My name is Emma Reed. I’m 45 years old and I run Reed’s Classic Cakes & Tea in the village of Trevena.

You see, there comes a time in everyone’s life when they have to decide what they really want to be. Mine came after over twenty years working in London’s finance industry. I’m from a family of accountants so it seemed to be what I was born to do. But it was never what I loved. What I loved was spending time with my nan, Phyllis, in her kitchen and helping her with her bakes. My most precious possession is her box of recipe cars.

Well, no. My most precious possession, really isn’t a possession. It’s my dog. Specifically, my Welsh Pembroke Corgi, Oliver.

I found Oliver when he was a puppy and I was on a camping trip. I don’t normally go camping, but it’s important to try new things, yeah? I was visiting some cousins in Canada after a bad break up and going off into the woods with them seemed like a good idea at the time. Certainly it did to my inner twelve-year-old. So, it was quite a surprise to be woken up in the middle of the night by the sound of very tiny, very furious barking. I got up to investigate, and there was Oliver, all .75 kilograms of him, trying to face down a moose.

It was love at first sight.

The talking started later.

This is something I don’t normally mention. I do talk to Oliver. I know everyone talks to their dog, but difference for me and Oliver is that Oliver talks back. In English. With a bit of a Welsh accent.

No, I don’t know how it happens. I also don’t know why it happens. I do know I had an aunt who swore she could talk to her Jack Russell terrier. So, I’ve decided to believe it’s a family trait, a facility with numbers and let it go.

It can get awkward. Oliver doesn’t understand why he shouldn’t be trying to carry on conversations with me in public, and a corgi can have trouble comprehending the social implications of looking utterly daft in front of one’s friends and neighbors, especially in a small village.

Trevena is a wonderful place, right on the Cornish coast. My family used to holiday here when I was young, and when I decided I was finally ready open my cake shop, it was the first place I thought of.

I felt at home immediately. I’ve made all sorts of friends, first and foremost my business partner Angelique Delgado. Angelique runs the King’s Rest Bed and Breakfast out of a historic pub. Her daughter Pearl helps out when she’s home from uni. My takeaway counter is in her great room and once breakfast is over, we use the space for tea service. It’s worked out beautifully.

I’ve even acquired a boyfriend, which at the age of forty-five was really not something I expected.

I will admit Oliver and I had a bit of a rough time when we moved in. You see, there was an old woman in the village, Victoria Roberts. Victoria did not like, well, anyone. Or their dog. She also owned a lot of property in and around Trevena, including the building I was hoping to lease for my new shop

She also died shortly after she and I had a public argument. Specifically, she was poisoned by a cup of tea right before I tried to remedy the situation by bringing her a plate of my nan’s scones. Unfortunately, Oliver and I found the body. Also unfortunately, because of the argument, I found myself under suspicion for the murder. I certainly never suspected that Oliver and I would become involved in searching for the real killer

Honestly, it’s amazing how many people will talk to you over their favorite cake.

But that’s all in the past. Now, Oliver and I can focus on enjoying village life and I can work on building up my business. In fact, we’ve just gotten a marvelous opportunity. The company that caters Trevena’s Daphne du Maurier literary festival has pulled out at the last minute, and the board asked me and Angelique to fill in. Du Maurier is my absolute favorite author, and I must have read Rebecca several dozen times, so I can’t tell you how excited I am. Now, of course, it will be a lot of work, and it looks like the festival board has got some problems. There’s also rumors that the family up at the house where the festival takes place has some nasty secrets in its background, but what old family doesn’t?

I’m sure it will all be just fine.

Murder Always Barks Twice, A Chatty Corgi Mystery #2
Genre: Cozy
Release: August 2021
Purchase Link

A charming tea room owner and her excitable talking corgi will need to work together to bring a killer to heel in this delightful cozy mystery.

For ex-accountant Emma Reed and her beloved corgi, Oliver, opening Reed’s Classic Tea & Cakes in the idyllic village of Trevena in Cornwall has been the fulfillment of a lifelong dream. Her cakes are popular, she has a host of wonderful new friends, and even a potential new romance. There’s even time left over for plenty of long country walks with Oliver, who is not only the cutest corgi on record (at least to Emma), he happens to talk (at least to Emma). What could be better?

How about being asked to help cater the local Daphne DuMaurier literary festival?

But when the festival organizer is found dead and foul play is suspected, Emma, Oliver and their friends are plunged deep into a poisonous mix of village jealousy, family tension, money troubles, and secret love affairs. Emma quickly realizes it’s up to her and her intrepid corgi to discover a canny killer whose bite is worse than their bark.

About the author
Jennifer Hawkins is a Michigan based writer of cozy mysteries. Her Chatty Corgi mystery series was inspired by a combination of a visit to Cornwall and an obsession with The Great British Baking Show. When not writing, she bakes, hikes, reads and embroiders. You can sign up for her newsletter at allthecoziesnews.

All comments are welcomed.