Welcome to my stop on the Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour for To Fetch a Killer, Four Fun “Tails” of Chaos and Murder by Maria Hudgins, Teresa Inge, Heather Weidner, and Jayne Ormerod. Stop by each blog on the tour for interviews, guest posts, spotlights, reviews and more!
To Fetch a Killer, Four Fun “Tails” of Chaos and Murder
by Maria Hudgins, Teresa Inge, Heather Weidner, and Jayne Ormerod
I received this book free; however, all opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive compensation at no cost to you.
To Fetch a Killer, Four Fun “Tails” of Chaos and Murder
Cozy Mystery Anthology
4th in Series
Publisher: Bay Breeze Publishing
Number of Pages: 250
It’s a dog-meet-dog world as a pack of canines team up with their humans to solve mysteries and track down killers. Four mutt-loving authors join their talents in creating this collection of canine-themed novellas which will transport you into the chaotic world of hero dogs who have a nose for murder. Grab a leash and hang on tight…the mutts are on the loose again!
This anthology includes four novellas.
“Sandy Paws” by Maria Hudgins
The Sand Fiddler’s Writers Group has rented a beach house for its annual retreat, but the writers and their canine friends can’t get much done after murder rears its ugly head.
“A New Leash on Death” by Teresa Inge
Catt Ramsey, owner of the Woof-Pack Dog Walkers, has a knack for finding dead bodies, but when she and her pups are on the case, there’s no way the killer will get away with murder.
“Wags to Riches” by Heather Weidner
When a prickly guest ends up dead in his booth at the rummage sale, track owner, Cassidy Green and her Rottweiler Oliver have to sniff out clues and find the killer before another murder is forever linked to her business.
“Bone Appetit” by Jayne Ormerod
A dead guest at private chef Molly Perkins’s dinner party draws her and house dog Tater in a chaotic search for the secret ingredient to murder.
My review of To Fetch a Killer, Four Fun “Tails” of Chaos and Murder
Each of the stories in To Fetch a Killer are fun, quick reads. You can easily read these novellas in a day, or read one a day if you’re short on time!
“Sandy Paws” by Maria Hudgins
“Sandy Paws” takes place in a beach house where several writers have gathered to write and share some of their stories with their fellow writers. How great would it be to rent a beach house with people who love to do what you love to do? In my case, a bunch of us cozy mystery readers would be gathered. But that’s as far as I’d want our gathering to mimic this one! I mean, they do find one of their group murdered!
This is a very fast-paced mystery with some fun characters. I did read the prior, related novella in To Fetch a Villain, so I was familiar with Jessica, a deaf author and her adorable dogs. Though she insisted that she wasn’t the group’s leader (because the leader gets stuck with the work!), she was the one who seemed the most qualified to lead! And her dogs just added to the fun (and the clue finding missions)!
“A New Leash on Death” by Teresa Inge
I was familiar with the characters in “A New Leash on Life” from To Fetch a Villain as well. Catt is the owner of a dog-walking business called the Woof-Pack Dog Walkers. Since Catt has a house now, she’s had the business expanded to the upstairs. And the upstairs should be having a wonderful grand opening of the new grooming area. However, a dead body is found up there, and it appears he’s been killed by one of the grooming tools!
As with the prior Woof-Pack story, I really enjoyed the characters, both human and animal! This is another quick read with a mystery to solve along with the characters. The business is one I would certainly frequent if I lived in this story!
“Wags to Riches” by Heather Weidner
I thought the setting of “Wags to Riches” was really unique. This fun mystery stars Cassidy Green who runs her late father’s speedway. Since racing isn’t a year round sport, Cassidy’s got to find ways to keep the speedway making money all year long. This particular weekend, the speedway is hosting a big rummage sale with lots of vendors. But before the sale even opens, a dead body is found!
I really liked how this mystery played out. Though it’s a novella, I quickly became attached to the characters and was invested in the mystery.
I loved the characters in this story. Cassidy, her lovable dog Oliver, her uncle, and the other speedway workers seem like they’re a big, happy family. The story’s setting and characters gave it that really cozy feel that I love. Hopefully we’ll see more of these characters in another mystery.
“Bone Appetit” by Jayne Ormerod
“Bone Appetit” stars Molly Perkins, a private chef for an influential family. One family member ends up dead from an allergic reaction. There’s no way Molly would have messed up any of the dishes she served. She’s determined to find out who would have tainted one of her dishes!
