Panic at the Pier

Whodunit Pet Mystery #1

by Mel McCoy

After a long year of teaching kids in an inner-city school in New York, Sarah Shores and her rambunctious yellow lab, Rugby, are looking forward to two weeks of beachside fun. They head down to Cascade Cove, Florida, where her eccentric grandpa, Larry, and sassy cousin, Emma, run a pet boutique on the boardwalk.

Antics between Rugby and Emma’s feisty cat, Misty, quickly ensue, but that’s just a small price to pay to spend quality time with her family while preparing the boutique for the busy season. But then her plans are quickly capsized…

Soon after arriving, a mystery unfolds, starting with the washed-up body of a local landowner, a lost corgi carrying an antique locket, and a family secret that may hold the key to the puzzle. Will Sarah be able to wade through the wave of suspects in order to piece the puzzle together? And will she solve the mystery before peak season ends up being a flop?

Join Sarah and the rest of the gang at Larry’s Pawfect Boutique in this fun Whodunit Pet Cozy Mystery Series. So, get nestled in your favorite chair, put on a pot of tea, and escape into the cozy beachside town of Cascade Cove!

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

262 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 2, 2019

Reviews

[Cindy B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant, clean

Cozy mystery. This is the first time I’ve read this author and l think it was a good read to put space between the thrillers I read. No gore, no profanity, no unneeded sex descriptions and a fun read.

[Shawna Shaheen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 1at book of series is about Sarah visiting Florida from Newyork. (Florida was her hometown) to see her grandparents and her cousin Emma. Sarah took her yellow golden retriever Rugby with her. Her grandpa Larry owns a pet boutique and Sarah cousin helps. This old man named John is raising everybody rent. So the John doe a mysterious death drowning in water ( everyone that knew John was scared of water). Who did it one of John tenants Patricia Herb or his wife or Marigold all had motives. This book was ok but it really was no excitement in it. Just a slow read. Probably won't read any others

[Jerri Cachero · Rating 4 out of 5]

A summer vacation , in Cascade Cove Florida, sounds perfect! Mystery, romance, adorable and feisty dogs and cat, quirky and lovable friends and family and then there's the food!

When Sarah Shores takes her summer vacation in Cascade Cove to visit her Grandfather and cousin and help in their pet boutique, she never expects solving a murder to be on her "to do" list. A grumpy landlord, who owns most of the buildings on the boardwalk, is murdered. Now Sarah has to make sure her Grandfather Larry and her cousin Emma are not accused of his murder!

I enjoyed the family atmosphere in the book...it wasn't at all "sappy" but realistic. The animals - Rugby, a yellow Lab; Winston a lost Corgi (that finds a forever home) and Misty the ever feisty cat - add to the story. The quirky shop owners and the vivid, delicious descriptions of the boardwalk summer food made me smile and reach for a snack!

I'll definitely be keeping tabs on what's happening in Cascade Cove and Larry's Pawfect Pet Boutique!

[Krystyna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beware strange gifts

A good read. The plot was a well thought out one bur the characters needed a bit more oomph to bring it altogether. They seemed a bit timid and disappeared into the woodwork. Hopefully future books will have them strengthening and becoming more of a force.
She has always looked forward to her two weeks off, from teaching, and spending it with the grandparents and Emily. This time Gran was off on a cruise ship so it would be just the three of them plus her dog and their cat. She didn't expect to hear of a drowning or having a stray dog come up to her with a wooden locket in his mouth. Was it an accident? The dead man had been afraid of water, so what had he been doing in the ocean? Raised rents, old family feuds, a secret in the locket, treasure and a murder. But who did it? Can they set up a sting (with the local deputy) and find the killer?

[Donna Gurr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book

Awesome book! Loved the characters and especially that it was at a Florida beach! And the ending leads to the next book. This also proves good books don’t have to have bad language either.

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Simple but readable

This cozy mystery is a simple story with ordinary characters. Some pages seemed repetitious. It is an alright book for a mindless read so good for strictly leisure time.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah heads to Florida to spend time with her grandpa and cousin, Emma. While there, a body is found and murder suspected. Sarah sets out to find who did it.

[Katherine Decker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Trying a new series is always a fun adventure. I really enjoyed this series launch. Sarah and her dog Rugby Re spending a few weeks with her grandfather Larry, cousin Emma and Emma’s cat Misty at her grandfather’s pet boutique. In addition to finding a new dog, Sarah finds herself looking into a murder with her longtime friend, and policeman Adam. In addition to a solid plot, this book has likable human and furry characters whose relationships make for quite an enjoyable read. This will definitely be a series worth continuing.

[Lori Elliott · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a cute read with crazy characters. I love the beach and this book took me back there.

[DJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Got to love a day at the beach with the dogs!

