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"You'll be howling with laughter!" Kathy Bacus, author of Calamity Jayne
When Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to help Kevin Blackstone with his two misbehaving German Shepherd dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog owner, she even expects frantic neighbors. What she doesn't expect is that two hours later the police will find Kevin dead, his dogs impounded; and that as the last person to see Kevin alive (well, except for the killer) she is suddenly a person of interest, at least according to Homicide Detective Judd Malone.
Detective Judd Malone scanned my living room, his baby blues taking in my overstuffed couch, easy chairs and crowded bookshelves. My cats, Thelma and Louise, perched in the window sill, replete with tuna. Each opened an eye and then, unimpressed, went back to their beauty sleep. Dogbert climbed from his doggie bed, trotted over for a sniff, but then also dismissed Malone and went back to his nap.
"Can I get you something to drink?" I asked. Some hospitality is automatic. Even when you have an unannounced guest. Even a guest who might arrest you.
He shook his head and continued his scan.
"Well, then. What can I help you with, Detective?"
"I understand you visited Kevin Blackstone today?"
"Yes, I did. I'm the behavioral counselor for his German shepherds. What about Kevin?"
I had a really bad feeling about this.
Malone arched a brow. "Kevin Blackstone is dead."
Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets - Sparkle (Mary Lee's cat) and Abbey (Anita's dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day either an iced tea or a margarita.) Visit the authors at www.SparkleAbbey.com.
TJW1950
Posted October 17, 2011
I'm lucky enough to have read the advance reading copy and found it to be a light-hearted mystery with a likeable cast of characters set in wonderful Laguna Beach where pets are pampered and people are passionate about their four-legged family members. There's an excentric here and there and a pet pschologist who ends up solving a murder. The authors voice is clear with a bit of wry humor. I recommend this book if you like an quick enjoyable read. Can't wait for the next book in the series by Sparkle Abbey!
11 out of 12 people found this review helpful.
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Posted August 1, 2012
I had a lot of fun reading this one. Four paws way up!!
10 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Rockport_rocker
Posted August 4, 2012
Delightful cozy mystery with strong characters and a well developed plot. And DOGS!!! I look forward to seeing more of Caro, Detective Malone and Sam. Only time will tell, but the battle between Caro and Mel over the ugly, but valuable, broach from their grandmothers provides lots of opportunity for future interaction and humor.
Sometimes in cozy mysteries, I wonder why the protagonist gets involved in the investigation, but liked Kevin so I wanted Caro to address his murder.
9 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Caro and her cousin Mel both think that they were grandma "Tillie" Matilda Montgomery's favorite granddaughter. That explains the horrible brooch they keep stealing from each other. Perfectly clear..right? Well that's only the first thing that will take some explaining, some amateur detective work and some deduction to clear up.
Caro is the owner of the PAWS clinic, Professional Animal Wellness Specialist Clinic, in Laguna Beach. She caters to an upscale clientele that has issues with their dogs that they need help with. First a client dies right after Cara was with him. Turns out it was murder!
Ruby Point, an exclusive gated community has lots of secrets. Detective Judd Malone wants Caro to keep her nose out of those secrets and his murder investigation! Let's just say our ex-beauty queen, southern gal has not learned to let things go. Not just Grandma's brooch! A great, funny romp! I won't spoil it for you. I know you will love the lighthearted mayhem too. These are people I'd like to know more about!
9 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.rhonda1111
Posted December 25, 2011
Review:Desperate Housedogs by Sparkle Abbey
5 STARS
I enjoyed Carolina Lamont who counsil dogs and their owners. She goes to their homes and helps train and figure out dogs bad behaviors. She also has a feud with her cousin their grandmother left a pin to her favorite grandaughter with gems in it. They both think they should own it and go after it in serious way. They are fun to watch.
One customer that Carolina had was Kevin and his two dogs. after she left his house he was murdered. Detective Judd Malone questioned her they think she was last one to see Kevin. She realized the next day that her pin might have been lost their so she snuck back in and searched Kevin's house till she found where he put it. She actually picked up a book and took it with her that had everyones names in it with a code after each name.
Caroline started to try and figure out the codes in the book that she copied before giving it to Detective Malone. Detective Malone kept telling her to leave it alone and let them do their job. Caroline could not stop and she found a lot of secrets that Kevin had written down in code.
It was a good detective book. Had lots of dogs and told a little about each breed. Caroline seems like a real person with good and bad habits and history with families. I would love to read more stories with her in it and Detective Malone.
I was given this ebook to read in exchange for honest review from Netgalley.
12/01/2012 PUB Bell Bridge Books
8 out of 13 people found this review helpful.
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Posted October 31, 2012
Okay, but not a reread for me. Author does keep more than one story line: one personal and one professional to the main character. Not a particulary devious plot. 212 pages long with a preview of another story.
