The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper

Damien Dickens Mysteries, Book 3

By: Phyllis Entis

Narrated by: Harry Dyson

Length: 6 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

Real estate mogul Derek J. Turpin, a chocolate company, and a journalist present the Dickens Detective Agency with its greatest challenge yet. After returning from a honeymoon cruise aboard a sailing ship, Damien and Millie land a plum assignment - a trip to Montreal to run a simple background check on a chocolate company. But, their plans are disrupted when a fellow passenger from their cruise comes to them for protection.

What did Barbara Lafleur, a travel writer for a Montreal newspaper, learn about Derek Turpin's activities that has put her in fear for her life? After she is struck by a car in a deliberate hit-and-run, it's up to Team Dickens to put a stop to Turpin's schemes.

©2016 Phyllis Entis (P)2017 Phyllis Entis

A deep mystery from 1980

In <strong>The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper</strong> by Phyllis Entis, Damien (Dick) and Millie Dickens take a cruise of the Caribbean, scheduled to be on the Yankee Clipper. But they arrive to find the Silver Shadow waiting for them instead, and they are told that the Yankee Clipper sank two weeks earlier when it hit a rock. On this cruise, the pair meet Barb, who introduces herself as a nurse but is really a travel writer. A few months later, Dick and Millie are surprised to see Barb walk into their office. Someone has been following her, and Dick looks out the window to recognize a former PI who had his license taken away for crossing the law. The next morning, Millie is waiting for Barb to join her for breakfast when she sees a car hit Barb, seemingly deliberately, leaving the woman in the ICU in critical condition.

In the meantime, Dick and Millie learn about plots going on related to Turpin, a high powered casino owner who recently moved to town and won't take no for an answer. They also have to do a routine investigation into a company a client is thinking of buying, but it turns out to be far from routine. All of these situations, including round- the- clock guarding of Barb in the ICU, may come back to cause them serious danger.

<strong>The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper</strong> has a good mystery that kept me drawn to the book. I really liked how it had several threads of research that seem unrelated but come together in the end. This time Dick and Millie truly perform as a team, each one using his or her strengths to get to the bottom of the case. I also really appreciated getting to learn more about Dick's past, as we find out about his childhood and how he became a police officer.

Despite my overall positive experience with <strong>The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper</strong>, there were a couple minor details that detracted from the book. Unlike the previous two books, this book shifts regularly between first person and third person. While most of the time it makes this shift only while starting a new chapter, early in the book, it shifts abruptly between the points of view, making it confusing. The other minor issue that arises involves the use of the biblical verse Numbers 17:4 as a key to a cipher. Therefore, the incorrect statement that Numbers is the third book in the Bible, when it is really the fourth, would affect the cipher to make the code impossible to read. This isn't very significant, but I did find it distracting.

Harry Dyson performs the audio edition of this book and does a good job. At first I had a little trouble adjusting to Dyson after having gotten used to Tom Lennon, but soon I found myself lost in the book with Dyson. He has created good voices for the characters and uses effective timing, making a significant difference in the level of drama in the book.

I had a good time listening to <strong>The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper</strong>. Even though I mention a couple of minor issues, they weren't important enough to interfere with my overall enjoyment and appreciation of this fun, creative book. I give it five stars!

<strong>Disclaimer:</strong> I received this book for free from the author, but that in no way had any influence on the content of my review.

Another beloved mystery!

I love the Damien Dickens Mysteries and enjoy every aspects of them. All the books are filled with main characters you'll like and funny twists. They're cozy, they're whodunnit and they're brilliant! There's no exception for this one. My favorite character is still Millie who, from the beginning, has always saved the day. And to the dog-people - nope, it's not a book about dogs - enjoy the mystery!

For the past books I was ambivalent about the narrator. This 3rd book has a new narrator and I'm not impressed. I had really hoped it would get better, but not for me. It was hard for me to follow the story, because the voice switch for the characters weren't very clear and Millie now has an even deeper voice. Harry Dyson is not good with female voices and there's not much difference in male voices. I wasn't impressed with the production either, but it seems, from reading other reviews, that I was the only one who noticed. I will READ the future books instead, because I really love Phyllis Entis' stories.

Smooth, new voice for a great mystery series

For me, Harry Dyson IS Damien Dickens. I find his voice perfect for the part - so easy to listen to. This is the best book yet in the series and Entis does an excellent job crafting a layered mystery, with several plots pulling together at the end. Millie remains my favorite character, and though I loathe him, I enjoyed the return of villain DJT. I look forward to Damien's continued mysteries and recommend this cozy series.

I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook with no obligation to review; this is my honest opinion.

The Mystery Is In the Details

Would you consider the audio edition of The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper to be better than the print version?

I had previously read the ebook version of this enjoyable novel by Phyllis Entis. Hearing the story narrated, though, was a different experience entirely. I was surprised at how the pace of the story seemed more sedate and mellow, giving me time to digest and appreciate all the deep detail incorporated into the story as the result of the author's extensive research. Perhaps when reading to myself, I went too fast, eager for the next clue, and failed to appreciate the beauty of the descriptive passages in their recreation of the period setting.

