*sigh* This had such potential. Then the book succumbed to the fashion in cozy mysteries to be over-the-top cute. Once again, we have a small town completely dedicated to a theme like a Disney theme park. In this case, it is pets. Mostly dogs, although I must give the inn credit for have a wing dedicated to cats, and I believe parrots get a mention or two. And did the author have to name the kitten Twinkletoes??? Wouldn't Twinkle be good enough?

Other than that, though, it was a pretty good book. Just not something I want to keep in the permanent collection.

Taking to the BCinDC meeting in Springfield, VA. Who knows where it will go from there.

Furball brought this to meet up and I have a weakness for cozy mysteries because they are usually pretty quick reads.

I was looking for a quick and entertaining read and this fit the bill. While I love a good cozy mystery and I am a sucker for anything involving pets, I do think this whole "mystery series based around a theme" gimic can be overboard. (Of course, the exceptions to this are the themed series that I started reading and loved before I read too many themed series -- but that is always the way things go.) In some ways, the concept of Wagtail deciding to become a premiere pet vacation destination was a bit of overreaching for me (I don't know if there really is a Wagtail, VA -- it seems like too much of a contrivance given the theme of the book, but maybe I am just being overly cynical). However, I did enjoy the characters in town (human, feline, and canine) and I think I would enjoy reading more in the series, although I am not instantly attached to the whole concept.

I enjoyed the mystery aspect -- it had its moments of suspense and red herrings -- and I loved the Sugar Maple Inn group. I thought the character of Phillip was a bit extreme in the "romance" department, and I thought the character of Ben was softened a little too much for believability in the end. (Maybe just because I read his early statements as so typical of a private attorney in DC who is so fixated on how everything affects HIM and those attributes sort of disappeared as the plot unfolded without being resolved in any way.) I do think I would take my cat and go stay in Wagtail if the place really existed, as it sounds relaxing.

I will take this to Westminster MD for the MaryZee Memorial Meet-up, since she loved good cozy mysteries and things involving animals.

"A book is a mysterious object, I said, and once it floats out into the world, anything can happen. All kinds of mischief can be caused, and there's not a damned thing you can do about it. For better or worse, it's completely out of your control." -- Paul Auster

Will take this book with me to Westminster for the MaryZee Memorial Meet-up. Whatever does not find a new home with a BookCrosser will be added to the OBCZ shelf at Birdie's.

I picked up this book for a friend of mine from New Hampshire who loves dog mysteries. I hope she wants to read it! Thank you FURBALL and 6of8!

Released to my friend from New Hampshire on Thanksgiving!

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Happy reading!

Caught!

Thank you for returning this book to me. I will release it into the Little Free Library of Twinbrook (#7720).

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