Kneading To Die

You know it is a bad sign when the main character annoys you in the first chapter. What is up with all of the "theme song" nonsense? Between that and the constant brand-name dropping and needless clothing / physical descriptions of everyone, I barely soldiered on. Plus, her name annoyed me.

HOWEVER, the mystery was ok enough to finish it without too much eye rolling. I'm down with the whole small-town, organic living, pet loving world. I'm not standing in my kitchen whipping up pet food from scratch with all organic fresh ingredients, but I have enjoyed many a farmer's market in my day. So the setting was quaint, and I enjoyed many of the side characters, even though the author threw in so many that you barely got to know any of them. show more She did waste half the book on a boyfriend you knew from the first line wouldn't be sticking around for book 2, and that annoyed me. I get it; it sets up the heroine for the small-town love interest in book 2.

This book was just ok. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. 2 stars. show less

Lisa Mugavero has spawned yet another cozy mystery series with a humorous heroine with an offbeat nickname, a twee boutique business, and a kitty sidekick. Kristan “Stan” Connor moves from West Hartford to rural Connecticut and turns her hand to making organic pet treats when she’s laid off from her job. When Stan’s adversary, the prickly local veterinarian, winds up dead, Stan finds herself the prime suspect, based on the thinnest evidence I’ve ever seen in any mystery book. Naturally, Stan sets out to clear herself, but the entire quest seems bumbling and implausible.

While the impulsive Stan is a likable protagonist, Mugavero’s plot just seems unbelievable and the other characters in Frog Ledge, Connecticut (yes, Mugavero show more really is into corny) — including the love interest, bar owner Jake McGee — are either forgettable or clichés. I found myself skimming large sections of the book to get to the end, but then I stopped, realizing I just didn’t care enough to even skim.

The cozy universe is crowded with caterers, restauranteurs, bartenders, waitresses, innkeepers, antiques dealers, bookstore owners, clothes shop owners, yarn shop owners, gift shop owners, glassblowers, quilters, interior decorators, professional organizers, soap makers, alternative therapists, herbalists, landscapers, florists, beekeepers, artists, artisans, beauticians, even a blacksmith. Sometimes it seems that more amateurs are involved in police work than actual coppers! If that cozy universe needs one more cat-lover mystery series, it isn’t this one. show less

This is the first in the series "A Pawsitively Organic Mystery" and I was hooked within the first five pages. I could imagine myself in this small town joining Stan Connor in baking her pet treats. The author knows how to paint a picture with her words and I'm looking forward to seeing what else Liz Mugavero comes up with.

new-series, first-in-series, cozy-mystery, culinary, pet-cat, contemporary, Connecticut, amateur-sleuth, veterinarian, small-town, small-business, unpleasant-victims, homeopathic, new-in-town, situational-humor, verbal-humor****

Interesting story full of pets and some very interesting human characters. The investigation is sometimes frantic and other times somewhat sluggish but always fun.
Voice actor Ann Marie Lee gave a good dramatic reading.
I requested and received a free temporary audiobook from Tantor Audio via NetGalley.
Pub Date 13 Feb 2024

Not exceptional. The standard stupid cop who suspects the wrong person and a diatribe against pet food from China.

good story looking forward to reading more from this author.

A great start for a new series!