A cozy mystery by an author, Mel McCoy, who is new to me. The story centers around a New York school teacher, who is returning to a small ocean side town in Florida for the summer. Intent on visiting her grandparents and her cousin Emma who own a pet boutique on the boardwalk, Sarah Shores is soon caught up in a murder mystery. The novel is full of the usual quirky characters and their pets. Mel McCoy paints a vivid word picture of a sunny seaside town right before the peak summer tourist season. Sarah's dog Rugby and the stray dog they pick up play as big a part in the mystery as their owners. True to all good cozy mysteries there is a unsuspecting twist in the end , a killer you would never suspect that keeps you turning pages ,gathering clues, until the very end! It's a great summer beach break read. It took me .less than a day to finish, a nice break from cleaning house and the miserable humid summer heat of Missouri. I highly recommend you gather your ice tea and afternoon snack, settle in for an enjoyable day at the beach in Cascade Cove, Florida.

[Joan · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this small Florida coastal town Everyone Is preparing for the rush as tourist season is about to begin. When a murder is committed they worry the visitors will keep away and stores may go under. OK, this is the first problem with the book. Peak tourist season in Florida runs from December to April, not the summer hurricane months!

Grandpa Larry wants to keep his pet boutique open so that His wife can continue to travel. Huh? Grandma Ruth, a crossover from a cosy cruise mystery series, is a baker on a cruise ship. Even the description of Ruth makes me laugh. “ Always a fashionable woman, she wore half inch heels that made her look taller than she already was. “ Made her look taller? A half inch heel is a flat heel!

The characters in this book are flat, immature, and undeveloped.. Young police officer Adam runs to his would be girlfriend Sarah with all details of the investigation. She then proceeds to call all the shots, which he goes along with. The sheriff is appreciative of their efforts and promotes young Adam, instead of firing him.

This is a young adult book probably written by a young adult

[Sue · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sarah Shores and her yellow lab Rugby are on their way from New York and heading to Cascade Cove, Florida. Sarah is looking forward to relaxing after a hectic year of teaching in an inner-city school. Catching up with her grandparents and her cousin Emma seems to be just the ticket. For the next few weeks, Sarah will be helping out at the family pet boutique business and catching some sun, or so she thinks. Instead, a body washes up in the sand which turns out to be a local landowner. At the same time, Sarah finds a lost corgi carrying an antique locket, which seems to hold the key to a family secret.

Now Sarah with the help of her cousin Emma (who loves a good mystery) finds themselves wrapped up in a whodunit murder mystery. If you like cozy mysteries filled with humor, madcap adventure, mystery, quirky characters, and lots of twist and turns, then you will want to read this book in the brand new pet cozy mystery series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Christine Goodnough · Rating 3 out of 5]

A pleasing, quite average cozy, upbeat, with likable characters. Sarah, a public school teacher who's come to spend the summer with her grandfather and her cousin Emma in Florida, decides to help solve a local crime. The two cousins -- especially Emma, an avid mystery reader -- lets her imagination run when picturing whodunit and how. They're not so into actually finding facts or clues, though, so usually find themselves wrong and have to start again. But they have fun. Sarah is good friends -- read "possible love interest" -- with town cop Adam, and he keeps her up to date on the investigation.

I guessed the person involved early on, so I found their wild guesses rather silly, but as far as a cozy mystery goes, this is a good one and hangs together quite well. One small disappointment: the one scene I really wanted to see, the day Sarah takes Winston (the dog that followed her home) back to the place he'd strayed from and what happened there isn't shown. :( It's only in the preview for the next novel that you find out what actually happened to Winston.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe coming back to the small town she spent summers in growing up will be less boring than she thought.

An unpopular landlord found dead. Since he recently raised rents by 20% again, he is an unpopular man, with many potential suspects.

Rumors of blackmail, marital infidelities, other shady deals, and other long hidden secrets begin to emerge.

Grams off working the cruise line circuit for the season. Gramps leaves the door unlocked at the shop and takes a few weeks longer to complete an order. Can their pet boutique stay afloat?

Things are hopping. Maybe childhood friends can become something more?

It might be a good idea to stick around for the next fun KU adventure for the seaside town, with her a bit uptight cousin and their wacky pets by their sides.

I read this book on Kindle Unlimited. I also received an advance copy from Booksprout. Hope you have as much fun with this series as I am!

[Tari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really fun start for what looks to be a cute new series set in Cascade Cove, Florida. I'm in love with the dogs already! And Grandpa Larry--I mean who wouldn't love a guy who dresses like Magnum in a Hawaiian shirt and runs a dog products boutique? I've always had a cousin that I was close to, just like Sarah and her cousin Emma in the book, and I think it would have been awesome to always have spent two weeks in Florida with my cousin. Being that Sarah was a lifelong summer visitor, everyone in town knew her, especially her good friend Adam who was on the police force. Sarah and Emma were able to talk to people when possibly they wouldn't have talked to the police. I liked that he and the sheriff were grateful for Sarah's help in catching the killer in this story.

Thankfully there's a little preview in this book, because it ends by wrapping up the current case nicely, then they got the news of another mystery. The preview really made me want to read the next book.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first in the series Whodunit Pet Mystery and it's a good start. Sarah & her dog Rugby take a two week vacation from her teaching job in New York to visit her grandparents in Florida to help in their Pet Boutique store. Cascade, Fla is a quaint tourist town and everyone is getting ready for the summer traffic. Sarah enjoys visiting with the store keepers that she has known all her life. Everything is going great including a dog name Winston that follows her back to the boutique and gives her an antique locket he was carrying around in his mouth. That is until a body of a local man is found murdered near the pier. Why would any one kill him? Adam, Sarah's friend from way back and a policeman start asking questions and it seemed the man was not well liked which leads to several suspects. And does the locket have anything to do with? Great mystery, fun characters. Makes you want to visit Cascade.

