"Puppy Peril" By Hazel Smith

Review by Tracy Condie 

Before she became a maid at the prestigious Hotel LaFontaine, Ivy Stone moved from Midwest, USA to London, England. Her Granny Stone’s final wish was that Ivy live her life to the fullest, travel, and find love. As part of her new adventure, Ivy acquires Monty, a black Great Dane puppy, as a trusty sidekick. We find Ivy settling into her new home, a lovely little cottage with a rather interesting group of neighbors––and with her first murder to solve

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On her morning walk with Monty, she finds a dead man and a puny puppy in an alley peppered with signs for lost dogs. You have to hand it to Ivy for taking on a Great Dane puppy as their sheer size and strength can be a challenge. I applaud her use of YouTube and dog training videos to keep the pup from lunging when a treat is offered, especially since some neighbors carry treats at all times. That is just one of the things that struck me as strange.

Ivy’s neighbors are a bit unusual, which makes them good suspects for the murder. There is Rory, the personal trainer; Burt, the grumpy gardener; Rosalind, the baker; Hyacinth, the gossip; and Cressida, the founder of the Barkingham Dog Rescue. Ms. Smith does a very good job of plot building, clue scattering, and misdirecting with various red herrings.

In this cozy, you learn that Ivy enjoys knitting, good pub food, and has a heart as big as the Midwest. Ivy is so concerned for the scared and injured pup from the alley (nicknamed Buck), that not only does she check up on him, but she also volunteers at the local animal shelter.

I found it interesting to “see” Ivy in her neighborhood surroundings as she interacted with the people from the animal shelter to the local pub which features tasty treats like Butter Chicken Fries, a surprising pub food offering.

After I finish dishing up this review, I am going to dish up some Butter Chicken Fries. Ms. Smith kindly includes the recipe at the conclusion of this entertaining story.

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Tracy Condie is a paralegal by day and cozy armchair sleuth by night. When she is not working or reading, she enjoys preparing the recipes found in culinary cozies or researching recipes of meal items described therein and sharing reviews of both books and food on Instagram and on KRL. She lives in Corona, California with her husband and dog Zoolie, and looks forward to visiting with their grown sons when their time permits.

Disclosure: This post contains links to an affiliate program, for which we receive a few cents if you make purchases. KRL also receives free copies of most of the books that it reviews, that are provided in exchange for an honest review of the book.