Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund

A Dixie Hemingway Mystery #2

by Blaize Clement

Everybody who loves dachshunds knows about their adventurous streak. So when Mame, the elderly dachshund in Dixie Hemingway's care, gets away from her to investigate a mound of mulch, Dixie isn't surprised. What the dachshund digs up, however, is not only a surprise but a trigger for a whole new pile of jolting events that puts Dixie at the center of a hunt for a psychopathic killer--someone who fears Dixie saw him leaving the scene of a brutal murder. In the lovely seaside community of Sarasota, Florida, another desperate chase to collar a criminal is about to begin "

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

258 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2007

About the author

My passion is people. I think people are absolutely magnificent. Not the power-hungry heads of governments or churches or corporations who justify all kinds of horror if it suits their goals, but the rest of us. In spite of the awful things some human beings do in order to control other human beings, most people are peacefully going about their own business, and I applaud that. Families are the backbone of any civilization, and parenting is the most important job in the world.

That same passion and respect for people makes me a strong supporter of the right of any two adults who wish to combine their lives and property to do so without anybody judging them or erecting laws to make their lives more difficult. It seems to me that people who go around condemning how or who somebody else loves would better mind their own business and spend that time showing love to their own spouses or lovers.

As a polio survivor, I’m zealous about ADA laws being implemented and intelligently observed. I try to keep a sense of humor about architectural barriers, but curb cuts and gentle ramps aren’t so difficult to install, and they make life a lot easier for many people. And does anybody know the purpose of those metal bars attached to the walls in handicap-accessible bathrooms? I used to think they might be there in case somebody in a wheelchair decided to rinse out her panty hose, but that can’t be it.

My favorite story of all time is Rudyard Kipling’s The Elephant’s Child. When my two sons were little, I would beg them to let me read that story to them, and sometimes they would indulge me. When my five grandchildren were small, I made a tape of myself reading it so they could listen to it when I wasn’t there. They indulged me too. I still get a little bubble of delight at the 'satiable Elephant's Child saying to all his dear families, “I am going to the great grey-green, greasy Limpopo River, all set about with fever-trees, to find out what the Crocodile has for dinner.”

My favorite scene in all literature is from another Rudyard Kipling story, The Jungle Book, where the wolf pack has met to look over the new cubs so they would know their own from an enemy, and Father Wolf pushes Mowgli into the center.

Come to think of it, I suppose those beloved stories about the intelligence and nobility of animals, coupled with my passion for families and children has inevitably led to writing the Dixie Hemingway Mystery series. The relationship between people and pets is one of the highest examples of unconditional love, and Dixie Hemingway is a professional pet sitter who values her family and the pets she takes care of above all else.

Okay, we’re almost finished with this pseudo-bio.

I think the best writing being done today gets the least amount of respect. Good writing isn’t determined by the subject matter, but by how well the writer keeps the reader fascinated and anxious. With few exceptions, that means good mysteries, horror, and sci-fi. I’m proud to be a member of Mystery Writers of America, International Thriller Writers, and Sisters in Crime.

My favorite quote is from the 14th century Sufi poet, Hafiz: “Sweetheart, O Sweetheart, you are God in drag!”

Okay, that’s my bio. Now you know the “real me.” I hope we meet someday and that you’ll tell me about the real you.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/blaize...

Reviews

[Jackie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Had a lot of trouble getting into this

[Cyndi · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this book we move from cats to dogs. Dixie has a lot of canine charges (Although I'm not sure where they were in the last book). She has a large dog that she takes on morning runs every day, but her main focus in this book is a dachshund who is very old and dying. She cares for it and even throughout the search for a killer, drug dealers, and gangsters we have the poor dog in the back of our minds. With all the excitement of the book I will always picture that dog when I think about it. So sad! 😢

[Rob1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wow- the cover and title of this book are highly misleading. I thought I'd be getting an amusing cozy geared toward animal lovers. I was very, very wrong. This book is just flat depressing, and more a suspense story than much of a mystery.

It's not actually a bad book for what it is- but I don't have any desire to read this kind of book. BAD marketing IMO.


