When a murder unleashes a widespread investigation through Crosbyville, children’s book author Pris and her trusty bloodhound, Bailey, must sniff out the truth before the whole town goes to the dogs. After deciding that life as a teacher wasn’t right for her, Priscilla found inspiration for her first children’s book in her three-year-old bloodhound’s nose for truth, and so The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound was born. After the book’s massively pawsitive response led Pris to move back to her hometown of Crosbyville, Indiana, to continue the series, she’s surprised by how things have changed in the town, but even more so how they haven’t.

Dru’s Short Musing:
In order to save her reputation and that of the town’s new police chief, Priscilla starts an investigation to find the person responsible for the murder.

In this fast-paced and well-written drama, the author did a great job in staging this whodunit with a wickedly solid plot, a great cast of characters, an abundance of suspects, clues sprinkled throughout and a lovable and adorable sidekick. The backstory involving Whitney and the people whose path she crossed gave us insight into why these people were considered suspects. As the story moved forward, I had my pick of who the murderer was, but then the author changed direction all to enhance my reading pleasure. I do like that Pris shares whatever she uncovers with the police. With a few strategically placed twists, it was fun watching this all play out with a few characters having pivotal roles in the apprehension of the killer. Boasting an eclectic and diverse cast of characters, engaging dialogue and a small-town atmosphere, this was a pleasantly appealing tale and I look forward to more adventures with Pris and her friends and I do love the budding romance and can’t wait to see that blossom.

Series Name: Bailey the Bloodhound Mystery Book #1
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Release: December 5, 2023
Format: Print, Digital, Audio
Purchase Link

FTC Full Disclosure – I received a digital ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley.