So I fell in love with Carrie and Biscuit back with book one so of course I just had to get my hands on this newest installment and I was not disappointed. This time Carrie gets wrapped up in the murder of vet that came to town and Reed is one of the main suspects since the two did not get along. Of all people to be murdered I have to say I was not upset at the choice for this one. That was one really evil vindictive person. The well written story will suck you in until you find yourself on the last page amazed at the ending. The details were just amazing and I have to say that the pet details for the series really set it apart from others. If you love animals and cozy mysteries then this is really the book/series for you. I loved every minute of it so I give it 5/5 stars.

This was the first book I've read in this series so out of all fairness I am not familiar with this author's style but I can't honestly say I loved it, I just liked it. In places it was a little hard to get through, sometimes there was more regular chatter going on than was necessary (in my opinion) to solve a murder. On a positive note, there wasn't any unnecessary descriptions, just enough to know what was going on.

I do like the basic characters and have to say that even though Arvie, the main veterinarian, wasn't a main character, I really liked him and never thought of him as a suspect at all. He seemed like a dad or grandpa type figure to the other vets and workers there, kind of a Dick Van Dyke Dr. Sloane type character. I thought Carrie and Reed had a fairly good relationship but it seemed awkward at times since they were co-workers at the vet clinic. Maybe it was just in this particular book since Reed was suspected of murder and possibly he's acting differently than in other books. Dinah, the bakery full-time assistant, was one character that seemed a little more fleshed out since she was in it quite a bit, Janelle as well. Neal was a good, supportive but protective brother. I also liked Billi since she seemed like just a genuine good person to have as a girlfriend to discuss men, work, and other issues with.

The dog rescue and the fact that everyone had dogs and loved them really appealed to me a lot and of course getting the murder solved but it seemed a tad arduous getting there. Even though at times the book was a bit hard to read, I still have to say I didn't guess the killer at all and the take down was pretty exciting. I feel bad that I can't say I loved it since it has dogs in it (and I love dogs) but I feel like I should give the series another chance by reading the first book or two.

There were a few yummy sounding recipes in the back for both dogs and people.

I received an ARC of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. I have read books by Linda O. Johnston before but I was new to this series. This series is a fun, entertaining, cats and dogs adventure. Wonderfully written and plot is excellent. You will have to put it down and will definitely be upset when the book ends. Enjoy readers!!!!

Linda O Johnston’s novels are always a safe bet for lovers of animal cozies.  While not the most innovative, Her books are entertaining, and pets, dogs in particular, play a central role.  Pick and Chews is a good, solid cozy that makes for a pleasant afternoon read.


Carrie Kennersly, vet tech and pet baker extraordinaire, is once more drawn into a murder investigation, this time to clear her boyfriend, Reed’s name.  When a former veterinary colleague is found murdered after badmouthing the Knobcone Heights Veterinary Clinic - and opening her own competing clinic - suspicion falls on Reed and the other veterinarians.  Raella was an unpleasant woman, and only a moderately competent vet, but she was beautiful and she had a talent for manipulation. Having solved murders in the past, and being worried about Reed’s future, she immediately starts her own investigation.


Carrie’s investigative technique relies heavily on loaded questions and insinuations.  Guesswork and intuition play more of a role than evidence. Despite this, Pick and Chews is a cute read.  


4 / 5


I received a copy of Pick and Chews from the publisher and Netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.


— Crittermom

This was my first book in this series and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Rescue dogs, recipes, and murder. What's not to love? Carrie is a part-time vet tech and owner of bakeries for people and dogs. She works with her friend to help get rescued dogs adopted. And she helps solve murders in her spare time. In this case her boyfriend Dr Reed Storme is a suspect and she is desperate to prove him innocent. There are several suspects and enough twists and turns to keep you guessing a little and interesting enough to make you keep reading to see whodunit. I enjoyed this series and look forward to reading more. I wish to thank Netgalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for this review.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to review this book. I am a huge fan of cozy mysteries especially ones that revolve around pets. Picks and Chews, however, was a chore to read. I had great difficulty completing. this book. Each time I put it down I had to review what I previously read. I really had no interest in discovering who the murderer was, I just wanted it to end. The most interesting character was Biscuit, I found Carrie to be rude when questioning the suspects after all she is a Vet Tech/ bakery owner and not the police. Not one of the best Cozies that I have read.