There's (non-graphic) animal torture, doggie euthanasia, and a sadistic killer who I was hoping the heroes would just shoot in the face and wrap things up rather than angst around about how they couldn't prove jack. I was just glad Dixie didn't actually own any pets of her own, as they'd undoubtedly have ended up tortured to death.

Just so I recall how much I REALLY didn't like this book:
* Main character's husband and child had been killed in a senseless accident prior to the start of the book- that pretty much sets the tone!
* First killing, killer broke a kitten's legs and tossed it in a hole to lure the victim into the woods. The body was left on top of the kitten, smothering it. I want to read this why?
* The Dachshund in the title? Dixie takes into the vet because its quality of life has so declined. She's understandably upset the owners would leave her in this position- at which point the vet informs her the elderly couple were members of the Hemlock society and most likely wouldn't be returning from their trip. I mean- seriously. WTF. How is this at all necessary to the story? It's just piling on the angst for no good reason. Jeebus.
* So Dixie used to be a cop. Her brother's boyfriend is a cop. The sadist is clearly out to get her and there is basically nothing they can do about it. Why did no one say 'Oh- we COULD just shoot the SOB's'? That annoyed me.

[Lindsay · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was horrible. Animals die and get abused and they use the C word way to much. I thought that the author liked animals since she writes a series about a pet sitter, but I don't think even an animal lover would let fictional animals get their legs broken. It was such a negative book that I don't think I'll read the rest of the series.

[Janice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Don't be fooled by the cutesy title of these books, they are NOT cozy little breezey reads. This is the second in this series, and the books have both been very well written, with stories that are quite suspenseful, characters that are very likable, a heroine that is bright, independent, but also very vulnerable. The animals Dixie watches over in her job as a pet sitter/caretaker become part of the story, become characters that you care about, but not in a overly silly way. I will definitely keep reading this series.

[Paul Wood · Rating 1 out of 5]

While most of the book was an enjoyable, if light, read, it ultimately suffered from one of my pet peeves. I don't care how many people are killed in any book, but if an animal is deliberately tortured or killed in the story, the book goes in the trash. I realize this is probably a mental illness, but it's my mental illness. I'm refuse to read something that bothers me.

[Zoe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing suspense thriller with a few cozy elements, definitely not for those who want an easy reading escape from everyday routine.I won't deal with the plot here, you can easily find details about it elsewhere; what really matters to me is that this story had me go through a gamut of emotions: sympathy for Dixie and her struggle to start again after the disaster that took her husband and baby daughter away, anger and indignation towards (sub)humans who torture animals, admiration again for the heroine who finally manages to liberate herself from her self-pity, dares to love anew and takes matters into her own hands when she decides to save a dog in her care from a sadistic killer, risking her life ( even though at a certain point she admits her decision was stupid ). I even learned a couple of things about people who work in the circus world and I realized the hard work they have to put in their gags to make their audience laugh. All in all, this was a beautifully crafted story and I can't say enough about Blaize Clement's exquisite writing: direct, in-your-face, it paints vivid pictures with simple words and makes the reader feel part of the story.

[Jamie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dude. This is the first "cozy mystery" I have ever read - I undertook it as part of Book Riot's Read Harder Challenge. I'm a librarian, and based on everything I know about cozy mysteries, this book exhibits basically none of them. I'm not going to tell you why, but I will tell you that this book made me cry my eyes out at 2 a.m. AND I DON'T CRY. Now, that being said, I actually kind of liked the story, but was also frustrated by some seriously flawed character motivations in addition to the decidedly un-cozy things I experienced in this book. So, maybe it's grossly unfair of me to give this 2 stars based on what may have just been a marketing fail. Sorry. Takeaway: I like sci fi; I like stuff getting blown up and diseases that kill all of humanity and hostile alien takeovers. But this book... not cozy.

[Suzy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I may be outnumbered here in terms of reviews, but I liked the first book better. This book was too full of abuse/killing/talking about killing/dying of animals. I find it very disturbing that an animal loving author would write about such things - in graphic detail. I'm an avid animal lover and the subject matter of this book was just too much for me. I felt sad when I finished it. Don't put cute covers on your books, Ms. Clement - you are far from the cozy mystery book genre. It's very misleading. Not sure if I'm going to read anymore of this series.