7 out of 8 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.The title drew me in, finished it because I hate to leave a book unread. While I wanted to like this book, animal murder mystery I just couldn’t. The main character Caro was flat to me, she was developed very little and I just couldn’t connect with her. I had a similar problem with all the characters not enough about them to be interested really if they lived or died. And Judd Malone the detective, come on, no romance there at all, just so much left unsaid it made me sad.
The idea behind the book was original and it definitely was a light read. I am just sad it didn’t pull me in as much as I wanted.
7 out of 10 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.In a light-hearted tip of the hat to the excesses of the very rich, Sparkle Abbey (actually two authors writing as one) introduces Caro Lamont, human therapist turned pet behavioral counselor living in Laguna Beach, California, whose clients are pampered pooches with “issues”. Unfortunately for Caro, she becomes a suspect when the owner of a pair of agitated German Shepherds is found murdered soon after she made a house call to try to calm the dogs. The victim lived in a gated community so the list of potential suspects is very limited—or so everyone thinks.
Detective Judd Malone lends a touch of potential romance to the mix but said romance is likely to go nowhere when Caro is incapable of keeping her nose out of the investigation. Meanwhile, Caro is determined to find out what secrets residents of the community are hiding and doesn’t hesitate to butt in, especially when her best friend is arrested for the murder. (I did wonder, though, why behaviorist Caro doesn’t quickly catch on to the unusual nervousness of so many of her four-legged clients.)
An amusing side story is the ongoing feud between Caro and her cousin, Mel, over a piece of jewelry left to “my favorite granddaughter”. Since both think they were Grandma’s favorite, both claim the brooch and resort to inventive snatch-and-run antics to possess it. This tends to ratchet up the hostilities but, at the same time, Caro and Mel are clearly bound by blood.
Desperate Housedogs is an entertaining romp but there is far too much attention paid to Caro’s and Mel’s backgrounds as Texas beauty pageant queens and the authors make a lot of assumptions about Southerners and Texas while clearly not knowing much about either. Also, solving the mystery is a bit difficult for the reader because critical information doesn’t appear until near the end of the book. I’m intrigued, though, by the plan for one half of the author team to write each book with one of the cousins featured in each. I’ll be reading the next book to see how things are with Mel.
5 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted April 12, 2013
Between the plot spoilers ruining the book and the kids on here role playing and writing their own stories, its hard to get a true review. Bn, please do something to these plot spoilers who continue to reveal the entire book in their so called reviews, and ban these kids that use the nook to role play. We are sick of them.
2 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 13, 2013
A varied and colorful cast of characters brought to life by these two authors. Unfortunately, even though I am a huge fan of animal rescue associations (I have 4 dogs, a Flemish giant rabbit, a cockatiel, turtle and a fish) this story just did not keep me wnting more. I was looking for some giggles and some laughter, maybe even some tears. The only laugh I had was near the end and only one other giggle regarding "Thelma and Louise". I don't think I will be reading book 2.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 10, 2013
I enjoyed the book, so much I bought the second in the series.
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Posted May 10, 2013
Enjoyed this book. Mystery mixed with humor.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Deb1951
Posted May 10, 2013
I enjoyed this book. The characters (including the pets) were fun. The plot was plausible and the ending a a surprise.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.lady_bookwormKY
Posted May 10, 2013
This book was very cute. The story was well written and the mystery plot was not obvious. Well worth the time. I enjoyed quite a bit.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted May 10, 2013
This is a good book for light reading. Taking a trip, a good take along book.
The author needs to create her own style/storyline. This could easily have been a Stephanie Plum story, by J.Evanovich.
Anonymous
Posted May 10, 2013
This is the first of this series I have read. It is "light" reading, but keeps your interest with humor and quirky characters. Facts about dog behavior and training run throughout the story. Just the kind of book to take on a trip to the beach, or read while waiting for an appointment. Eager to red the other books in the series and others by this author.
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Posted May 10, 2013
This is a fun, fluffy book. It is a book to read on a weekend when relaxation is needed.
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Posted May 10, 2013
I really enjoyed this book. It was a great cozy mystery, and laugh out loud funny. I'm looking forward to others in the series.
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Posted May 10, 2013
This is a fun read and if you like dogs and appreciate how much they are like humans you will like this - the mystery - the unique characters including the animals will have you laughing. Just a fun read!
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.MollyRoseLP
Posted May 10, 2013
This is a light-hearted run in the park, perfect for a summer day.
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Overview
"You'll be howling with laughter!" Kathy Bacus, author of Calamity Jayne
When Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to help Kevin Blackstone with his two misbehaving German Shepherd dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog owner, she even expects frantic neighbors. What she doesn't expect is that two hours later the police will find Kevin ...