Wednesday, February 8, 2023

Playing Dead - Cozy Mystery Review

Goodreads: Playing Dead (Molly Madison #2) by Peggy Rothschild

Rating: Liked It! (3.5 Stars)
Source:   Publisher

Description:  Molly Madison is back to solve another doggone difficult murder in her California community in this mystery from the author of A Deadly Bone to Pick.

Molly Madison has barely had a moment to catch her breath after moving to the sleepy beach town she now calls home. But as a former PI, she can’t help but notice the odd chemistry between members of Playtime Academy on the first day she and her loyal Saint Bernadoodle, Noodle, and golden retriever, Harlow, visit. When a trainer’s body is found on-site, Molly knows it’s her duty to put her ex-police skills to use. She can’t say no to temporarily taking in the deceased woman’s dog, either—not with those puppy dog eyes.

Relationships at the training facility are not as clean as the prize-winning agility runs, making it difficult for Molly to get a leash on potential suspects. And her personal life is just as messy—her boyfriend is hiding something, her agoraphobic neighbor needs help, and her number of four-legged friends keep growing as she agrees to dogsit a wriggly local French bulldog.

When Molly’s friend is arrested for the murder, she’s not sure who to believe anymore. Is the case as simple as the local cops make it seem, or is something more devious afoot?

Genre: Mystery - Cozy

Why I Picked This Book:   I love cozy mysteries and I love dog sports so this seemed like a pairing I couldn't resist.

My Impression:  This is a must read for dog loving mystery reads.  There's all kinds of doggie goodness from Molly's ever growing menagerie to her time spent on agility runs.   I loved seeing all the different breeds and activities.  I'm an active member in a local dog club and run rally and scent work with my Golden and we've just started agility so it's always fun to read about a world I'm familiar with.

Molly has a law enforcement background so I really enjoyed the mix of those tools with the dog training.  The mystery kept me guessing as Celeste had no shortage of enemies both in the dog world and out and is truly a dreadful person.  I was a bit surprised by how it all worked out but really enjoyed getting there.

This had a bit of a slow start and I'm not sure how interesting you would find some of the side plots if you're not interested in dog training.   But otherwise, this was a fun read with an entertaining mix of four legged sidekicks and interesting main character.

Would I Read More of this Series/Author?  Definitely!  I'm curious to see how this series develops.

Would I Recommend this Book?  If you enjoy dogs and cozy mysteries I think you'll really enjoy this one!

* I received this book in exchange for an honest review.  As always my opinions and impressions are completely my own. *

6 comments:

  1. Sounds good, I love books that have dogs in them!

    ReplyDelete
  2. I do love dogs! And this book sounds like a lot of fun. :D

    ReplyDelete
  3. Celeste sounds horrible. I love the dog training and law enforcement aspect. Great review, maybe the next book won't be as slow since the characters and explaining are done.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I love books that involve dogs so this could be a good pick for me.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I love books with dogs in them. Also I've never heard of a Saint Bernadoodle. I just googled them and they are gorgeous dogs!

    ReplyDelete