To Kill a Labrador

Marcia Banks and Buddy Mysteries #1

by Kassandra Lamb

Marcia (pronounced Mar-see-a, not Marsha) likes to think of herself as a normal person, even though she has a rather abnormal vocation. She trains service dogs for combat veterans with PTSD. Then the ex-Marine owner of her first trainee is accused of murdering his wife, and Marcia gets sucked into an even more abnormal avocation–amateur sleuth.

Called in to dog-sit the Labrador service dog, Buddy, she’s outraged that his veteran owner is being presumed guilty until proven innocent. With Buddy’s help, she tries to uncover the real killer. Even after the hunky local sheriff politely tells her to butt out, Marcia keeps poking around. Until the killer finally pokes back.

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

235 pages, ebook

First published April 10, 2016

About the author

Psychology and writing (or writing and psychology) have always vied for the number one spot on my list of greatest passions. I am now a retired psychotherapist and can afford to spend as much time as I want on my writing.

I am in Heaven! (Well, actually I live in Florida now.)

Some people have asked me if my protagonist, psychotherapist Kate Huntington, is me. I wish! She's much more consistently kind and compassionate than I am.

I was born and raised in Maryland and lived there most of my adult life. In addition to my psychotherapy practice, I also taught at Towson University for a decade. It was my favorite job of my entire lifetime, so I decided to base my first series, the Kate Huntington mysteries, in Towson, Maryland. My newer series, about a service dog trainer, is set in central Florida near where I live now, the Marcia Banks and Buddy cozy mysteries.

I blog about psychological topics, or anything else that strikes my fancy, about twice a month at www.misteriopress.com.

Reviews

[Jo-Anne · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting murder mystery if you can get past the TSTL heroine. Buddy (a trained service dog) is great and the ending is a bit of a surprise. An enjoyable read.

[Celia Buell (semi hiatus) · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was really engaging!

I always love a cozy mystery with dogs who have a lot of personality, and this one had a great mystery to it as well. From the beginning, you can see that Marcia (pronounced Mar-SEE-ah) is investigating because she truly cares about the people involved, and not just because she's concerned about her business. She's a very genuine person from the start, and very person-oriented. I really like her as a character.

The plot also kept me guessing far more than other cozy mysteries. There was so much going on up until the very end, and the motives only halfway came to light. I was really grateful for the epilogue that explained everything in understandable terms, but even if it hadn't been there I really liked how much this kept me on my toes. Right up until the end I wasn't sure about a few things. Many of the cozy mysteries I've read don't have much mystery to them themselves, but this had all the plot twists I respect in any genre.

I have a few other books by this author on my tablet, and I'm looking forward to reading those. I'm also seriously debating buying the second novel, because I do want to experience more Marcia and her dogs.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great new series featuring Marcia Banks who trains service
dogs for veterans suffering from Post Trauma Stress Syndrome.
The first dog, Buddy, that Marcia trained is being returned to
her when the veteran owner is arrested for murder.
Marcia does not believe that he is guilty and set out with
Buddy to prove the veteran innocent.
This is a fast paced, action packed story with many twists
and turns which keep you guessing. All the characters are
vivid, colorful and well defined. Captivating writing, vivid
description, murder, mystery, mayhem, a engaging plot,
thrills, chills with unexpected twists makes this a good
book to read.
Learning about training service dogs is an added feature.
Thank you to the author for this eBook. My opinion is my own.

[Carla · Rating 4 out of 5]

Secrets in a small towm

A woman murdered, her husband in jail, a service dog in need of a place to stay, and the dog's trainer lead to Marcia Banks' first foray into sleuthing.

Although I figured out the who and why before Marcia and the sheriff,the story was well constructed and a fair glimpse into small town life. This is one I will read again.

[Ruthie Lancaster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this! I've Marcia only one iota less than Buddy. I felt

like I knew Buddy. There was a service dog that

live next door to me that felt like Buddy. d

[Tanya R · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy a cozy romance in a non-historical setting, check out this Marcia Banks and Buddy Mysteries series.

Book 1 had lots of twists and fun capers on the trail of solving a murder. And really, any book with dogs in the storyline is always a winner for me. Cozy mysteries are just the best and this series looks like it's going to be great fun!

Thank you so much to @booksgosocial and @kassandralamb for allowing me to read this series kickoff!

[B.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cute and fun cozy mystery with a dash of suspense and a smidgen of romance. Plus, dogs!

[Tracy Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any book that has pets involved is always up my alley and Kassandra Lamb did not disappoint me with this one. From training service dogs to tracking down killers, the character of Marcia Banks definitely keeps the pages moving to see where she is heading next. Throw a bit of romance in the mix and you have a very good setting for a good cozy read, So if you enjoy a cozy mystery with pets and fluttering hearts, this is one I think you would enjoy. Happy Reading everyone!

