Mixing Up Murder: A Cozy Dog Mystery

Little Dog Diner #1

by Emmie Lyn

Murder wasn’t supposed to be on the menu at the Little Dog Diner, but that’s exactly what we got served anyway.

Hi, I’m Dani Mackenzie and I’m the unfortunate soul who owns said diner. Looks like business is going to be slow for a little while as the whole town scrambles to find whodunnit.

At first I just needed something to keep me busy while on my forced vacation, but now as the clues stack up, I’m caught in the middle of this crazy mixed-up murder. And I’ll do anything to get to the bottom of what really happened and why it happened in my kitchen.

Too bad the only known witness to the crime is the victim’s terrier, Pip, and no one believes she bludgeoned her owner to death. But if not her… then who? And, perhaps more importantly, who’s next?

Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Cozy, Dogs, Animals, Ebooks

300 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 3, 2019

Reviews

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who Killed Ray and Why.

5 gold stars for this new book and series. Mixing Up Murder book #1 in the Little Dog Diner was a great to read and funny to and sad in just a few places. A clean read for any one who likes a Sea Side View of the Ocean and people that are friendly and welcoming. I enjoyed this book very much and would tell people and family and friends if they like a clean mystery with a granddaughter and grandmother and a cute little dog and friends to help solve murder crimes then this book and series are for you.

[Kristina Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mixing Up Murder by Emmie Lyn is the first novel in A Little Dog Diner series. Dani Mackenzie co-owns Little Dog Diner with her best friend, Lily Lemay in Misty Harbor, Maine. Lily’s louse of a husband ends up dead in their kitchen, closing their restaurant for the foreseeable future. With extra time on her hands and worried about her best friend, Dani begins looking into the murder. Mixing Up Murder is a lighthearted cozy mystery with quirky characters and a quaint small town. The mystery has a variety of suspects along with a red herring or two. I like that the author took the time to introduce the main characters of Dani, Lily and Rose (Dani’s grandmother). We meet several townspeople including Detective A.J. Crenshaw and Luke Sinclair. My favorite character was Pip, the Jack Russell terrier, who is smart and a sweetie. I enjoyed the interactions between Dani and Pip. I thought Mixing Up Murder was easy to read, it progressed at a nice pace, and it was just the right length. I did find Dani to be loyal to her best friend especially when she would overlook some of Lily’s questionable behavior (I would not have been as forgiving). Mixing Up Murder has murder, romance, friendship, mayhem, family, and humor. Mixing Up Murder has Pip the pooch, a clueless best friend, a fake funeral, a dashing MG, stunning seaside vista, and a curious cook.

[Shawna Shaheen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Danni (Danielle) and Lily have a diner named Little Dog Diner. Lily and her husband fake his death to show Everyone that Lily really loves him instead of want to get a divorce. But suddenly lily 's husband really dies. Danni and her grandma Rose and Lily try to find out why he got killed. Danni keeps Ray's dog Pipy . pipy does not like some of the people that Danni and Rose and Lily believe might want Ray dead

[Tanya · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried this series after it was mentioned at the end of one of the Pet Whisperer PI books, and I really wanted to like it. But it felt like it was just checking boxes on some "cozy mystery checklist" rather than telling an entertaining story.

Had a found animal who becomes devoted pet immediately, check. An older, over-bearing but dearly loved relative, check. Two potential love interests, check. Oh, and a murder with random clues all over the place that our heroine pulls together and finds the killer at the end, check.

I just really wasn't impressed. The characters just felt like stock placeholders - very much the standard characters you would find in a cozy mystery, but without consistent, interesting personalities. It felt like they were all over the place.

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

The main character's best friend is a compulsive liar, her grandmother wants her to get back with a guy that dumped her. I really couldn't find anyone I liked or cared about, except maybe the dog. Won't read another in the series.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dani Mackenzie always has her best friend Lily's back. They're business partners, with Dani's grandmother, in the Little Dog Diner, a popular restaurant in their small Maine town. At this time, Dani does not feel much like supporting Lily at the funeral of Lily's husband Ray. Dani has never liked Ray and thinks he's a scumbag who manipulates her sweet friend. When Ray shockingly returns to life at the funeral, all Dani can think about is getting Lily out of there ASAP. Lily reveals she was in on the hoax in an effort to reconcile with Ray. Dani, of course, thinks this is a terrible idea, especially when she learns Ray is interested in buying up the historic building that houses the diner, Dani's apartment and her grandmother Rose's newspaper office. Over Dani's dead body will that liar and cheater get his hands on her property! Unfortunately it ends up being Ray's dead body that becomes the center of this mystery. It seems someone wanted Ray dead and to stay dead. The local detective suspects Lily or Dani's former flame Luke, recently returned to town. Dani is determined to prove her friends are innocent. With the help of Ray's little terrier, Pip, Lily and Grandma Rose, Dani sets out to figure out who murdered Ray and save her diner.

