Dressed Up 4 Murder is a cozy mystery set in Arizona. Phee Kimball is settling in at her new home with her boyfriend, Marshall, who is a detective. She gets involved in detecting herself after her mother's dog Streetman discovers a body under a neighbor's tarpaulin covered grill. He has been poisoned. Streetman, a mischievous chiweenie, is scheduled to compete in several holiday theme pet costume contests. When one of the other pet owners ingests the same poison that the neighbor did, Phee and Marshall look for clues to connect the two cases.
I wanted to read Dressed Up 4 Murder because I enjoyed a previous book in this series. I especially love reading about Streetman the chiweenie (dachshund - chihuahua mix), since I love dachshunds and dogs in general.
Phee is a likable and smart character. I enjoy seeing her work to solve cases, especially alongside Marshall. Their relationship adds another layer to the story.
I also liked the holiday pet parades that were featured through the book. They were a lot of fun. Streetman has a real knack for finding mischief wherever he goes! I have to admit I laughed out loud with his adventure involving a giant inflatable turkey at one of the events.
There were little touches of humor (usually involving Streetman) like this description of the walking map Phee's mother made for him:
"I had completely forgotten about the walking map. My mother put more effort into Streetman's map than National Geographic did with any of theirs. She had painstakingly noted every rock, bush, pole, and mailbox he liked to lift his leg on. In addition, she had circled all of the yards that were off-limits to him and had included anecdotal notes on the bottom of the map with such tidbits as 'Crazy screaming lady will come out of the house if the dog so much as steps foot on her gravel.'" (Kindle location 671)
The mystery in this story was particularly interesting since there were connections between pet parade participants and also a seafood company. Having two strong mystery leads led to extra detecting for Phee.
I recommend Dressed Up 4 Murder, and this series, for fans of cozy mysteries featuring dogs. This is a fun series and I already look forward to the next book by J.C. Eaton.
Book Synopsis
Last one standing is the winner . . .
The holiday season has arrived and bookkeeper/amateur sleuth, Sophie “Phee” Kimball, would love nothing more than to enjoy the comforts of her new home with her detective boyfriend near Arizona’s Sun City West. Instead, her mother Harriet wants to showcase her chiweenie-chihuahua-dachshund Streetman in the Precious Pooches Holiday Extravaganza costume events. The festivities begin in October and end on St. Patrick’s Day—with the winner starring in the St. Pat’s Day parade. But things quickly turn an awful shade of green when Streetman uncovers a dead body under a tarp-covered grill in the neighbor’s yard.
The victim is Cameron Tully, a seafood distributor working out of Phoenix, who died from ingesting a toxic sago palm leaf. Before the police can even find a motive and suspect, another Precious Pooch owner nearly dies from the same poison. With Harriet believing someone’s targeting her and Streetman because of the costume contests, Phee will need a potful of Irish luck to sniff out a killer . . .
Ann I. Goldfarb
New York native Ann I. Goldfarb spent most of her life in education, first as a classroom teacher and later as a middle school principal and professional staff developer. Writing as J. C. Eaton, along with her husband, James Clapp, they have authored the Sophie Kimball Mysteries (Kensington), The Wine Trail Mysteries (Kensington Lyrical Underground), and the Marcie Rayner Mysteries (Camel). In addition, Ann has nine published YA time travel mysteries under her own name. Visit us at:
James E. Clapp
When James E. Clapp retired as the tasting room manager for a large upstate New York winery, he never imagined he’d be co-authoring cozy mysteries with his wife, Ann I. Goldfarb. Non-fiction in the form of informational brochures and workshop materials treating the winery industry were his forte along with an extensive background and experience in construction that started with his service in the U.S. Navy and included vocational school classroom teaching. Visit the website at www.jceatonmysteries.com and the blog at www.jceatonauthor.com
Author Links:
www.jceatonmysteries.com
www.jceatonauthor.com
www.facebook.com/JCEatonauthor/
www.timetravelmysteries.com
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