[Jeanne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story about an ex-detective turned pet sitter who gets involved in solving a mysterious death of one of her clients. Suspenseful to a point, where everything becomes predictable. Just an OK read for me -- 5 out of 10.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am really getting to enjoy Clement's mysteries. They are perfect on audiobook for multi-tasking.

[Marion Julia · Rating 4 out of 5]

These series are what I call self care books! You can just enjoy them, because they aren't complicated and don't have plot twists that blow your mind. But they are good in the sense that you can get lost in the world and enjoy it without worrying to much about what a certain sentence meant, etc.
My only complaint about this book is that it felt repetitive after reading the first book...because some things were being explained that we already knew from the last book. If this is part of a series, then why did the writer decide to describe everything in the same way as before? I hope the next book feels more fresh, or that at least doesn't have the same plot that has worked for 2 books so far... and I'm not sure that it will work for the 8-9 books that came after.

[Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another cozy series for me to keep an eye on. I usually like to start at the beginning of a series, but I picked this one in particular to start with because, duh : dachshund! (and it is only the second one anyway)
Dixie herself is a great character with an entertaining internal monologue. The mystery wasn't overly easy to piece together, the book wrapped nicely...and who doesn't want to read about Florida when it is snowing and frigid outside?
Animal based books always seem to end up causing me to shed tears, so I entered into this with some initial trepidation. Mame's (the dachshund) demise is alluded to throughout the book, so when it did ultimately happen I was emotionally prepared and the author wrote it well. No twisting of the knife or drawing the scene out too long. 👍 for that alone!

[Melissa · Rating 2 out of 5]

If you want a cliche mystery with a dachshund dying, this is for you

[Mary Tonks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Many strange plot twists, along with strange characters, too. Most of the pets that Dixie cares for are a cheerful relief from the criminal elements. Sadly, this animal lover didn't think they all deserved their sad fates.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Much better than a 3 but not quite a 4. I don't like being limited by these 5 stars. I didn't read the first in this series but I'd definitely try another story about Dixie and friends.

[Margie Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once again professional pet sitter and former member of the police force Dixie Hemingway finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. Who did the original crime and will the criminal(s) end up killing her.

I like the author Blaize Clement's style and the way her love of animals shines through her writing. There are sections toward the end that seem a bit drawn out, but on the whole, I look forward to reading her next installment.

[☺Trish · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kind of a depressing mystery all around . . . Nothing much "cozy" about it, though.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay, I went into this book eagerly after having a hard time "getting into" the first in the series. I was doing okay until some animal abuse smacked me in the face unexpectedly... One of the bad guys was a psychopathic animal hater so I spent the rest of the book holding my breath waiting for the inevitable next instance of animal cruelty. I stuck it out anyway even though a lot of tears flowed when an elderly animal came to the end of her life. (She was not abused beyond being left alone in her final days while her people traveled abroad.) If I had not just had to say a final goodbye to an elderly feline friend of my own, I may have handled it better though.

All in all, I like the character in this book and find myself cheering her on in her struggle to go on with life after enduring tragic loss. A well written series. Blaize Clement writes such detailed descriptions of the beauty surrounding Dixie that I can almost smell the sea air and see and hear the wildlife. A little like a mini vacation... if you can ignore the dead bodies she seems to find around every turn.

[AngryGreyCat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Dixie Hemingway series is one of my favorites. I started it somewhat close to the end and have actually read it mostly out of order. This is book 2 in the series and it was really written like a thriller with lots of action and criminal activity, suspected fraud, bribes, murder, animal cruelty and threats of violence. I would hesitate to classify this as a cozy and would instead think of it as a traditional mystery. Dixie is a well written character with a great deal of depth to her. The reader can follow along with her struggles to overcome her own challenges and really see growth in the character. There is a hint of possible romance sometime in the distant future in this book and it is handled realistically given Dixie’s history. Loved the book and the series. I would highly recommend it, just cozy readers should be aware that it is much heavier/darker in this particular book than the average cozy.

[Deirdre · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dixie is walking Mame, an older dashchund, when a car speeds by, Dixie thinks she knows the driver, when Mame finds a dead body of the man Dixie thought she saw, suddenly Dixie is in trouble and her life is on the line. The life of a clown off-stage is gone into here and we see how many of Dixies friends really care for her.