This is such a cute cozy mystery. It has all the elements I like: good food (please provide details on what makes that blueberry coffee cake extra delicious), a cute little terrier, a light mystery where a bad person is killed and more bad people are suspected. It was just the thing I've been looking for during these dark and difficult times- pure escapism. Misty Harbor, Maine seems very familiar to me, being a coastal New England girl myself. It feels very Cape Codish - with blueberries instead of cranberries.

I really, really like Dani! She's fiery, feisty, a loving granddaughter, a hometown girl and a loyal friend. I especially loved how she automatically adopts sweet Pip after her owner is killed. Dani is determined to free her friends and I appreciated how she handled the showdown. Pip is the most adorable Jack Russell. She understands human speech, of course, and wags her tail or tilts her head to show a response. Pip is not the best judge of character though. She seemed to like Ray, likes Ray's business associate but not his wife or some other characters who seem OK. Dani's grandmother, Rose Mackenzie, has been a huge influence on Dani's life. I see Dani as a chip off the old Rose block. Rose is also feisty and loyal. She is not the warm, grandmotherly type though. Lily annoyed me as much as she annoyed Dani. She's not as strong or as brave as Dani. Lily needed to tell Ray where to go long, long ago. Why she would even consider taking that lying, cheating, no good, dirtbag back? Even if he hadn't put his "you know what where", he was still a dirty, cheating businessman who tried to take what he wanted without caring about the people he was hurting or the character of his hometown. Whoever killed him did the town a favor.

Suspects include Luke Sinclair, Dani's old flame who broke her heart by leaving town. He's married or perhaps divorced now, and based in San Francisco. He hasn't been around much but now he's helping his dad out on their blueberry farm. He seems nice but perhaps confused about what it is he wants or clueless about how he broke Dani's heart. I don't think he's the murderer though. A potential love interest, maybe, but murderer, no. The other suspects are more plausible. There's Ray's sister, Rhonda, who never liked Lily and was very jealous and competitive with her brother. Rhonda seems up to something shady. She isn't very pleasant and Dani suspects Rhonda is up to no good. Rhonda seems to be taking up the mantle of her brother's shady real estate business. The business is the key. Ray owned the Two Wilde Funeral Home building. The two brothers, Frank and Nick, have been trying to buy it from him forever. I'm not sure why Ray won't sell or what the deal is but Frank sure seems like a suspect. There's a big clue that points in his direction and he's just not very nice. However, he could have been doing Rhonda's bidding because she seems like a harpy where he is more of a pushover. Nick is much nicer and I don't think he has anything to do with the murder. Most obvious are Ava and Marty Fontaine, wealthy business developers who want the best of everything and want to bring it to Misty Harbor and Blueberry Bay. Ava is super nasty. Pip doesn't like her AT ALL so I am betting Ava had an affair with Ray and killed him because he stiffed her out of her fancy restaurant and waterfront property deal. Her husband Marty seems so nice. Pip likes Marty and Marty has some good ideas about how to make the Sinclair blueberry farm viable.

Other characters are kept to a minimum for now. There's just Detective AJ Crenshaw, who if forced to investigate the murder of his best friend. Admittedly, he and Ray were not so close anymore. AJ surprised me. He's not stupid, just a small town guy who made bad choices as a kid and is trying to grow up. He's a potential love interest for Dani but I think he might be better for Lily. AJ seems kind and caring. Lily needs that more than Dani. Luke's father also has a minor role late in the story. He's a fatalist. Unable to fight for what's his, he needs a couple of bossy women to help him out! He seems to have lost heart and perhaps it's time to retire and sell the farm after all - NOT to a wealthy developer, but to someone who will continue the legacy of blueberry farming.

All in all, this was a great first book in a new series and I can't wait to read the rest!

