Liz Mugavero

new-series, first-in-series, cozy-mystery, culinary, pet-cat, contemporary, Connecticut, amateur-sleuth, veterinarian, small-town, small-business, unpleasant-victims, homeopathic, new-in-town, situational-humor, verbal-humor****

Interesting story full of pets and some very interesting human characters. The investigation is sometimes frantic and other times somewhat sluggish but always fun.
Voice actor Ann Marie Lee gave a good dramatic reading.
I requested and received a free temporary audiobook from Tantor Audio via NetGalley.
Pub Date 13 Feb 2024… (meer)

Enjoyable cozy set in New England. I haven't read the previous book, but this one sufficiently summarizes past events and describes people and places that readers new to the series won't feel lost. I was surprised that a Halloween-themed book is being published in April; however, the story is entertaining regardless of the time of year.

Mugavero has one stylistic quirk that I found a bit jarring -- she sometimes writes sentences without any subjects, almost like stream of consciousness. Example: Stan frowned. Forgot about water. Picked up her wine and took a long swig. Thankfully, though, such sentences are rare enough--only about 1-2 per chapter--that they didn't significantly impact my enjoyment of the book; they were noticeable enough to get under my skin but not so much as to deter me from reading the rest of the books in the series.

Note: I received an advance reader copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program.… (meer)

When I first saw this book at my library, I was confused and intrigued at the same time. How could there be an entire cozy mystery series about a businesswoman who sells organic dog food in a small town? I'm glad my intrigue won out and that I picked up this book, because it was a very compelling read.

The protagonist, Stan, is grappling with two cases: a death in the present-day that was deemed suspicious and an unsolved murder from over fifty years ago. She believes that both cases are intertwined and sets out to uncover the truth behind them. This made for a very complex and layered mystery. It was probably my favourite thing about this book.

It's impressive that Mugavero inserts so much into the book - the present case, the cold case, celebrity ghost hunters, a doggy wedding, relationship problems, and more. To be honest, I think it was a bit too much for one book, though I can't say I didn't enjoy reading about each of these storylines.

I think the multitude of storylines worked well because the main characters, the side characters, and town were not perfect. It kind of bugs me how some other cozy mysteries present their small town settings as these idyllic utopias (aside from the occasional murder), but Frog Ledge and their citizens aren't like that at all. I thought this made for a more enjoyable and realistic read.

I should note, the title has nothing to do with the case (that I can tell). While animals are certainly important to Stan and her business, it's not an animal-themed mystery in case that's what you were looking for.

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… (meer)