When a last-minute opportunity arises to accompany her boss to an art auction in Atlanta, Lilly throws some money at the problem of where to board her toy poodle Aggie (short for Agatha Christie). Posh Pet Haven offers the most luxurious canine accommodations in all of Chattanooga, Tennessee. The place even provides pet cams so anxious owners can check in on their pampered pooches.

What could go wrong?

Bark if It's Murder is a fun cozy mystery you won't want to miss.

This was my first book in this series although it the third in the series. I was able to enjoy it as a stand-alone mystery but I can see where reading the previous two would help with character backstories. The characters are entertaining. The story is full of humor, southern charm, and a little bit of romance. The mystery was well blended into the secondary storyline but there are still twists and turns along the way to the big reveal.

All thoughts and opinions are my own, and in no way have I been influenced by anyone.

The author gives us a mystery that is very straightforward and easy to follow. There are only a few suspects, and plenty of clues that will point you in the right direction of who the killer is unless you follow one of the few red herrings that are thrown into the mystery's plot. The characters are well written and easily relatable so they almost seem lifelike.

I did have an issue with a mistake that made it into the book when it shouldn't have, Aggie gets her nails stuck in Lilly's sweater and Lilly decides to wait for Aggie's nails to retract so she doesn't snag her sweater. The author and her editor should know that dogs nails don't retract like a cat's nails do. I also think that some of the things that Dixie is teaching in her dog obedience class are outdated like the dominance theory should be taught before the using positive reinforcement. I have seen the training of positive reinforcement work without the dominance theory ever having been used to teach dogs. I felt that the books ending was a little rushed and the mystery's conclusion came about in a very convenient way in the last few pages of the book. I did enjoy that Lilly and Red's relationship is written so they seem like real people who have disagreements and can work out a solution, instead of being written like they are perfect and they have a perfect relationship. It was nice to see Lilly spending time with her son David since she got to spend time with her daughter Stephanie in the last book.

I received and ARC of this book from Lyrical Underground through NetGalley for my honest review.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing this eARC!

I wanted to like this so bad, but I could not get into it and DNF’d it fairly early. Hoping to give it another chance in the future.

I love the characters and the dogs in this wonderful series. Lilly is making new friends in Chattanooga and the new characters added to the story. I love how the dogs are brought into the story and really add to it. I was drawn into the story from the first chapter and couldn't put this book down. There were a lot of questions,including who was the person that Lilly thought she saw get strangled while checking on Aggie via video feed? And if that did happen where is the body?

I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from Kensington through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

A great and interesting cozy mystery . I enjoyed it very much and loved the plot , the people and of course the dogs are the most interesting characters, I believe others will enjoy it also . Can't wait for the next Dog Club Mystery

BARK IF ITS MURDER is V. M. Burns’ third Dog Club Mystery featuring Lilly Ann Echosby. The gals in the story go by first and second names; it’s a Southern thing, I believe, however I was over 10% into my Kindle book before reading her name. Perhaps Burns was relying on the readers being familiar with the past two books in the series.

Amazingly, her mini poodle, Aggie’s name is on nearly every other page. (Well, it is a dog book.) And perhaps I am not a thorough reader – the story seemed to jump around a bit for me to stay engaged – but I also didn’t know Lilly’s occupation till almost half way through.

Okay, all the not-so-good stuff behind, there are some amazing things in this book, such as the very ritzy, posh Pet Resort and Doggie Day Care Center, run by a pair of glam people, who are married, but who don’t seem to like each other. And the fees for doggie care (including massages), are phenomenal.

It is one of these gorgeous Spa people, that Lilly witnesses being murdered by the other. At least she thinks she saw it happen. She’d viewed it on one of the many security cameras around the Pet Day Care Center that she was using to watch her adorable Aggie romp and nap. (Yes, this was allowed and encouraged.)

But evidence disappears. So do bodies. So do living people. And this was the amazing mystery part of the book. Lilly and her friends do all they can think of to solve this mystery. And it is solved at the very end of the book. But, I have to tell you, I did not have inkling to the murderer until Lilly reveals it in the last few pages.

This is what makes me recommend the book. The unique murder method, and the impossible (though entirely logical) solution to the mystery.

Bark If It's Murder is the first VM Burns book I've read. Going into it, I did not realize this book is part of a series of books. I did feel like I had missed part of the characters' backstory by not having read the previous books in the series.

This was a cute book. As a dog lover, I adored the cover of the book and the frequent appearance of dogs throughout, from the main character volunteering at a pet show to witnessing a murder at the local doggy day care.

This book is an easy read, and suitable for many levels and many audiences. It was not too scary, not too steamy, but still had a murder to solve, a blossoming romance, and newly formed friendships to navigate.

Thank you to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for an advanced copy of Bark If It's Murder in exchange for my honest review.

