Cover Image: Left Fur Dead

Left Fur Dead

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Member Reviews

I loved this cute cozy mystery with an even cuter bunny. Who as far as I'm concerned was the main character of the book.

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Well-crafted characters and easy to follow story makes this a great cozy mystery.

Left Fur Dead is a winner!

Synopsis:
Juliette “Jules” Bridge prides herself on the tender rehabilitation she provides for injured or abused rabbits on her New Hampshire rescue farm, but she has a very special relationship with one bunny in particular. Bun is a black-and-white rabbit who happens to have the ability to communicate through mental telepathy. Once she got over the shock, Jules found her furry friend had a lot to say.

One frigid March morning on their walk together, Bun spots a body. The police identify the frozen stiff as Arthur Freeman, aka Arty the Mime. Jules and Arty knew each other on the children's party circuit, where he’d perform magic tricks and she had an educational rabbit petting pen. With Bun egging her on, Jules decides it’s time they hop to it and put their heads together to discover who silenced the mime. But their investigation leads them down a rabbit hole of more suspects and lies, while a killer sets a trap for them . . .

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This is the first book in the new cozy Jules & Bun Mystery series. Juliette “Jules” Bridge is the owner of Fur Bridge Farm in New Hampshire which she has lovingly turned into a rescue for rabbits. Jules is willing to take on any rabbit needing her care and rehabilitates those injured or abused. While Jules tends to all those in her care she does share a special connection with one particular bunny named Bun. When Jules first took in Bun she didn’t think it was possible but Bun is able to speak with Jules telepathically and since getting used to this amazing ability Bun goes about everywhere with Jules which is how one morning out on one of their walks Bun spies a corpse in the water. It turns out it is local Artie the mime.

The mystery progresses at a nice pace. There are plenty of suspects and twists. Juliette and Bun are an entertaining pair of amateur sleuths. I enjoyed the background theme of a bunny rescue. The side characters are all quirky and fun. The story is a nice mix of mystery, humor and cute bunnies.

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I really loved this first book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end.

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I didn't enjoy this story. The murder happened on the first page and it went downhill from there. I didn't get to know the characters, the town, or the murder victim before we were already waist deep in the investigation. I thought a telepathic bunny was a cool concept, but the story did nothing for me. I will not be moving on with this series. I got this free book from NetGalley.

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Left Fur Dead is the first in the Jules and Bun series and it's about Jules who ones a rabbit farm where she takes in domesticated rabbits that have been abused by their owners or no longer wanted. One of her favorites and the one she takes along with her everywhere is Bun. Bun is unusual because he can communicate with Jules through her mind. He is very talkative and one of the reasons his last owner got rid of him.

One one of their walks Jules and Bun discover a dead body and soon find out he was Artie the mime. Artie had resently started harassing her about her rabbits and how she shouldn't keep them. Now it seems someone else is taking up where he left off as she has been having things happen around her farm.

Sheriff Carter is trying to figure out what happened but with things happening around the farm she can't just leave it to him and decides to do some snooping on her own leading to her getting in a mess a few times and Sheriff Carter not being happy with her.

I really thought this was cute and I loved the fact that the pet was something besides a dog or cat. I love rabbits as we use to raise them so I just loved Bun. He was so funny and really loves to solve crimes and is probably the reason that Jules starts investigating anyway...lol. I also liked Jules and all the other cast of characters but I think Bun stole the show.

If you love fun cozy mysteries then you should give this one a try!

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Honestly, I mainly wanted to read this book because of the cover and the premise. I love rabbits. I did enjoy this mystery, even if I did guess the killer. The writing and the character development were done extremely well. I can't wait to read the next book in this series. I hope there are many more to come.

Note: I voluntarily reviewed a free copy of this book from Netgalley.

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Left Fur Dead is the debut of the Jules & Bun Mystery series set in a small New Hampshire town and featuring Juliette "Jules" Bridge and her rabbit, Bun. Jules owns and operates Fur Bridge Farm, a rescue organization for abused, neglected and abandoned rabbits that she started while recuperating from a violent car accident.

Jules has a special connection with Bun, who she is able to communicate with telepathically. On an early morning walk the pair stumbles upon the frozen body of Arthur "Arty" Freeman, a popular mime who performs alongside Jules at birthday parties and special community events. Arty had been acting irrationally lately, ranting and raving at Jules that she needed to release all of the rabbits and unfortunately for Jules, Sheriff Jack Carver seems to think that she may have had a hand in his murder.

Jules and Bun set out to find a killer and their investigation soon brings about a rash of break ins and vandalism at the farm, with both Jules and her veterinary assistant, Jess Plain viciously attacked. The duo has a list of suspects including the driver who caused her car accident and left her for dead, the mysterious squatter who's set up camp on the far edge of her property and the nasty woman who had previously owned Bun.

A good plot and premise, but sometimes the flow of writing seems a little choppy and repetitive. I appreciate animal rescues but was left wondering why Jules doesn't seem to rehome any of the rabbits - she has a flourishing gift and yarn shop with visitors stopping in regularly but yet nobody ever adopts a bunny. A likable cast of characters and I'm hoping that we'll see more of Andrew Stone, decorated veteran in future installments.

I received an advanced copy of Left Fur Dead from NetGalley via Kensington Publishing. While not required to write a review I am happy to offer my honest opinion.

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I love that this cozy has a rabbit instead of the normal cat or dog that is usually featured. When Jules, who runs a rabbit rescue, and Bun (a telepathic bunny) find a dead body, the investigating begins. This is a great little cozy mystery that is fun to read. I'll definitely check out the rest of the series.

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A protagonist duo, one of which is a talking rabbit named … Bun. Okay, you have to suspend belief a little bit here, but this is fiction after all. I normally steer clear of fantasy or supernatural elements in my reading, especially talking animals, but it works well in J. M. Griffin’s new cozy mystery, Left Fur Dead. I couldn’t resist trying this story and I’m so glad I did. This is a fun story, tender and emotional, with lots of light-hearted moments; impossible to read without smiling much of the time.

Left Fur Dead is a fresh and different – dare I say, unique – novel in a cozy mystery field highly populated with cooking themes. I loved New Hampshire rescue farm owner Jules Bridge, and I adored her telepathic bunny. Meet Bun, who, according to Jules, is…

Not your average rabbit, Bun’s smart, sociable, talkative, and very talented. His specialty is pure nosiness. He communicates with me by way of mental telepathy … when Bun talks, I’ve learned to listen.

When Jules and Bun go for walks in the New Hampshire countryside, with Bun happily snuggled in a sling pouch, I am completely engaged in their conversations. I’m a big fan of animal rescue shelters, so this story was easy to connect with. I loved the farm and the rescue work of Jules, also with the potential future of a veterinary clinic on site, and I enjoyed learning about the care of these rabbits.

Jules also reached out to the community with educational events and working with children at birthday parties, etc. It was through these parties that she met the murder victim, a fellow entertainer (mime) named Arty. Guilty party and solution weren’t easy to figure out and I enjoyed following along in the adventure with Jules and Bun.

My favorite part of the story was the rescue farm and getting to know main characters of the series. The writing is strong and clean; I loved that there wasn’t a lot of unnecessary descriptive fillers to slow the action down. I didn’t fully understand why Jules wanted to investigate, but that’s okay. In future stories, I’d like to see a toning down of attacks on Jules and more logical, step-by-step investigation of the crime.

Left Fur Dead begins what promises to be a truly engaging mystery series and I will be following the adventures of Jules and Bun. Recommended.

I received a copy of this book through Great Escapes Tours. The opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.

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“On Fur Bridge Farm, Jules cares for rescued rabbits. But when a killer strikes, she’ll need a rabbit to rescue her...”
I enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t put it down. The plot and theme were different and well written. Strong characters. Lots of mystery. Thank you to Net Galley for providing an advanced reader’s copy for review.

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This was a new one for me, a bunny rescuing/yarn selling sleuth with a telepathic bunny side-kick. Thoroughly enjoyed the book and was able to guess part of the who done it but not the complete story or the why. There did seem to be some back story that was missing or would be helpful to know so I am hoping that the next book dives into that a little bit more. The small town feel and the character development between Jules and the Sheriff was a nice one, almost like a father/daughter feel to it. Jules is fiercely independent gal and Bun is too cute for words. Just imagine a bulldog attitude and a wiggly bunny nose, absolutely precious in my mind. This story definitely gives a nod to therapy animals without explicitly getting into it but I could see how one aloof Andrew Stone could become a regular if he doesn't wander off.

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As I always say when I review these books, you don’t have to be a dog or animal owner to enjoy them. They are just great, fun, well written mysteries.perfect for any cozy mystery lover

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So Jules was not my favorite character. She was on the dull side, but her rabbit, Bun, was a blast! I mean... how can you go wrong with a talking rabbit?! The mystery was pretty easy to figure out but that didn’t distract from the story.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of this book, which I voluntarily chose to review.

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Left Fur Dead was a delightful mystery with a likeable heroine and a furry cast of characters. Jules and her sidekick, Bun were so adorable as they searched for clues as to who killed the man found on their property and I couldn’t get enough of this mystery-solving duo. This is the first book in a brand new series and I’m looking forward to reading the next book in the series to where it goes from here. Great mystery.

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This was a quick, fun read. I enjoyed the story and meeting the characters. I liked the writing style and would recommend it to others.

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This is the first book in the Jules and Bun series. Jules runs a bunny farm and is able to talk to her bunny, Bun. She comes across the body of someone she worked with frequently. She is afraid that she will become a suspect so she starts to investigate.
I liked this book. I liked the idea of a bunny farm. It is something different that you don't usually see in cozies and it was interesting to see. I did feel the book was choppy in parts. It took a while for me to get through. But overall it was a good book. I liked the characters and thought the mystery itself was written well. I didn't guess the killer until about the time Jules figured it out.
I received this book from net galley in exchange for review.

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LEFT FUR DEAD is a wonderful start to a new series with an even punnier title! This "Hare Raising" mystery provides insight to a lesser-known hobby while keeping within the genre that cozy readers have come to love. A definite RA recommendation.

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If you love animal cozy mysteries, Left Fur Dead is the perfect book for you. It is not your typical pet cozy, as the animal is a bunny, and did I mention, it talks. There are plenty of twist and turns to satisfy the mystery buff in this sweet story. I highly recommend this charming book.

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This was a sweet and charming cosy mystery. I loved the relationship between Jules and Bun. What I also loved was the barn and the focus on animal welfare.

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