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent murder mystery. Explores some misconceptions of PTSD as the suspected murderer is an ex-Marine.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

First in a series featuring a service dog trainer. Will be looking to read the next one.

[Barbara Boyle · Rating 5 out of 5]

My Buddy Forever

I loved this book. I loved Buddy. I love anyone who loves animals. This book made me smile. Thank you.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was my first book by Kassandra Lamb - I chose it because it involves a woman that trains PTSD service dogs. Initially I thought it might not be serious enough for the subject matter, but I underestimated the author. There was nothing light and fluffy about this book - things didn't go as expected starting from very close to the beginning. I was surprised at how the book proceeded, but in a good way. I thought the dogs were very well-written, as were the training scenes. I'm always skeptical of dog training in fiction, because some people write about things that they're not well-informed about. Kassandra didn't fall into that trap - her parts about training were well-written and realistic. I enjoyed the story, even though the storyline was about a sad topic. I'm hoping there are more Marcia (mar-see-a) Banks and Buddy stories to come.

[Wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcia trains dogs as service animals for veterans

Marcia is checking up on one of the service dogs she trained .Jimmy is a veteran suffering from PTSD. His new dog is Buddy.
Jimmy is arrested for his wife*s murder. It appears to be an open and shut case. Afterall, aren't ALL veterans violent? Or says the entire small town. It appears to Marcia, Jimmy is not going to get a fair shake. She is determined to prove everyone wrong.

As it is a cozy, Marcia meet s and becomes attracted to the sheriff. As with all cozies, he is good looking and she is a burned divorcee.

Her questions are making everyone angry including the deceased brother and sheriff but Marcia is convinced she is right.

Marcia is also training a new dog. The training description is interesting and am hoping it is accurate..

[Dwayne Keller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Marcia Banks, a dog trainer for veterans with PTSD, gets involved with the death of the wife of a veteran who has the first dog she trained. Against better judgment she tackles the case of who murdered her. There are issues along the way, and other things to take care of, like the current training of new dogs. This is a good solid mystery that wraps the reader up in the story, trying to figure out who did it, and why. This is the first in a new series. Pick it up and watch for the next release.

[T L · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contains Spoiler

I was pleasantly going with the flow of this story for 80% of the journey. Then the author broke character. A professional dog trainer ignored her own expensive clearly traumatized dog to take an optional shower! NO! I had to walk away.

I did come back and finish because I was so close to the end. Not sure I will read any more of the series. For me, breaking character is a serious offense in a story. Otherwise, the book is well edited, no spelling errors or misplaced words so often found in other books.

[Earlene Harrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Story started off really Good

Story started off really good but then it became confusing. The heroine went from mildly annoying to plainly suicidal! How many single women her age would drive to another town alone with no back-up as much as she did in this day and age? Although I do plan to get another book and see if she had approved/matured!

[Rita Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one!

I love reading stories about dogs, but particularly ones that are mysteries. This one offers a quirky trainer and a handsome sheriff to complete my requirements for a good read.

[Carol Kean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the premise! Marcia Banks trains service dogs for veterans suffering from Post Trauma Stress Syndrome. When her first placement is with a young man veteran who's in jail on charges of murder, she has no intention of playing amateur detective to clear his good name, but nobody else believes he's innocent, so Marcia goes around asking questions. Sometimes incognito. Always ignoring threats to back off and mind her own business. We know from the title (Marcia Banks and Buddy Mysteries #1) that Mar-SEE-uh (not "MARSH-uh") will go on to crack more cases in future books.

I love the dogs, I like Marcia, I like the book, but as co-Admin of Iowa Cold Cases, and as the sister of a murder victim, I feel as if this author hasn't really "been there, done that." She's read a lot of whodunnits and watched a lot of them on TV, no doubt.

The dialogue is snappy, but over-use of the epithet "Crapola" just irked me. So did the familiar trope of the cell phone that isn't charged, and when it is, it gets left behind while the amateur runs off to confront a kidnapper.

The story is engaging. It kept me turning pages. The premise is awesome.

I'd totally raise this to four or five stars except for my irritation over the cell phone, Mar-SEE-uh, and "crapola, along with other tropes of the genre. Yes, I'm being a little harsh. I'm sorry.

I downloaded this via a "Free Today" promotion at Amazon. For fans of the genre, this is a fun read. I'm an old curmudgeon who's waded through far too many real-life cold cases. For years I've avoided reading police procedurals unless an author or publisher asked me to review the book, and even then I often decline, but if there's a dog on the cover, I can't say no.