Bark If It’s Murder by V.M. Burns is about Lilly Echosby who may have witnessed a murder on a pet cam. When she boards her pet, she decides to use the pet cam to make sure her baby is okay. When she checks in she is sure she sees the wealthy co-owner of Pet Haven get murdered. When the police cannot find any clues, Lilly decides to help out. I enjoyed this book. The plot was very clever and I would never would have guessed the end. The characters were all well developed. I loved reading about all the dogs at Pet Haven.

This is a fun series. I love the cast of characters and in this book we get to meet Lilly’s son. It is a fast read but there is so much content. There is also a big twist that you won’t see coming.
Many thanks to Lyrical Underground and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I cannot say enough about this series. It is sweet with a slight romantic element, family oriented, female empowering and of course, MURDER!!

Lilly has put her past behind her and started a new life in Chattanooga. With the help of her best friend, Dixie, she is settling in well in her new surrounding. Looking to purchase a new home and doing well at her job, everything seems to be falling into place.

In this installments of the series, Lilly is helping Dixie out at Dog Show. While there, she meets the owner of Pet Haven, a posh doggie daycare and boarding facility. A last-minute opportunity arises to accompany her boss to an art auction, so Lilly decides to leave Aggie in the hands of Pet Haven. While watching the live feed of the facility to check in on Aggie, Lilly witnesses something that she surely believes is a murder in progress. Upon investigation, there is no crime scene and no body. Lilly, determined not to be deemed crazy, sets off to find out what happened and to whom.

What I love most about this series is that the protagonist, Lilly, is a middle aged woman with real life problems that we can relate to. She does her investigating but unlike many mystery protagonists, she doesn't throw herself into extremely dangerous situations. In my opinion, these would be realistic if it was realistic for middle aged women to go around solving crimes.

I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review. I highly recommend this series, and cannot wait for an announcement on book 4.

This is a series that I am really enjoying. I love the setting, Chattanooga Tennessee, and the MC Lilly Echosby. Her friend Dixie is a born and bred Chattanooga lady and I always love her antics, her down home advice and expressions. Lilly has been invited to an auction in Atlanta by her boss, so bites the bullet and boards her toy poodle Aggie at the posh Pet Spa. They even have closed circuit television so the owners can check on their pets. What Lilly didn't expect to see was a murder.

This was another great entry in the Dog Club Mystery Series. All the characters I have grown to love in the series were here again and a new character, BJ a realtor and dog lover is another great addition to the series. There was a good mystery in this one, as there was no body found after Lilly called the police about the murder, so Red was actually working behind the scenes. Lilly asks a lot of questions, but doesn't put herself in danger like some other protagonists do in some of the other series I read. There was also a lot of humour in this one involving dogs and poop. There were some twists in this one that completely threw my sleuthing radar out of whack, but it all fits together nicely in the end. A well-written and well-plotted cozy mystery that I do not hesitate to recommend to cozy mystery lovers.

Bark If It’s Murder is the third book in the Dog Club Mystery series.

Lilly Echosby is settling in well after her move to Chattanooga, Tenn. Lilly volunteers at a dog expo that the Eastern Tennessee Dog Club is sponsoring and stops by the tent for the Pet Haven Resort and Doggie Day Care and is rather surprised by the luxurious appointments that are offered for the pets. When her boss, Linda Kay, invites her at the last moment to join her and her husband for a trip to antique auction in Atlanta, she has to find someplace for her poodle, Aggie. Since she doesn’t have time to search out a kennel she decides to board her at Pet Haven. That evening she decides to take advantage of the pet cameras that are in each pets room to see how Aggie is doing. When the connection is made what Lilly sees in not her Aggie, but the killing of who she believes is the owner, Keri Lynn Simpson. She immediately calls “Red” Olson with the Tennessee Bureau Of Investigation. Olson heads for Pet Haven and soon finds that there is nobody, no evidence that anyone was killed Dallas Simpson claims that his wife is out of town visiting relatives. Lilly’s sleuthing begins to put a strain on her relationship with Olson. So Lilly decides she needs to go to work for Pet Haven and helping with the accounting. With the help of her son David, who is in town on a break from his career, they set off to find who was killed.

I love this series. The book is well-written and plotted and has plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing until the end. The book also has a cast of well-developed and believable characters. I’m sure they would all be best friends of mine.

This is a wonderful series for pet owners as it touches lightly on dog clubs and dog training.

I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this wonderful series.

