Download The Puppy Who Knew Too Much (Dog Club Mystery #2)
Lilly Echosby and her toy poodle Aggie find a fresh start in Chattanooga, Tennessee, spoiled by the scent of murder...
Having solved the shooting death of her cheating husband, Lilly's left behind the drama of Lighthouse Dunes, Indiana, to start over in the hometown of her best friend, Scarlett Dixie Jefferson. As she gets settled in her new rented house, Lilly gives Aggie, short for Agatha Christie, her own fresh start by enrolling her in the Eastern Tennessee Dog Club, where Dixie is a trainer.
But drama seems to hound Lilly like a persistent stray. Her cranky new neighbor appears unfamiliar with Southern hospitality and complains that Aggie barks too much and digs up his prized tulips. But what the poodle actually unearths is the buried body of a mysterious man who claimed ownership of the lost golden retriever Lilly recently rescued. Now it's up to Lilly and Dixie to try to muzzle another murderer... The Puppy Who Knew Too Much (Dog Club Mystery #2)
The story is cute with strong and sassy leading female characters. Protagonist Lilly Echosby is a recently divorced CPA who’s just moved from Indiana to Chattanooga, Tennessee with her toy poodle, Aggie (short for Agatha). I like how the action starts immediately as Lilly, accompanied by her best friend, Dixie, has the opportunity to rent a nice house practically drop right in her lap. A disagreeable neighbor manages to infuriate her quickly, but she’s told no one can get along with him. Lilly’s starting a new job at a museum, and I loved her co-workers who immediately took her under their wings.
When little Aggie sniffs out a dead body, the author really begins to spin the wheel and readers should watch closely as she drops off clue after clue as to answers for this niftily crafted plot! With a winning cast of secondary characters including all the dogs, plus an unexpected yet possible romantic interest for Lilly, this is a fun, fast read! I highly recommend!
I reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Kensington Lyrical. Thank you.
V.M. Burns To my hear my thoughts on this book and other cozy mysteries subscribe to my cozy mystery YouTube channel @: https://t.co/Jx58B4KNW5?amp=1 V.M. Burns Dollycas’s Thoughts
Lilly Echosby has left Indiana behind and followed her best friend Scarlett “Dixie” Jefferson to Tennessee. It took a while but a chance encounter helped Lilly finds not only a job but a house to rent that was in her budget and allowed her adorable toy poodle, Aggie. She is excited her daughter Stephanie is coming to visit to help her get settled. Lilly finds it refreshing how friendly everyone is until she meets her new neighbor. He is not happy about having another dog in the neighborhood. Her daughter also falls hard for a golden retriever found under Lilly’s deck. After rushing it to the vet and getting its injuries cared for she declares she won’t be giving it up without a fight.
When dear sweet Aggie digs up a body instead of a bone the neighbor is apoplectic and Lilly finds herself back on a suspect list. Stephanie calls in the cavalry, aka Joe, her new boyfriend, the one that helped clear her mom in Lighthouse Dunes. He, in turn, calls in a friend and they along with Dixie are all determined to find the real killer, especially after another body is found.
First, the cover is a little deceiving. The two standard poodles owned by Dixie and Lilly’s Aggie return in this story where they all make a new friend. Aggie does start obedience classes with Dixie where a variety of dogs come together.
Lilly can’t catch a break but she has the perseverance to keep moving forward. New house, new job, new people in her life, and another murderer on the loose. She quickly finds new friends at her job and they are so supportive. I loved her new boss, Linda Kay, and love that we have something in common. The author does such an excellent job with all the characters. They have depth and something about them that draws the reader in and pushes us to want to know them better. Even the cantankerous neighbor and the man that used to have Lilly’s job.
Moving Lilly to Tennessee adds a very interesting twist. She was used to the flatlands of Indiana and Dixie lives on a mountain top with a fantastic view. The road to get there was winding and narrow and made Lily very nervous with its huge dropoffs. She is also very unfamiliar with the area and dependent on her GPS. Each place was nicely described as we readers saw it through Lilly’s eyes for the first time right along with her.