I have never emailed Kassandra Lamb or followed her on social media, so there can be no charges of this review "violating" some Guideline about promoting friends and family. I have discovered many talented Indie Authors via the Kindle Daily Deals, and after reading and loving their books, I've struck up a correspondence with some of them. Authors need people to "Like" their pages and follow them on Twitter to build a social media platform, but then the friend-bots "out" book reviewers as "friends" and reviews get yanked down. A pity. The best reviews tend to be written by fellow authors.

[Alex Craigie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! Funny, serious, thrilling – and with a dog as one of its main characters!
Marcia ‘just a small-town, thirty-something divorcee’ trains service animals for PTSD sufferers. The first dog had been placed with a combat veteran who has been accused of murdering his wife. Marcia isn’t convinced that he’s guilty and crosses swords with the good-looking and tolerant local sheriff.
I learned a lot about these service dogs and how they are trained with different skill-sets depending on the particular needs of their future owners. A common instruction for combat veterans is the ‘cover command’ where the dog is trained to turn and face the owner when it stops so that it can see behind him/her and give reassurance that all is well.
The dog behaviour is wonderfully closely observed and anyone who’s had a dog will enjoy these. However, the story is a mystery that needs solving and that is the crux of the tale. It’s a cozy mystery but with enough edge to keep the tension racked-up so that I kept reading until the early hours. The content is filled with memorable characters and even the minor ones, such as Becky and Sherie Wells, are distinct and well-rounded. There’s a nice smattering of romance and a delicious humour that really appealed to me. I especially loved her mental asides when she was trying to elicit information from people.
This is a book with heart. I loved some characters and loathed others. It’s the first book I’ve read by this author and I’m going to buy another one as soon as I finish typing this.

[Denise Zendel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Marcia (pronounced Mar-see-a, not Marsha) Banks trains service dogs for combat veterans with PTSD. The former owner of her first trainee, Buddy, is accused of murdering his wife. Marcia’s outraged his owner is automatically presumed guilty because of his PTSD. She and Buddy set about finding out who the real killer is, even though it may cost her something precious.

Minuses: The author used “smirk” one time too many for me; and I found her name annoying. The story is interesting enough without the name hook, and I found myself having to correct myself in my head every time I read “Marcia”.

Pluses: Interesting premise, and I learned things about raising and training service dogs. Marcia is a relatable character, and I liked the required relationship with the hunky lawman. Their dancing around each other was entertaining rather than annoying. I liked the author’s descriptions of the Florida small town settings; they felt real to me. And I so enjoyed Buddy – he’s a dog I’d like to have in my life.

This was a fun, satisfying read. It didn’t give me agita; rather, it held my interest all the way through and made the time at the gym fly by. I quickly established a connection to Marcia, she seems like someone I could be friends with. And I like the premise of training service dogs for former military members. Lots of opportunities there for what I hope is a long-lived series. I am excited to go on to book 2 in this series.

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I so enjoyed this book and the representation! My Saint Bernard Service Dog in Training (Angus Finnegan) and I listen to tons of audiobooks, sometimes even while we work on training, because my disabilities make reading physical books struggle. I like to think that there are some books he actually enjoys, I gauge his interest based on how much he sleeps beside me during any given book, and he seemed to enjoy this one.

I loved the representation in this book, the fact that the author accurately represents ADA laws regarding service animals, and the fact that the Service Dogs/Service Dogs in Training aren't portrayed to be robots. The only issue I personally had with the book is that usually no matter the reason for the bite any SD or SDiT would be retired or washed out of training after biting someone. However, I can forgive that considering that this is a fiction book and most if not all other aspects of the representation were right on.

The story itself was enjoyable, made me tear up in a few points, and wasn't as predictable as some cozy mysteries. I look forward to getting to know these characters more in the next book and hope that the ending partially surprises me in the next book as well.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I liked the service dog parts. One other reviewer said they liked it despite the amateur detective being “TSTL”. Once I figured that out, I thought it was probably just a little snarky, overly critical comment, since all the amateur detectives in cozy mysteries do stupid stuff. It’s part of the definition of the genre, apparently. 😏 Along with forgetting their phone. Initially I didn’t like the voice of the reader on the audiobook—too breathy—but she grew on me, as she distinguished the various characters well, & did the men’s voices & emotions well. Honestly, I think the main reason I couldn’t bring myself to give it 4 stars was too many “Crapola!”’s & “nether regions”. I must say, I was very surprised at the reference to “that time of the month”! I don’t think I’ve ever seen/heard that mentioned in any of my fiction books! (Other than maybe wondering if they were pregnant?) Anyway, I love the dogs, so I’ll give this series another try.

