Genre: Cozy Mysteries
Dixie Hemingway used to be a deputy, but after a family tragedy occurs, she changes occupations and is now a pet sitter. She takes care of almost any pet. Living in the small Florida town of Sarasota, she knows all her customers and has a few regulars. From Billy Elliot, the greyhound she walks everyday, to Mame, the elderly dachshund whose humans are on an extended vacation. Dixie loves her job and loves the pets she takes care of.
One day Dixie is taking Mame on their usual walk when Mame makes a horrible discovery. She brings it to Dixie – a finger, a human finger. Dixie investigates the scene and finds the body the finger belongs to. It turns out to be Conrad Ferrelli. He had been a happy, gentle man about to set up a retirement home for clowns. Dixie thought she saw him driving his car and even waved to him, but obviously it couldn’t have been Conrad. He was already dead! It must have been his killer she waved to!
When Dixie’s life is threatened, she’s convinced the killer is scared she can identify him or her. Then she stumbles upon another dead body and wonders exactly what kind of diabolical plot she has uncovered. Against all warnings, Dixie begins asking questions and is obviously ruffling a few feathers along the way.
I really love the characters in this book. Dixie is a strong heroine and has two love interests. Both are men with intriguing possibilities. There’s also Dixie’s brother and his partner. They are great and I love how protective they are of Dixie.
This is the second book in Blaize Clement’s Dixie Hemingway Mystery series. For the most part, I enjoyed the writing and the plot, but there were a few things I felt were unnecessary and turned me off. There were several scenes of torture to animals that I could have done without. As an animal lover, I can’t stand cruelty to animals and there was some of that here. Some of which were learned about and didn’t actually see happening, but still…death to any animal in my books bothers me. I will still read the third book in the series (as it’s already in my TBR and part of my Shelfari discussion group).
For reading challenge: What an animal reading challenge
fun cover, this sounds like an ok read. The torture to animals scenes would ruin it for me though.
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Naida - It really was a good story, but I'm very squeamish when it comes to animals in any kind of pain. Some might not react the way I did.
ReplyDeleteSomeone recommended this particular author to me but I have yet to give her a try. Thanks for the warning about the animal cruelty in the book. I can stomach reading stuff like that if it serves a purpose in the book and the bad people get their due in the end, but it's nice to know ahead of time.
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