[Suzanne Hare · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah goes to her grandparents place each summer for two weeks each summer. She helps out at the Pet Boutique in Cascade Falls, Florida. She has a yellow lab named Rugby. Her cousin, Emma, lives with her grandparents for the summer. They find a body in the water and the next day a small dog walks up to her and gives her a pendant. So what does one thing have to do with the other?

This is a great cozy mystery filled with a multitude of clues that keep you guessing until the end. The characters are interesting and well defined. The storyline flows smoothly and the story is easy to read. There are twists and turns and obstacles making the book interesting. I like that this book has a family setting with animals that are involved in the story. I am looking forward to Sarah’s next adventure.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jeannie and Louis Rigod · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a delightful debut in a promising new series. For a mystery series the locale was well chosen. Also, the adorableness of the three pets added a dimension of enjoyment. The murder was well conceived, and the situation plausible.

Sarah Shore goes on vacation to visit and help her Grandfather Larry, and her cousin, Emma at the family's pet boutique. Although, Sarah ends up doing far more sleuthing than helping at the store. There is a policeman that is Sarah's friend and there is the possibility of it growing into something more.

I liked the ending and the hook for the next tale.

Make no mistake, this novel and series are true 'Cozies' but that is why the story appeals to me. I look forward to the next volume.

[Dorothy Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sarah and her dog, Rugby, vacation in Cascade Cove. Her grandfather, Larry, owns Larry’s Pawfect Boutique, which is a warm place for meeting with neighbors. However, a nearby body and a missing dog with an antique pendant signal the beginning of a puzzling mystery. I totally enjoyed this book. It was pawfect for me to relax and enjoy.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Era Yuskristianti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this story. It has a good enough storyline. Even though sometimes I got confused why Sarah seemed to be a bit less excited in finding the culprit than Emma, I could understand her point of view. And in the end, Sarah was finally able to unveil the mystery. I liked that it had a lot of pets. For a pet lover who also likes to read mystery stories, I recommend this book.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Allyson Dyar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sigh...

This was an OK book, barely readable in my not so humble opinion.

The major problem I had is that I just didn't "feel" the story. That is, it was from a first person point of view, which tends to be the hardest to write since the story is told from the lead character's point of view, so you really don't know what the others are feeling or thinking.

The book had no depth, that is there was barely any description of what town was like, no real difference in different characters' speech; it was like I was reading a bunch of words, barely engaging me as the reader.

I hate trashing anyone's work, but all I can say is that I'm really seriously glad I didn't pay for this because I would have demanded my money back.

I'm giving this book 1.5 paws because the author did manage to get the book published, I just won't be reading any further books in the series.

[Lady Galaxy · Rating 2 out of 5]

The biggest problem for me with this book was that I didn't like the characters. Emma wasn't sassy—she was petulantly irritating. I liked the dogs, but the whole saga of finding the lost dog was so unnecessary. Is there no vet in that town who could have checked for a microchip? Before putting up a bunch of posters, why didn't she call the nearest rescue group? Why did she keep the pendant instead of turning it in to the police lost and found?

[Heather W · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good start to a new series. A good story with a lot of great aspects: fun, murder, mystery, twists and turns, and some wonderful pets to carry it all. Just needs a bit of work on character development and this series will be a real winner.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I do love book sprout because I come into contact with so many new and interesting authors and the plethora of new stories such as this story with teachers, dogs, cats, a pet boutique and a dead body what's a girl to do but read the book and wait for the next awesomeness to come out.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Jodi Sweet · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book! Loved all the characters and especially the pups! Sarah, Emma and Grandpa Larry are so much fun and such a fantastic family dynamic. Even though it is a cozy mystery and there’s a murder, it’s still light hearted and filled with good feelings. I can’t wait to read more!

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Pat Eroh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun and quick read, this story is an awesome cozy. I love the mystery and intrigue that keeps you guessing until the end. I love the characters involved in this book and I look forward to reading more of this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sandra Lopez · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sarah was taking a break from her job and heading back home for a recharge. Story has a slow pace as it depicts the beach town, its scenes, and its kooky residents. Also has a lot of lame chatter. Somewhere in all that a body washes up on the pier. But how could a man afraid of water be found in water? Interesting premise, but the read is dull.

[Reanna Hanley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cute cozy mystery, not my typical read but I did enjoy it. The characters both human and animal were well developed and each had their own unique personalities. The murderer was a little of a schock but things fell into place. I'll be reading the next in the series.

[Kandice · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found Panic at this Pier to be an excellent read. It has a great combination of suspense, mystery, murder and humor.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kristi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great entertaining cozy mystery read. Holds your attention and is a fun enjoyable read, a cute story. I'm looking forward to reading more books from this series.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.