Member Review

Dogged by Death by Laura Scott has Ally Winter moving to Willow Bluff, Wisconsin to be near her grandfather, Oscar after some big upheavals in her life. Ally buys out a local veterinary practice and settles into her new life. Ally is hired by Marty Shawlin to walk his dog, Roxy. She arrives the first day to find Roxy barking frantically and Marty dead on the floor. Detective Noah Jorgensen, Ally’s old high school crush, is on the case. Gramps, a true crime junkie, is eager to do some investigating of his own with help from Ally, of course (he has trouble getting around since his hip replacement surgery). The killer is not playing games and tries to deter Ally. Gramps is even more determined to find the guilty party. Dogged by Death is the debut of A Furry Friends Mystery series. I enjoyed this entertaining new cozy mystery. I laughed often while reading it. Ally Winter is a solid protagonist and I just love Gramps. He is a hoot. Roxy, Marty Shawlin’s dog, is smart and such a sweetie. The secondary characters are a great addition. The Willow Bluff Widows who live with Gramps at Willow Bluff Legacy House, an assisted living facility, nicely round out the cast along with Noah Jorgensen. I am glad the author took the time to establish the characters (characters can make or break a series). The mystery was fun to follow thanks to Gramps and Ally. I did feel that we really do not get to know the suspects. I understand why they are suspects, but the emotions were lacking. Readers should have no problem solving the whodunit before the reveal. There is repetition of case details and I wish the whodunit had been more of a challenge. I love how Ally and Gramps would “share” their information with Noah. Noah was always finding them in compromising situations. He has a facial twitch that was getting out of control by the end of the investigation (he found Gramps to be a challenge). Dogged by Death moved along at a quick pace with good dialogue and plenty of humor. I am looking forward to Tailing Trouble when it comes out next year. Dogged by Death is a tail wager with a septuagenarian sleuth, a benevolent veterinarian, willing widows, a bright boxer, an enduring detective, and a cruel killer.