[Angie Boyter · Rating 1 out of 5]

I lasted through 19 pages. I believe this book may have the most outrageously ridiculous opening I have ever read, and not just on one level. After I decided it was outrageous and was about to ditch it, the author threw in a second pitch.
My only consolation is that it was on Kindle Unlimited, so I did not have to pay for it.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first in the series and the first time reading this author. The main characters are Dani and Lily. The two girls run the Little Dog Diner and are best friends. Lily is divorcing her husband and he fakes his own wake to get Lily back and that starts everything. When he winks and sits up in his casket, Lily faints and Dani gets her out of there. They go back to Dani's place to change and when they go downstairs to the diner they find Lily's husband dead for real. Who did this and what is really going on? Can Dani and Lily figure this out ?

[CatReads · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars!! This is a new author to me. This book started out strangely but I went on and I'm glad I did. I love the characters especially Pip the Jack Russell Terrier and the setting. You know it's Maine with all of the talk of lobster rolls and blueberries. This book had so many twists and turns and was an emotional roller coaster. I love the times the characters pulled together for the community. Also, love what the main character does at the end when she figures out the killer. I can't wait to read the next in the series!

[Jan · Rating 1 out of 5]

I had to have this book because I absolutely loved the cover!! Unfortunately, the content did NOT live up to the cover's adorableness.

And it looks like I'm definitely in the minority here because it was a complete dud for me! I didn't connect with the plot or the characters. They were stereotypical and not rounded out at all. And their responses to each situation were completely void of any real feeling. 1 star - though the cute cover would get more if I could rate it separately.

[Vintagebooklvr · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. A fairly typical small town cozy with quirky characters. I liked Pip. The main character, Dani, annoyed me a bit. Her best friend is guilty of stabbing her in the back (figuratively) and she isn't upset with her. Dani thinks her bff is blind about her ex but Dani is just as damagingly blind with regards to her.

[Bernie Jacobs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun little mystery

The characters are funny And the plot Is well done. I like the Atmosphere Of the small town That the story takes place in. It had just enough of a twist at the end To make it a good mystery.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable

Loved that the final clue was right in front of Dani and Pop all the time. Only way this book would be more enjoyable to me is blueberry recipes included.

[Annette · Rating 4 out of 5]

This will make you chuckle and keep you engaged as Dani and Pip get mixed up in solving the mystery of not only whodunnit but just as important the why it was done. Very interesting theories and entertaining banter. This is my actually second time reading this. I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy.

[Katie M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super cozy and cute!! I loved Pip’s character, she was adorable. I also loved the diner aspect of the book, so fun! Everything about this one was super calm and cute. I highly recommend it to anyone that likes dogs or cozy mysteries!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed the mystery and the delightful characters.

[Joseph Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

I think this was a great book. It is perfect for those who love mystery that are short but not incredibly short

[Kelly (Maybedog) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars

Not again! Yet another female sleuth with “unruly” curly hair. I swear almost all heroines of cozy mysteries have curly hair that’s out of control like a recalcitrant pupil. By half an hour into the audiobook, she’d already mentioned her hair several different times.

The mystery was pretty good. There were a lot of suspects although all the motives were related. There were clues but there wasn’t a lot of investigation. The detective talked to everyone and revealed all the evidence and how it worked out. The MC Danny came up with lots of ideas that she passed on to the cop but it was mostly speculation. The final answer depended on some assumptions.

There were interesting characters. I liked the narrator and her aunt. Her best friend Lily was kind of wimpy and made some stupid choices. I didn’t really care for her.
There were also a couple of possible love interests that were nice. The dog was awesome.

I was a little confused about how angry the main characters were when they had lunch with the developers. The woman talked positive things about the town and she liked the diner type meal. The man said he didn’t want to change the town and had given up on the condo idea and thought a bed and breakfast with extensive supports would be better. The main characters loved the idea. But then they flipped when the restaurant idea came up. If there was room for a giant bed and breakfast, there was room for a diner and a high end restaurant.

When the conversation changed to the buying of the property where the diner was, that was the time to get angry. If Danny had revealed to the reader that they didn’t trust them it would make more sense. But they didn’t. The good guys just didn’t like them. The MCs actually thought the bed and breakfast idea was excellent.

There was some silliness like the detective was driving a regular cop car and pulled her over for speeding. Later he was concerned about someone parked incorrectly. Another time they found out some taxes owed had to be fixed within an hour of when they found out about it.

