Sit, Stay, Murder!

The Tamsin Kernick Cozy English Mysteries #1

by Lucy Emblem

She’s happy with her furry friends, friendly coffee shop, and peaceful town. When she stumbles upon a suspicious death, can she expose the truth? Malvern Hills, in the heart of England. Tamsin Kernick loves life with her four-legged pals. Warm and kind, all the passionate dog trainer wants is to make her school a barking success. But she panics that her dream career is about to come crashing down when one of her human students is found after class in the car park stone-cold dead. Frustrated when the police prove less than helpful, she takes home the victim’s poor pet while worrying that cooling corpses could be bad for business. And teaming up with her yogi housemate and a handsome reporter to investigate, Tamsin fears an attack on yet another client means the villain is intent on continuing their diabolical deeds… Can Tamsin and her tail-wagging faithfuls pull all their tricks out of the bag to collar a killer? Sit, Stay, Murder! is the charming first book in the Tamsin Kernick English Cozy Mystery series. If you like good-hearted heroines, cute canines, and frisky fun, then you’ll adore Lucy Emblem’s delightful doggie-themed treat. Buy Sit, Stay, Murder! to sniff out clues today!

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Cozy

192 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 16, 2023

Reviews

[Jennifer]

To be honest, this was slightly boring. It felt plodding because the main character goes to the homes of each of her suspects to interview them, nearly literally going down a line (since the town is one street). What made this a worthwhile read was that it's one of the only fiction books that I've read in which the dog training was actually aligned with modern positive reinforcement, as well as the descriptions of the English countryside.

P.S. Unfortunately this book has the obligatory (wish it weren't) comments about the main character trying to lose weight/not gain weight (by eating too much cake).

[Linden]

Tamsin is a dog trainer in a small English town, and after her class one evening a participant is murdered in the parking lot. The deceased was not well liked, and Tamsin fears that she will be blamed, so she and her friends in the village decide to investigate. There's kind of a Midsomer Murders vibe, except the police department takes a back seat to the amateurs in this village.

[Eirlys]

An entertaining read

An amusing and cosy mystery, with lots of dogs, each with their own personalities. I liked the way that each dog melded into it's owners lifestyle, and nature. A well thought out plot, with a few red herrings too.

[Cornel Diaconu]

Nice, cozy story, about Tamsin (short from Thomasina, as it seems :-) ) and her school for dogs + their accompanying humans -- finding one of her humans dead in the parking, when the lesson was finished and they were on rout home is not was she expected to face for her future in the small town.
The one responsible for the bad deed was, alas, unexpected, but I feel it was exposed a bit too early - there were like 3 more chapters after the reveal :-)
Seems that Tamsin's future adventures are worth looking for, in the next episodes of the series.

[Celest]

A Very Entertaining Mystery

A new author for me and a wonderful adventure. The characters are very likable and realistic and the dogs are amazing with their own unique personalities. Solving the murder mystery was intriguing and fascinating. I loved this story and look forward to reading more from this author.

[Katy Cameron]

A straightforward start to the Tamsin Kernick series.

I have to admit I found it hard to pinpoint the age of Tamsin and Emerald - I was sure I read near the start something about them being in their 30s, but they talked like people in their 70s-80s. I haven't heard the term 'You're a brick' since reading the various boarding school series from the 1950s when I was a kid (in the 1980s).

I think there was a bit of cheating by the author, as the reason for the murder was entirely made up by Tamsin as a theory, with no evidence to prove it at any point. Still, there were lots of dogs to perk things up.

[Debra Rodriguez]

Paws aware and in action! woof woof

Quality reading. Good character interactions and community feel. Emphasis on canine warmth and pet parenting reward apparent. Only wish Lucy explained how to truly live in a house with 2 plus dogs and keep it clean!

[Lynn Hayward-Bisbee]

I love cozy mysteries and I love when they're set anywhere in the UK. So, this is my first of Lucy Emblem's cozy mysteries and it was delightful! It's full of interesting characters that will be fun to watch as they progress through the series and the setting and descriptions thereof take one right beside the characters. Best of all are the many and varied dogs, each with his or her own personality.

If you love dogs, you'll love this and probably find a dog with which to relate. The author's love and knowledge of dogs come through and helps one to see each one individually. In this book, I knew Luke was a Great Pyrenees from Ms. Emblem's description even before it was stated. Being a Pyr parent myself, she had me at Luke. LOL!

Seriously, though, no one expects a cozy mystery to be some totally deep mystery. I read a cozy mystery so I can read it in an hour or two while sitting in an Adirondack chair by the pasture or with a cat curled up on my lap in front of a roaring fire. I expect to like the characters and find some of them amusing, to enjoy the story, be entertained with no graphic violence and to want to solve the whodunit along with the characters. This book does all of that and I am anxious to read the rest in the series.

[Laura]

I found this to be a compelling read as the more one progresses through the story, the more suspects there are who could be responsible for the murder of an unpopular man in a small English village . The central character is Tamsin, who recently moved there to begin a dog training business. We are also introduced to a vast array of others, along with their dogs. These people are well-fleshed out as we get to know their individual quirks and eccentricities. The only reason I didn't give this book a 5-star rating is due to my difficulty in keeping both the people (almost all who became suspects in the murder as well as the subsequent bashing of one of them in the head, causing a non-fatal injury) and their dogs straight as the plot unfolded. I found myself frequently going back to refamiliarize myself with who was who. Overall, though, it was an engaging read that had me changing my mind periodically as to just who committed these egregious acts!

