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Probable Paws
Murder, Mayhem, and Bonny Baby contests? – It must be another Barking Mad Mystery Story.It’s the Adlebury Spring Fete, which means balloons, baked goods—and a dead body. Of course, veterinary surgeon Petronella Knight and the handsome American police sergeant Garrett O’Leary have to work together to discover why someone would want to resort to murder, even if it does seem that nearly everyone in the village hated the odious dead man.Tempers rise along with Nan’s fresh bread. Swords are drawn, and the battle that commences isn’t just the one staged by the local English civil war society.Can Ella and Garrett catch the killer before another victim falls? Or will it be dog eat dog until the last slice of prize-winning pie is gone?
176 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 17, 2020
6 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 27, 2020
Another murder on the books
Love this series. I love the mix of American and British cultures and as a true crime fan this takes the "lardy cake" sup yup speak. A great second book in this amazing and quaint English village. Perfect
Love this series. I love the mix of American and British cultures and as a true crime fan this takes the "lardy cake" sup yup speak. A great second book in this amazing and quaint English village. Perfect
February 20, 2020
A blackmailing scheme that turns sour
A good read that has you facing two murders. Is the killer just the one person or are there more than one.
A fete turns into a nightmare when she called to look at a man. A man who has obviously died. But how? Granted he made everyone's life a misery. Hitting on women, bullying others and doing everything he could to gain an upper hand. A deadly allergy, a police officer intent on his own agenda and our couple (a police officer and a vet) that are tryptophan get to the truth. Another death, affairs and a deadly killer. Can they stop the culprit?
A good read that has you facing two murders. Is the killer just the one person or are there more than one.
A fete turns into a nightmare when she called to look at a man. A man who has obviously died. But how? Granted he made everyone's life a misery. Hitting on women, bullying others and doing everything he could to gain an upper hand. A deadly allergy, a police officer intent on his own agenda and our couple (a police officer and a vet) that are tryptophan get to the truth. Another death, affairs and a deadly killer. Can they stop the culprit?
September 30, 2020
Who doesn't like a good mystery mixed with some black mail and a dash of romance.
I like how garrett and Sarah are with each other. How they help one another with the animal and the go for nightly walks together with the animals. I can't wait to see this relationship develop more and see where it goes.
Garrett grandmother has to be one of my favorite characters. She isn't shy about asking the hard questions.
The mystery part of the story was great. I enjoyed the characters and I was with Ella the whole time trying to fit all the pieces together and also trying to figure out how they all connect.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
I like how garrett and Sarah are with each other. How they help one another with the animal and the go for nightly walks together with the animals. I can't wait to see this relationship develop more and see where it goes.
Garrett grandmother has to be one of my favorite characters. She isn't shy about asking the hard questions.
The mystery part of the story was great. I enjoyed the characters and I was with Ella the whole time trying to fit all the pieces together and also trying to figure out how they all connect.
I can't wait to read the next book in the series.
February 9, 2021
Bake a Lardy cake,grab your tea and settle in for a small town murder.
Garrett and Ella are becoming one of my favorite couples. As with the first book in this series,Probable Paws will not disappoint. In a small village where everyone knows everybody,someone knows a little too much and that just will not do. As Garrett tries to find the murderer,veterinarian Ella and my favorite Ms. Lilly won't just sit by the wayside. As you meet more characters in this village and meet up with past characters from the first book,be ready to fall in love all over again with the writings of Scarlett English.
Garrett and Ella are becoming one of my favorite couples. As with the first book in this series,Probable Paws will not disappoint. In a small village where everyone knows everybody,someone knows a little too much and that just will not do. As Garrett tries to find the murderer,veterinarian Ella and my favorite Ms. Lilly won't just sit by the wayside. As you meet more characters in this village and meet up with past characters from the first book,be ready to fall in love all over again with the writings of Scarlett English.
August 4, 2020
Loved this book. I am still finding this series absolutely adorable. This time the bad guys were a little more dislikable. I hope the detective eventually gets the respect that he deserves. There is an underlying romance but it is taking forever. I am so ready for the characters to have some sort of physical interaction. I was excited to find there is another book in the series out, woot!