But all in all, I liked the story and will read the next one.

The audiobook reader, Vanessa Daniels, was quite good. Occasionally Lily and Danny sounds alike, but usually I knew who was whom.

[Amanda New · Rating 5 out of 5]

After I got through the first chapter I absolutely loved this book. I can’t wait to read the other books in the series.

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable book!!

Dani's best friend Lily's husband is murdered so the two friends try to figure out whodunit. Very cute, interesting storyline with engaging characters plus descriptions of beautiful scenery. I enjoyed this series so much that I'm going to read book # 2 next.

[Elsbeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Promising start to a new series!
I had a little trouble with Lily at first. But after Ray's death she finds her true self again. And that Lily, I do like!
Grandma Rose, Pip and Dani are quite the characters. Four strong females, who can solve any murder.
The story is well written. I couldn't put it down. I just had to lnow the identity of the killer.
I'm looking forward to reading the next book in this series!

[Melanie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think this book tried to do too much. I like a little romance in my cozy mysteries but the ones with Luke is sort of unbelievably bad. He left eight years ago breaking his heart, he is married, and she is still into him? Yikes! I think the relationships in this book were just odd, like all the relationships. Maybe the next book it gets better? I might give it a chance since the murder was entertaining but it was more or a romance book than a mystery so I don’t know.

[Jodi · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorite character was Pip. The others were well written, just not incredibly likable. Lily was a sneak whi constantly held out on her supposed best friend and Dani was just aggressive and opened her mouth way too much.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in a new cozy mystery.... fun!

[Corinne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Silly story with silly characters.

[Jae · Rating 3 out of 5]

To support her BFF, Lily, Dani accompanies her to the funeral for her estranged husband, Ray, whom Lily had served with divorce papers. Only, Ray faked his funeral. Now, however, he's really dead, bludgeoned to death in the diner while Dani and Lily were in Dani's apartment next door. Lily dips out, leaving her at the top of the suspect list. Dani knows her friend wouldn't have killed Ray, and she wonders if the diamond earring she found in Ray's (first) casket had anything to do with it. Soon Dani, with the help of her grandmother, Rose, and Pip, Ray's terrier, is asking questions and following leads. At least it gives her something to do while the diner is closed. Dani's investigation uncovers some shady real estate deals that Ray was involved in. Lily claims to know nothing about it, but Dani isn't quite sure she can trust her friend. She's also not sure what to think when Luke, her former crush, returns to town to help his father.

I enjoyed this story. The characterizations were good, and the plot was well-paced. However, it was fraught with too many things that were confusing.
Spoilers:
- First of all, Lily knew Ray planned that fake funeral. Pardon me, but if my so-called BFF did me that dirty, she'd be spittin' chiclets after I punched her in the mouth. You don't do that to anyone, let alone your friend.
- How was Luke's father the same age range as Dani's grandmother?
- Dani initially thought Luke was divorced, only to learn it wasn't the case; thus, she was heartbroken all over again. Then (SPOILER!) Luke's wife died in an accident. This all happened "off screen", but why? If the author wants to introduce Luke as a potential romantic interest, just have him be divorced. Why kill off his poor wife? I'd rather see Dani with AJ, the lead detective, in spite of my loathing for the "love interest is in law enforcement" trope.
- How did Luke's dad end up owing $100K in back taxes?! That's a lot for a farm, even over the course of 2-4 years.
- Why did the author have Pip continually attacking a particular woman? It led me to believe she was a murderer, but...she wasn't. It made no sense.
- Lily and Ray's sister, Rhonda, were wrangling over who was in charge of his real estate empire BEFORE THE WILL WAS READ. Neither one of them could take it over until then at the very least.

Very good overall. Would have earned a solid four, but I'm knocking a point off for all of the inconsistencies.

[JoAnne McMaster (Any Good Book) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dani Mackenzie is attending the funeral of her best friend Lily's husband when suddenly, Ray sits up in the casket...it turns out the entire thing was planned in order for Ray to convince his soon-to-be ex-wife that she really loved him and not to divorce him. Stunned, Dani hurries herself and Lily out the door back to their restaurant, the Little Dog Diner. Dani lives above the restaurant, and while they're changing clothes, she starts to get some of the story from Lily -- such as, Lily knew about the fake funeral beforehand. Lily also might still be in love with her cheating spouse.

