Bad to the Bone

A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery, Book 3

By: Linda O. Johnston

Narrated by: Carla Mercer-Meyer

Length: 7 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's Summary

Veterinary technician Carrie Kennersly loves both of her shops in Knobcone Heights: Icing on the Cake for human treats and Barkery and Biscuits, where she sells healthy dog treats she developed. A frequent visitor is Jack Loroco, who has been trying to get Carrie to sell recipes to his pet-food-manufacturer employer, VimPets. 

Jack also visits to encourage his developing relationship with Carrie's friend City Councilmember Billi Matlock, who also runs Mountaintop Rescue. But recently, VimPets employee Wanda Adler accompanied him to town, apparently wanting a relationship and more with Jack. 

When Wanda is found murdered, Carrie has to do all she can to find the killer and clear Billi and Jack.

©2019 Linda O. Johnston (P)2019 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

People like this author on a regular basis?

There are many reviews celebrating another book by Ms. Johnston but I don’t get it. I love books with layers and subplots but this is more like having a conversation with a preteen with Attention Deficit Disorder. Cute but not highly entertaining or thought provoking.

enjoyed but needs a new plt line.

enjoyable but the story line is same as others. needs a new set up. still like the concept.

Enjoyable but repeat dialogue

I love dogs and enjoy the treat recipes at the end. The mysteries are interesting and I have finished all 5 books. But I can not bear to hear how the restaurant workers have to wash their hands if they pet an animal, sometimes this is repeated 3-5 times in the book. I am not a health inspector!

I doubt I'll listen to another one this series

First, I sincerely appreciate cozy mysteries being they don't normally have the bad language or audible porn. They're a light listen and easy to do other things while listening to the story. I started with this series and liked the idea of the canine involvement. However, I doubt I'll listen to any more of this series due to the fact the author has really created a main character that disgusts me.

Possible spoiler alert, ahead. My jaw dropped when the author described the main character in a scene where she completely throws under the bus her supposed best friend, Billie, as well as someone she calls a friend, Jack. The scene has a completely despicable, dishonest, liar and cheat, called, Wanda, who, up front, shows she's dishonest and trying to get the account away from Jack and is willing to hurt Carries best friend, Billie, to get what she wants. The fact that the main character, Carrie, just sat at the table and watched this woman hurt her best friend, and did nothing to help her shows the character of Carrie. When, if she'd been a REAL friend, she would have stood up for her friends, told her friend, Jack, that if he didn't make Wanda leave the table, then she'd leave. But no, she just sat and watched the witch slice and dice her friends. (with a friend like, Carrie, who needs enemies?)

It shows the shallowness of the main character, Carrie, in that she went further to meet with this dishonest, Wanda, to listen to her proposition, to stab Jack in the back. Mainly, it shows the character of, Carrie, as being shallow, and dishonest herself if she's willing to go into a business deal with someone that has openly showed that they lie, cheat, and do whatever it takes to get their own way. It also shows, that Carrie, does not have any integrity. I'd already noticed that the author also paints Carrie as one that doesn't mind even lying to her friends or having the respect for her friends in being completely honest with them, or anyone else for that matter. From that point forward, I was filled with nothing but disgust for the main character and it made it extremely difficult to listen to the rest of the book. There's most certainly human snakes in this world, but when one shows that they're willing to partner up with a snake, that means they're a snake, themselves.

As far as Carrie being a sleuth.... that's a joke in itself. Her idea of 'sleuthing' is to state to everyone and anyone, 'did you murder her'? Couple that, with the author basically trying to paint the local police as stupid. I so appreciate those cozy mysteries where the amateur sleuth, works with the police instead of hiding info from them.... this author has done the complete opposite of that in her books. Bottom line, I won't I can't see myself tolerating any more of this series where the main character is so distasteful.
There's plenty of cozy mysteries out there, and I'll probably not listen to another one out of this author.

Enjoyment mystery

Love The bakery and biscuit series. Enjoyable and easy listening mystery .love the series.I will listen to them all!

Errot

in chapter 21 there is a problem with the story. Carrie leaves the Barkery to go to Jo's without Bisket and she returns and make a few calls and then enters WITH BISKET????

narration was poor.

The narrator was monotone and sounded as if she were reading from the pages for the first time.

Not a fan

Hard to listen too. Had to up speed to get through it. Main character is highly unlikeable and spoils the experience. I know you want details to draw listeners / readers in but feels like way to many unnecessary details ( felt like trying to meet a word quota when writing a school paper). Thank goodness it was a free book.

Always Entertaining

Cute story and series. The individual that was the actual murderer was a bit of a surprise. A entertaining story.