July 16, 2020
3.5 stars
At Adlebury's annual spring fete Petronella is called upon to assist a man who has fallen ill while eating a tuna fish sandwich. Unfortunately, Petronella doesn't know much about human medicine but she knows how to handle an emergency. When she realizes Vincent Shuttleforth died from anaphylactic shock, she assumes it was from his tuna fish sandwich, but Lily knows the banker actually ate fish every day for lunch but was really allergic to peanuts! The question is: who put peanut dust in the sandwich? When Lily and Petronella launch an investigation, there's no shortage of suspects. Garrett starts to investigate with no real leads when he's pulled off the case by the new Detective Sergeant, Wainwright, who is determined to pin the crime on Andrew Pendleton for homophobic and/or racist reasons. When another dead body is discovered, Garrett is back on the case. He's going to need his grandmother and Petronella to help him discover which, of many, suspects is a murderer. It's also springtime with lots of things going on in the village. Petronella pushes Garrett into showing he belongs by participating in Morris Dancing and a reenactment, much to Garrett's extreme embarrassment! Her friend Geoffrey sounds like a pompous bore but devoted to village life and their traditions. Perhaps if he's not in a rivalry with Garrett over Ella, he'd come across as nicer and more appealing.
This story didn't appeal to me quite as much as the first in the series, mainly because the silliness was not centered around animals but instead village festivities. I would normally be very interested in those things but it took away from the animal theme and the mystery. The mystery was pretty tight. I did not really know whodunit but I had a good guess, just a hunch though and no motive. I wasn't sure even after the confrontation, which of the two was the killer. The second death was a real tragedy and I don't like it when innocent people die in these mysteries. It was better just to kill Shuttleworth because he was a nasty dude. There was again a bit TMI about veterinary medicine and the author basically copy/pasted the breed standard for Bull Mastiffs and all I could hear in my head was the Westminster announcer's voice. There are a few typos but overall, the book is well edited. Even so, I stayed up very late reading this book!
Petronella remains sweet and loyal. She's a bit naïve when it comes to men but she's young and she doesn't know many men. She is clearly not squeamish and willing to do whatever it takes to help save an animal's life. ick! I like how much compassion she has for the pet parents and how she is willing to work with them to get payment when she knows they can't afford the necessary treatment for their beloved companion animal. The storyline about Charlie is lovely and really touched my heart, pretty much having been there and been heartbroken over the eventual loss of my furry sister. Petronella is also less willing to investigate the murder but goes along with it because she cares about Lily. Lily is a pistol! Now Garrett is around, she's showing her true personality. Putting her in a "care home" would have been a tragedy. She would have lost her mind. Lily is super nosy and tuned in to all the village gossip. She's sharp enough to put together clues and very open-minded and caring towards people who are outside of the mainstream. I found this liberalism a bit unrealistic for an elderly person in an English village but it was nice to read.
Garrett is such a nice guy. He's fallen in love with Ella and focuses less on her looks now. He'll do anything for her, even humiliate himself in front of the entire village. He signs on to judge a baby beauty contest, learn Morris dancing and participate in a historical reenactment. I didn't like how he got all grouchy in front of a male competitor for Ella's affections. If you have feelings for her, make them known and ask how she feels about the other guy. If she says they're friends, they're friends! Grow up! I did feel sorry for him when he got taken off the case. No, it's not really his job to investigate murder but Wainwright should not be allowed to practice law enforcement at all. This is why people are so mad right now!
There are a couple of law enforcement officials in Adlebury now. Special Constable Roberta Gideon is fair and thorough. She doesn't have time for chit-chat and gets the job done. She's much better than that fool they had before. Detective Sergeant Wainwright is a complete utter and total @$$! I LOATHE him! He's a bigoted bully and thinks he can push Garrett around even though they're the same rank. He zeroes in on Andrew and while the clues do point to Andrew, Garrett sees the evidence as inconclusive for arrest and it is. That jerk Wainwright just wants to throw his weight around. Detective Constable June Thorpe seems lovely. She's very patient and friendly. Although it seems like she may already be developing a thing for Garrett!