While there were real threats to her life, this is almost a cosy mystery, but not quite, a lot of the language and situations make it a little more adult. What's really the story here is Dixie's ongoing coming to terms with the death of her Husband and daughter and the repercussions, including her uncontrolable rages.

It's not bad but it just seemed to miss on several occasions with the story.

[✨ Gramy ✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a womn named Dixie Hemingway, who is was previous deputy for a sherriff's office and now is happily contented being a pet sitter. Dixie continues to struggle with the recent loss of her husband daughter. Everyone she speaks to seems willing to share what they know about the murder she stumbled onto with a dachshund's assistance. It is a thriller that grabs your attention as her devotion to a dashchund ends up with her surrounded by three dangerous men who want her dead. This was a good read and I intend to read more in the series.

[Lisa Hebert · Rating 2 out of 5]

Love the series, although reading them out of order. This is the only one so far that had animal cruelty. It was unexpected and made me cringe. In fact, I didn't want to keep reading, because it just didn't have to be that way. But I did finish. It was a very involved mystery and well written. I'm just someone who's sensitive to the visualization of harm to animals, so I hated that aspect. I highly recommend the 9th book, The Cat Sitter's Nine Lives. That was a collaboration with her son, who finished her stories after her passing. I loved that one cover to cover.

[Cindy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like this series but in this installment, the killer was identified very early in the book and the rest of the book was spent trying to get the killer. At parts, tears were rolling down my face as one of the dogs had to be put to sleep and a kitten was badly abused. Dixie is growing as a person after tragedy struck her family. I was saddened to hear the author passed away in 2011 but looks like others are picking up the series for her as number 8 was recently published.

[EmmyT · Rating 1 out of 5]

Is author an animal lover? I don't think so. She is not the authority on what to feed cats. Cats need wet and dry food. They are prone to kidney issues and should be given wet food daily, not as a rare treat. She has animals mistreated, injured, tortured and killed. If not that, they are ignored by their 'loving' owners. She knowingly lets dying dachshund suffer for a week until it can't stand up before she takes to Vet. These are not cozy mysteries. They are borderline sick.

[Marymart · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read some other books in this series and they were good. But this book just made me miserable. I didn't want to read about a dying dog. It gave me nightmares. And the dog dying was not even part of the plot and could have been (should have been) left out of the book completely. Very depressing.

[Loraine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good story line but a little too much violence and unnecessary language for my taste. The title makes you think they might be in the same class as the Lillian Jackson Braun novels "The Cat Who..." But they are definitely not a "lighter' mystery read.

[Gwen Mayo · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of people tag this one a cozy, but I would have to disagree. Language and subject matter take it out of the cozy category but I don't think that's a reason to skip this book. The humor and insight of the character makes it worthwhile.

[Dyana · Rating 4 out of 5]

BEWARE - Although this book has a cozy looking cover, it is not a cozy mystery. It has dark undertones and an aura of tragedy throughout. But it is a well written mystery with plenty of plot twists, turns, and a thrilling climax. The book also has vivid and detailed descriptions, especially of flora, fauna, weather, and the relationships between animals and humans. There is some offensive language and animal abuse. It is written in first person, so we get to know Dixie's feelings, emotions, and reactions.

Dixie Hemingway, a professional pet sitter, lives in Siesta Key near Sarasota, Florida. She takes care of owner's pets who are away by going into their homes, feeding their pets, grooming them, and exercising them. She used to be a deputy with the Sarasota County Sheriff's Dept. until three years previously when tragedy struck her family. She wasn't emotionally stable enough for the Dept. to trust her in her job, so they let her go. One thing new that we learn about Sarasota in this book is that it has been a circus town since the late twenties, when John Ringling made it the winter quarters for the Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus. So, the major plot point of this mystery is the murder of a former clown.

