In the Dog House

In the Dog House by V.M. Burns is the debut novel in A Dog Club Mystery series. Lily Echosby is getting a divorce after being married for twenty-five years. Her husband, Albert cheated on her with Bambi Love (I am betting that is not her real name). After a disastrous divorce meeting, Lily meets Miss Florrie on the train home who gives her some excellent advice. Lily reconnects with her old friend, Scarlett “Dixie” Jefferson from Chattanooga, Tennessee. Upon hearing what Lily has been going through, Dixie arrives the next morning in her RV with her two Standard Poodles and an adorable toy poodle in need of a home. Lily promptly adopts the endearing puppy and calls her Aggie (short for Agatha Christie). The morning after a disastrous party to celebrate Albert’s grandmothers ninety-fifth birthday, Lily is surprised to find police on her doorstep. Albert was shot by someone who broke into his residence during the night and he did not survive. Since Lily’s alibi will not hold up in court (Aggie), she is the number one suspect. Lily with the help of Dixie, Stephanie (her daughter), and David (her son) set out to find Albert’s killer. When Lily’s next door neighbor is murdered, it leads to her being collared. Can this foursome prove Lily’s innocence and keep her out of prison? Orange is not Lily’s best color. In the Dog House is a light-hearted, humorous cozy mystery. I thought the story had a steady pace and I found it easy to read. I wish, though, that the author had taken the time to develop her characters. Since it is the first book in the series, I wanted more information on Lily (not just her immediate background). It also would have been nice to have details on the town where Lily lived (I missed the small town feel). A lot of time is spent on the day-to-day activities. I do not need to know every little detail about Lily’s life (cooking, laundry, getting dressed, doing dishes, walking dogs). The mystery is uncomplicated, and the solution was handed to readers on a silver platter. There are limited number of suspects and the pointed clues make solving the crime a cinch. There are cute dog antics and Aggie sounded adorable (I wanted her). I liked that Lily used creative curse words (instead of real ones that offend me), but the same could not be said for Bambi Love. There was a stakeout scene that included dogs that I found amusing. In the Dog House is for the cozy mystery reader who prefers a light mystery with comical antics.

This LOL cozy mystery is first in the new Dog Club Mystery series. It is outrageously funny and well-written, and I can almost see the author thinking “what else can possibly happen to Lilly this week?” The characters, in particular Lilly and her Dolly-Parton-haired friend Dixie, are designed for maximum impact. We get a tiny glimpse into the world of dog competitions. Underneath it all is the pervasive murder mystery awaiting resolution, so Lilly won’t have to find out if a well-bred Catholic girl can survive in prison. Lilly’s divorce from the man whose business she helped build in the early years of their marriage is almost complete. Albert has taken up with a sweet young thing who is younger than their children. Bambi’s assets are there for all to see, especially when he has the audacity to bring her to his and Lilly’s home for the 95th birthday party of his grandmother. Almost as irritating is that he told his family that Lilly is gay…that Dixie, the college friend she recently reconnected with is her partner. (NOT!) Lilly’s plan to pack up and move to Tennessee near Dixie, while made in less time than one can learn to spell Chattanooga, is a sound one. Both of her children are grown and living away from home. Their daughter is a very successful attorney and their son a highly acclaimed stage actor. The morning after the birthday party, the police come to advise Lilly that Albert is dead, shot when confronting a would-be thief in his and Bambi’s apartment. While Lilly doesn’t care a lot about what Albert does any more, she does care that he was murdered, and makes the funeral arrangements for the family. Bimbo…um…Bambi keeps calling with stuff like she needs money and she was shut out of Albert’s bank account. The corvette Albert gave her was stolen, and did Lilly take it. Things only go downhill from there. For several reasons, including that she would inherit the car dealership and Albert was found to have $1 million stashed in an offshore account, Lilly is accused of his murder. Before she has to find out how to pack for prison, she and Dixie team up for a slightly older version of Nancy Drew. Lilly’s son and daughter get in on the action, as well as Dixie’s elegant, well-trained standard poodles and Lilly’s new toy poodle, Aggie. Lilly is a fabulous new protagonist in the cozy mystery world! She has a wicked sense of humor evidenced throughout. I felt as if I got to know her well over the course of the novel. Other characters are as well-defined as fitting their roles, most are 3-D in HD color. I like Lilly and Dixie best, and am happy these college roommates have been able to reconnect. This cozy mystery has almost everything I love in the genre. It drew me in from the first page, the first sentence. It is at times serious, such as when Lilly is going to be arrested. There is also a great deal of humor, necessary to survive a really nasty divorce and murder allegations. The characters are unique, and there are pets that contribute to the story. The murder is complex, a challenge to solve. I was only partially right in picking the killer, completely missing the motives. There are several plot twists as well as a second murder and a couple red herrings that kept me turning pages. The ending brought some surprises, and all loose ends were tied up. I highly recommend this fun-tastic new series! From a grateful heart: I won a copy of this through a Goodreads First contest and was not required to post a review.

In the Dog House by M.M. Burns, is a clearly outstanding light mystery and I want the next book NOW! As a fan of her Mystery Bookshop, I wasn't surprised to discover that I love the new series, but I was surprised to love it even more the the first series. Both books have a great balance of plot versus character with a slight lean towards the development of the characters, and great characters they are. The distinction may just be that I often favor the book I finished most recently or it may have a bit mare character interaction, which I love. The difference is the difference between a 5 star and a 5.25 star rating. Readers of either series will come out the winner. The plot in every one of her books that I have read has been excellent and intriguing and has drawn me in from the beginning. V.M.Burns makes me care what happens in her novels and that is besides the wonders dogs who people her books.