Paws of Death: A Pet-themed Cozy with Cute Animals

by Chelsea Thomas

***Amazon.com #1 Series in Cozy Mysteries, Cozy Mystery Anthologies and Amateur Sleuths.***



“I went looking for pet themed cozies that had lots of comedy. There was nothing…until I found this.”

Amy Stewart grew up in sunny Toluca Lake, CA. So after she got her heart broken in Pine Grove, NY, she naturally returned home to open up a dog grooming business all her own. Adorable puppies are always a good thing, right?

But murder is very, very bad for business.

The local police chief is inept. So it's up to Amy and her poker playin' granny, Petunia, to solve this murder. But if they don't solve it quickly they could end up in jail... or worse.

Life back in California is a fantasy come true for Amy, in so many ways. She's dating the hot local cop. Family and friends surround her. Everywhere she turns she's filled with warm, nostalgic memories.

That's why she works so hard to solve murders. But will this be the one that ruins her life for good?

You'll love this cozy mystery because it has cute animals, loyal friends and a suspenseful mystery.

Grab your copy now.

Genres: Cozy Mystery

226 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 16, 2023

About the author

Everyone loves a secret.

So here's a good one...

...Chelsea Thomas is technically two people, married writing team Chelsea and Matthew Thomas.

Matt and Chelsea write cozy mysteries set on an apple orchard in upstate New York. They also write television and film. As screenwriters, they have worked with several studios, including Nickelodeon, SONY and CBS.

Chelsea and Matt are graduates of Duke University and they are members of the Writers Guild of America. And they are USA Today Bestselling authors.

Chelsea enjoys spending time with animals and practicing yoga. Matt loves playing music. They both enjoy spending time near the water.

Want a free novella PLUS a free cozy mystery cookbook?

Join the Chelsea Thomas Reader Club at www.chelseathomasauthor.com.

Reviews

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Stewart moved back to California from New York after a heartbreak, and opened a dog grooming business with her granny, Petunia. and lone employee, Betsy, who's a bit off-the-wall. But she's happy, especially since she's taken her relationship with copy Mike Fine to a new level. At least she thought she was, until a woman named Abigail shows up at her home one night, frantic.

It seems Abigail's boss has been receiving death threats, and has disappeared completely because of them. Amy's no stranger to Abigail or her boss, Minx, having had to deal with them in a previous murder case. But she also can't say no when there's a mystery about it, so she and Mike go to Minx's office to see if they can garner any clues to her whereabouts. They don't have to go far to find a dead body -- and it's not Minx. It's the man who stole Abigail's job out from under her. Now Amy, Petunia, and Betsy are on the case, and they intend to find out the truth, even if it kills them...

This is the ninth book in the series and I have read them all. I would like to say that this is a standalone mystery, but I can't. In order to understand the dynamics, you need to really read the previous story to get the background on Abigail and Minx. This one merely touches on it. Saying that, I will say that the story line is an interesting one, but I don't really see all the issues that some of the characters seem to think are there. I won't explain, as this is a new book and I don't want to ruin the story for anyone.

What I do love is the fact that poor Fluffy is telling another problem in his newly embraced love life, and as I love cats, I find it rather interesting to read about his interjections in what is otherwise a troubled mystery. Let us not forget Betsy, who has love troubles of her own, and Petunia, who might just have a double trouble issue going on. It's all a lot of fun, and the subplots are just as intriguing as the main one.

When Amy begins to put it all together, she's not sure if she's right or not, but she knows that she needs to follow through, and in doing so, once again she's figured out who the killer is (as we knew that she would). The ending is satisfactory, and I enjoyed the book as much as the others. Recommended.

I received a copy of this book from the author and BookSprout but this in no way influenced my review

[Joanie Hinton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy is trying to adjust to having her boyfriend, policeman Mike, living with her and her animals. It’s proving to be challenging. Then they find a dead man in the office of someone who has been receiving death threats. Was the dead man the intended victim…and where is the owner of the office. Amy, her granny and their friend Betsy are back to sleuthing.
(Thanks to Booksprout for an advance copy)

