Fixed: A Gin & Tonic Mystery

by L. A. Kornetsky

Overview

In this second Gin & Tonic mystery, the stakes are raised when someone connected to an embezzlement scheme Ginny Mallard and Teddy Tonica are investigating is murdered.

A professional problem solver, Ginny Mallard can’t resist a call for help. And try as he may, Seattle bartender Teddy Tonica is powerless to resist a challenge. They may not agree on much—Teddy prefers bar cat Mistress Penny, while Gin’s shar-pei, Georgie, is her constant companion—but these friendly rivals make perfect sleuthing partners.

When Gin learns that the shelter where she adopted Georgie is being ripped off by a thief, she’s determined to find out what kind of lowlife would steal from a place devoted to rescuing dogs and cats. Gin and Teddy plan to rattle a few cages and save the animals from losing their home.

But when a body is discovered, and nearly everyone is lying, Gin and Tonica discover that it takes more than talk to nab a killer. Sometimes the best way to solve a crime is to bring on the big dogs. Or dog and cat, as the case may be. . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451671650
Publisher:	Gallery Books
Publication date:	10/08/2013
Series:	A Gin & Tonic Mystery , #2
Edition description:	Original
Pages:	304
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 8.20(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

L.A. Kornetsky is an amateur chef, oenophile, and cat-servant. She lives in New York City and also writes fantasy under the name Laura Anne Gilman.

Editorial Reviews

03/03/2014
Despite an opening section featuring a discussion between a gray tabby, Penny, and a "fawn-coated Shar-Pei," Georgie, about goings-on at a Seattle, Wash., animal shelter called LifeHouse, Kornetsky could easily have omitted the animal chorus in this well-crafted sequel to 2012's Collared. The focus is on the human leads Ginny Mallard, owner of a private concierge company that has branched out into "researchtigations," essentially unlicensed PI work, and her bartender assistant with a Harvard degree, Theodore Tonica. They are drawn into the shelter matter when a volunteer there, Nora Rees, comes to them with concerns that someone is embezzling money and jeopardizing the shelter's future. As Georgie was adopted from LifeHouse, Mallard has a personal, as well as a professional, stake in the case. This is a typical comfort-reading cozy, with few surprises. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, DMLA. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

2013-09-26
Ad hoc investigators get emotionally tied to a case when their pets are involved. Ginny Mallard, owner and operator of Mallard Services, a concierge company, has been hanging around Mary's Bar & Grill so much that it's like a second office to her. It's not just the comfortable atmosphere that's an attraction, it's also the fact that her sometime co-worker Teddy Tonica tends bar there. Ginny involves Tonica in her work when it leans toward the investigative end, since his understanding of people nicely complements her computer expertise. When Ginny meets Nora, a new client who seeks the utmost discretion, she's not sure what to expect. It turns out that Nora is a volunteer with LifeHouse, the local animal shelter where Ginny adopted Georgie, her Shar-Pei mix. Given that connection, Ginny can't turn down the case, in spite of the fact that Nora can barely afford to pay. Tonica tries to talk sense into Ginny, but since bar cat Penny has chosen him as her person, he finds himself taking the case. Now, the two, along with their animal companions, are stuck in an investigation of the mismanagement of agency funds that eventually turns into something more. If only their animal friends could clue them in to the truth. Kornetsky continues to flesh out the core relationships, but both Ginny and Tonica are hard to get close to. More personal information could help this series (Collared, 2012, etc.) reach its target audience.

Kirkus Reviews