One early morning, Dixie is out walking an elderly miniature dachshund named Mame for the Powells who are in Italy. As she steps into the narrow street, Conrad Ferrelli's silver BMW comes tearing down the street. She knows it's his car because his Doberman pinscher, Reggie, was sitting in the backseat. She didn't actually see the driver. As Dixie bends down to tie her shoelace, Mame gets lose and runs into a forested area; and when she catches up, Mame is digging at something. It turns out to be the dead body of Conrad Ferrelli! So, who was driving his car? It turns out that Lieutenant Guidry (book #1) will be handling the case and is the one who questions her. Later they find Reggie standing near the crime scene. Dixie accompanies Guidry to inform Stevie, Conrad's wife, of what happened and to return Reggie to his home. Dixie keeps coming back to Stevie's house for several days to help her take care of Reggie, and because Dixie knows what to do for a grieving person.

Since Dixie saw the car driving away from the scene of the crime, she figures the murderer will try to kill her. He does several times - by trying to run her down, putting poisonous snakes in her house, kidnapping her, etc. Several likely candidates include:
- Conrad's brother, Denton Ferrelli, is Dixie's prime suspect. Denton hated the circus, and everything connected to it. He was also very opposed to Conrad building a circus retirement home. He had other plans for the property.
- Leo Brossi claims to be a cousin of Conrad's and also claims the Madam Flutter-By clown costume that Conrad wore in the circus was invented by his father and Conrad and Denton's father, Angelo Ferrelli, stole the idea. The name Madame Flutter-By and costume was registered like a patent or trademark and can't be used by other clowns. There could be a lot of money involved with merchandising the likeness.
- Gabe Marks is a thug working for Denton and Brossi. He is an expert with a highly lethal drug injected into snakes, alligators (his business is collecting hides to sell) etc., and victims... Dixie is convinced he is the one who tried to run her down with a big truck raised high on huge tires.
- etc. plus several small sub plots.

Then Stevie is killed. She was to take over Conrad's philanthropic trust companies. Dixie figures out early on who she thinks the murderer is - she just has to figure out how to catch him with enough evidence to hang himself. The police aren't working fast enough for her, and her stint as a deputy helps her investigate and sort through clues. Of course, Guidry tells her to stay out of the investigation... Engaging recurring characters include her fireman brother, Michael, and his undercover cop partner, Paco, who always have her back and watch out over her. Part of the humorous moments come from a scene with Cora Mathers, mother of the murder victim from book #1 that Dixie still visits in a retirement home. I liked the information on pet care and behavior and the training to become a clown. Who knew it is so rigorous? There is also some major growth in Dixie emotionally and in getting her uncontrollable rages in check. Her tragedy is far enough behind her that there are a couple of prospects for a love interest in future books. One annoying plot point is that Dixie's phone is very low on battery power throughout the book, and guess when she will need it the most? - the climax when she's in mortal danger!

[Jae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duplicity Dogged the Dachshund, by Blaize Clement, is the second book in the "Dixie Hemingway" cozy mystery series. Story is told in first person point of view by former-deputy-turned-pet sitter, Dixie.

While Dixie is walking Mame, an elderly dachshund in her care, the dog gets loose and begins digging in a pile of mulch. Mame unearths a body, leading Dixie to call the police. She is stunned to realize she recognizes the victim, Conrad Ferrelli--a man whose Doberman Dixie has taken care of before--and that she waved at Conrad's car shortly before Mame found his body. Now a killer believes that Dixie saw him and can identify him, even though Dixie simply assumed it was Conrad. She intends to stay out of it and let the police investigate, but when there's an attempt on her life, Dixie is no longer content to stay on the sidelines. Someone is out to get her, and Dixie isn't going to be a sitting duck.

Excellent story! Dixie is such a flawed character--hurting and vulnerable, yet still tough as nails. She doesn't have much to laugh about in life, but her wry sense of humor comes through in the narration. Other characters were fully realized, including some rather smarmy and disgusting villains, any of whom could be the killer and all of whom deserved the same fate. Even the pets' characters are portrayed well, from the brooding Mame to the sober and grieving Reggie. The plot was smooth as butter, taking Dixie from her rounds as a pet sitter to her spontaneous visits to people whom she hoped could shed light on Conrad's life and death. I adored her interactions with her brother, Michael, and his partner, Paco.

I can't say it was a delightful story, as it was fraught with murder and danger and people who are too awful to live. However, it was compelling and it captured my interest. Five stars.