Murder Most Howl

By: Krista Davis

Narrated by: Jeanie Kanaley

Length: 8 hrs and 48 mins

Publisher's Summary

Holly Miller is delighted that her grandmother has finally left the Sugar Maple Inn to take a well-deserved vacation. It means that Holly's in charge, but running the inn might be more challenging than she realized. Wagtail's throwing a weekend-long murder mystery game to draw in tourists during the slow season, the inn has a full house, and a blizzard is on the way. Trouble is unleashed the night the game begins, when the storm blows in and the lights go out. It gets worse the following morning, when Holly's Jack Russell terrier, Trixie, discovers a body - one that's actually dead. Now Holly; her calico kitten, Twinkletoes; and Trixie must play by the rules and find one dirty dog.

©2015 Cristina Ryplansky (P)2016 Tantor

Good story, Bad Reader

I love this author's mysteries, but this narrator sucks. She has terrible emphasis, and she sounds old, though the heroineis young. Thisrobs some of the pleasure from the listen and story.

2 of 2 people found this review helpful

Boring and too cutesy

I didn't care for the narrator from the beginning which might have had an influence on the book. Found it brainless.

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

Murder in a murder mystery hunt

In Murder Most Howl by Krista Davis, the ski resort town of Wagtail is hosting a murder mystery weekend, featuring part treasure hunt and part detection. The whole town gets filled with amateur sleuths, while a storm arrives, snowing everyone in. The job for everyone is to locate the murderer of Baron von Rotweiler. Then the guests are set free on the town, where the shopkeepers have clues, and each player is given a clue as well. But early the next morning, Holly, who has been left in charge of the Sugar Maple Inn for the first time by her grandmother, comes across the body of a man who appears to have frozen while sitting on a bench in the town. It doesn’t take long to discover that Norm, a rich man in Wagtail, has been murdered with an injection of insulin.

Further research into Norm’s life reveals a man who has made many enemies, and thus the murder will be difficult to solve. Adding to all the local suspects, Holly learns that Norm’s first wife, a former supermodel, is visiting Wagtail for the Murder Most Howl activity. The clues keep adding up, but in all sorts of directions. Further, “fake clues,” scandal about people in the Wagtail community, start showing up amid the real clues about the Baron von Rotweiler, complicating the case as well as the murder game.

The book is very delightful, especially with the ambience of Wagtail, a town where pets are welcomed in all establishments, and the inn has rooms especially for cats and dogs. Clearly Davis knows her pets well, and her depictions of the dogs and cats all over the community made me really smile. I especially love Trixie, the little white terrier who adopted Holly in the first book. I especially appreciate the way the pets adopt the humans in this book. The pets come to life with so much sparkle. The book does not give the animals any types of human roles, which I appreciate, because animals have enough character in and of themselves as it is.

The mystery did get a little confusing at times, especially in telling the characters apart. The clues get a bit convoluted, but even though I didn’t always follow everything clearly, I still found the book to be a whole lot of fun.

Jeanie Kanaley performs the narration of the audio version of this book. It’s clear that she too loves animals in the way that the pets have real personalities based upon the tones of voice that she uses. Her voices are done creatively, making the experience of listening to this book all the more enjoyable.

Murder Most Howl delights in its ambiance and fun, with a creative mystery in addition. The conclusion got a little convoluted, but I didn’t mind very much. I really enjoyed this book and certainly intend to keep listening to other books in the series. I give the book four stars!

love these cozy mysteries

I love this series. I hope she writes more. I love the way the author works the animals in. I never guess who done it.

Perfect!!!

I absolutely loved it!! Just enough mystery to keep me guessing, making it perfect!!! 🐶🐶🐱🐱

I really hope this series continues.....

Any additional comments?

This is the third in the Paws and Claws Mystery series and it has quickly become one of my favorite series. I am absolutely in love with Wagtail and wish it was a real place. I sincerely hope that this series will continue for a very long time.

Most Aweome Murder

I love this series of books. I can hardly wait for the next book to hit Audible!!!
This book is another hit with me. It is worth the listen.

Great for pet lovers

pleasant book to pass time with. love interaction of dogs and cats. have fun listening.

Great Series

This has become one of my favorite series. I love the different characters this author creates and the different mysteries. The fact that everything takes place in a pet Utopia is the perfect touch!

meh

This is an okay book. It's slow and I'm a bit tired of the characters in this series. I might read the next one, if nothing else is available.

0 of 2 people found this review helpful