[Merry Chapman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book in the series is an absolute winner. I just couldn't put it down. We have our quirky fun characters, Amy, Granny Petunia and of course Betsy who just keeps us in hysterics. But we also have the Amy's really great cat, Fluffy with his undying love for Queen Elizabeth. We are treated to not only murder, but lots of drama with Betsy being married to the irascible office Grutch and didn't know she was married to him. What happened last night? You have Amy and her detective boyfriend Mike living together and trying to work out their cohabitation and then we have Granny who is the best poker player in the whole area finally meeting her match and making her crazy. And with her sleuthing crew hung up on other things, Amy is left to go sleuthing at first on her own. With so many twists and turns and so many threads being pulled in different directions, once you start this book there is no way you can put it down! The authors so cleverly throw out so many obstacles and subplots that she weaves into a fantastic book. I can't wait to see what the authors come up with next. I highly recommend this book and the entire series! I received an ARC of this book but the opinions expressed here are strictly my own.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this as an ARC from the author. I have also read some of the apple orchard series previously. I don't remember reading any others in this particular series, although some look familiar, so I'll have to read the earlier ones...although this can be read as a standalone, the book makes reference to the previous cases, and I think that's the only downside to the book. As I've stated in reviews of other books authored by any author in a series, I prefer not to have more than one reference to an earlier book. This had more than I liked. Still, this was such a cute and interesting book, I read it all in one sitting. The book is a cozy mystery, and part of a series as you can surmise. I didn't find too many publishing errors...but there were some. For the most part the main character narrates the story, but there are a few short interludes when her male cat Fluffy narrates the story within the story. That was cute. This had some really good twists, and, in this case, I didn't see one of them from the beginning, and didn't really guess the murderer at all. I am keeping this free from spoilers.
I recommend it.

[Emily Pennington · Rating 5 out of 5]

Never a Dull Moment . . .

Amy Stewart now lives in California and runs a dog grooming business. Amy and her boyfriend, Detective Mike Fine, are living together and adjusting to their new situation. With the local police chief being so bad at solving crime, Amy and her granny often step in to investigate murders. So while Minx is worrying over death threats, Kyle is found dead in the office! Was he a target too, or just in the way? It looks like, once again, the team is going to be very busy!

Family, friendship, drama, mystery, turmoil, suspense, and animals run through the pages and keep the reader swept up in the story line. The well-developed characters are already familiar to many of us and new ones are easy to get to know through their interaction and detailed descriptions. The story is well written, flows smoothly through the twists and turns, and holds the reader’s interest from cover to cover. Grab your copy and help them find the murderer before anything else happens!

[Julie Howard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay I struggled to finish this book, which is a shame because I like this author. I just couldn't connect with the characters and didn't really care if the murder got solved or not. The story was too slow with a lot going on that wasn't relevant to the case, although that did mean you got adorable puppies needing a bath every five minutes. I don't think the chapters focusing on the cats helped and I just skipped them, as they had no relevance to the mystery and felt like they were just padding to make it a longer story. I do like the main characters and the whole working in a dog salon is a fun and original idea but I think I might just stick to the authors other series.
When a friend worried about not being able to contact her ex boss, Minx, phones for help, Amy and Mike quickly respond. Only to find her new assistant dead in the office. With Minx still missing Amy, Betsy and Granny need to eliminate all the possible suspects to help there friends. The problem is the victim left behind plenty of people who hated him, including his own family. Can they find the killer?

[Alice Hazelbaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy this series and this addition has got it all: funny, quirky characters, a zany, unpredictable plot, even romance! Detective Mike has moved in with Amy, Queen Elizabeth is now living with Fluffy, and even Betsy and Granny seem to be enjoying some romance. At the grooming salon, a new customer with 7 cute pups (whom they have dubbed the 7 dwarfs) is keeping everyone busy as the pups get into one mess after another! Granny is having a bit of out-of-character poker problem, and a new case has all our favorite sleuths running around in circles trying to figure out a murder with mysterious circumstances. Totally entertaining! I received a free copy of this book from BookSprout and write this review voluntarily.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Shelly Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paws of Death is the ninth installment of the Dog Groomer Cozy Mysteries series. Book nine welcomes back the same characters that we have come to love with some twists and turns thrown in. Dependable grandma starts somehow becoming undependable, they might have a wedding thrown in and of course yet another mystery for the gang to solve. This book kept me on the edge of my seat willing myself to read quicker so I could find out the culprit who did it. Great characters as always with reintroduction of previous characters tied the story together nicely. This book was great fun and I enjoyed the whole thing.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the 9th book in the series. The main characters are Amy and her Grandma. Amy and boyfriend find a body but when Amy tries to text her Grandma about it she gets no answer which is strange. Then she tries to text her friend Betsy and another no answer. This is really strange. When she finally finds her Grandma she finds out she has been playing poker for days and her phone had died days ago. Then Betsy stomps in to their business and she has just realized she has gotten drunk and married. WOW. But they still have a dead body to deal with and this one is strange as well. They keep asking questions and they are getting close but they are also getting to the bottom of Grandma and Betsy's problem . Will they ever figure this one out?

