Bells, Tails & Murder
Author Kathy Manos Penn
Narrated by Alex Picard

Leta Parkers life changed drastically when her husband was killed suddenly while they were out biking. She retired to England fulfilling her dream in a cute cozy cottage in the Cotswolds. Her animals come with her but travel separately to the airport.

One morning on a walk with Dickens her dwarf Pyrenees they come across a body in a park under extremely suspicious circumstances. They go into searching for who could have done it with multiple subjects.

I really love these who done it type books and this being a series excites me because I can follow Leta’s journey!

Thank you NetGalley and Tantor Audio for the ALC audiobook. All opinions are my own.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the audio version. I absolutely enjoy murder mystery, and the MFC has an adorable pet/pets. But this one was just okay. If you are looking for an easy fast murder mystery read with a little bit of magic, you might like this one.
I think it got a bit cheesy when the animals actually talked back to her. I have read magical books where that has happened and I didn't mind it. I just honestly think it was the narrator who turned me off from the story. She read the novel like she was reading a kids' book instead of a novel for adults. So maybe you would want to read it as a regular book.

Bells, Tails & Murder is book #1 in the Dickens & Christie Mystery series by Kathy Manos Penn. The audiobook is narrated by Alex Picard.

Leta Parker is a recent widow who retired in Atlanta, Georgia and moved to the Cotswolds in England with her cat, Christie, and dog, Dickens. Leta has the ability to understand animals which she keeps a secret. Christie is a bitty sassy which is what I would think my cats would sound like. Dickens is a sweetheart. The characters are likable and well-developed. The murder mystery was interesting and I enjoyed the wrap-up. I loved the storyline about the old books and letters.

Alex Picard did a great job narrating. It was easy to identify the various characters.

Thank you to the author, Tantor Audio, and NetGalley for the offer of an Advanced Listener Copy (ALC) copy of this book. I failed to download it before it was archived but I was so interested in it that I purchased a copy on release day. This is my honest review.

I almost abandoned this cozy mystery when I realized the protagonist not only lives with but has two-way conversations with her pet dog and cat. She is a “Doctor Doolittle” sort of person who can converse with all the neighborhood cats and dogs, not just her own. Yet she does not advertise this fact. Her pets observe human behavior and help her solve the mystery at the heart of this book. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. The pets’ observations about humans were often amusing. The mystery was also decent. If you can get past the talking animals, you might like this literary mystery with its storyline of rare books. It is well narrated.
My thanks to the author, publisher, producer, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook #BellsTailsMurder for review purposes. Publication date: 5 April 2025.

Reviewing audiobook version: this is the first book of this charming series. After a devastating accident Leta’s life is about to start over. She has moved to the Cotwolds along with her talking dog and cat. Come along as she navigates her new life making friends and solving some mysteries.
The audiobook version is delightfully narrated by Alex Picard.. She gives a voice to the animals that make me believe they are talking to me. This version is easy listening.

Really cute cozy mystery. While a tad cheesy with a Dr, Dolittle feel, it was fun. The plot reads at a typical cozy; the MC becomes an amateur sleuth after finding a dead body. The author tries to focus your attention elsewhere, but the suspect was pretty obvious.

All in all, it was a quick, fun read to get lost from reality.

The narrator was great. I honestly do not think I would have enjoyed the book much if I hadn't listened to it.

I'm afraid this was a DNR for me. I thought I was going to love it based on my appreciation for both cats and cozy mysteries but I just could not get into it. I do want to note that I made two separate attempts to make sure that it wasn't just a mood thing for me. I got even further in on my second attempt but the narrator was not enjoyable for me which somehow was made particularly worse with the talking cats which I feel distracted even more from a story that I could not get into. I was hoping that if I listened long enough I could get into the character or that the storyline would hook me but neither one was able to do the job and I eventually had to call it quits.

There are 12 books in this series so it must be popular. I gave it a 3, because while it was cute, I am obsessed with the Chatty Corgi series and really liked the narrator for that one. I liked the cat's voice in this one, but I couldn't warm up to the dog's voice. I wasn't fond enough of the main character to get hooked enough to want to read another in the series. If I really like the first book in a series I try to get my hands on the whole series and devour it as the books become available. But, as I said, there are 12 books in this series so I'll just tell you to listen to the preview and see if you like it enough to buy it. Maybe it's just the narration that I'm reacting to.
Thank you to the publisher for this ARC copy.

