Review of Sniffing Out Murder

 I have told myself that in 2025 I am going to get better about posting on my blog and not just Youtube!

 

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.

Pris is frustrated to discover that newly elected school board trustee Whitney Kelley—a former high school mean girl—is intent on making Crosbyville more competitive by eliminating “frivolous spending” on the arts and social programs, including Pris and Bailey’s beloved pet-assisted reading program. A minor altercation between them isn’t anything unusual, but after Bailey sniffs out Whitney’s body in a bed of begonias, locals start hounding Pris and Bailey as suspects for the crime.

With Bailey’s sharp senses and Pris’s hometown know-how, can they prove to the community that they’re all barking up the wrong tree?

First book in a newer series as this came out in 2023. I found this series on a Youtuber's channel called BookswithAmyMarie because she was doing an anticipated release video where she talks about the second book coming out this year. I was immediately drawn to Bailey the Bloodhound right on cover! So cute!

Pricilla is now a former teacher and though she loved teaching it wasn't really for her and her children's book series is getting a lot of popularity and she needs to work on another book. She has moved back to her hometown, buys a nice house and sees that though some things are different a lot are not, like some horrible people she went to school with. 

You pretty much know right off the bat who is going to die or at least you may secretly hope so because she is a horrible person and she was mean to BAILEY! Nope, that puts you automatically on my naughty list! 

Well, Bailey is a bloodhound so guess who finds the body! Also guess who gets to be a suspect of course it's Pris because they did have words. Though there are a lot of people that could probably have wanted this person dead. The husband, he is cheating after all, the school board, she is threating them with some blackmail of sorts, and many more.

So I thought this was going to be a love triangle and I do NOT like love triangles, but she likes the police chief (It is a cozy...lol), but there is also an ex-cop, called Bulldog who rides a motorcycle, yep...lol. He asks her out and always seems to be around when the chief interrupts which you can tell the chief is not happy, so we know he likes her too. 

So this mystery was super simple to guess, or at least the killer. I don't always get motives but guessing killers I am pretty good. I would say I had this one pegged about 25% into it. It had a few things that I didn't like that is my own personal things that won't hinder anyone else who reads it. Also another thing that bugged me is I wish the author would decide on what name Pris is going to called the Police Chief, it should either be Chief Morgan or when he says call me Gilbert, then Gilbert. Half the time it was Gil, Gilbert and then Morgan...no he is not Morgan he is Gilbert or Chief Morgan...I don't know it drove me crazy because I was like who is Morgan...oh yeah that is the Gilbert. I might be petty but I have read a lot of cozies so I am starting to be picky...lol. 

Anyway despite the things I didn't like or being able to guess the killer it was an enjoyable book and I would recommend it to those who love dogs in their cozies because it was really all about Bailey! :) 

3.5 (4 on Goodreads)

Feed Your TBR! #2

 

It's time to FEED YOUR TBR and I have a couple books you might find interesting!! I am curious about these books though I may not be anticipating them. These picks are almost out so not a lot of waiting involved.  (Feed Your TBR is my version of Waiting on Wednesday now hosted by Wishful Endings)

A brilliant 1950s Cold War historical mystery debut a female sleuth who is also an indispensable assistant to former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Perfect for fans of Colleen Cambridge and Agatha Christie.

New York City and Washington, DC, 1951.Kay Thompson—secretary to Eleanor Roosevelt—is a young woman of conviction navigating the post-World War II period. But can she expose the dark truth about a transatlantic murder mystery unfolding before her eyes?

Previously fired for speaking out against workplace injustices, twenty-five-year-old Kay Thompson finds her true calling once appointed to support Eleanor Roosevelt, a champion of human rights known as ER among those in her inner circle. Kay fully embraces her new role as the former First Lady’s right hand—typing up daily columns and juggling a blur of political meetings, ribbon cuttings, and charitable dinners. It’s not until a dead body is discovered on a train that her most compelling task comes into focus . . .  

Stunning Susie Taylor had star quality. Judging from her photos, it’s clear why she left Sweden with plans to make it big on Broadway. But when ER enlists Kay’s help on a discreet investigation about her sudden disappearance, the two suspect the up-and-comer was concealing secrets about her real identity and motives—all leading to her murder at Washington’s Union Station . . .