This novella has strong characters and a great, fast-paced plot! There are several red herrings that are going to through you off! But, I really enjoyed solving the mystery along with the characters.
Character Guest Post
TAKE THIS JOB AND LOVE IT!
Thank you for the opportunity to share our enthusiasm for our latest book, To Fetch a Killer, Four Fun “Tails” of Chaos and Murder with you and your faithful followers. This cozy combines the talents of multi-published authors in presenting four novella-length stories. They offer a little bit of murder and a whole lot of fun. Each of our amateur sleuths works in a unique profession that gives them a front-row seat to the action. We have a personal chef, an owner of a dog-walking business, a mystery writer, and a racetrack owner. We posed the question, “What do you love about your work?” Here are the responses in a little post we like to call “Take This Job and Love It!”
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Molly Perkins, “Bone Appetit” by Jayne Ormerod
Food, glorious food. That has been Molly Perkins’s theme song for most of her life. Her talents emerged at a young age when she offered up twists on S’mores to her girl scout troop. How can you improve on a S’more, you ask? Think a chocolate-covered cherry or peppermint patty tucked inside a butter cookie with a gooey toasted marshmallow to hold it all together. (Actually, it came about when Molly’s mom forgot to buy graham crackers and Hershey Bars, so Molly raided the cupboard for any substitute she could find. In cooking—as in life—necessity is the mother of invention.)
The praise she received from her improvisation sent her to the kitchen to jazz-up other tried and true recipes, dumping in whichever ingredient that was in easy reach. She learned that cinnamon does not go well with macaroni and cheese, but a little dark chocolate in chili? To die for.
She turned her passion for experimenting into a career as a personal chef. The best thing about her job is working in some of the most fashionable kitchens in Sea Haven. And experimenting with exotic (read pricey) foods at someone else’s expense. And having access to some of the best wines money can buy. (She does have to pair them accordingly, right?) Add to that the flexibility to make her own hours and be her own boss. There is no better job in the world.
Or so Molly thought, until one of her employer’s dinner guests drops dead from something they’d eaten. And Molly had cooked all of it herself.
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Jessica Chastain, “Sandy Paws” by Maria Hudgins
Jessica loves her job as a writer because as a deaf person she is never distracted by noises. She can work in her jammies and she can walk the dogs, Trey and Kim, whenever she wants. She has total freedom to send her characters in any direction, as long as she remembers the most important rule: Don’t be boring!
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Catt Ramsey, “A New Leash on Death” by Teresa Inge
Catt Ramsey, owner of the Woof-Pack Dog Walkers in Virginia Beach loves her job but only after she lost her corporate event planning job in a downsize and finding her cheating husband with a neighbor.
That’s when Catt quickly picked herself up and changed her life after opening the Woof-Pack Dog Walkers above her sister Em’s cottage in Virginia Beach. She and Yorkshire Terrier
pups, Cagney and Lacey took to the boardwalk in Virginia Beach to walk client’s dogs. As the business grew with more clients, Catt began stumbling upon crimes and dead bodies during her walks and was accused of murder. Once again, she and pups took to the boardwalk and streets but this time to solve crimes, murder, and clear her name.
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Cassidy Green, “Wags to Riches” by Heather Weidner
Cassidy Green’s sole focus is to keep her eyes on the checkered flag and her racetrack business from crashing into the wall. She spends most of her waking hours looking for new marketing ideas to attract visitors. Her latest event is a giant rummage sale with booths lining the oval track. Before she can bask in the success of guests flooding through the gates, one of her prickly vendors ends up dead in his booth of antique furniture. Cassidy and her Rottweiler Oliver have to sniff out clues and find the killer before her business is ruined.
Cassidy inherited Amelia Speedway in Central Virginia when her father passed away. She left her full-time job in marketing to run the day-to-day operations with Oscar (her Director of Security) and her uncle. The days are long, especially when you live and work at the same place, but Cassidy wouldn’t trade her job for any other. The weekends are full of race qualifying, practice laps, and burning rubber under the lights at the short track that has been in her family for years. It’s often a struggle to pay the bills, but Cassidy uses social media and her marketing skills to come up with ways to draw a crowd. She just hopes that another murder at the track won’t black flag her business.
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All of these job-loving characters appear in our book. Here’s a little bit more about how these characters along with their mutt-ly sidekicks in the killer-chasing business.