Bells, Tails & Murder by Kathy Manos Penn, narrated by Alex Picard, is such a unique cozy mystery. I loved the concept of talking animals and how the protagonist could communicate with them. The idea of her animals helping her solve the case is truly fascinating. More than once, she sets up her computer for her cat to review crime scene photos, which adds an interesting twist. I've never encountered anything like that in a book before. I will definitely continue with the series!

Thank you netgalley and the publisher for the arc for the audiobook for an honest review.

This was such a fun book, I really enjoyed the story, and the narrator did a good job. Thank you to Kathy Penn for the arc!

I was very hopeful when I first started this book. I had read other reviews, and it looked really promising.

I think this was a decent cozy mystery, but I don't think it is anything extra special. Again, this is my opinion. I do like the aspect that she can "talk" to the dogs and cats, but I wish she could talk to all animals or explain that she can't. And I am thinking that is just my problem. The main reason that this wasn't a 5 star read for me, was I figured out who the killer was early on. I think even in a cozy mystery the killer should be a little bit of a mystery.

I would like to end my review by saying I would like to read the other books in this series to see if I like them more than I like this first book. And I am glad that I gave this book a chance. The cat's sassy attitude is funny, and there were little bits of humor that I enjoyed along the way. The narration was also nicely paced as well as pleasant to listen to.

If you enjoy animals and cozy mysteries, then definitely give this a try.
3.5 rounded down to 3 ⭐⭐⭐ Rounded down because I figured it out. I think I have just read/listened to too many mysteries, and it has ruined some books for me.

This is a cute cozy British style mystery with a touch of magic that keeps you guessing until the big reveal.
Leta is a retired widow who moved to the Cotswolds from the US. Also starring are her two cute and well characterized pets, Christie, a black cat, and Dickens, a miniature Pyrenees. The touch of magic comes into play because Leta can understand and speak to animals! The narration of the pets adds comic relief and warmth to the mystery. The characters don’t feel like they are all of retirement age in narration or the text.
Folks interested in JM Barrie of Peter Pan and rare books will love this. Give this to fans of Victoria Abbott and Lauren Elliot.

"Bells, Tails & Murder (Dickens & Christie #1)" by Kathy Manos Penn has Leta moving to a Cotswold English town after the death of her husband and retirement from her bank job. She's now writing a couple columns and getting to know her new life in England. She's also can speak to animals, at least cats and dogs haven't heard any other animals talk to her yet.

Her secret ability comes in handy when she and her dog Dickens come across the body of woman who had been her cleaner. One thing leads to another, and multiple book references later, Leta and her pets are helping their cop friend investigate. This one wrapped up about how I expected too but I don't this it was overly obvious either. I do have a lot of cozy mysteries I've read.

Eeeepppp!!! New fave cozy mystery alert! Eeeeeepppppp!!!! This book was written for me. Early retirement in a quaint English village. Check. Big personality pets. Check. Feeling like I’ve wandered onto a Midsommer Murders set. Check. The perfect cozy/mystery balance. Check. A wee bit of magical realism. Check!!! So. Much. Fun!

And you gotta love a heroine who channels her inner Nancy Drew when stuff happens. Just like Nancy, Leta has a posse of new friends who are eager to dive into the realm of amateur sleuthing with her. Not to mention Christie and Dickens, Leta’s highly gifted cat and dog. Fan girling over these critters and what they bring to the story! Such a fantastic surprise!

Loved the cozy descriptions that made me feel like I was in the Cotswolds and the bookish influences in the murder mystery raised my bookish glee all the more. Two of my favourite elements in a cozy mystery.

I enjoyed listening to the audio edition narrated by Alex Picard who did a wonderful job bringing these characters to life. I especially loved her portrayals of Christie and Dickens (grinning madly.) Would definitely recommend the audio book to readers like me who relish losing themselves in a good storytelling session.

My thanks to RBMedia and Net Galley for providing me with an audio edition of this book.

AUDIO VERSION 6h 29m

I'll won't belabor the plot as I'm pretty sure I reviewed the book when it was first published. Loved it then, love it now. I was seriously impressed with narrator Alex Picard. She does a wonderful job not only differentiating voices but adding emotion and capturing the tenser scenes. Heck, she even brings Dickens the dog and the feisty, often cranky cat Christie to life. Yes, the animals talk but it's just an accepted fact in this series and not seen as magical or odd. Works nicely, too, and I adore these two talking critters.

