Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.36 AVERAGE
3.36 AVERAGE
Lauren Vancouver, animal lover and rescuer, runs HotRescues, a no kill animal shelter. Lauren, a widow, is mother to two college age kids. She has found an enemy in Efram Kiley, an animal abuser who works at a puppy mill where she recently rescued four beagle pups who were tossed in a drain pipe. Efram feels the same about her, and threatens Lauren and the shelter. That same night, he is found stabbed to death at HotRescues, and Lauren quickly becomes the primary suspect after discovering the body. The detective on the case is certain it’s her and all but refuses to look at anyone else. Lauren decides to do her own little detective work and take on the case herself to discover who really did Efram in.
This is the first in the new Pet Rescue series, and I really enjoyed it! It’s perfect for animal lovers who are fans of mysteries. I’ve recently started reading cozy mysteries and find them to be a lot of fun; this one was no exception. I was particularly interested in this cozy because of the animal aspect. I am a true animal lover, and thoroughly enjoyed reading about other like-minded people, particularly Lauren, who has dedicated her life to saving animals. I really liked Lauren as a character and thought she was feisty and full of sass. She was determined not only to rescue animals, but to find out who killed Efram. I thought the mystery aspect was strong as well. I kept speculating about possible killers throughout the whole story, and was not able to correctly guess. I was surprised to discover who the killer was at the end. The killer didn’t really seem that likely and I’m still doing a little “hmm” about it, but hey, you never know what could push someone to murder. Though this is an adult series, since it is a cozy, and not at all graphic, I think this book could be appropriate for YA readers as well. I’m really looking forward to Lauren’s adventures in the next installment, The More The Terrier, but was sad to find out it doesn’t come out until October! :(
This series is a spin off of Linda’s first cozy series, Kendra Ballantyne – Pet Sitter Mysteries. I haven’t read that series yet, but I plan on it really soon! More animal mysteries – hurray!
This is the first in the new Pet Rescue series, and I really enjoyed it! It’s perfect for animal lovers who are fans of mysteries. I’ve recently started reading cozy mysteries and find them to be a lot of fun; this one was no exception. I was particularly interested in this cozy because of the animal aspect. I am a true animal lover, and thoroughly enjoyed reading about other like-minded people, particularly Lauren, who has dedicated her life to saving animals. I really liked Lauren as a character and thought she was feisty and full of sass. She was determined not only to rescue animals, but to find out who killed Efram. I thought the mystery aspect was strong as well. I kept speculating about possible killers throughout the whole story, and was not able to correctly guess. I was surprised to discover who the killer was at the end. The killer didn’t really seem that likely and I’m still doing a little “hmm” about it, but hey, you never know what could push someone to murder. Though this is an adult series, since it is a cozy, and not at all graphic, I think this book could be appropriate for YA readers as well. I’m really looking forward to Lauren’s adventures in the next installment, The More The Terrier, but was sad to find out it doesn’t come out until October! :(
This series is a spin off of Linda’s first cozy series, Kendra Ballantyne – Pet Sitter Mysteries. I haven’t read that series yet, but I plan on it really soon! More animal mysteries – hurray!
I can't give this book an overall rating.
I'd give 4 stars to parts of the book, including Lauren (the main character), the animals, the details about animal rescue, the relationship that Lauren has with the animals.
I'd give a solid 3.5 stars to most of the supporting characters and their relationships with Lauren. I'd enjoy reading more about many of them, but this was a short book, and a lot of them were introduced. Not a problem, but I didn't have a chance to love them.
The overall writing was also in this area. It's pretty much solid, doing its job without distracting.
If this book could have been turned into another book-- say, chick lit, focusing on the lives of these characters and how the animals fit in, I'd give it 4 stars. I really enjoyed these aspects of this book.
Unfortunately, it was a mystery novel. This part of the plot would get a much lower rating. I know it was a cozy, and I haven't been reading cozies much recently. Did I forget my suspension of disbelief? I know that I always read them for the characters, not the details of the crimes.
Part of the problem was that I thought some interesting clues were set down early on, and these set me thinking about the possibilities. Unfortunately, these weren't used, weren't explained and the final answer didn't really work for me.
So, I enjoyed reading the book up until the end. I'll probably pick up the next book in the series. And I'm not even going to try for an overall rating.
I'd give 4 stars to parts of the book, including Lauren (the main character), the animals, the details about animal rescue, the relationship that Lauren has with the animals.
I'd give a solid 3.5 stars to most of the supporting characters and their relationships with Lauren. I'd enjoy reading more about many of them, but this was a short book, and a lot of them were introduced. Not a problem, but I didn't have a chance to love them.
The overall writing was also in this area. It's pretty much solid, doing its job without distracting.
If this book could have been turned into another book-- say, chick lit, focusing on the lives of these characters and how the animals fit in, I'd give it 4 stars. I really enjoyed these aspects of this book.
Unfortunately, it was a mystery novel. This part of the plot would get a much lower rating. I know it was a cozy, and I haven't been reading cozies much recently. Did I forget my suspension of disbelief? I know that I always read them for the characters, not the details of the crimes.
Part of the problem was that I thought some interesting clues were set down early on, and these set me thinking about the possibilities. Unfortunately, these weren't used, weren't explained and the final answer didn't really work for me.
So, I enjoyed reading the book up until the end. I'll probably pick up the next book in the series. And I'm not even going to try for an overall rating.
Fans of the Kendra Ballantyne Pet-Sitter Mystery series would enjoy this pet friendly cozy mystery series.
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
This was a quick read, typical cozy mystery and I loved the shelter setting but I didn't care for the judgmental nature of the main character, she is definitely not an endearing one. I'll continue with the serie for more pet goodness though
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Similar to (and tied in with, however slightly) Johnston's pet sitter mysteries, which I enjoyed for a few books and felt went stale. This was cute, though, if a little convoluted.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Having been involved in animal rescue for many years, I completely identify with Lauren and her team and their passion for rescuing animals. I loved everything about this book and can't wait to read the rest of the series!
Entertaining and not too cutesy. I liked how characters from another of her series played somewhat minor roles in this series. Still not sure how Lauren figured out the killer before things were revealed to the reader, but am curious enough to read the second book and see if she does it again.
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes