Beaglemania by Linda O. Johnston is the first book in the new “Pet Rescue” mystery series. Publisher: Berkley Prime Crime (Penguin), March 2011
Lauren Vancouver is the head of HotRescues, a no-kill animal shelter north of Los Angeles, but it’s often human nature that puts her in the path of danger.
At a particularly nasty puppy mill, Lauren helps rescue four adorable beagle puppies that were dumped down a drainpipe, and she’s pretty sure she knows who is responsible. Efram Kiley, one of the mill’s employees, has a history of dog abuse. And it seems he has a bone to pick with Lauren, because he soon shows up at HotRescues and stirs up trouble by threatening her. When Efram is found dead at the shelter, Lauren becomes the prime suspect, and she’ll have to sniff out the real killer to keep herself out of a cage–for life.
Lauren Vancouver runs the local no-kill animal shelter and after a volunteer worker is fired, she finds his dead body and becomes prime suspect when it is learned they had a threatening confrontation. Believing that the police are not looking at anyone else, Lauren begins an investigation of her own to clear her name. The mystery kept me on my toes and I enjoyed watching Lauren sink her teeth into this case without fear of being bitten. There were some personal insights into Lauren and a hint of a romance on the horizon. The author’s love of saving animals was evident as we learn the needs of re-homing and finding new adoptive homes for animals living in shelters. I can’t wait to read the next book in this pet-friendly series.
FTC Full Disclosure – The publisher sent me a copy of this book
previously posted on the Cozy Chicks blog