Mastiffs, Mystery, and Murder

A Dog Detective Series Novel, Volume 1

By: Sandra Baublitz

Narrated by: Nancy Bober

It's murder at the dog show!

When amateur sleuth Clarissa Hayes and her trusty Saint Bernard, Paw, enter a dog show, they expect to find dogs, blue ribbons, and trophies. Not dead bodies. Clarissa's boyfriend is tracking a suspect in the death of a dog fancier. It's up to Clarissa and Paw to provide him cover as they compete in the show.

But the competition turns deadly when another dog owner is murdered. Are the deaths connected? Clarissa and Paw must sniff out the clues to solve the crime before the killer collars them.

Will Best in Show become Best in Death?

©2017 Sandra Baublitz (P)2017 Sandra Baublitz

Fun mystery with dogs

Clarissa Hayes and her trusty St. Bernard, Paw, are helping out her PI boyfriend, Bruce Sevor, are at a dog show to investigate the possible murder of a much-disliked former competitor. It's a problem that neither of them knows anything about dog shows, and Clarissa has never done more than the most rudimentary training with Paw, but he is purebred, and a lovely dog. Fortunately, they also get help from friends who are more more interested in the dog show scene, especially Shelbee, who is a pet sitter and dog trainer.

They meet the good, the bad, and the ugly of the dog show scene, which is filled with people who love dogs, and people who are incredibly competitive. At least one looks like a potential murderer, and had clashed with the suspected murder victim in the past. It's a bit inconvenient, as well as unpleasant, when he turns up dead, too, this time obviously murder.

Baublitz clearly knows dogs. Despite two deaths, another owner attacked, and some alarming moments, it's mostly a light, entertaining story where plausibly real dogs, including Paw and the latest murder victim's mastiff, Samuel, get to play plausibly helpful roles in straightening things out.

Some things do work themselves out a bit too simply, but it's a story I was able to relax into, with dogs and dog lovers.

A light, fun read.

I bought this audiobook.

Fun Listen!

Both the author and narrator were new to me with this fun listen. The story is a cozy mystery and has some humor. There were also some unexpected scenes in the book, plus a nice resolution. As a large-breed dog owner, I found some of the scenes very realistic. I would definitely listen to more books by both the author and narrator in the future. I requested this review copy audiobook from the author, narrator and/or publisher and have voluntarily written this review.

Perfect for dog lovers!

If you are a dog lover you will really enjoy this book! There are so many different dog personalities throughout the story, which I loved. The storyline and mystery takes off from the second the book starts. There is no fluff or muted stories that take up any space (which I love). You start the book instantly knowing what the case is about, and all the characters convene at a dog show to go undercover. The entire book takes place at this dog show, and you meet a lot of fun characters there along the way.
This was a fun mystery to follow along with, I appreciated that the story had twists & turns that never felt stale. Something was always happening, and there was little to no romance.
I really enjoyed this book & I hope that more get narrated in this series! I received this complimentary book and gave my honest review.

Very enjoyable

I received this book free from the author or narrator and offer my review of it willingly. If you like dogs and mysteries, then you'll find this an interesting book. Many of the characters are quirky and the story has several fun scenes.

Ok

I haven’t listened to others in the series but I found this to be an ok read but not great. I would have like a little more character development and description. It seemed slow although I did enjoy the scenes when the dogs got loose. I might try the author again. The narrator was also ok but not stellar. Her voice was good but she sounded older than I imagined the character and her tone was a but all over. Overall, not my favorite but not the worst either. I received a free review copy of this book and have voluntarily left this review.