[Martin Dolan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review of TO KILL A LABRADOR a murder mystery by Kassandra Lamb
A glance at the cover will reveal that the title refers to the dog and not to the place. As you might have guessed, the hero, or at least one of the main heroes in this story is `Buddy` a well trained service dog.
Marcia Lamb trains such dogs to aid veterans with PTSD; and one day she gets a call from the sheriff`s office in a nearby town asking her to retrieve one of her dogs which had been given to a client who is now charged with killing his wife.
Marcia does not really believe that this client, Jimmy Garret, is really guilty; and neither, it seems, does Buddy; and she is not quite satisfied with the progress that Will Haines, the local sheriff is making with investigating the case. What follows is a well defined, suspenseful murder mystery.
I give it five stars - a vey good read.

[Diane Burton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Mystery. This story kept me turning the pages from beginning to end. Marcia trains service dogs for veterans with PTSD. I was fascinated by the training. Buddy (a Labrador Retriever) and Jimmy were her first match. She was so proud of them, but then Jimmy is accused of killing his wife. The sheriff sends for Marcia to retrieve Buddy. She's convinced that Jimmy couldn't have murdered anyone.

While Marcia investigates, she riles up the townsfolk and intrigues the sheriff. A budding (no pun intended) romance between them confuses her, and she's not sure she's ready after her divorce. Engaging characters, a plot with many twists, and plenty of tension make this a memorable book. I'll be reading more by this author.

[Mimi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like Marcia Banks and her job of training service dogs for PTSD sufferers. Her training and the psychology behind the dogs' series of actions is fascinating. In this first story, Marcia gets a call from her first client asking that she come get the dog she trained for him, Buddy. He is accused of murdering his wife, is in jail, and can't care for Buddy. Marcia gets involved in a hunt for his killer and has her heart jump started by the local sheriff in the process. Is he what he seems? Will she lose Buddy?
This book is well written, which I appreciate. The dialog is tight and the grammar is good. I will definitely read more of this series. I may not have a dog but I like dogs and Buddy is a good dog.

[Coco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eye catching cover, then I read the title!!!!!!
Not to worry, this is a murder mystery and the labrador is a character in the plot, he's well protected and completely unharmed.
Marcia, who trains service dogs, is determined to discover the murderer of her client's wife and subsequently finds herself in danger with her snooping.
The local sheriff wants her to keep out of his case but is this only to stop her inquiries or for some other reason?
In the process of her investigation, Marcia continues to annoy the sheriff and a bad tempered alligator threatens her - still no animals harmed.
An enjoyable and well written murder mystery with 'will they, won't they' from Marcia and the sheriff to fill the romantic element.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book in the series. It is also my first book to ready by Kassandra Lamb.The main character, Marcia Banks is a dog trainer. She is feisty, independent, and a dog lover. She gets involved in solving the murder of her client’s wife. Her client is arrested and she gets called in to care for the dog, Buddy. There is mystery and at the end intrigue. There is one character you think is a good guy then a bad guy. You don’t who the murderer is til the end. The sad part in the story is her client commits sucide while in jail. I enjoyed this book very much and I’ll read the other books in the series.

[Lea Day · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was little hesitant to read this book because I couldn’t stand the thought of a dog being hurt and I am always little reluctant to read books that touch little to close to home. The wounded vet is very close to home but I think there is not to many in our country today that does no know a veteran.

When I saw Buddy’s name continued in the series I decided to give it a shot and boy am I glad I did.

I really enjoyed reading this and getting to know ‘Mar-see-ah’ who does not like her name pronounced Marsha.

Very good mystery that keeps you guessing and has a surprise or two and keeps you hopeful for the romance. Looking forward to next book.

[Kat · Rating 5 out of 5]

she trains service dogs for vets with ptsd. she got a call to come get the first dog she trained. the mans wife was murdered and he was arrested. she didnt think he did it, then she was called to say he killed himself in jail. she has a crush on the sheriff. she is investigating as she doesnt think he did it. she found a alligator in her living room so she thinks someone is trying to scare her off

they kidnap her dog and she goes to meet them. they almost kill her but the sheriff saves her. she gets to keep buddy the dog that belonged to the vet who died

cant wait to read the next in the series.

[Barbara Borror · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 Stars

I don't often give out 5stars when reviewing a book but felt I had to on this one. First there is a great story. Having lived with my dad, a Korean War vet and hubby a Viet Man vet and knowing lots of others, including some of the men and women just returning from wars I can really understand what they are going through. But more importantly I am a true dog lover, and cats, and all other critters. The writer really seems to understand dogs. Also, it was great to see a book with no spelling and grammar mistakes. I will get the next book in the series. I recommend this book for anyone that likes dogs and mysteries.