The mystery was not easy to solve with the requisite twists and turns. What I love and what makes this story unique in the part the canines play in solving it all. The motives were very unclear and the clues weren’t falling into place either until the wonderful, surprising, and exciting ending.
Well-plotted and written this story was hard to put down. A complex mystery with its share of Southern charm and humor. Right in Chapter 1 Lilly experiences her first “Bless Your Heart” which she learned was “Southern-speak for “You’re an idiot.” I really enjoy the way V.M. Burns tells a story. The care she takes with her characters is commendable and her love of dogs glows within the pages.
I highly recommend this series. I can’t wait for book #3! V.M. Burns The Puppy Who Knew Too Much by V.M. Burns was an engaging second book in the Dog Club Mystery series.
Lilly Echosby and her toy poodle, Aggie, have moved to Chattanooga, TN to start a new life. Her best friend, Dixie, has welcomed her to her home town and is ready to help her get settled. I love both of these women! They are both smart, independent and determined. Fortune smiles on Lilly when she meets Mrs. Hanson who decides to rent her son's house and she knows about a job opening that would be perfect for Lilly. Lilly's new job is at The Chatanooga Art Museum and Linda Kay, her boss, and Jacob, a co-worker, make her feel right at home. Unfortunately, the good luck stops there as Aggie discovers a body on their morning walk after moving into their new home.
The story moved quickly with twists and turns, few suspects and no clear motives to keep readers turning the pages as they follow the clues. I really enjoy this series and would highly recommend it.
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book from Lyrical Underground via NetGalley. All of the above opinions are my own. V.M. Burns I knew I loved this new series when I read the first book, but after reading this one, I am beyond in love with it! It's the perfect cozy mystery with a great twist!
Lilly Echosby had made her move to Chattanooga TN and no sooner had she moved into a house she was going to rent, when she found a body in the woods nearby. It was identified as her landlord that she'd never met. After another body turned up and Lilly was told by the local officer that she was a person of interest, the TBI officer that had befriended her family took over the case. He hadn't known Lilly that long, but he realized it was futile to ban her from investigating. And as usual, she and her friends came together at the end to solve the murders. The twist was great and I definitely never saw that coming.
I loved how Lilly's daughter Stephanie immediately bonded with the Golden Retriever that they'd found cowering under the deck at the house. She got him medical help and he truly proved himself to be a loyal friend. Little Aggie was coming along with her obedience training and also had a fairly important part in taking down a killer. I am over the moon about Lilly and her new friend Red! I can't wait to read the next book! V.M. Burns
The Puppy Who Knew Too Much is the second book in the A Dog Club Mystery series.
Lilly has taken the advice of Dixie, her friend from college, and has moved to Chattanooga, where Dixie lives, to start a new life after the death of her husband was murdered. While having lunch at a restaurant, Lilly is discussing the need to find affordable housing and a job. Jo Ellen Hansen sitting at a table next to them catches their attention and tells Lilly that she can rent her son’s house to Lilly. She says that her son is working in the Cayman Islands and that she can move in right away.
Lilly’s daughter, Stephanie, arrives at her mother is moving in and will help her to unpack and get the house organized. Lilly learns that there is a homeowners association meeting and decides to attend, thinking that it would be a good way to meet her neighbors. She does meet her next door neighbor, Theodore Livingston. Livingston is a cantankerous old man and Lilly ends up getting into a heated debate. Later, while walking her poodle, Aggie finds a body in a shallow grave. Lilly is able to convince the police that she wasn’t in the area when the body had been buried. But the next day she makes some cookies and goes next door to apologize to Livingston, but instead, she finds that he has been murdered. When the police learn of her argument with him, she becomes a primary suspect. Stephanie’s boyfriend, Joe Harrison, arrives and offers to help them learn who Livingston killer might have been.