Lily Echosby is settling into Chattanooga, TN and her job as a temp accountant at the Museum of Art. While at an art exhibit with her boss, Lily has boarded her toy poodle Aggie at the Pet Haven Pet Resort, a posh pet boarding place owned and run by Keri Lynn and Dallas Simpson. Checking in on Aggie using the WIFI cameras for the resort that pet owners can connect to, to check in on their pets, Lily happens upon a murder—or what she is sure is a murder. Lily contacts her beau, Red, who works in Tennessee law enforcement. After a thorough inspection of the resort, Red concludes that there may not have even been a murder, as no one can find any evidence of one. Still disturbed by the murder, Lily sets out to figure if a murder did occur and what exactly is going on with this posh resort and its owners.

This is not a very long book and reads rather quickly, so reading it was a breeze for me. After reading In the Dog House, the first in this series of doggie books, I had to read this one. It was equally as good. The author does not write a long, involved, complex story, so it is not very difficult to read and finish the book rather quickly, and the story does not become too complex to follow, with lots of crazy twists and turns, events and red herrings and a large number of characters. I liked this fact about this book as well as about the earlier one. Still, though short and sweet, the book still manages to cover the well-thought-out plot and story line completely. I may wish the take would go on longer, but every now and then, it is both relaxing and a relief to pick up a book, read it and not to have to worry too much about whether I am missing or not picking up on something or slowly working my way through page after page of “filler”. I enjoyed watching the budding relationship between Lily and Red grow deeper, as they work through relationship oftentimes stumbling blocks like trust, good communication, honesty, all the while building their relationship. Of course, I love Aggie and the other dogs. Who would not love these little guys and gals who can steal your heart quick as a wink? I like the way they play a good, solid role in the books, and are not set out on the sidelines like some sort of outliers. If you enjoy a simple, short mystery and dogs, this is a good book. It also is a quick, interesting mystery for readers just looking for something interesting and quick but thorough enough to satisfy any lingering questions. I received this from NetGalley to read and review.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Lilly Echosby has been enjoying her temporary accounting job at the art museum. She jumps at the chance to go with her boss to Atlanta for an art auction. She just needs to find someone to care for Aggie, her toy poodle. After a friend recommends Pet Haven Lilly decides to give the place a try. On arrival, she sees it is an elite pet care facility with themed rooms and pet cams that can be accessed by the pet’s families.

Relaxing in her hotel room, almost as nice as Aggie’s accommodations, Lily decides to check up on her pooch. Instead what she sees is something that looks like murder. She places a call to “Red” Olson, a Tennessee Bureau of Investigations Officer, a man she has been spending quite a bit of time with, to report what she saw. When he arrives at her hotel the next morning he informs her there was no body or evidence that anything bad had happened at the post pet hotel. She can’t believe it. With her boss’ blessing, she returns to Chattanooga to find the truth. Offering her accounting services she goes undercover to do just that.

This was an extremely fast read, more novella length than a full-length mystery and Ms. Burns packs those pages full. In addition to the murder, Lilly’s son, David, the actor comes to visit, her daughter’s boyfriend also drops in for a day, Aggie continues her puppy training, Lilly volunteers at a dog show for the job no one really wants, her co-worker Jacob is suffering from a broken ankle and is at his mom’s mercy, and Lilly is finally moving out of the residential hotel and into a home of her own.

I really enjoyed this story. As always the characters are well developed and pulled me right into the story. The friendship between Dixie and Lilly continues to shine. We meet some new characters this time and get to know some recurring characters better. I was very happy to have Lilly’s son come to town. It is great that we have now got to know both her children. Of course, the canine characters always steal my heart.

The author blends the mystery with all the happenings in Lilly’s daily life very well and Lilly’s life is very complicated even before you throw a probable murder into the mix. Thankfully she is a strong independent woman and knows just who to call for help when needed. For me, part of the whodunit was clear very early, but as the story continued to play out there was a huge twist I didn’t see coming. Excellently played Ms. Burns!

Bark If It’s Murder is a great addition to this series. V.M. Burns gives readers a page-turning mystery full of wonderful characters, humor, Southern charm, and just a little bit of romance. I highly recommend the entire series and can’t wait for the next installment.

This is the 3rd book in the "Dog Club Mystery Series. " This is a series I have read from book one and enjoyed tremendously . The author has all the elements here that make reading a cozy mystery fun. This is a well crafted sleuth, great charcters and of course lovable dogs.

In this next installment our protagonist Lilly has been asked to attend a event for her boss and has to board her beloved Aggie at a posh pet resort that includes a pet cam she can check anytime on her phone. The pet resort is very highly recommended to her so he feels safe boarding Aggie there. When she witnesses a murder while checking on Aggie no one believes her. She enlists her son and her friends to help her piece the clues together to find the right suspect. The tension builds as she gets closer and the clues add up to the right suspect and a pleasing conclusion.

This was a very enjoyable exciting addition to this beloved series. The dogs are adorable and the characters all likable. . I loved it and look forward to the next in series. Cross posted to Amazon and Good reads for the author.