[J Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many twists and turns!

Everything in Hollywood is different and a little bizarre from the rest of the planet and this case keeps Amy, Granny, and Betsy running in circles as they try to unravel all the clues. Amy and her boyfriend, Detective Mike Fine, are still adjusting to the challenges of living together. Granny keeps disappearing. Betsy’s life is in chaos. Even the cats now seem to be having adjustment issues.

This cozy has a good plot and plenty of humor – both human and animal. There were enough twists and turns to keep me spinning. I received a free copy of the book, but my review is voluntary and honest.

[Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy, Betsy, and her Granny are back. Even though this Dog Groomer series is starting to wind down, there is no shortage of storylines as each deal with their own personal life as well as trying to solve a murder and then a double murder.

Between poker games, quickie weddings, adjusting to cohabitating, bees, and puppies, the mystery of Minx death threats continue especially when her new assistant is found murder and she is nowhere to be found.

It will keep readers on the edge of their seat and would not even see the ending coming.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paws of Death is the newest addition to Thomas’ Pet Groomer series and it doesn’t fail to impress. Amy and Mike are now living together, Betsy and Granny are enjoying romances of their own, and Fluffy and Queen Elizabeth are also residing together. In this stellar adventure, the group is on the case after not one but two murders are committed, Granny is having poker related problems, and the team is in the middle of dealing with seven adorable pups who are dubbed the “seven dwarves”. Will Amy and the crew puzzle out the murderer and catch him in time? I loved Paws of Death as I do all of Chelsea Thomas’ books and am eager to read the next one.

[Jane litherland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent as always from Chelsea . Granny gets carried away with Chip ( great name for a poker player) . Not even stopping to help Amy with her lastest sleuthing escapade . Betsy is seeing someone, who in itself is a mystery as to why?? It’s Minx who has received death threats but her new assistant Kyle is found in her office when Chelsea goes with Abigail to search for Minx herself missing. Who was Kyle and how many enemies did he have? Of course along with the serious side of investigating murders there’s lots of quirky humour and of course it’s not all about the dogs and their groomers.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Family, Fun, and Love ❤️

I thoroughly enjoy these books. Although this one was a little bit convoluted in all the bits and pieces that needed to be tied up. I’m proud of Amy and Company to have figured it out! I couldn’t even begin to comprehend it. Ha ha ha! 😆
Families are weird. Even your own. But you do what you have to do with the ones that you love, don’t you?
I also want to say, having had dogs, nobody in their right mind would bring seven puppies into a groomer every day! That’s a lot of money! But oh well this is a book, and those puppies sounded adorable! Sometimes I think I need a dog too.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

changes and new challenges

an adorable bunch of repeat customers pop up at the pet salon, seven dwarf named pups with a penchant for finding sticky or messy things to roll in

Granny and Betsy both find some messy romance entanglements, and some bad poker playing

meanwhile, Mike and his love work out the kinks cohabitating in a complicated crazy multi pet situation

toss in a few murders, animal antics and Mike being clueless on the relationships front - situations normal and funny in Toluca Lake.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Emmy McCabe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amy Stewart owns a dog grooming business with her granny, Petunia. They have on employee, Betsy, her friend. She has recently moved in with her boyfriend Mike Fine. One night Abigail arrives stating that her boss Minx has been receiving death threats. When Amy and Abigail go to Minx's office, they don't find her, but, find Kyle, her assistant, strangled and Minx missing. It seems that Kyle stole Abigail's job and now is in the hot seat for the murder and the disappearance of her boss. This is a fun book to read with a real mystery to be solved. Along with a little cat story and Granny gambling!!

[Charmayne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was great fun and I enjoyed the whole thing. There were lots of twists and turns and surprises right until the end. There were a lot of relationship struggles in this book and I also enjoyed the story parts with Fluffy and Queen Elizabeth. Amy, Granny and Betsy make a great team and animals love them. The Seven Dwarf puppies were just a hoot! I would recommend this book to anybody who enjoys a cozie with animals mystery series!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Terri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This 9th book in the Dog Groomer Mystery series doesn’t disappoint! What’s not to like when you have Amy and Mike trying to figure out the living together thing, Betsy “accidentally “ getting married, a poker-playing Granny, and, of course, two murders! With Mike investigating as a police officer and Amy, with the help of Betsy and Granny, investigating as amateur sleuths, surely they will be able to figure out who the killer is. Just be prepared for plenty of laughs along the way! I love this series and all the quirky characters! I sure hope this series keeps going for quite a while!