You'll meet and surely like the regular characters. I'd sort of forgotten where Dave came into the picture, so this was a nice refresher for me. It's already obvious he's going to play an important role in the series although he still lives in the US while Leta has moved to the Cotswolds, England. Lots of book talk and literary references and you'll pick up quite a bit about collecting old books in the process of reading. I won't spoil the rest of the series for you but do pay attention to the stories of the author with ties to Peter and Wendy. Gee, bet their names give you a big hint, huh? In any case, the story revolves around Leta stumbling across a body and how her friends circle about to help her solve the crime.

As is true in real life, everyone seems to have secrets. Leta makes many of the typical rookie amateur sleuth mistakes, such as jumping to conclusions and not sharing info post haste with the police, but it's also obvious she's a caring, intelligent woman. I liked the fact she's a columnist and hadn't quite realized how quickly she'd settled into the regular themes used until now. Rather fun to take a look back and see things you missed first time through, especially while enjoying Picard's excellent narration. Thanks #TantorAudio for gifting me the advance look back, so to speak. It was fun to be reminded why I've come to enjoy this series so much.

This is an adorable story and first in the Dickens and Christie Murder series. In this story, Leta has recently moved to England from America following the unexpected death of her husband. Leta has made friends and was attending one gathering, when afterwards she found the body of her housekeeper Alice.

Leta's pets- Dickens the dog and Christie the cat communicate her. While everyone else hears barks or meows, Leta hears words. Dickens and Christie decide to help her investigate the murder.

This story was good- at times I laughed out loud and the story had a rather unexpected ending - several red herrings, which I love. The narration of this story was also good - the voices of Dickens and Christie were so much fun and seemed on point for the super friendly dog and sassy cat.

I look forward to more books in the story, and would recommend this book to anyone looking for a good cozy mystery.

3.5⭐️ This was an OK cozy. I didn’t know who the villain was until the end, but the story was kind of blah. The talking animals don’t really fit in the story but have the potential to make the series more entertaining if better integrated. I will definitely continue with the series for now. The narrator was wonderful. Their voice was fitting for the characters.

This was a fun cosy mystery. While I wasn't expecting the main character to be able to carry on a conversation with any animal she met and at first it did seem strangers it soon became just one of the many high lights of the book and some how it worked. The author nailed the personalities of both the two main animals, being both a cat and dog owner I can imagine that is exactly what they are thinking and I had a few chuckles over there antics. The number of literature references, especially to detectives was entertaining, as was the mystery itself. There was a number of suspects and like Leta I was on to the wrong one. I liked the characters and although I did think we were introduced to too many all at once and it became confusing keeping them straight, I soon got a handle on who everybody was. It's a very English murder mystery just like the cats name sake Agatha Christie would have written and I can't wait for the next book.
After the death of her husband Leta Parker picks up her car and dog and moved them to England for a simple, quite life one with out any sad memories. Well as quite a life as one can get when you can talk to and understand your four legged companions. Instead she stumbles over the dead body of her cleaner. It quickly becomes apparent that non of her clients knew her as well as they thought and it's up to the three who knew her best, Leta, Wendy, a retired English teacher and Wendy’s elderly mother to get to the bottom of her murder. The more they discover the closer they come to danger. Will they uncover the motive for murder like there fictional hero's or will a killer get away with more than taking a life?
I did like the narrator as she had a pleasant sounding voice, however I did find the more characters we were introduced to the more they sounded a like and it wasn't always to tell them apart.
I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Bells, Tails & Murder is the first book in the Dickens & Christie series by Kathy Manos Penn, and what a treat this book is!

Have you ever thought about talking to your pets? What about them responding? Well the main character Leta can do just that à la Dr. Doolittle style.

The quirky characters of both Dickens (pupper) and Christie (cat) give more to the story as Leta isn’t just solving the crime on her own but bouncing ideas back and forth with the pets. They also help by finding clues!

Although this book does deal with some heavy topics such as loss of a spouse, a friend, and an attempted murder it does have its simple day to day life events that help bring the group together.

Also wish the Greek salad recipe was included because that sounded delicious!

I love a cozy mystery, so I requested this one without digging too deeply into what it was about, and I was thrown for a loop when I realized that our main character, Leta, could communicate with animals. At first I worried it would be too cheesy, but I ended up loving it. I thought the conversations with the animals was cute and that Leta's new life in England was fascinating - I enjoyed seeing her form new friendships and uncover secrets. It was a really fun book, and for those who like a little bit of fun with their cozy mysteries, I think it's a great pick!