Tailing Trouble

Fast Moving and Fun Cozy Mystery I picked up this book because I enjoy cozy mysteries and love dogs. I was pleased on both counts. Dogs fill the pages and are integral to the story. The story is great. The plot is well done, the characters are believable and the ending makes sense. While this is part of a series, the book stands alone well. Past information is shared as needed and I never felt lost. The Gramps character is fun and unforgettable. But yelling into a cell phone like it was 1960s long-distance just does not make sense for a man in his 80s in today's world. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Tailing Trouble by Laura Scott is the second book in A Furry Friends Mysteries. Tailing Trouble can be read as a standalone. The story has likeable characters especially Gramps. He is a hoot. I like the premise of a veterinarian who investigates crimes with her grandfather. However, I felt the story was bogged down with the day-to-day details of Ally’s life. Her visits to Legacy House to visit Gramps, partaking of the meals at Legacy House (or not because she does not want to gain too much weight), walking the dogs, taking Gramps to library, etc. I understand that she needs to walk the dogs, but the readers do not need to know each and every time that she does it. It becomes tedious after a while. Ally manages to get a patient or two. Ally is treating a cat and it scratches her. This makes Ally look like a bad vet. A good vet knows how to hold a cat properly to avoid getting scratched or bitten (at least the ones I have gone to know how to hold a cat properly). She has two dogs fighting in the clinic which results in her losing a client shows us again that she is not the best vet. I wish the author had showed Ally in a more professional light. She does manage to take her boarder dog, Domino in hand. I did find the interactions between Noah and Ally to be awkward and their dialogue stilted. The mystery was interesting. I wish there had been more investigation and less wild speculation (Gramps). I tired of Noah telling Ally and Gramps to stay out of the investigation. I like how everything tied together in the end, though, the ending was rushed. I am curious as to how Ally can keep her practice going with so few patients. She tells us often that she does not have patients (very true) and cannot afford a receptionist or assistant. I am curious how she can pay the bills with the one to two patients a week. Of course, if Ally’s business were not slow, she would not have time to take Gramps to lunch, the library, visit Legacy House, and solve crimes. This series still needs work (a few tweaks). Tailing Trouble is a lighthearted tale with a playful poodle, a rash of robberies, a dashing detective, an eager elder, flavorful feasts, and a curious killing.

veterinarian, small-business, small-town, law-enforcement, Midwest, family-dynamics, senior-sleuths, situational-humor, verbal-humor, murder-investigation, pets, dogs***** She's a veterinarian with a dog of her own, an exasperating grandpa, a hope to go on a date with the local police chief, and a habit of finding murdered bodies. She acquires her friend's standard sized poodle (ostensibly) for a few days, but it all goes to dog fur from there on. The publisher's blurb is a good hook (despite having no clue about the size of a standard poodle), and spoilers won't do, so I'll just say that I absolutely LOVED it! Can't call this an unbiased review because I also loved the last book, too, but I do think that it works as a stand alone. I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Crooked Lane Books via NetGalley. Thank you!