Devil's Chew Toy

This is a fun and entertaining read. The story begins with a go-go boy kicking a customer in the face and comes to an exciting conclusion at a luxurious lakefront estate in Seattle. There's plenty of action in between.
The characters tend toward being quirky and just a bit cartoonish. The plot is over-the-top, a parody of cozy mystery stories. Hayden McCall, the narrator, is an attractive and sympathetic protagonist. The supporting cast includes Commander, a temporarily homeless bull terrier and Jerry, a wise old man who dispenses fatherly advice to Hayden. Nurse Pete and Detective Zane (with the tight blue pants) breeze through parts of the story.
This is a debut novel in a planned series of mystery stories, that the author has dubbed show more "quozy" (a queer cozy). A quozy follows the cozy model: no profanity, no gratuitous violence and no graphic sex. It's a pleasant light entertainment to read in one sitting.
Recommended. show less

Rating: 4* of five

The Publisher Says: Seattle teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall wakes up in a stranger's bed alone, half-naked and sporting one hell of a shiner. Then the police come knocking on the door. It seems that Latino dancer Camilo Rodriguez has gone missing and they suspect foul play. What happened the night before? And where is Camilo?

Determined to find answers, Hayden seeks out two of Camilo's friends—Hollister and Burley—both lesbians and both fiercely devoted to their friend. From them, Hayden learns that Camilo is a "Dreamer" whose parents had been deported years earlier, and whose sister, Daniela, is presumed to have returned to Venezuela with them. Convinced that the cops won't take a brown boy's show more disappearance seriously, the girls join Hayden's hunt for Camilo.

The first clues turn up at Barkingham Palace, a pet store where Camilo had taken a part-time job. The store's owner, Della Rupert, claims ignorance, but Hayden knows something is up. And then there's Camilo's ex-boyfriend, Ryan, who's suddenly grown inexplicably wealthy. When Hayden and Hollister follow Ryan to a secure airport warehouse, they make a shocking connection between him and Della—and uncover the twisted scheme that's made both of them rich.

The trail of clues leads them to the grounds of a magnificent estate on an island in Puget Sound, where they'll finally learn the truth about Camilo's disappearance—and the fate of his family.

I CHECKED THIS BOOK OUT OF MY LOCAL LIBRARY. USE THEIR SERVICES OFTEN, THEY NEED US!

My Review: A book about Commander the dog would be great, please and thank you. Quozy mystery that doesn't have loads of smexytimes. As that was exactly what I wanted to read, I got my wish. The story felt more than usually contrived...the way the sleuth gets drawn in to the crime was in no way credible outside a novel...but contained so much verve and energy in its pacing that I simply could not bring myself to care about suchlike silliness.

Again this month I'm kept purring by the presence of social attitudes I share. This time the author takes on anti-queer policing attitudes and the nonsensical attitudes towards immigrants infesting our political landscape. The sleuth finds himself dealing with bullying, unsurprisingly as he's short and queer, so we get that facet of stakes-making, too. None of these are in any way added onto the story being told. Fun reading with good messaging. show less

4.35 This is not your grandmother’s cozy mystery! Expected publication: February 8. Read my full review here.

#NetGalley #DreamscapeMedia #DevilsChewToy

Didn't finish