Fixed: A Gin & Tonic Mystery by L. A. Kornetsky

Gin & Tonic Mysteries #2

by L.A. Kornetsky

A professional problem solver, Ginny Mallard can’t resist a call for help. And try as he may, Seattle bartender Teddy Tonica is powerless to resist a challenge. They may not agree on much—Teddy prefers bar cat Mistress Penny, while Gin’s shar-pei, Georgie, is her constant companion—but these friendly rivals make perfect sleuthing partners.When Gin learns that the shelter where she adopted Georgie is being ripped off by a thief, she’s determined to find out what kind of lowlife would steal from a place devoted to rescuing dogs and cats. Gin and Teddy plan to rattle a few cages and save the animals from losing their home.But when a body is discovered, and nearly everyone is lying, Gin and Tonica discover that it takes more than talk to nab a killer. Sometimes the best way to solve a crime is to bring on the big dogs. Or dog and cat, as the case may be. . . .

Genres: Mystery, Animals, Contemporary, Fiction, Dogs

Mass Market Paperback

First published October 8, 2013

Reviews

[Rosa Cline · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried to read this series made it completely through book 1 and 100 pages into book 2 hoping it would get better; but it just simply didn't keep my attention. The potential is there; the idea behind the story etc but just wasn't written to follow up with the idea. To much repetitive of unimportant things (in my opinion) and so is easy for me to wander away from what the main storyline was. I really wanted to like this series but it just wasn't gonna happen.

[Lia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’d definitely consider this a light read. I like the characters. Would consider reading more books in the series but not going to be a die hard fan. The way the mystery was revealed was a little underwhelming. Other than that it was about what I expected.

[Micha Goebig · Rating 5 out of 5]

The perfect read for a pet lover on a cold, rainy Seattle day!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful mystery centered on an animal shelter with some great, unexpected twists and turns. Very fast read and fun.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable 2nd book to the series, a good mystery with an excellent WTF twist towards the end.

[Amy Lignor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second foray into the lives of a very unlikely pair of investigators; unlikely and a whole lot of fun. With no actual licenses or any authority whatsoever, this daring duo one day simply just decided to try on the detective business for ‘size’ and found that they were extremely good at the job.

Ginny Mallard is a personal helper with a client list she loves. Working from home, Ginny does errands for people, baby-sits their pets, houses, etc.. Teddy Tonica’s daily grind involves pouring drinks at a bar and listening to his regulars talk. Together these two are referred to as Gin & Tonic, and the odd couple not only solve crime in their neighborhood, but their familiars (dog and cat respectively) also converse with each other in order to help their masters with their work.

This time around a person from the shelter where they purchased their pets comes to Gin & Tonic for aid. It seems someone with sticky fingers has been stealing grant money from the shelter and it’s gotten so bad that the shelter might have to close. This is completely unacceptable to Ginny and Teddy, and they immediately go on the hunt for the culprit.

As Ginny ferrets out the facts and Teddy uses his bartending skills to get strangers to tell him their secrets, they and their furry friends work hard to make sure that shelter remains intact. As you might gather, the animals are the really smart ones who can look into all the little holes and around every neighborhood corner to catch the bad guy.

Collared was the first title that introduced this extremely fun ‘family and friends’ grouping, and the author has come back with a sequel that will truly make Gin & Tonic a well-known duo! Very light-hearted, this is a great book. Any reader who likes the ‘cozy’ avenue will love this mystery, with a little bit of cat and dog language thrown in for fun.

(Amy Lignor for Suspense Magazine)

[William Bentrim · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another pet's are smart mystery. Ms. Kornetsky has Georgie, the Sharpei, and Miss Penny, the cat as major characters. This mystery surrounds the "dark" smells emanating from an animal shelter.

I said in my review of Collared that Ms. Kornetsky portrays a very strong female protagonist as well as an equally strong male protagonist. I like the fact that Ms. Kornetsky can portray a strong female without having the need to demean her male counterpart. As much as I like strong female protagonists, I have seen where some authors feel that if the woman is strong the man must be a buffoon or patented stupid. Sadly too many people still have difficulty with equality that men and women can operate together as equals. Some how that just shouldn’t be a revelation.