Plunged into a living Alfred Hitchcock film, an unseasoned Kay and a shrewd ER side with a handsome detective on a search for answers. What was Susie’s connection with a charismatic Soviet UN delegate and an atomic energy researcher? As ER makes it her mission to find out, danger looms upon the discovery of another body. Now, Kay must play a central role in exposing the killer—before she becomes the next rising beauty to meet a cruel fate . . .

It seems to be a trend in historical mysteries to take an actual figure from history and write them into fictional stories and I must say I am all for it...lol. So I am intrigued by this one as it has the assistant to Eleanor Roosevelt as the sleuth! This one comes out on January 21st from Kensington.

In this mesmerising thriller from the bestselling author of Keep Her Secret, a family’s fresh start is just the beginning of their nightmare…

Ethan Dove’s family has moved to a new home in a safe community, and it’s exactly the fresh start they need. Not only is his marriage to Emma hanging by a thread, but his son, Dylan, and twelve-year-old daughter, Rose, deserve to have a happy childhood.

After Rose is bullied by the boys across the road, Ethan is relieved when the woman who lives next door steps in. Fiona Smith has come into their lives at just the right moment, and when she offers to look after Rose during the school holidays, Ethan and Emma can’t believe their luck.

Which is exactly what Fiona wants. Because, far from being the perfect neighbour, Fiona is the last person you should trust with your child. With a vicious plot for revenge, Fiona is happy to train Rose to be her accomplice, especially when she begins to suspect that Rose might not be as innocent as she appears…

The Psychopath Next Door is a gripping and twisted psychological suspense thriller set in the terrifying world of Mark Edwards’s bestselling The Magpies universe.

Okay, so I am wanting to know why they needed a fresh start and why the neighbor wants revenge on them?? Has the potential to be an interesting read but I am very hit or miss with thrillers especially these psychological ones as for me they tend to be boring, but  I am still very curious! This one comes out on January 28th from Thomas Mercer. 

Let Me know what books are you Feeding Your TBR?

Two Bloggers One Series ~ Woodrose Mountain by RaeAnne Thayne

I am really starting to love RaeAnne Thayne even though she likes to really hit you in the feels sometimes which I am not a huge fan of...lol. I am excited we decided to get to book two in the Hopes Crossing series. After you see my thoughts go on over to Booker T's Farm and see what she thought. 

Evie Blanchard was at the top of her field in the city of angels. But when an emotional year forces her to walk away from her job as a physical therapist, she moves from Los Angeles to Hope's Crossing seeking a quieter life. So the last thing she needs is to get involved with the handsome, arrogant Brodie Thorne and his injured daughter, Taryn.

A self-made man and single dad, Brodie will do anything to get Taryn the rehabilitation she needs even if it means convincing Evie to move in with them. And despite her vow to keep an emotional distance, Evie can't help but be moved by Taryn's spirit, or Brodie's determination to win her help and her heart. With laughter, courage and more than a little help from the kindhearted people of Hope's Crossing, Taryn may get the healing she deserves and Evie and Brodie might just find a love they never knew could exist.

 So this one has the fallout of an accident that happened in the first book which is why I always say read things in order. :)

Taryn is a  teen who is being a bit of a handful when it comes to her rehabilitation. The place she was in was basically telling her father Brodie that she would be better at home. So on the recommendation of his mother he ask Evie for help and she at first turns him down.

Evie use to be a physical therapist but because of some emotional turmoil that has to do with that job, so she has left it behind. She enjoys working in a beading shop and has moved on with her life. Then Brodie ask her to do the one thing she doesn't want to do. She also is not a huge fan of Brodie as they have been on the opposite ends of some things about the town at town meetings. 

His mother doesn't help much with wanting her to help Taryn and so she finally gives in and finds Taryn to be a handful, but there are also some underlying problems. Evie does some things that she knows Brodie is not going to like when she sees Taryn respond to certain things which puts them at odds a bit. 

I knew there was a lot more to the storyline about the accident and the young man that everyone is hating now because the accident did not only hurt Taryn but cause a death and so it was interesting to see how that turned out and how Evie and Brodie worked out their problems. 