3.5 stars out of 5. PICK AND CHEWS, the fourth book in the Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series by Linda O. Johnston is a cute read for dog and pet lovers! Protagonist Carrie Kennersly is both a veterinarian technician and the owner of the Barkery & Biscuits pet bakery plus Icing on the Cake bakery for human treats. She has her hands full running her businesses with the help of great assistants, plus keeping her part-time job at the vet clinic in Knobcone Heights. I loved the location and the settings. Knobcone Heights is located in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California, which is in my neck of the woods so to speak. The two bakeries (pet and human) are adorable and I enjoyed the interaction Carrie has with her clients. It’s obvious she has a great love for pets, especially dogs, and it was sweet how she went out of her way to share extra treats with the town’s animal shelter. I also enjoyed the supporting characters, both human and canine, especially Carrie’s adorable dog, Biscuit.

Carrie’s relationship with veterinarian Dr. Reed Storme is also progressing and when he’s accused of murdering a former co-worker Carrie steps in to clear his name. She has quite a reputation in town for solving murders and even though Reed hasn’t liked her doing so in the past, he asks her to investigate and prove his innocence. There are plenty of suspects who would have liked to kill the victim (you can’t help but truly dislike her!) including, Reed. I was a bit uncomfortable that Carrie wasn’t ever sure of Reed’s innocence, even though she wanted him to be, yet still elected to spend the night with him. The story starts out a little slow but once the murder takes place, the pace picks up. The killer was a big surprise to me, but in hindsight the clues were there as Carrie investigates. The reveal wraps up the threads of the story with a suspenseful conclusion.

The townspeople and pets of Knobcone Heights enjoy an assortment of treats at Carrie’s bakeries and Ms. Johnston provides recipes at the back of the book for both humans and dogs that sounds delicious!

This was a fun cozy. It never really grabbed my attention and it was easy to put down. I liked the characters. Carrie is very attached to her precious "Biscuit". All the players in the story are animal lovers from the cops to the council member. I did wonder about the murderer before the big reveal. But the person was not at the top of my list. I think another thing that made it more difficult for me was the language and wording used. At times I had to read the sentence twice to get the authors meaning. Overall it was a nice little cozy, but just not quite my cup of tea.

What drew me to this story was that I did read the previous book and did want to continue the story but I really liked the cover.
I felt this story was off to a slow start. I didn’t have a nice warm & fuzzy feeling for Carrie & Reed. I really hope they don’t make it as a couple.
As for the murder & solving it, in my opinion it took way too long to happen and then solve.
This is a standalone story that you do not need to read any of the others, you will not feel left behind. You are told what you need to know and then some.

First, let me thank the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an ARC of this book. I was thrilled to receive the download and, of course, it features dogs. How could you go wrong? Well, ***spoiler*** alert, something went very wrong. Looking at the cover, absolutely too cute. And the blurb? Well, okay, it sounded interesting. Carrie is a woman who owns two howlingly successful businesses and is a part-time vet tech.

The Barkery and Biscuit is definitely a unique name for a bakery catering to healthy food and treats for animals. Also appreciated that she wrote about holding rescue animal adoption events. Super. So what set up the hackles? Yes, it's an ARC, there will be edit errors and there were. It's an ARC, but that's not what I'm talking about.

The writing style in this book is more than banal. It's annoying. I didn't like the characters, particularly the protagonist or MC. Carrie is awful. Her dialogue borders on insipid and the plot awkward. She is supposed to be in a relationship with Reed, the first person of interest, and she has to fight with herself through most of the book to think he may be innocent. No love loss, none forthcoming.

Reed may have had a personal relationship with the newly dispatched victim. Dr. Raela Fellner was painted so viperously you knew she was going to get offed. Fellner shows up to interview for a position at the vet clinic and sets off a tirade from Reed. Reed is a vet at the clinic in which Carrie works part-time. Carrie acts like she runs the joint, and it's just as well as the owner/manager Dr. Arvus Kline isn't exactly an alpha. There are other support characters, some fleshed more than others, but no one is really engaging or sympathetic.