[Join the Penguin Resistance! · Rating 5 out of 5]

PAWS OF DEATH is #9 in Chelsea Thomas' DOG GROOMER COZY MYSTERIES. I've always thought that Pet Groomers (and Veterinarians and Animal Shelter workers) would have a plethora of stories to tell. Amy, protagonist and star of this Series, certainly does! Plus, she and her intrepid, adventurous, spontaneous, poker-playing grandma, are amateur sleuths [by both circumstance and design]. It doesn't hurt that Amy is romantically involved with a local detective. Throw in adorable dogs and a thinking, wise, talkative, cat, and you can't go off track. Settle back and enjoy.

[Adpa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun, entertaining read
This is the first book that I have read in this series. Some of the back history/relationships is missing, but you can get the drift.
Characters in the story line are quite entertaining.
The fun part is seeing how a litter of puppies can get so dirty each day, several days in a row. It sure helped to keep the salon in business, I'm sure! Makes me wish I had a puppy again, too.
I was provided with a copy of the book by the author and Booksprout.

[Paula Clouser · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book reminds me of the Apple Orchard mysteries with 3 feisty ladies, and a disarmingly attractive detective and a mystery to solve. That being said, I did enjoy thisbook and read it in one sitting. What's better than love in the air, hate mail, a murder, deceit, gambling, talking animals and mischievous puppies who require daily baths and last but not least another murder to solve and an ending with a twist. Hope you enjoy this doggone good book!!

[Bernadette Cinkoske · Rating 5 out of 5]

Paws of Death is a fun and funny cozy mystery with two murders and a lot of cute dogs! The litter of dogs that Amy named the seven dwarfs really up the humor! And what is up with Granny Petunia? Yes there is murder with lots of twists, suspects and motives, but this is also a really fun book. I love the main characters and the pet grooming business. I enjoyed every minute of reading this entertaining, well written book.

[Anne G. Kasaba · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another adorable tale in this cute series. The storyline is fun and the mysteries well plotted. This time there’s lots going on with Mike and Amy, Grutch and Betsy, and even Petunia with a guy that’s making her crazy. When you add in the seven dwarves (a litter of mischievous puppies) and Fluffy’s woman troubles it makes for plenty of laughs and business.

I received an arc of this book and voluntarily provided a review.

[Dwayne Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abigail, from the last book, is back and worried about her ex-boss, Minx. Even thought Minx has fired Abigail she is still concerned. Mike and Amy go with Abigail to Minx’s office and discover the dead body of Abigail’s replacement. Now Amy, Granny, and Betsy (along with Mike) are out to solve the murder. Along with that we have the usual back stories, Granny and her gambling, Betsy who may have found a boyfriend, and Fluffy the cat. Enjoy this fun mystery.

[Sharon Urschel · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Dog-gone good book

Chelsea Thomas has quickly became on of my favorite authors. I love her books, she has a way of keeping you trying to figure out who the killer is. I look forward to seeing what book she comes up with next! If you haven’t already done so join her fan club. She does Freebee days where she gives away a cozy mystery by others as well as some of her own books to read on Kindle.
Hope you will check out her books and like them as much as I do!

[Maricle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining light read, just like a cozy should be. The plus to this cozy is the humor and the quirky characters. This particular story had some unexpected plot twists. Overall it’s a good story and I recommend it for cozy readers. I received a copy of this book, thanks to the author. I leave my review voluntarily.

[Dianne Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cozy mystery!

Loved this book and this series! Good friends, pets and a mystery are the perfect mix to a very enjoyable evening of reading. A relaxing and fun story. You'll want to read not only this book, but the series.

I read this book as part of an advance reader team and am providing my honest opinion.

[Sandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like your murder mysteries served up with a heaping helping of humor, this series is for you. Amy, Granny and Betsy solve murders while grooming dogs and playing poker. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next in the series. I received a complimentary copy of this book and chose to write a voluntary, unbiased review.

[Beth Temin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very "catchy" cozy mystery

The cats in this story talk to one another. While Amy Stewart, the dog groomer, is sleuthing, her cats go missing. Just as she has solved the two murders, her cats return from their adventure. I loved how the stories of the murders and the missing cat toy were solved, and all was restored to normal in Amy's life.

[Barbara Tobey · Rating 5 out of 5]

An entertaining cozy mystery. This is a charming series. Quirky characters, puppies, and Hollywood intrigue add to the tale. Some surprises. Thanks to Booksprout for providing a copy. My review is voluntary.