The author is really good at taking some dark topics but also making the book feel very light and cozy at the same time. Barb and I was talking about how this series has a Virgin River (the book series) feel too it which helps us as we both miss reading that series at times. :) 

I highly recommend this series!

4.5 stars

Feed Your TBR!

Going to try and be better about posting in 2025 and I already feel behind but life hit me a bit at the beginning of the year, so hopefully things get better. I thought I would do what us book people do best and FEED YOUR TBR! :)  (Also known as Waiting on Wednesday now hosted by Wishful Endings)

Her marriage seemed perfect. Until her memory came back.

Avery feels lucky to have married such a wonderful man. Logan’s been the perfect husband, helping to piece her life back together after a traumatic brain injury erased her memories.

But Avery’s admiration for Logan turns to concern when she recalls past moments which seem sinister and frightening. Logan insists these memories aren’t real. That what she remembers never actually happened.

So why do these unsettling flashes feel so vivid? And why don’t they match Logan’s version of their perfect life together?

The more Avery remembers, the more she doubts Logan. Is her mind playing tricks on her, or is her husband hiding a terrible secret?

And what will he do if she gets too close to remembering it?

I want to know what she is remembering!!  This one comes out on January 12th from Incubator books. 

Bookshop owner Gemma Doyle heads to London for a wedding, but when a body is found in connection with a rare book, Gemma sets out to sleuth the slaying, in bestselling author Vicki Delany’s 10th Sherlock Holmes Bookshop mystery.

Gemma Doyle and her friends have packed their bags and headed to London for her sister Pippa’s wedding. Waiting for her in the hotel lobby is none other than Gemma’s ex-husband, Paul Erikson. Paul has a rare book he wants her to see–calling it “the real deal”–so Gemma agrees to meet him at their old shop, Trafalgar Fine Books, the following day. But when Gemma arrives, accompanied by Grant, a rare book dealer, they find Paul dead in his office.

Paul had been down on his luck, but Gemma never expected this. Had he borrowed money from people he shouldn’t have? And where is the valuable book he was so anxious for Gemma to see? It’s nowhere to be found in the shop. Because of their previous relationship, Gemma feels she owes something to Paul and vows to find his killer.

As Gemma and her best friend Jayne Wilson follow Paul’s trail of friends, enemies, clients, and ex-lovers through London to Yorkshire, she realizes the puzzle of Paul’s last days is more twisted than she originally thought.  

This mystery is anything but elementary, and Gemma and Jayne have to use all their wit to get to the bottom of it before their time in London–or in life–is over.

This is the 10th book in one of my favorite cozy mystery series and it comes out on the 14th of January from Crooked Lane Press. 

What books are you looking forward to adding to your TBR?

Two Bloggers One Series ~ Dead Beat by Jim Butcher

I am so enjoying my reread of this series. I have forgotten a lot of things that happened as there are a lot of things that go on in these books. I feel like I could reread this series again and still be like oh yeah that happened here...lol. After you see my thoughts go on over to Barb's and see what she thought at Booker T's Farm.

Meet Harry Dresden, Chicago's first (and only) Wizard P.I. Turns out the 'everyday' world is full of strange and magical things - and most of them don't play well with humans. That's where Harry comes in.

Luckily, however, he's not alone. Although most people don't believe in magic, the Chicago P.D. has a Special Investigations department, headed by his good friend Karrin Murphy. They deal with the . . . stranger cases. It's down to Karrin that Harry sneaks into Graceland Cemetery to meet a vampire named Mavra. Mavra has evidence that would destroy Karrin's career, and her demands are simple. She wants the Word of Kemmler - and all the power that comes with it. But first, Harry's keen to know what he'd be handing over. Before long he's racing against time, and six necromancers, to get the Word. And to prevent a Halloween that would truly wake the dead.

Magic - it can get a guy killed.

This time around Harry is contacted by a villainess vampire who threatens Murphy’s career if Harry doesn’t do what she wants him too. She wants the World of Kemmler and even though Harry is not sure what it is he will do whatever it takes to protect Murphy. Even if that means going up against a lot of necromancers and others who seem to want the same thing. There was lots of good action and it was very fast paced.

