Dial Meow for Murder

Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery Series, Book 2

By: Bethany Blake

Narrated by: Elise Arsenault

Even an experienced pet sitter like Daphne Templeton can be fooled by animal behavior: how can an adorably tiny fuzz ball named Tinkleston be capable of sudden flying leaps with cat claws bared? But human behavior remains even more mysterious, especially when Tinkleston's owner is murdered on the night of a gala fundraiser for Fur-ever Friends Pet Rescue.

Accompanied by her unflappable basset hound, Socrates, Daphne plans to take charge of Tinks the Terror and leave the crime-solving to handsome detective Jonathan Black. But while luring the prickly Persian out of hiding, she uncovers clues that might take suspicion off her own mother. Maeve Templeton already has a reputation as a killer - in real estate. How far would she go to bag Sylvan Creek's most coveted property, the Flynt Mansion?

To expose the truth, Daphne finds herself donning a deranged clown costume on an autumnal adventure that might just be crazy enough to work - if it doesn't get her killed.

©2017 Bethany Blake (P)2018 Tantor

Another great animal mystery

In <strong>Dial Meow for Murder</strong> by Bethany Blake, Daphne Templeton, a dog walker and sitter with a Ph.D. in philosophy, goes to the house of Lillian Flynt for the Fur-Ever Friends Pet Rescue annual fundraiser. Daphne's veterinarian sister, Piper, is frustrated because Miss Flynt, who is the organizer, isn't to be found. Further, the power is out, requiring the use of many candles, and in addition, Miss Flynt's prize-winning black Persian cat managed to escape the house. As Daphne stares at the house, she spies a figure in the window, making her go inside and seek out her mother. Her mother, the top realtor in Sylvan Creek, is preparing the house to show it to a potential buyer and enlists Daphne to help with straightening things up. But as Daphne enters the bathroom, she spies the body of Miss Flynt in the bathtub, with a CD player inside. The woman has been electrocuted.

Knowing that her mother and sister are potential suspects, Daphne does some investigating, with her overly dignified pal, the basset hound Socrates, at her side. Detective Jonathan Black tries to keep her out of trouble, but Daphne doesn't listen. Worried about Miss Flynt's cat, Tinkleston, Daphne makes another trip to the house, where the ferocious cat leaves her covered with scratches but gets captured in the end after all. With all her meddling with evidence, Daphne feels she has to get to the bottom of things herself.

<strong>Dial Meow for Murder</strong> is a strong, enjoyable mystery that equals the book before it, <strong>Death by Chocolate Lab</strong> in its strength. The storyline had a lot of fun details, especially related to the animals whom Daphne interacts with. Further, I appreciated the details of the mystery plot.

The characters in <strong>Dial Meow for Murder</strong> are what really bring the book to life. Daphne has a very free spirit, while her sister, Piper, is straight- laced but another lover of animals. The animals give a lot of joy to the book, especially Socrates, who makes me smile every time he comes on the scene. I also enjoyed being reunited with Artie, the one-eared chihuahua we met in the previous book and whom Detective Jonathan has taken on. Even Tinkleston the cat grew on me.

Elise Arsenault performs the audio edition of this book and does an excellent job of filling the book with energy and realism. She gives strong depth to her performance and good expressions. She plays the role of Daphne in a very believable fashion, making the book highly enjoyable.

I had a good time listening to <strong>Dial Meow for Murder</strong>. The book had a great plot with lots of creativity in its execution. The characters, both human and animal added to its special flavor. I give the book five stars!

Animal lovers and mystery unite!

I normally prefer to read a book, so judging my first audio book is somewhat difficult. I found some of the extensive descriptive details a little too extensive. The plot is excellent and there are many wonderful characters--I certainly will try to read additional books in this series.

I enjoy the light mystery and the faithful sidekick Basset Hound.

The performance is lacking, as with the first book. I feel she misses the emotion of the characters. Maybe preparing by practicing ahead of recording, she would know the punctuation and tones better.

Love the Animals, But Terrible Main Character

The main character is too stupid to live and just plain negligent, the character plot holes are awful. A loving character would care about potentially endangering people and animals, especially ones in her care. She's more of a dangerous flake, than a free spirit.
I've read other peace loving, free spirits that cared about those around them. It's not free spirited and loving of all creatures to drive around in a dangerous vehicle with bald tires, bad breaks and headlights that don't work, especially after she gets more than enough money to drive a safe vehicle. Theres nothing selfless and charitable about negligence. Leaving her animals in an unlocked home, puts them in danger. She also puts her animals in other dangerous situations and feeds them food that are really bad for dogs, her baked goods are have ingredients that can damage a dog's health. I do love the descriptions of the animals, and if the author evolved the main character to care about the safety of others, it would be a great series.