[Miranda]

Dogs and murder

Tamsin has a dog training business and gives lessons. At a new session, with all new owners with their dogs, one of the clients, a crotchety old man everyone dislikes p in the entire town, is murdered in the parking lot. Tamsin sets out to make sure her business won’t suffer, holding a couple of huge park walks and helps solve the murder.
The story is fun and interesting, with tips on training your dog. The murderer is a bit of a surprise. Looking forward to the next in the series,

[Nancy]

Positive Outlook

Life with a dog trainer is full of kindness and fresh air. Healthy dog walks and fun training that bring positive results to all who engage with Tamsin's training program: all except the murderers, attackers and thieves. The text is light, easy to read, and smooth. Characters are introduced at a good pace and bring interest to the plot, making for a satisfying read. There are more in the series, worth reading if Emblem develops plot and characters as done here.

[Michelle Verplak]

Thoroughly enjoyed this book, the first in the series. For struggling Tasmin trying to get her Dog Training business that last thing she needs is a murder - really bad for business. The police seem to be taking their time trying to solve this murder and she is one of their suspects. She needs to clear her name, find the killer and not eat too much cake - not good for her waistline.

As a dog lover and owner of two dogs, I really enjoyed reading this book with a goodhearted heroine, canine heroes and lots of fun along the way. Look forward to reading the second in the series.

[Brenda]

Tamsin and her noble dogs are trying to solve a murder of a grumpy man who had more enemies than friends along with her friend Emerald. I enjoyed this English cozy mystery with all the diverse characters and of course love the dog and cats names in the story too cute. I thought this was a very detailed fast paced story that I found myself not wanting to put it down because I wanted to see what happens next. I definitely didn’t guess who the culprit is. I’m looking forward to reading more from this author. I enjoyed their writing style.

[Cindy]

Totally my own opinion

I do not want to discourage anyone from reading this who enjoys cozy mysteries where the average person solves the murder before the police. I also found this hard to read because of the European terminology. It just wasn't for me, and I won't be reading more, although I did like the dogs and training. If this sounds like something you would enjoy, don't let my 3 star review discourage you.

[Doreen Farrar]

I really enjoyed this story. Tamsin us living in rural England, training dogs as a career, and enjoying life. Someone is killed after a class she taught, and she decides to find the killer before gossip about the crime permanently stains her beloved dog training school. The book is interesting, the characters are delightful, and the dogs are all very helpful and well-behaved. I can't wait to read the next book in the series!

[Jenny Graves]

A great tail (pun intended)

This is the first book I have read by Lucy Emblem, but it won’t be the last.

When one of her dog training students is murdered after a class, Tamsin uses a method of elimination to figure out who was the murderer.

I enjoyed the way the characters were drawn and the very English setting in the Malvern hills, an area I never visited before I left the UK. The book was an easy read, and I hope to read much more from this author.

[Catherine]

A great cozy murder read with interesting, believable characters, along with Tamsin's small pack of sensational dogs. Unfortunately, on the first night of a new dog training class Tamsin has started, there is a murder in the car park of the hall where the class is being held. Wanting to clear her name and the (bad) publicity the murder has brought to her training business, Tamsin starts on the road to trying to solve the crime. There are some interesting twists and turns in the murder investigation and twists and turns as we explore the Malvern area on dog walks. As a dog trainer, Tamsin also imparts a wealth of dog training advice which is real and useful. A lovely, enjoyable book to read on a cloudy day.

[Shelby]

Puppy cozy

I really liked this cozy. I'm a cat person, but this dog mystery was fun. And there is a token cat. Tamsin is a dog trainer who gets tangled in a murder, an assault and a break in. Tamsin has to solve the mysteries before her training business gets drug through the mud. Quick read.

[Cheryl]

This is the first book in the series. The main character is Tamsin who trains people how to deal with dog and how to take care of them. She tries her first class and ends up with a dead body after everyone goes home. She is trying to save her business and figure out who did what. She is finding a lot of answers but are they enough and can she figure it out before it's too late?

[Linda E. Snook]

Good dogs!

I love reading about dogs I have four and a half of my own. The half is my Chiweenie, Charley, my only boy. The rest are girls. TBE last INE us 9 months old, she's lab, mostly black. Her name is Penny. She needs to be spayed still. She was a stray. The rest I got at the shelter.

[ReadaBook]

Dogs and solving a murder

A soft cozy mystery, meaning it contains basically good people, a charming village, and dogs! The dog number is growing and author Lucy Emblem smartly scatters some good dog training tips throughout the book.

[mrs epeach]

Excellent

I really enjoyed this book. Lots of excitement and mystery all in one. I would definitely recommend the book to anyone who loves mystery and doggy antics mixed together. Looking forward to the next book.

[Rachella]

Wonderful

I loved everything about this book- especially the setting, the different methods of investigating, and Tamsin as a strong lead character. I wanted to read a great whodunnit that kept me guessing and had lovable dogs in it and found both here.

[Glendora]

I read this book à long time ago, but I enjoyed it so much I wanted to pack up and move the thé Malvern Hills.
Lucy is a skilled writer so the story and characters are believable. But I really love the dogs,

[Karin]

Who killed Phil and why??? Blackmail??? I enjoyed this story and recommended the book.

[Alayne]

A very enjoyable story featuring lots of dogs, murder, and friendships. Highly entertaining.

[Linda Ann Foster]

What a great find is this cozy murder mystery series. Great characters & delightful dogs. Very enjoyable

[Karen L Sears]

Good story.

I like a book that holds your interest and the story is good. This was a nice story and a great cozy mystery.

[Tiffany]

Good

The book is well written, but has so many characters that is hard to keep them all straight in the beginning. Too many dogs and people!

[Lennie McDonald]

Mystery and dog fanciers will enjoy this one.

A likeable read about a small village and Tamsin a local dog trainer.
There is a murder to solve and it opens up lots of old secrets.