This audiobook is of excellent production quality and was easy to navigate with the Audible.com interface. I listened to it on my Kindle, but it would perform as well on other devices.

What other book might you compare The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper to and why?

Because of the depth of detail, extensive research, complex plot and measured pace, I would compare this mystery to the Hercule Poirot mysteries of Agatha Christie.

What about Harry Dyson’s performance did you like?

Narrator Harry Dyson does a fine job of bringing our mystery-solving hero, Damien Dickens, to life as a likable, smart, personable fellow. Dyson's voice suits the pace and tone of the book very well and causes the listener to feel instant affinity for every character -- females as well as males. I'm hoping to hear his narration of future Damien Dickens Mysteries.

Any additional comments?

Phyllis Entis weaves several plot lines so skillfully that I didn't realize the many connections between the disparate mysteries until she led me to them in the end. Whether you have ever read a Damien Dickens Mystery before, you will enjoy this one; the story stands on its own. Be warned that the adorable labradoodle appears only briefly (I won't say more, to avoid spoilers here), but the puppy is still an integral part of the plot.

Entertaining mystery with unexpected twists

I thought this was an entertaining cozy mystery. I really like the relationship between Damien and Millie. And I enjoyed learning more about Damien's past regarding dogs. The good characters are really easy to like, and there are some pretty complex (but completely followable) twists and turns in this book. Though I've read the previous two book and enjoy watching how Damien and Millie's relationship has progressed, it is not necessary to have read them in order to enjoy this book. This book can stand alone. I listened to the Audible edition of this book and the narrator was fine, though not super memorable. If you like mysteries, I recommend giving this book (and the series) a try.

The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper

I enjoyed this book.I wish I had read number 2 first, somehow I missed that one.There is a mystery surrounding a cruise ship that Damien and his wife had been on.The ship itself is a mystery and then a friend is run over to keep her from telling what she found out.The Dickens' are private eyes so it is up to them, and some reluctant police to find out the truth.Harry Dyson is a fine narrator for this book.I was provided this book free by the author, narrator or publisher.

The Expanding Dickens Agency

Would you consider the audio edition of The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper to be better than the print version?

Yes, hearing a story being presented is better for me as an audio learner

What other book might you compare The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper to and why?

This is in line with the rest of the Damien Dickens series

What does Harry Dyson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

A little more feel to it than just an internal monolog

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I preferred to listen to it in parts

Any additional comments?

The Dickens agency is expanding in all sort of ways in The Chocolate Labradoodle by Phyllis Entis. This detective novel, though taking place in 1980 has a classic feel from an era before. The dynamic actions taken to protect a client and friend while operating under the pressure of a corrupt, power wielding developer keeps for an interesting story line. It certainly has some surprises and a connecting plot that makes you want to see how it all turns out. It contains a great deal of description in geographic locations, character and even eateries.

This is the second novel in the series that I have had the privilege to review. In this case, I received a complimentary audio version of this book in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.

Damion And pals are back!

Damien and Milly finally go on their honeymoon a nice cruise also they think. The boat isn’t the boat they thought they would be on or is it. The one good thing from the trip is they need a new friend Barbara Leflore from dog Island she’s a psychiatric nurse or is she. All the friends return Z, Mary and Susan even that jack ass PI, but not to worry. Whatever goes wrong Damien will fix it or will he?

I love the Damien dickens mysteries who is a P I from the 70s and all his 70s glory the books just keep getting better and better but unfortunately I only have one left to read. So I hope this author gets busy and write more. I recommend this to anyone who likes PI stories with clumsy and not so clumsy villains and good people just trying to make it through the day with bad people trying to prevent them. Oh yes and one more teaser will Millie get to except the Labre doodle that Nelly and Z offered her and Damien? Why does Damien not wanna Labradoodle? All these questions answered with more questions I asked and answered. I love this PI series, I just wish they had more!

Dogs good, Chocolates maybe not so much?

This is the third Damien Dickens Mystery and, as usual, Dick and Millie are on the go in this one too. This time the travel is between Atlantic City, Montreal, and southern Florida. These two are always on the go! Somewhere in the mix are a chocolate factory, some Labradoodles, and a gal named Barbara LaFleur who is on the outs with their old nemesis Derek Turpin. Like the other books in the series, there are many unexpected twists and turns in the story and just when you think you have things figured out, something else is revealed that throws all of your ideas in the trash. The story keeps you on your toes until the end and is a fun read. By the end of each book Dick and Millie just seem to have a stronger and stronger partnership as they go along. It's nice to see that Millie isn't just a secretary and home-body wife like she could have been made out to be. *I was given a copy of this audiobook at my request and these are my honest opinions.*

What a great mystery!

The author and narrator were new to me. I think both are extremely talented. I loved how the narrator was able to have a different voice for each character. This book was so refreshing to listen to. The story is original, it is a standalone book, yet part of a series. I was voluntarily provided with this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.