When Ray wants to meet Lily, she convinces him to come to the diner. But when they go downstairs and find the body of Ray sprawled on the floor, everything changes. Lily bolts, and Detective AJ Crenshaw now has her in his sights as a suspect. But that's not all -- Dani's high school boyfriend, Luke, has returned from California and he was also in the diner and might be a suspect. What can a girl do except try to prove the innocence of friends?...

This is the first book in the series and I must say that it was quite entertaining. I do like Dani, and the fact that she shares clues with the police as soon as she finds them. This is a plus in itself. She can also cook (there are so many cozies out there where the protagonist doesn't know what a spatula is for). And the big plus is she takes in the poor terrier whose owner was killed.

When Dani starts looking for clues, she comes across them quite naturally, without having to probe people too much, so conversations don't get uncomfortable; and her friend Lily (we should call her weak Lily) gives up information sporadically. While I'd like to spend time with Dani, Lily seems too wishy-washy for me. Ah, well.

The plot is well done and the writing is done well, so this makes for a good first book in the series. The clues are there (I knew the murderer before Dani, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries) and it was still fun watching her put everything together and get that final clue in an 'aha' moment.

In the end, the reason for the murder seemed a little sad, but murder is still what it is; everything else came together nicely, and I will definitely read the next in the series. Recommended.

[Toni · Rating 1 out of 5]

Absolute rubbish!

This is one of the worst books I've listened to. The narrator's voice grated on me. No one speaks in that overly excitable tone all the time; and the writing was even worse! What a convoluted piece of nonsense. It seems that everytime something new happens, Lily discloses another piece of the plan her now dead husband mentioned to her when hatching his fake death.

In the beginning Lily walked into the "fake" funeral, shocked and saddened and then fainting when it was revealed the death was fake, as if she was finding out in real time; then she later reveals that she was in on the fake death/fake funeral debacle and that it was her husband's way of forging a reconciliation with her and make it seem to all that they deeply loved each other and were devoted to each other;
later she adds he was going to give her money to buy her friend's diner;
later still she adds that he was being stalked;
then adds he was being stalked and they were going to fake the death and runaway together so he could figure out who the stalker was.
Everytime a new piece of information was discovered, Lily had something new to disclose and the female lead didn't even question why her best friend was holding back all this information. Worst still, they don't tell the police the information!

The break-in was the most laughable. She runs home to search for a dress that has an earring, only to find her door unlocked and that someone has broken in, her first instinct isn't to immediately backtrack and call the police, nope, it's to walk through the mess to find the dress and the earring she thinks belongs to the killer. When the detective shows up out of nowhere, she doesn't immediately tell him someone has broken in, and doesn't even want to tell him about the earring and her suspicions. Worst, was after she discloses that someone broke in, his only response was for her to stay elsewhere, then he takes the earring and leaves. No police report, no nothing, he doesn't even wait for her to pack clothing and escort her from the home and lock it up. This is supposed to be a small town, you would think they would have taken more care, considering there is a murderer on the loose and he seems to have his sights set on her and Lily.

I gave up at chapter 15, with a bit over 2hrs and 24 mins left. I couldn't do it anymore.

[Sue Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a solid start to a new series. I like the main character and most of the supporting characters except for her friend Lily. I thought she came across as wishy washy and a bit on the shady side. Perhaps she will redeem herself in later books. I love the dog.

Parts of the plot seemed impossible! starting with the fake funeral. The way Lily's story about her role in it kept changing, I'm still not sure I understand the purpose or reasoning behind it. It also seemed highly unlikely that a farm could rack up $100,000 in unpaid property taxes before action would have taken place. It could take many years for the debt to grow so high. In my state, you have 60 days to make arrangements to pay back taxes before it gets sent to the county prosecutor! I'm also not a fan of Luke. And how convenient that the wife of Dani's "one who got away" happens to die? We didn't learn much about the diner itself since it was closed down for most of the book. Who was the little dog for whom it was named? If it was explained early on, I quickly forgot! I used the Kindle search feature to find instances of "Diner" and I couldn't find any explanation. Usually I don't like it when the author or publisher includes teasers for the next book, but I liked getting a sneak peak at what's in store for the renovation of the totally trashed former diner.

Still, despite a few hitches here and there, I liked the book. I definitely plan to read the next book. I want to know what happens next for Dani and Pip.