I love how loyal Harry is to Murphy as he just about gets himself killed going up against all of these different people trying to get what he has all to make sure her career is protected from things they have had to do in the past. He is just one of my favorite characters ever! I did miss Murphy as she was only in the beginning as she went off on vacation. I so love Mouse the giant dog!

This was a fun installment of the series!

5 stars

Week in Review #109

How was your week? What did you get? The Week in Review is where I combine Stacking the Shelves, The Sunday Post and It's Monday! What are you reading?  If you have never joined in on these meme's you can check them out by clicking on the meme and it will take you to the host blog.

January started off with a bang and life be lifing and I am a little tired and a bit depressed but life goes on. Hopefully things will get better but it's really disrupting my mood, reading and everything.

It's getting cold here, I know the north has been cold but I live in southern Missouri and I don't like cold and tonight will be 11 and I am not happy. #countrylivingsuckssometimes

Anyway not much to say, so hope everyone is having a great week and happy reading!

Books I have added

• An Insidious Inheritance - This is a historical mystery that I just got from Netgalley *thanks Netgalley* and it's about  lady who inherits a house she didn't know even existed and learns maybe something happened to her dad instead of natural death.

Books I Read

• Murder on Pleasant Avenue - This is #23 in the Gaslight series and I wanted to start my year off with a favorite series to help with my mood. 
• Woodrose Mountain - The second book in the Hope Springs series and I really liked it but maybe a bit more emotional than I was wanting. 

Currently Reading

• Magyk - I have loads of my own books and I did a vlogmas on my youtube channel where I unwrapped books I was gong to read that are on my shelves or in tubs and so starting the year off right by picking one...lol.
• Liar! - Trying to keep on my series so this is the third book in the Lost and Found series. I don't know if more is coming but there are four current so I would like to get caught up.
• My Phony Valentine - My friend Sarah from The Bookish Knitter is doing a category romance book club where she picks an author and we can pick what ever book we want so this is my pick.

How did your week go? Hope you had a great week!

Two Bloggers One Series ~ I'll Be Home For Mischief by Jacqueline Frost

Reading this one together was a no brainer as we both enjoy this series and have read several of them together. Once you read what I have to say, go on over and see what Barb thought at Booker T's Farm.

It’s Christmastime in Mistletoe, Maine, and the Historical Society has launched a widespread campaign to celebrate the town’s 150th anniversary. Descendants of the founding family, the Snows, have returned for the first time, and Holly is determined to make the family’s visit magical. In an attempt to put Mistletoe on the map, Holly’s mother, a respected local baker, attempts to break a record by baking the world’s largest gingerbread man, but her plans are whisked away when Mr. Snow’s body ends up in the batter. 

When Mr. Moore, the local mistletoe farmer, is accused of the crime, Holly reprises her role as amateur sleuth to protect the sweet older man. Between hosting the inconsolable Mrs. Snow and other guests at the inn, receiving threatening messages telling her to stop her investigation, and preparing for her first wedding anniversary with Sheriff Evan Gray, she might need a Christmas miracle to survive.

When someone breaks into Holly’s office and scratches a warning into her desk, she knows she has little time left. Can Holly uncover the killer before someone else gets burned, or is her involvement a recipe for trouble?

If you want an whimsical Christmas cozy mystery that is just full of Christmas fun with a side of murder mystery then you need to read this series.

In this one the town of Mistletoe is getting ready for the towns 150th anniversary and they are going all out. Decked in Victorian clothing and Holly's mom has decided to try and break the gingerbread world record. She is going to make the largest gingerbread man ever but things don't go so well when someone is killed and left in the giant gingerbread man cookie cutter.

Descendants of the founders are in town and not everyone is happy about it and so it was interesting to see who might have been the killer. 

With this one I found Holly to be a bit selfish in her sleuthing or a bit annoying. Her friends and family wanted her to be careful and she would kind of shrug things off as if she has never been in any near death experiences which she has been, in almost all the books. I know most sleuths think they don't get in any trouble but I felt like she was kind of rude about it.

I really read this series though for the atmosphere of mistletoe, and the side characters. I love the reindeer games that they put on at the  Christmas Tree Farm and the side characters like Cookie, who cracks me up. 

So overall I enjoyed this one.

4 stars.