Trust the Terrier by D.L. Mitchell  is the first in the  Coral Shores Veterinary Mystery series.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Black Rose Writing and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

 
Series Information:
Dr. Emily Benton is the new owner of Coral Shores Veterinary Hospital in Florida, and has hired her long-time friend Anthony Torres to help manage it.  She moved back to the area when her mom got sick, and is now living in the cottage on the beach since her mom passed away.  Her brother Duncan is a deputy sheriff, and lives in the next town.

 
My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions)
Emily is delivering some medicine for Mrs. Klein's terrier Elvis, when she discovers the woman's body.   She calls her brother, and ends up taking Elvis home until the woman's daughter can come.

A day later, Emily's walk on the beach with Elvis is interrupted by an intruder in Mrs. Klein's house.  The death is now deemed suspicious, and Detective Mike Lane will get more involved.

Emily gets further involved in all the drama when Elvis takes an instant dislike to a delivery driver who also delivered groceries to his previous owner.  Emily is keeping in touch with Mrs. Klein's daughter Sarah who lives in California.  They both want to find out what truly happened to the poor lady who was such an animal lover.

 
My Opinions:
First, you must know that I do not read books about animals.  I don't watch tv shows about animals.  As a kid, I hated that The Littlest Hobo had no home....and I was always worried that Lassie would get hurt.  Don't get me started on Old Yeller.  I have had many dogs over the years (2 aging shih-tzu's right now), and it kills me when they are not well.  All this being said, I can't believe I even started this book!  However, I figured that a vet would not write a cozy mystery where her main character get's hurt.

Anyway, it turned out to be a very fast and easy read.  I didn't even mind the romance angle.  Although it was way too predictable, it was still good.  My biggest complaint was Emily, whose constant interference in the police investigation was highly annoying.

Anyway, not bad for a debut cozy mystery.

“Trust the Terrier” by DL Mitchell is the first in a cozy mystery series featuring veterinarian Emily Benton. Emily discovers the body of Elvis’s owner when she stops by to bring him some medication. Considering her former piano teacher’s age and penchant for smoking, her death wasn’t entirely unexpected. Until arrangements can be made for her terrier Elvis, Emily agrees to keep him. He’s a wonderful little guy and loves everyone. Except for Bucky, who is the person who delivers groceries. What is it that makes Elvis want to kill him?

This is the perfect light read for a cold winter’s day. I snuggled up under a soft blanket, took in some Florida sunshine, and fell into the friendly community of Coral Shores. I’m looking forward to more light mysteries from this author.

Many thanks to Net Galley and to Black Rose Writing for an ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.

This is a great cozy mystery that hooks you on the first page and doesn't let go. This book is a Must Read for dog lovers and fans of a good cozy mystery.
I received a complimentary copy from Black Rose Writing via NetGalley and was not required to write a review. All opinions expressed are my own.

A terrier's instinct exposes an unscrupulous real estate operation in a quiet place called coral shores.

Emily Benton is a Coral Shores' dedicated veterinarian. She discovers the body of a local resident, Mrs. Klein, on a visit for her dogs checkup. Emily becomes Elvis's caregiver while local police investigate the murder. Elvis's demeanor changes when Bucky delivers food from a local grocer. His negative reaction to Bucky makes Emily think there is a connection to the murder. As the investigation progresses, Emily uncovers a connection to Bucky's involvement with a real estate firm up to no good.

This cozy murder mystery was a fun read. I enjoyed Elvis's intuition that Bucky is not a good guy. This is a highly recommended read for dog lovers and cozy mysteries.

feel-good, cozy-mystery, grieving, grief, veterinarian, first-in-series, debut-author, local-law-enforcement, Florida, romantic****

This is a really nice story on a par with a Hallmark book. Seems a fine start to a new series.
I requested and received an EARC from Black Rose Writing via NetGalley. Thanks

Trust the Terrier centres around Emily Benton, a vet, who discovers the body of one of her clients, Mrs Klein, when on a house call. The book then follows her and Mrs Klein's dog Elvis as they try to uncover what happened to his owner who was seemingly friends with everyone.

I felt very conflicted when trying to give this book. On the one hand I loved the setting of Coral Shores and through the veterinary hospital we get to meet lots of the cats and dogs living in the area. I thought the stories of why they ended up at the vets were very entertaining and relatable for any pet owner. Elvis was the highlight of this book and I thought the author captured the stubborn yet sweet terrier attitude perfectly. The writing style was really easy to fly through so this was a really quick read and would be ideal to break a reading slump.

However in my opinion this book was let down by the fact that it tried to do too much in 200 pages. Within the 200 pages there is the main cozy crime plot, a romance subplot, family dynamics, explorations of grief as well as descriptions of day to day life at the veterinary hospital. The mystery element was very weak as we aren't presented with many clues or red herrings and there is only one suspect introduced. I also felt that the romance was very much love at first sight and developed very quickly despite there being no chemistry between the two characters. The book became quite repetitive as we follow the main character go to work, come home, feed her cat and dog and then walk the dog almost daily for the two week time frame that this book is set over.

Overall, this book wasn't for me as I didn't enjoy the mystery which was what drew me to this book. However I would recommend this if you're looking for a book with adorable animals and a slow, gentle plot exploring the bond between people and animals as well as friendship and family.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a cute cozy mystery! There aren't any big twists or surprises but it was an enjoyable story. And how can you resist that adorable cover!