The visitors to
Wagtail provide ample opportunities for sub-plots to evolve,
and clues both big and small abound.
I love
the animals, especial Holly's dog, Trixie, cat, Twinkletoes,
and her grandmother's dog, Gingersnap. Seeing animals up for
adoption being put into the middle of the Wagtail event, and
the amenities and safety precautions for animals town wide
did my heart good, too.
This
is a clever cozy mystery with enough detail and red herrings
to keep even a practiced cozy reader guessing right up until
the murderer is revealed. Although I have not read the previous
books in the series, you can bet I will, and I will anxiously
await my next visit to Wagtail! Four paws up!
Reviews
of other titles in this series
Murder
She Barked
The
Ghost and Mrs. Mewer
Reviewer Notes: Krista Davis also writes The Domestic
Diva Mysteries
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