Ginny and Teddy are both back. Theycomplement each other’s skill sets quite nicely. They still insist they are not investigators or at least Teddy does. Their rivalry seems to have cooled and they are more partners now than adversaries.

I have always enjoyed anthropomorphism and I think the addition of the pets adds flavor to the story. They are still not prominent in the story but do figure into the plot line. The intimate watering hole of Mary's reminds me of a similar but different bar in college where the owner/bartender wouldn't serve of age students more than one beer during the week when they were supposed to study. On week ends, he was happy to serve you as long as you were keeping your grades up. Places like Mary's exist but need to be discovered.

I enjoyed the book and look forward to sequels.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ginny and Teddy are back! (and so are Georgie and Penny...)

Once again, we have the snappy banter, the humor, the heart, and picture of "life in the big city" that Kornetsky (the nom de mystery of Laura Anne Gilman) does so well. And once again, we have the animals leading the humans by the, er, paw toward the important stuff, without crossing the line over into "preciousness." Where this novella has the advantage over the debut Gin and Tonic mystery (Collared) is in the story--it's better fleshed out, there are more red herrings and a more complex plot, and the action takes place "on screen" this time. So kudos to Kornetsky.

I also really appreciate the way Ginny and Teddy are getting to know each other slowly, figuring out how to work together as a team while still ragging on each other every chance they get. :-) I'm a big fan of the slow burn, and so far, so good.

I'm happy to spend more time in the Seattle of Ginny and Teddy, and I wish I could have a drink at Mary's with them.

[Star · Rating 4 out of 5]

‘Fixed’ is the second book in the “Gin & Tonic” mystery series by L.A. Kornetsky. I have to say I liked ‘Fixed’ better than ‘Collared’ (the first book). Maybe it’s because the characters are already set up and we could get more into the mystery this time around. Georgie (Ginny’s shar-pei) and Penny (Tonica’s cat) are, again, integral characters and sometimes seem better at solving the mystery than their human counterparts. I do really enjoy the conversations between Georgie and Penny, as well as the light-hearted teasing between Ginny and Tonica. ‘Fixed’ is not gory or fraught with coarse language, which will appeal to many cozy mystery lovers.

Gin & Tonic Mystery Series: Collared (1), Fixed (2), Doghouse (3)

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok, Tonica is a bartender with a mysterious past who helps Ginny be a researchtigator. They don't have or want to go to the trouble to get a PI license but they help solve problems. Tonica is good with reading people and interviews and Ginny is a whiz at the computer. In this they solve embezzlement from a local animal shelter. Of course the cover up for this turns into a murder. They are aided by Penny, the bar cat, and Georgie, a mutt adopted from said shelter in the first book. It's a relaxing read, not riveting but a pleasant way to pass the time.

[Shannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very satisfying mystery. I was a little leery of this book - I was pretty disappointed with the first in the series, but this book fell into the right rhythm for me. The characters are known, their interactions are solid, the mystery is interesting, and it played to the strengths of the idea behind these books - the animals.

Overall, this just struck a good note with me and I'm definitely looking forward to reading the next one.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

The second book in the Gin and Tonic series, which I liked better than Collared (previously logged), because the setting (the shelter where Ginnie got her dog) was interesting to me. Again, there is a dead body, but no murder, and the mystery is about something else altogether. Fun light mystery. Especially entertaining if you like dogs and cats.

[Paige Turner · Rating 2 out of 5]

A little better than the first book in this series, but not by much. As with COLLARED, this has a good plot that the author didn't do much with and I found it boring as well. Will not be reading anymore in this series.

[Sue · Rating 3 out of 5]

another who-dun-it, solved by Miss Penny and the Dog.

[Roswita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another satisfying read. This is a well-written and plotted mystery from an excellent writer. The characters are enjoyable and their humans are fun, too. Thanks, LA!

[Judym · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting series where the animals talk to each other like the Rita Mae Brown mysteries. The characters are likeable and it kept my interest. Good job to the author.

[Sandy D. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mystery at a Seattle animal shelter. Some interesting bits on bar business, shelters, and animal rights groups.