Book Review: Merry Merry Merry Murder (Cuddle Farms Mystery, #1) by Paty Jager

Merry Merry Merry Murder: A Cuddle Farm Mystery by Paty Jager
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Nice holiday-themed start for a new cozy mystery series.

Merry Merry Merry Murder is the debut novel in author Pay Jager’s new cozy Cuddle Farm Mysteries series and features a widow returning to the hometown she grew up in to reunite with her family and start her life without her beloved husband. After the accidental death of her husband two years earlier, Andi Clark had experienced deep grief, and her dog, Cocoa, turned out to be the key to her healing. Realizing she could provide the same type of comfort to others, Andi learned more about therapy animals and decided to move back home to her family’s farm, rebuild her life, and start her own business, taking trained therapy dogs where they were needed most, like schools, hospitals, and retirement facilities. Thus, Cuddle Farms was born and soon expanded to include a miniature donkey, goat, and chicken, as well as Andi’s three dogs: Cocoa, Athena, and Lulu.

The holidays officially kick off in town on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, with a Christmas market followed by their traditional tree-lighting ceremony later that night. But during the evening’s festivities, the body of a local woman is discovered, strangled with a string of Christmas lights, and Andi is determined to find justice for the victim’s little girl, whom Andi had overheard confiding to Athena about seeing her mother kissing Santa Claus, a man not her father.

Andi finds out it’s hard to come home after so many years away. People have changed, life has moved on, and there are long-hidden secrets. The dead woman, Lauren Sheffield, is at the center of many of those secrets, and there are plenty of good suspects who have clear motives for wanting her out of their lives. Andi jumps into the case feet first because she wants an inroad with the new sheriff as an investigator: skills she’d developed over the twenty years she was away while helping her husband discreetly solve international murder cases involving privileged, high-placed, or government officials. From the sheriff’s perspective, she’s a nosy civilian but has local knowledge and connections he still lacks as a newcomer in town. So, although he cautions her to stay out of his investigation, he relies on her for the information she digs up. Along the way, Andi finally begins to reconnect with her old high school friends and expand her impact with her therapy animals.

The murder occurs early in the story, and the author does the heavy lifting of building the world of Auburn, Oregon, while Andi asks questions. The murder victim had quite a well-deserved reputation as a seductress, and many local couples had been drawn into her games. With so many guilty husbands and wronged wives, the suspects are thick on the ground, and Andi has her work cut out for her just ruling out the most likely. The story meanders a bit with so many distractions, but when the truth begins to come out, the pace really picks up. With questions about her family’s dynamics that still require answers and the hint of a possible romance in the future, I look forward to the next book in the series.

I recommend MERRY MERRY MERRY MURDER to cozy mystery fans, especially those who enjoy a holiday-themed story.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from the author through Great Escapes Virtual Book Tours.

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Book Review: Sick As a Dog (Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery, #3) by Tracy Carter

Sick as a Dog by Tracy Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This 'must-read' for dog lovers hits the ground running and never lets up!

Sick As a Dog is the third book in author Tracy Carter’s exciting dog-themed series, the Veronica Kildare K-9 Mysteries, featuring the energetic dog handler and trainer, her talented Chesapeake Bay Retriever, Leda, and a host of amazing service and support dogs. With an engaging group of recurring characters, their dogs, and several diverse, interwoven storylines, Veronica’s latest adventure is action-packed from page one as she and Leda complete the first of many search and rescue missions.

Veronica Kildare is a young 30-something with a tragic past, a summary of which the author skillfully weaves into the current action. Although this is the third book in the series, the concise retelling of how Veronica came to be in Colorado, the owner of a successful dog training business and well-appointed facility, will provide readers new to the series with an excellent foundation to enjoy this one as a standalone. Veronica continues to suffer the emotional and physical aftereffects of what occurred in Ohio, leading to her relocation to the Rocky Mountains, but she is slowly coming to terms with her past, altered future, and the reality that she needs to move on and live the rest of her life. Her dedication to helping find persons lost or in trouble in the surrounding Colorado mountains has, in turn, helped her as well.

As previously mentioned, the plot takes off quickly with Veronica and Leda on the trail of a missing rock climber and with little pause they are called upon to assist in a new concern involving the suspected illegal dumping of hazardous waste that appears to be impacting a local river and the water source for a large natural area as well as downstream agri-businesses. When Leda discovers the semi-nude body of a young woman in the same location and the park ranger who initially asked for assistance is critically injured in a single-car accident that was no accident, Veronica, her father, Leda, Officer Tim Donovan, and a local investigative reporter dig in to find answers and determine if these diverse events are related.

The descriptions of the natural areas Veronica and Leda search are vividly drawn, and you can almost hear the insects, birds, and other wildlife or breathe the fresh mountain air as you read. The detailed recounting of the search and rescue missions puts you on the scene and is a highlight of the book, as are the descriptions of the dogs’ training sessions and their often amusing and clever antics.

I recommend SICK AS A DOG and the entire Veronica Kildare K-9 Mystery series to mystery readers, especially those who love working dogs and canine family members.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advance Review Copy from Reedsy Discovery.



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