As I sat perusing the choices of mysteries waiting to be opened in my library, my loyal little Shiloh by my side eating up every last bit of attention a treasured terrier could, I gravitated toward a certain storyline in the genre—pets—specifically dogs. The warmth of a good dog, her body radiated heat during a cold spell in North Texas can influence anyone, but I confess, it was the affection of Shiloh’s loving spirit that steered me toward my selections.
The first book I chose was a little outside my norm—there are no dead bodies stirring up trouble, (no zombies either) or killers lurking around every corner, but rather, lovable dogs who belong on the couch, like my little girl, instead of being abandoned with the letter Z painted on its fur. (Again, thank my little heart-warming puppy-in-a-ditch rescue story for influencing my choices—Shiloh has never steered me wrong!)
Kathleen Y’Barbo, along with her Gone to the Dogs Mysteries that she co-writes with author, Janice Thompson was new to me, but the title and the cover grabbed me, the blurb did the trick to pull me in—and I earned the reward of a great mystery. The two authors take turns writing every other mystery, (THE BARK OF ZORRO is Kathleen’s second) and it read very easily as a stand-alone novel—that is a key ingredient for me since I read so much, following a storyline throughout a series can be a bit tough, but not with this series!
Cassidy Carter is a vet office manager and goes out on a call on a dark and stormy night to rescue a dog. (I was waiting for the boogie man to appear, and he didn’t disappoint—or did he?) She locates and rescues a dog with a Z painted on its fur and then learns of another very similar case with the letter Z on another dog—and the mystery takes form. Why in the world would someone do that?
For me a love interest adds another dimension to the storyline, and what better way than to throw in Texas game warden Justin Cameron who’s being followed around by reality television cameras? Loved it! Dating without a camera present is impossible in today’s world so it fit perfectly. It also added a few red herrings into the mix which gives every story more layers, but trust me, you won’t guess the who, or the why these animals are ‘tagged’ until our creative author decides to reveal it.
I have to say, it was refreshing to read a clean, intriguing mystery with no blood to be seen. That is a challenge in today’s mysteries and Ms. Y’Barbo has earned a blue ribbon for her excellence.
Rodeo Drive bridal gown designer Rayne McGrath has inherited an Irish castle! If that isn’t a fairy tale, I don’t know what is—except fairy tales have evil stepmothers or at least an overbearing half-cousin in Rayne’s case. The pesky relative who should have inherited it all isn’t happy about her father leaving everything to Rayne, and now she’s a pain in Rayne’s side along with the lovable, adorable red setter named Blarney who can make every hour an adventure of mud and muck. To make matters worse, there’s a town—an actual freaking town—dependent on Rayne to turn the estate’s financial affairs around or they’ll all be out of their homes faster than Rayne can salvage her own failing business and catch her errant embezzling business partner/ fiancé.
Yet when the accidental death of Rayne’s uncle appears to be more purposeful than fluke, Rayne decides to take on the Irish countryside full of sheep and find out who wanted the real owner of the castle dead. To complete the cozy atmosphere, you can’t forget the love interest, after all, even a jilted bride needs to know there are good men out there—and Amos fills out his pants in a rather enticing manner—sorry people, but after watching Bridgerton, a lot of us love the idea of the male thighs filling out tight pants. (It’s better than baggy pants that reveal absolutely nothing!) And that’s enough for our jilted bride in the first book. Rayne’s not dead, she’s thirty and thriving, but possibly bleeding responsibility—to her clients back home and her newfound relatives and friends in Ireland. Thank goodness Blarney is there to warm her heart—another good dog;)
With MURDER AT AN IRISH CASTLE, Ellie Brannigan (Traci Hall) has done a terrific job of starting a brand-new series and giving Rayne and her readers an entire village to raise. It’s a bonafide winner with a taste of Blarney.
Until next month, get cozy and read on!
Bestselling author Kathleen Y’Barbo is a multiple Carol Award and RITA nominee of more than sixty novels with almost two million copies in print in the US and abroad. A tenth-generation Texan, she has been nominated for a Career Achievement Award as well a Reader’s Choice Award and is the winner of the 2015 Inspirational Romance of the Year by Romantic Times magazine.
Kathleen is a paralegal, a proud military wife, and an expatriate Texan cheering on her beloved Texas Aggies from north of the Red River.
Ellie Brannigan has lived in South Florida for the last twenty years. She loves the ocean and any food dish with shrimp. When she's not creating new fictional worlds, she reads, and travels...and eats.
Kym Roberts writes by day and is a pro-surfer in her dreams by night. Her humor is often raunchy, her jokes are often bad, but her hunger for a story keeps the adventures coming fast. Experience the thrill & catch the wave of passion, mystery, and suspense with her at on her website, Facebook, and on Twitter.
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