It’s supposed to be kind of their practice honeymoon. Soon to be married, Dan entices his fiancee Elaine to spend some time with him in tropical Florida. He works an an investigator for United Life and Casualty. They have a case he needs to check out. Five prized dogs were lost in a fire at the Greyhound Racing Park. Things look all in order and Dan can steal some quality time with Elaine. Should be an easy wrap.

That is until Elaine stumbles upon a stray dog while taking a walk and the dog has a clue in it’s mouth.

I was drawn to this book because of the Greyhound racing. I live in Alabama and we don’t have horse racing, which I love. I was introduced to the Mobile Greyhound Racing Club and found it just as fun and exciting. I was an amateur and chose my bets by catchy names for the dogs. Never did win much but I loved watching those elegant, sleek dogs chase that rabbit.

I did enjoy the characters. Each had their own mysteries. Dan had to determine if the insurance company should pay off on the fire and the lost greyhounds. Elaine was getting her P.I. license and working a case for her mother-in law, Maggie. And Maggie was worried that her new fiance, Stanley, might be someone other than he who says he is.

In an area renowned for ex mobsters provided with new identities from the witness protection agency, who knows who Stanley really is. About to uproot herself and move to Palm Beach, Maggie wants to make sure she doesn’t have a rotten apple from the barrel.

And lets not forget Fucher. What a sweetie. He’s a bit slow but loves the dogs and taking care of them, especially his beloved Sadie. An employee at the track, he’s the perfect patsy for the cops to arrest. It’s not just arson either. Kennel owner, Jackson Sanchez, was found stabbed to death with the word thief carved into his forehead. Could Fucher have done it? He recently came into a lot of money and perhaps he loaned some to Jackson , and he wasn’t paying it back?

The police believe they have their man and are content to look no further.

Mystery upon mystery, the plot is afoot. I was kept on my toes, for sure. The author had me going in circles and, until the smoke cleared, I had no idea who the true culprit or culprits were.

I chased that rabbit and got my reward. ( )

I would like to thank NetGalley and Poisoned Press Ink for the opportunity of providing me with a copy to read for my honest review.

I've not read any of the Dan Mahoney mysteries and it's my lose. Dan's sense of justice is another one of the reasons I loved this book. I really loved the way the book flowed with a lots of humor and plus a couple of other plot lines going on. One involved Dan's finance and his mother which was quite funny.

Dan is an investigator for an Insurance company that is sent out to a dog track that has been burnt down and several greyhounds have supposable been killed in the process. They also find a very nasty man had been murdered in the process, was the fire to collect on the insurance or to cover up the death? The police are sure they have their man who is considered slightly slow that works the dogs out at the kennel and sometimes he stays late into the night taking care of them so he ends up sleeping in the kennel office. That night he did and he saved most of the dogs and risked his own life doing it. He stumbles over the body of a very nasty man who is fellow breeder and racer who loves to cause trouble. He tries to pulls him to safety then finds there is a butcher knife in his back he pulls the knife out of his back which of course is then covered with the young man's prints. But when he returns to get the man the man had been moved. The police of course doesn't believe him and arrests him for the murder and arson. Dan doesn't believe the young man did it for a minute and tries everything he can to prove it. The young man just doesn't have it in him.

Susan, Dan's fiancee is looking into getting her PI licence because she is getting tired of teaching. So she's starting getting her credits and her first job is to help her future mother-in-law in finding out about her new fiance. Susan finds out that he is no where close to being who he seems to be.

I loved this book and if you love dogs and mysteries as much as I do I think you will too. I can wait to read more about Dan and Susan. ( )

Hair of the Dog by Susan Slater is a cozy mystery that is not quite so cozy. If you are a dog lover, this one is for you. It has a cast of characters that will have you sifting through the evidence in search of the guilty party. Susan did not make it easy for me to find the answers I was looking for, but she did make the journey enjoyable.

Fucher Crumm most always has his faithful dog, Sadie, at his side, until now. She has been missing since the murder of one of Daytona’s biggest kennel owners and the fire at the Daytona track. Aww no. I don’t want anything to happen to her.

Fucher had won a settlement against the city when he was hit by one of their trucks. He is a bit slow, friendly and generous with his money, but his main love is the dogs at the kennel. He loves working with them and went above and beyond to save them during the fire. Now he is accused of causing the fire and murdering Sanchez. Is he an easy target for a frame-up or is he guilty?

Dan was on his honeymoon with Elaine in Daytona. When his boss, United Life and Casualty called about the fire and the missing dogs, he figured he could mix business with pleasure. Elaine was game, in fact she was ready to make a career change and thought now was the perfect time. She was going to train to become a private investigator and they could team up. Her job is snooping and she thought that quite funny.

I loved Dan’s description of his dog’s, Simon’s, doggy resort. A bed, a pool and plenty of toys for the pushy Rottweiler.

Susan Slater mentioned that Elaine was surprised at all the pine trees in Florida. I thought that was funny, because I marveled at the same when I moved here. Florida is so much more than sand and palm trees.

Dan went to the track and Elaine went for a walk, thus we meet Sadie and the picture on the cover delivers a clue.

The treatment of Fucher by the guard in the jail really pissed me off. It is deplorable and mean and I would like to reach into the pages and punch him. The warden seems okay, or is he just covering his butt?

Dixie Halifax is a co-owner of the track and has five of her dogs kenneled there. Now they are missing. Bit suspicious don’t you think? I love Susan Slater’s description of Dixie, she has the characteristics of a greyhound. Isn’t it a common theme that owners take on the looks of the critters they own? What about if you own a lizard? LOL

Susan Slater proves she is a talented author by including so many plots and subplots into a Hair of the Dog, her latest cozy mystery. The cast of characters are interesting and the murderer…well, Susan had a surprise or two for me. I enjoyed the humorous writing and lively banter that comes with a cozy mystery, making it easy to relate to the characters. I look forward to reading more of her work.

I received an ARC of Hair of the Dog by Susan Slater in return for and honest and unbiased review. ( )