Bark If It’s Murder: A Dog Club Mystery
By V.M. Burns
Lyrical Underground
August 27, 2019

Review by Cynthia Chow

Ever since she welcomed toy poodle Aggie into her life, Lilly Ann Echosby has been introduced to an entirely new world of dog shows, competitions, and canine indulgence. Lily’s never seen anything like the accommodations of the Pet Haven Resort and Doggie Day Care though, where the four-legged clients stay in their own individually decorated rooms with access to televisions, massages, aromatherapy, and pedicures. It during volunteer work with the Eastern Tennessee Dog Club at a local dog show that she met Pet Haven owner Keri Lynn Simpson, but Lily never expected to become one of their high-paying clients. An unexpected offer to attend an art auction with her boss in Atlanta was an opportunity that Lilly couldn’t pass, which is why she needs to place Aggie in Pet Haven’s five-star accommodations. The high-security 24-hour pet cams allow humans to watch over their fur babies, and they help ease the loss caused by separation. It also gives Lilly the horrific experience of seeing Keri murdered on camera, strangled to death by her husband.

A frantic Lilly calls Dennis “Red” Olson, an agent with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigations, who immediately sends police over to investigate the murder. When no body or crime scene is found, Lilly is infuriated and frustrated to have her credibility questioned. After her now late-husband cheated on her with a stripper, trust is not something that comes naturally to Lilly, making her determined to prove herself right and bring Keri’s killer to the police. Fortunately Lilly does not actually have to do it on her own, as she is enthusiastically joined by her dog trainer friend Dixie Jefferson, as well as the actor son who is visiting Lilly while his touring European play is on a break. Going undercover within Pet Haven, former accountant Lilly puts her skills to the test going through their books while her son David uses his natural charm to draw out lurid secrets within the extravagant doggie resort.

Pet lovers will rejoice in this series that explores dog obedience training, competitive dog shows, and everything else dog-centric. Lilly never knew how rewarding it could be to adopt a fur baby, especially the six-pound bundle of love who makes Lilly the center of her world. Dog owners will definitely appreciate scenes of Dixie’s training sessions, where owners are still the ones who need to learn the most. Even more nuanced has been the development of Lilly, a woman betrayed by love and now reluctant to trust again. As someone adept at spotting problematic behavior, Dixie very wisely observes that the person Lilly needs to learn to trust again is herself. While easier said than done – no one is harder on Lilly than Lilly – she proves to be a skilled investigator able to put together puzzle pieces to solve an elaborately complex mystery. The growing alliance of friends and family surrounding Lilly are a highlight of this series, with each character fully developed and integral to the mysteries. Of course the real treasure of this series has been seeing Lilly revel in the love that dogs bring to their humans, who rightfully indulge their fur babies in imaginative and seemingly limitless ways. Dog loves will truly appreciate this series, but all mystery fans will enjoy the intrigue and sleight-of-hand misdirects of this genuinely surprisingly novel.

Lily Echosby is starting over. She moved from New York with its extreme seasons to Chattanooga, TN. She has enough money to live on, thanks to an insurance settlement, but she is an independent woman determined to take care of herself and her family. Right now that family is mainly her dog, Aggie, but she also has two successful in their own rights human children.
She also has a part time job she is very happy with. As part of that job, Lily has the opportunity to attend an art auction, but her pup, Aggie, is not welcome to tag along.
Somewhat hesitantly, Aggie is boarded in a pet resort, with amenities better than most grand hotels, including doggie cameras so owners can check in at any time of day or night. It is during one of these check-ins that Lily witnesses what she believes is a murder. The trouble is, there is no body when the police arrive.

With a nod to great mysteries as well as fond memories of '70s television, Lily must convince the authorities, including her budding new romantic partner, that she saw what she saw. Her son, David, a talented actor, arrives for a visit just in time to help her investigate, along with the many talents of Lily's dog training classmates.

As if that is not stressful enough, Lily and Aggie are in search of a place to live, to call home. When everything seems to be falling into place on that front, a case of identity theft raises a red flag.

This can be read as a stand alone and enjoyed. If you are a fan of dog loving cozy mystery characters, you will want to read this entire fascinating and entertaining series. You may even get some valuable dog training tips as you read. The only thing that could have made this better would have been a recipe for dog treats!

This has a good story line I just did not like the writing style. There is too much filler that does not further the story. I found it boring in the beginning because it takes to long to get to the main point.

This is a series that I have come to enjoy greatly. I was a bit hesitant to read another series regarding dogs and dog shows as many authors don't write accurately about the shows. However, this book represents shows quite accurately.

I love the combination of museum work and dogs. The characters are interesting and interact like 'real' friends. I can't wait to watch the way the characters develop.

It's an easy read that kept me reading until late into the night. I'm ready to read the next one.