Santa Puppy

This is a cute, heart-warming Christmas novella with characters I have grown to know and love. It is Christmas time in South Cove California and Jill Gardner is planning to host an adopt-a-pet event at the bookstore. As she is meeting the animals that are being featured, she learns about the death of a homeless man and his small dog left behind. When Jill finds a key hidden in the dog's collar, they find a journal and money left to his childhood sweetheart. This piques Jill's interest and she sets out to find his sweetheart. This is a quick story, but it has a wonderful Christmas message, as well as interesting information about Veterans and their hardships. There is a bit of magic, and a couple of twists that will surprise the reader. show more I highly recommend this addition to The Tourist Trap Mystery series, whether you have read any of the other books or not. It is a sweet Christmas Novella. The publisher, Kensington Publishers, generously provided me with a copy of this book upon request. The rating, ideas and opinions shared are my own. show less

Santa Puppy by Lynn Cahoon is a Tourist Trap Novella. Jill Gardner of Coffee, Books and More will be hosting a pet adoption event next Saturday at the store to help some adorable animals find forever before Christmas. In anticipation of the event, Jill along with Greg King and her friends are at the Bakerstown shelter to wash the dogs. Jill meets Baby, a ten year old terrier who arrived at the shelter after his owner was found dead on the beach the previous week. Jill takes off his collar and a safety deposit key falls out. Greg King, a South Cove police detective, obtains the items from the box hoping it will provide them with the deceased identity. The contents of the safety deposit box provide Jill with a mystery to wrap up before show more Christmas.

Santa Puppy is a cute and uplifting cozy mystery. There is an adorable dog that misses its owner and a deceased human that the police have been unable to identify. All our favorites characters from A Tourist Trap series are back in this Christmas novella (120 pages). I found Santa Puppy to be well-written and it moves along at a fast clip. I would suggest reading one of the full length novels in A Tourist Trap Mystery series prior to reading Santa Puppy. The story has a good moral plus it highlights the plight of our veterans. There is a hint of Christmas magic at play in this engaging Christmas story (I do not want to spoil it for you). Santa Puppy is a heartwarming Christmas cozy with a sweet ending. show less

I re-read Santa Puppy in order to write a review for it and I found it just as enjoyable as the first time. It's listed as book 9.75 in the Tourist Trap Mysteries, but it can be read as stand-alone if you ask me. The relationships between the characters are explained and I didn't feel like I dove into a series that was almost 10 books long, which was great. I liked the mystery we got in this book and I was almost worried that it wouldn't end of a good note. As it turns out, everyone got a happy ending which was very fitting considering that this is a Christmasy story. It wouldn't be fitting if someone got a sad ending including the dog. Overall the book was good and I would recommend it, even to those who have no idea what the series is show more about. show less

When a homeless man is found dead on the beach, Jill takes it upon herself to find a home for his lovable dog, Baby. It’s not an easy task. She decides to first look into the background of the deceased man. Her search takes her back many years, to a time when he and his girlfriend were split up by her parents. He went to war; she left town. What happened after that is bittersweet, but still a nice holiday tale. Not everyone gets a fairy-tale “happily ever after,” but still, you can try to make the best of the situation you are in. Complete with the delightful characters that live in this series, the story is nice addition to it.

A quick read, but fun to be back with Jill Gardiner and some of her friends in South Cove. Several of the characters are donating their time to wash senior animals to be ready for an adoption event right before the holidays. One of the dog's owners is recently deceased and Jill hopes to answer the mystery of what happened to the love of his life. This takes place a bit in the past as far as the regular South Cove books go, just to be aware of the time warp feeling.

This novella fits the bill if seeking a heartwarming Christmas story. Jill Gardner hopes many dogs will receive forever homes at the adoption event at her store. A dog found next to his owner's body on the beach wears a collar with a safe deposit key. The police believe the key will lead to the owner's identity and next of kin. The novella takes place near Christmas, and the Christmas tree lot is busy with Jill, the police, and others purchasing holiday trees. I don't want to divulge too much of the plot. I have not read others in this series, but this makes a light cozy holiday story.

Jill Gardner loves animals which is why she is holding a pet adoption event at her store. Jill discovers that one of the dogs needing a forever home was found next to his homeless owner who had died and that he holds a secret - a safety deposit box key. The items in the box lead Jill and the police on a merry chase to find the details of who the man was and who will love this dog.

A wonderful, wonderful Christmas addition to this series!