STAY

A Paws & Probable Cause Mystery

She came to escape her past. She found a body instead.

Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Wren Calloway has had enough—of her cheating ex-husband, her high-pressure Manhattan career, and her own terrible judgment. When she inherits her grandmother's cottage in the picturesque coastal town of Tidal Cove, Maine, she sees a chance to disappear, regroup, and figure out what comes next.

But her fresh start turns deadly when her rescue dog Biscuit leads her to a body on the rocks below her new home.
The victim is Ned Haskell—a beloved local lobsterman everyone insists had no enemies. The police call it an accident. A tragic fall from the cliff path. Case closed.

Wren isn't so sure. Biscuit's behavioral alerts are never wrong, and he's detected something on that path that doesn't fit the official story. Stress markers. Fear. The chemical signature of violence.

As Wren digs deeper, she uncovers a web of secrets beneath Tidal Cove's charming surface—old family feuds, environmental crimes, and a conspiracy that reaches further than anyone imagined. Someone in this tight-knit community is hiding the truth about Ned's death. And they'll do anything to keep it buried.

With the help of a kind local veterinarian, a prickly marine biologist, and a police chief who doesn't appreciate civilian interference, Wren must use her expertise in animal behavior to decode the clues only Biscuit can sense. But the closer she gets to the truth, the more dangerous her questions become.

In Tidal Cove, the animals know who to trust. The question is whether Wren will survive long enough to listen.
Perfect for fans of: Krista Davis's Paws & Claws Mysteries, Sofie Kelly's Magical Cats series, and Krista Davis's Domestic Diva Mysteries.

Stay is the first book in the Paws & Probable Cause cozy mystery series, featuring a veterinary behaviorist sleuth, her anxious-but-brilliant rescue dog, a grumpy one-eyed cat, and the small coastal town hiding big secrets. Clean read with no graphic violence, mild romantic subplot, and recipes included.

Series reading order:

1. STAY
2. HEEL
3. DOWN
4. COME
5. SIT
6. GUARD