Vincent Shuttleforth, the victim, was about as nasty as you can get. He was power-hunger, sexually harassed people for the sake of having power over them, made shady deals, fired people for no reason, was racist and all around mean. Who didn't want to murder him? Mrs. Appleby, a village gossip, had a good reason to wish him dead. She's a little old lady but don't discount her yet.
Other new characters include Lady Agatha Haworth, an aristocrat and widow of the wealthy businessman David Haworth. She owns an estate in the village and allows people to use it for bird-watching and other purposes. She seems shady to me. I gather, the same as Garrett, that "trouble" in South Africa had something to do with the end of apartheid and she and her husband not liking it. That puts her firmly in the "I can't stand her" camp. (There's more solid evidence of her racist beliefs later in the book). I don't trust her. I think she has secrets. She was in cahoots with Shuttleforth about something anyway. Still, she's a dog lover and took in a stray dog in need of a home so maybe she's not that bad. Her manservant, Smith, seems creepy and shifty to me. He doesn't appear to LIKE his employer's dogs. Who wouldn't love Precious? I can see being scared of the larger dogs though. I think he's devoted to Lady A though and would do anything for her. I suspect either of them could be a murderer.
Martin Carter is a nice young man who worked as a teller at the bank for a long time until Shuttleworth took over. Martin is a sweetheart who loves his family and their elderly dog, Charlie. Martin had a very valid reason to loathe Shuttleworth. Martin happens to be homosexual and was fired because of his sexual orientation. Martin's partner, Andrew Pendleton, had a dust up with Shuttelworth resulting in a restraining order against Andrew. Andrew's personality is a little more firm than Martin's. Andrew is comfortable in his own skin and knows his rights. He's an amazing businessman who has taken over his family's food business and turned a small shop into a bigger business. They provided the sandwiches that killed Shuttleworth, giving Andrew means and opportunity. His personality also makes him suspect and the fact that Martin is bi-racial means certain people will suspect him no matter what he does or doesn't do. It doesn't look good for him though. Martin's mother seems nice but slow to trust people. I don't blame her. I think she doesn't have a lot of education and relies on Martin to help her cope with some tough situations, like with Charlie. She's a kind, devoted mother. What would she do to protect her son?
Another excellent suspect is Preston Adams, president of the bird watchers club. Shuttleworth was trying to oust Adams and put himself in charge. That can not have made Adams very happy. Yet, to be a bird watcher, I think one has to have a calm, patient, temperament. I don't get murderer vibes from him but you never know. Then there's Tessa McHenry who works as a cook for Lady Agatha. Tessa is a single mom doing all she can to provide for her daughter Chloe. She seems to be doing an excellent job of spoiling the girl because Chloe is pretty bratty. Tessa is doing the best she can though on her own with no partner. She won't even name Chole's father which suggests to me the relationship may not have been completely consensual or Tessa was involved with someone she shouldn't have been with. I don't think she has a strong enough reason to want to kill Shuttleworth. What we know is only heresay. I feel sorry for her to have to struggle so hard all alone. Whoever Chole's father is, he's a louse. Now, Ginny Westfall, the former bank manager before Shuttleworth, has to have a good reason to want him dead. Even though she took early retirement, she was cheated out of her pension because of him. She knows a lot and was in a position to see and hear a lot. I think she could have done in her rival.
I am still enjoying this series a lot but I may not read the third book tonight and save it for later.
Content:
racist and homophobic characters
a slightly graphic depiction of a dead body
and if it bothers you, there's a same-sex couple in the story, so don't read this if you feel the same as Wainwright.