To Fetch a Killer is available in print at Amazon, and all ebook platforms.
For more information about the authors and their stories, please check out the website at www.MuttMysteries.com
About the authors
Maria Hudgins
MARIA HUDGINS is a mystery writer from coastal Virginia and a lover of animals. She writes the Dotsy Lamb Travel Mysteries and the Lacy Glass Archaeology Mysteries. Her short stories appear in such publications as Virginia is for Mysteries, Fifty Shades of Cabernet, Murder by the Glass, and Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. The two dogs, Trey and Kim, featured in this story are based on Hudgins’s beloved Bichons, Holly and Hamilton, now gone but never forgotten.
Teresa Inge
TERESA INGE grew up reading Nancy Drew mysteries. Combining her love of reading mysteries and writing professional articles led to writing short fiction and novellas.
Today, she doesn’t carry a rod like her idol but she hot rods. She juggles assisting two busy executives at a financial firm and is president of the Sisters in Crime, Mystery by the Sea chapter. Teresa is a contributing author to the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Mutt Mysteries series, Coastal Crimes, and Murder by the Glass, Cocktail Mysteries.
She resides in Southeastern Virginia with her husband and two dogs. She can be reached on all social media or by posting a comment on her website.
Heather Weidner
Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Delanie Fitzgerald mystery series set in Virginia (Secret Lives and Private Eyes, The Tulip Shirt Murders, and Glitter, Glam, and Contraband). Her new cozy series with vintage trailers and tiny houses, the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, launches in October 2021.
Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, and Murder by the Glass, and her novellas appear in The Mutt Mysteries series (To Fetch a Thief, To Fetch a Scoundrel, To Fetch a Villain, and To Fetch a Killer).
She is a member of Sisters in Crime – Central Virginia, Sisters in Crime – Chessie, Guppies, International Thriller Writers, and James River Writers.
Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.
- Website and Blog
- Goodreads
- Amazon Authors
- BookBub
- AllAuthor
- YouTube
JAYNE ORMEROD
JAYNE ORMEROD grew up in a small Ohio town then went on to a small-town Ohio college. Upon earning her degree in accountancy, she became a CIA (that’s not a sexy spy thing, but a Certified Internal Auditor.) She married a naval officer and off they sailed to see the world. After nineteen moves, they, along with their two rescue dogs Tiller and Scout, have settled into a cozy cottage by the Chesapeake Bay. Jayne’s publishing credits include two novels, five novellas, and eight short mysteries, with more coming soon. A complete list can be found on her website.
MUTT MYSTERIES
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To Fetch a Killer, Four Fun “Tails” of Chaos and Murder Tour Participants
August 18
Novels Alive – GUEST POST
My Journey Back the Journey Back – CHARACTER GUEST POST
August 19
Ascroft, eh? – CHARACTER INTERVIEW
Maureen’s Musings – REVIEW
August 20
Brooke Blogs – SPOTLIGHT
August 21
My Reading Journeys – REVIEW
MJB Reviewers – SPOTLIGHT
August 22
Nesie’s Place – SPOTLIGHT
FUONLYKNEW – SPOTLIGHT
August 23
Author Elena Taylor’s Blog – AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 24
Christy’s Cozy Corners – REVIEW, CHARACTER GUEST POST
Sapphyria’s Book Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 25
Reading Is My SuperPower – GUEST POST
Cassidy’s Bookshelves – REVIEW
August 26
Literary Gold – SPOTLIGHT
I Read What You Write – REVIEW, AUTHOR INTERVIEW
August 27
Diane Reviews Books – GUEST POST
Celticlady’s Reviews – SPOTLIGHT
August 28
Laura’s Interests – REVIEW
Escape With Dollycas Into A Good Book – SPOTLIGHT
August 29
BookishKelly2020 – SPOTLIGHT
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Christy, thanks so much for letting us stop by the blog today! Thanks for the fun character intros and the great review!
You’re welcome! I really liked reading the character intros!
Thank you Christie! Really appreciate the great reviews, and also the opportunity to share our book with your readers. Hope everyone has a wonderful day that offers at least a few quiet moments to curl up with a book!
You’re welcome & thank you! I’m curling up with tea and a book right now!
Thank you so much for posting about the Mutt Mysteries characters!! I love writing this series!
You’re welcome! Thank you for stopping!