Author: Renee George
Series: A Barkside of the Moon Cozy Mystery (Book 1)
Publication: Barkside of the Moon Press (March 1, 2018)
Description: When cougar-shifter Lily Mason moves to Moonrise, Missouri, she wishes for only three things from the town and its human population. . . to find a job, to find a place to live, and to live as a human, not a therianthrope.
Lily gets more than she bargains for when a rescue pit bull named Smooshie rescues her from an oncoming car, and it’s love at first sight. Thanks to Smooshie, Lily’s first two wishes are granted by Parker Knowles, the owner of the Pit Bull Rescue center, who offers her a job at the shelter and the room over his garage for rent.
Lily’s new life as an integrator is threatened when Smooshie finds Katherine Kapersky, the local church choir leader and head of the town council, dead in the field behind the rescue center. Unfortunately, there are more suspects than mourners for the elderly town leader. Can Lily keep her less-than-human status under wraps? Or will the killer, who has pulled off a nearly Pit Perfect murder, expose her to keep Lily and her dog from digging up the truth?
Fall in love with Lily Mason, the shifter who only wants to live as a human, and her pit bull Smooshie, a rescue dog who in the end may be the one doing the rescuing!
My Thoughts: This was a fun beginning to a paranormal cozy mystery series. Lily Mason is a cougar shifter who has recently lost her family. When she learned that she has an uncle in Moonshine, Missouri, she decides to visit him and see what life is like in a human community.
She meets a number of people in the town including her uncle, Parker Knowles who runs a Pit Bull rescue business, and Katherine Kapersky, a woman no one likes. Lily is also adopted by a rescued Pit Bull that is named Smooshie and falls in love with the pit bull. Needing a place to stay while her truck is being repaired, Parker offers her an efficiency he has at his business.
She is settling in when she discovers Katherine's murdered body while taking Smooshie for her evening constitutional. Lily becomes involved in the case because the sheriff seems determined to arrest Parker for the crime. Sure, he had arguments with Katherine but there are very few people in the town who didn't.
As Lily investigates, she uncovers all sorts of reasons why someone would want Katherine dead. After all, she was a blackmailer who used her knowledge to get people to do things for her. It seems like there are quite a number of people who had a much better reason to want Katherine dead than Parker did.
I liked the interesting cast of characters. I liked Lily who is able to use her ability as a lie detector to uncover secrets that the townspeople would rather keep hidden. I liked her growing friendship with Parker and am wondering if it can go anywhere since he's human and she is secretly a shifter.
Favorite Quote:
"That's your theory? I helped Ralph escape then I ran outside, with more than a dozen other people, tracked down Ed and killed him without being seen. Then I ran back inside the building to drag out Nadine?" Where did this guy get his police training? Yosemite Sam cartoons?I bought this one. You can buy your copy here.
I really liked this one too!
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