The barkery and bakery shop assistants, her sales staff are always covering for her, thank heaven. There are constant reminders of how many murders she has solved, ad nauseum. Even for a cozy, this had a slow, grinding beginning and a head-scratching conclusion. Not even Biscuit, her darling little dog, can save this one. No, I don't need any recipes, nor can I really recommend this book.

Carrie is busy running her two bakeries – one for people, one for pups – and working part-time as a veterinarian technician. When Reed, her boyfriend and one of the vets at the clinic, is accused of murder, she sets out to clear his name and find the killer.

This is the fourth book in the Barkery and Biscuits series, and this was my least favorite in the series. The relationships between the characters didn't seem to gel as well as in previous books, especially between Carrie and Reed. The murder didn't happen until well into the book, which is always annoying to me, partially because it leaves less time for clues to be revealed, so the investigation seems to be rushed. The identity of the killer was a surprise, which is probably what will keep me reading this series and hoping that the next book is more engaging.

The mystery was decent but it dragged a bit. It took way too long for the victim to be killed, and the pacing never really picked up from there. I was surprised by the killer, but by then I really didn't care who did it.

Pick and Chews is a sweet novel, a nice change of pace and one I thoroughly enjoyed. The protagonists are well rounded and likable, the bad guys are camouflaged until late in the tale, and the dogs are all adorable. I loved the interplay between Carrie Kennersly and the police as she tries to solve yet another murder to clear her friends - boyfriend Dr. Reed Storme and boss Dr. Arvus Kline - who are currently the prime suspects in the murder of fellow veterinarian Dr. Raela Fellner.

Ms. Johnston has several series out - a total of 45 books - so I will be able to indulge myself next time I need soothing entertainment. She can keep my busy for a lo-o-o-ong time...

I received a free electronic copy of this novel from Netgalley, Linda O. Johnston, and Midnight Ink in exchange for an honest review. Thank you all for sharing your hard work with me.

First off, I am a Linda O. Johnston fan from way back. I've read every series she's done and this particular series is my favorite. This one is set in a fictional town reminiscent of Lake Arrowhead and Blue Jay, California. Carrie is the owner of The Barkery - a pet bakery that is connected to her other store, a bakery. She somehow also finds the time to work part - time at a veterinary clinic and volunteers at a rescue! In this installment, Carrie's boyfriend, a Vet, is accused of killing another Veterinarian. Carrie and her pup investigates the crime to find the killer. I definitely recommend this novel.

I loved this book, I have read the first three and fell in live with the characters. This book had a great pace. The mystery had me going back and rereading parts to see if I had missed a clue. I highly recommend this book and series.

A clever cozy. I did not guess the culprit. I have read several books by Linda O. Johnston. This was not one of my favorites. It is still a pleasant cozy and interesting tale.

Carrie is back and this time it is her boyfriend that’s in the hot seat. Yep, this time it is Reed who is under suspicion for murder and now he is okay with Carrie playing amateur sleuth.
This fun story will keep you guessing and re-guessing up until the very end. Join Carrie and Biscuit and the gang as they try to say Dr. Reed and thus save Reed and Carrie’s relationship.

I loved the mystery and characters in this one! I enjoy a good mystery, and love the pets in these. This one is well written, and held my attention throughout.

Hmm.. I liked the last book (which was the only one I'd read) but this felt less successful, in part because Carrie did not feel as engaging this time around. It IS a classic cozy, with an intrepid female amateur detective trying to solve a murder while running a unique business (bakery for dogs) and having a relationship with a guy (Reed) who wants her to stop investigating- until he's the one under the spotlight for murder. It also felt like this installment was written by rote. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Not my favorite but it's not a bad read.

I really do not enjoy giving 1 star reviews. The errors with grammar, the plot and just the overall book itself was poorly done.
I was extremely disappointed in this book.
I did volunteer to read an ARC of this book provided by the publisher and NetGalley.