Jo Ellen also gives Lilly the phone number of Chattanooga Museum of Arts who is looking for an accountant. Lilly ends up getting the job and she finds the books are in an absolute mess. Linda Kaye Weyman, the director of the museum, that Freemont Hopewell the great-grandson of the museum founder had no idea what he was doing. With Lilly having to take time off, she is worried that the museum will let her go, and she really does love the job. Luckily, Weyman likes her and is willing to work with Lilly about the time off.
As they begin to investigate the murder and the other death, things aren’t adding up for Harrison and he asks an old friend, Red Olson, an investigator with the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation to come help them with their sleuthing.
Once again V. M. Burns gives us a very exciting and well-plotted story. There were a lot of red herrings that kept me guessing who the murderer was until the end. I really enjoy the characters, who are all interesting and believable. I love reading about all the dogs, too.
I’m really looking forward to the next book, Bark If It’s Murder, that will be out in August. V.M. Burns The second book in this The Dog series is as good as the first one. Lilly Echosby has moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee. She is training Abbie in obedience. and working as an accountant at a local museum. She rented a house in a subdivision where she meets a crabby neighbor. On a walk, Abbie finds a dead body in the woods nearby. Her daughter, Stephanie is visiting her to aid her moving into her new home. The first night she finds a golden retriever under porch who is badly hurt. Her boyfriend Joe, a K-9 handler is worried about Stephanie and has joined Lilly and her daughter in Tennessee. The characters are fully developed and have attractive traits even the dogs. Joe has to return to work asked friend to watch over the house and residents. The house is ransacked and the body of the crabby is found. The various trends are skillfully brought together for an entrainment read. There several tips on training a dog.I found the book hard to put down and looking g forward to the next boom. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK AND SERIES.
Disclosure: Many thanks to NetGalley and Lyrical Underground for a review copy. The opinions expressed are my own. V.M. Burns In THE PUPPY WHO KNEW TOO MUCH, V. M. Burns has penned an entertaining whodunit that will leave readers begging for more.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. With wonderful characters both human and canine, I quickly felt like I had known them all for some time. And it was a lot of fun to see the dogs playing a part in solving the case.
A great plot and a complex mystery, I found it very hard to put this book down. I kept telling myself, just one more page. One more chapter. Well, I’m sure you know how that worked out. I didn’t let it out of my sight until I had finished.
Pick up a copy of, THE PUPPY WHO KNEW TOO MUCH. You’re going to be happy you did.
V.M. Burns Very fun cozy mystery. It appealed to me as a dog person and anyone who loves dogs will most likely enjoy it. I wasn’t sure who did it all the way up to the end and even then got surprised. V.M. Burns In book two of this delightful series, Lilly Echosby, and her toy poodle Aggie (named after her favorite author Agatha Christie), have now moved to Chattanooga, Tennessee to be near her best friend Dixie. Lilly, looking for a fresh start after solving the murder of her ex-husband is excited to find the perfect residence for her and her pup with Dixie’s help. Interesting characters abound in this community along with those responsible for the Homeowners Association. Unfortunately, her next-door neighbor is one of those crotchety neighbors that makes trouble for everyone and is never happy or satisfied.
Poor Lilly had to listen to his complaints about Aggie’s barking and leaving deposits where she shouldn’t. Not only was he accusing her of breaking the rules of the Association, he is making it very public in her first Association meeting. This does not bode well for Lilly.
As she struggles to get along with her Association community Lilly finds a puppy outside her backdoor that needs attention and love. With her daughter staying with her for a vacation, it is decided she will take care of the puppy and his expenses. Then, one morning while walking Aggie, the pup decides to explore and do some digging. As soon as Lilly sees her, she tries to put a stop to it and finds that Aggie has discovered a body!
Now the adventure begins. With so many different suspects and many visits from the police, Lilly is trying to find the murder before they strike again or make her a victim. Nail-biting ending is pure suspense as everything comes to a gripping end! Can’t wait for the next book in this series. I received this book through NetGalley.
V.M. Burns