At Adlebury's annual spring fete Petronella is called upon to assist a man who has fallen ill while eating a tuna fish sandwich. Unfortunately, Petronella doesn't know much about human medicine but she knows how to handle an emergency. When she realizes Vincent Shuttleforth died from anaphylactic shock, she assumes it was from his tuna fish sandwich, but Lily knows the banker actually ate fish every day for lunch but was really allergic to peanuts! The question is: who put peanut dust in the sandwich? When Lily and Petronella launch an investigation, there's no shortage of suspects. Garrett starts to investigate with no real leads when he's pulled off the case by the new Detective Sergeant, Wainwright, who is determined to pin the crime on Andrew Pendleton for homophobic and/or racist reasons. When another dead body is discovered, Garrett is back on the case. He's going to need his grandmother and Petronella to help him discover which, of many, suspects is a murderer. It's also springtime with lots of things going on in the village. Petronella pushes Garrett into showing he belongs by participating in Morris Dancing and a reenactment, much to Garrett's extreme embarrassment! Her friend Geoffrey sounds like a pompous bore but devoted to village life and their traditions. Perhaps if he's not in a rivalry with Garrett over Ella, he'd come across as nicer and more appealing.
This story didn't appeal to me quite as much as the first in the series, mainly because the silliness was not centered around animals but instead village festivities. I would normally be very interested in those things but it took away from the animal theme and the mystery. The mystery was pretty tight. I did not really know whodunit but I had a good guess, just a hunch though and no motive. I wasn't sure even after the confrontation, which of the two was the killer. The second death was a real tragedy and I don't like it when innocent people die in these mysteries. It was better just to kill Shuttleworth because he was a nasty dude. There was again a bit TMI about veterinary medicine and the author basically copy/pasted the breed standard for Bull Mastiffs and all I could hear in my head was the Westminster announcer's voice. There are a few typos but overall, the book is well edited. Even so, I stayed up very late reading this book!
Petronella remains sweet and loyal. She's a bit naïve when it comes to men but she's young and she doesn't know many men. She is clearly not squeamish and willing to do whatever it takes to help save an animal's life. ick! I like how much compassion she has for the pet parents and how she is willing to work with them to get payment when she knows they can't afford the necessary treatment for their beloved companion animal. The storyline about Charlie is lovely and really touched my heart, pretty much having been there and been heartbroken over the eventual loss of my furry sister. Petronella is also less willing to investigate the murder but goes along with it because she cares about Lily. Lily is a pistol! Now Garrett is around, she's showing her true personality. Putting her in a "care home" would have been a tragedy. She would have lost her mind. Lily is super nosy and tuned in to all the village gossip. She's sharp enough to put together clues and very open-minded and caring towards people who are outside of the mainstream. I found this liberalism a bit unrealistic for an elderly person in an English village but it was nice to read.
Garrett is such a nice guy. He's fallen in love with Ella and focuses less on her looks now. He'll do anything for her, even humiliate himself in front of the entire village. He signs on to judge a baby beauty contest, learn Morris dancing and participate in a historical reenactment. I didn't like how he got all grouchy in front of a male competitor for Ella's affections. If you have feelings for her, make them known and ask how she feels about the other guy. If she says they're friends, they're friends! Grow up! I did feel sorry for him when he got taken off the case. No, it's not really his job to investigate murder but Wainwright should not be allowed to practice law enforcement at all. This is why people are so mad right now!
There are a couple of law enforcement officials in Adlebury now. Special Constable Roberta Gideon is fair and thorough. She doesn't have time for chit-chat and gets the job done. She's much better than that fool they had before. Detective Sergeant Wainwright is a complete utter and total @$$! I LOATHE him! He's a bigoted bully and thinks he can push Garrett around even though they're the same rank. He zeroes in on Andrew and while the clues do point to Andrew, Garrett sees the evidence as inconclusive for arrest and it is. That jerk Wainwright just wants to throw his weight around. Detective Constable June Thorpe seems lovely. She's very patient and friendly. Although it seems like she may already be developing a thing for Garrett!
Vincent Shuttleforth, the victim, was about as nasty as you can get. He was power-hunger, sexually harassed people for the sake of having power over them, made shady deals, fired people for no reason, was racist and all around mean. Who didn't want to murder him? Mrs. Appleby, a village gossip, had a good reason to wish him dead. She's a little old lady but don't discount her yet.
Other new characters include Lady Agatha Haworth, an aristocrat and widow of the wealthy businessman David Haworth. She owns an estate in the village and allows people to use it for bird-watching and other purposes. She seems shady to me. I gather, the same as Garrett, that "trouble" in South Africa had something to do with the end of apartheid and she and her husband not liking it. That puts her firmly in the "I can't stand her" camp. (There's more solid evidence of her racist beliefs later in the book). I don't trust her. I think she has secrets. She was in cahoots with Shuttleforth about something anyway. Still, she's a dog lover and took in a stray dog in need of a home so maybe she's not that bad. Her manservant, Smith, seems creepy and shifty to me. He doesn't appear to LIKE his employer's dogs. Who wouldn't love Precious? I can see being scared of the larger dogs though. I think he's devoted to Lady A though and would do anything for her. I suspect either of them could be a murderer.
Martin Carter is a nice young man who worked as a teller at the bank for a long time until Shuttleworth took over. Martin is a sweetheart who loves his family and their elderly dog, Charlie. Martin had a very valid reason to loathe Shuttleworth. Martin happens to be homosexual and was fired because of his sexual orientation. Martin's partner, Andrew Pendleton, had a dust up with Shuttelworth resulting in a restraining order against Andrew. Andrew's personality is a little more firm than Martin's. Andrew is comfortable in his own skin and knows his rights. He's an amazing businessman who has taken over his family's food business and turned a small shop into a bigger business. They provided the sandwiches that killed Shuttleworth, giving Andrew means and opportunity. His personality also makes him suspect and the fact that Martin is bi-racial means certain people will suspect him no matter what he does or doesn't do. It doesn't look good for him though. Martin's mother seems nice but slow to trust people. I don't blame her. I think she doesn't have a lot of education and relies on Martin to help her cope with some tough situations, like with Charlie. She's a kind, devoted mother. What would she do to protect her son?
Another excellent suspect is Preston Adams, president of the bird watchers club. Shuttleworth was trying to oust Adams and put himself in charge. That can not have made Adams very happy. Yet, to be a bird watcher, I think one has to have a calm, patient, temperament. I don't get murderer vibes from him but you never know. Then there's Tessa McHenry who works as a cook for Lady Agatha. Tessa is a single mom doing all she can to provide for her daughter Chloe. She seems to be doing an excellent job of spoiling the girl because Chloe is pretty bratty. Tessa is doing the best she can though on her own with no partner. She won't even name Chole's father which suggests to me the relationship may not have been completely consensual or Tessa was involved with someone she shouldn't have been with. I don't think she has a strong enough reason to want to kill Shuttleworth. What we know is only heresay. I feel sorry for her to have to struggle so hard all alone. Whoever Chole's father is, he's a louse. Now, Ginny Westfall, the former bank manager before Shuttleworth, has to have a good reason to want him dead. Even though she took early retirement, she was cheated out of her pension because of him. She knows a lot and was in a position to see and hear a lot. I think she could have done in her rival.
I am still enjoying this series a lot but I may not read the third book tonight and save it for later.
Content:
racist and homophobic characters
a slightly graphic depiction of a dead body
and if it bothers you, there's a same-sex couple in the story, so don't read this if you feel the same as Wainwright.
August 3, 2020
Interesting
I liked this story but just as the first one, there is some adult language and is peppered throughout this novel. I gave 4 stars because of the alternate chapter format. One chapter was just person account from Ellie, the vet and a main character and the next chapter was Garrett, a police officer and Ellie's hopeful suiter. I admit, I was confused about who was who for a chapter of two, then I got the hang of it and it was fine. I enjoyed the story, the setting. It did seem to big down a bit in the muddle, but once it picked back up, it was really a quick journey to the reveal of the culprit. I look forward to the next book in the series.
I liked this story but just as the first one, there is some adult language and is peppered throughout this novel. I gave 4 stars because of the alternate chapter format. One chapter was just person account from Ellie, the vet and a main character and the next chapter was Garrett, a police officer and Ellie's hopeful suiter. I admit, I was confused about who was who for a chapter of two, then I got the hang of it and it was fine. I enjoyed the story, the setting. It did seem to big down a bit in the muddle, but once it picked back up, it was really a quick journey to the reveal of the culprit. I look forward to the next book in the series.
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