This is the story of a woman who doesn't have enough on her plate with being a vet tech and owning not only a pet bakery but also a regular bakery so she decides to investigate a murder (the third she has investigated) when her friends are suspects. Honestly, I just didn't like the main character. She is just annoying and seems to think a little too highly of herself. I figured out who did it about half way through. Also, the tendency to describe what everyone was wearing almost EVERY SINGLE DAY irritated me. It was almost like the author had to increase her word count so she put that in, too.

I was given this book by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Fun romp of a story with dogs and recipes for their snacks. Light read

I loved this book! Dogs, a great mystery, and a character who is living her dream.

Bad to the Bone: A Barkery & Biscuits Mystery
By Linda O. Johnston
Midnight Ink
May 2017

Review by Cynthia Chow

The owner of human bakery Icing and its adjacent canine-centered Barkery and Biscuits, Carrie Kennersly loves nothing more than creating and baking tasty treats for four-legged friends. Her dedication to only producing healthy products is why she has been so hesitant to sell a recipe to the major pet food manufacturer VimPets. The publicity and name recognition is tempting though, especially when they are made by the charming Jack Loroco. A sit-down dinner with their respective partners goes awry when Jack’s coworker Wanda Addler swoops, in intent on taking over his share of the business and all of his romantic attention.

As uncomfortable it was for Carrie to see Jack’s girlfriend Billi Matlock be pushed aside, it’s nothing compared to the aggressive mix of threats and financial incentives Wanda uses to entice Carrie’s business. Considering Wanda’s unethical and intimidating methods - not to mention the joy she takes in making enemies - it’s not surprising that Jack’s dog Rigsley leads them both to discover her stabbed to death in a parking lot. Carrie may not be certain of Jack’s innocence or guilt, but there’s little doubt that she will get involved in discovering the truth. Two for two in solving murders, Carrie inevitably becomes immersed in the investigation despite the warnings by everyone to let the police to do their job. Her two bosses at the veterinary clinic where she works part-time both plead with her to stay safe, and considering that she is dating one of them they really should know better. There’s nothing Carrie values more than helpless animals, and with Billi being a suspect and the shelter she runs endangered, nothing will prevent Carrie from clearing her friend and discovering the true culprit.

Although this is only the third in the series, it already feels established as a long-running one with numerous installments. Some of this could be attributed to the author’s prolific résumé that includes four mystery series and two romance lines. Mostly though, it is a result of the characters’ backstories and relationships that feel so natural and well-developed. While nearly every character warns Carrie to stay uninvolved in the murder, their next words acknowledge that she will anyway. Carrie’s priorities are always for the pets, be it her own miniature poodle-terrier Biscuit, her bakery customers, or the clients at the Knobcone Veterinary Clinic. Recipes are described throughout and detailed at the end, enhancing this entertaining mystery that rejoices in the affection between humans and their furry companions.

Ok, I gave the first two books in this series a modest like rating despite the faults I stated. Now I have to get tough. As a mystery series, cozy or not, there has to be a better developed mystery. Again, there's way too much time spent on what happens in the bakery/barkery and the meals Carrie has with people. Though, yes, the limited sleuthing is usually done at the meal or on the way to the meal. The killer always outs themself, there is no way to tell from the limited information we are given who the killer is. In this book, Carrie explains her reasoning and how she found out who the killer is to the detective OFF PAGE. This really steamed me. Again, the killer and their motive comes from nowhere.

Carrie also hasn't learned from her mistakes in the preceding two books and continued to let a group of people screw her over.

I'm giving up on this series, there are far too many better mystery/cozy mystery series out there. I received this copy from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

Linda O. Johnston writes great pet cozys and this is no exception. Part of the Barkery and Biscuits series we have a winner. Carrie is enjoying her relationship with Reed and running the two bakery's. PetVim is still trying to buy her recipes for mass production and when one of their sales reps is murdered she needs to solve the crime. Great mystery with plenty of suspects. Also some good doggie and people recipes.

Jack, the VimPets representative who has been trying to persuade Carrie to sell some of the recipes for her healthy treats for dogs to his company, brings along a co-worker on this trip to Knobcone Heights. Much to the consternation of Carrie and her friend Billi, who has a budding relationship with Jack, Wanda implies that she and Jack are more than just co-workers. When Wanda's body is found and Jack and Billi are at the top of the list of suspects, Carrie is determined to figure out the identity of the killer.

I liked this book better than the first two in the series, if only because there were considerably fewer references to Carrie's "healthful treats" for dogs and how much she loves dogs. Otherwise, I liked the characters and would love to visit Knobcone Heights someday, maybe even take on of Neal's hikes :) I started suspecting the guilty party early-ish in the book, so I wasn't surprised at the reveal near the end, and the motive seemed pretty obvious as well. Nonetheless, I'll look for the next book in the series when it's released.

While Carrie is a huge animal advocate, her interests and the people she associates with are often the source of her difficulties. After another murder occurs among her circle of acquaintances, her friends both advise her not to get involved and seem to assume she will be in the thick of it. At least this time she is not a suspect.

The local pet food representative is also a huge flirt. Could he literally be a lady killer?
That is the question when the woman pushing for his job ends up dead. Carrie is as concerned about future rescue events and business promotions as she is about finding out who killed the annoying Wanda.
Dr. Storme is much more a part of Carrie's life these days but he is still not a warm and lovable character. Her brother Neal seems to be the best male in Carrie's life.
The woman who ends up dead is so unlikable that it's possible it is not even her work life that motivates someone to kill her, but that is the only angle Carrie knows about. Carrie's main concern is that none of her friend's take the fall.

As usual, the dogs add a much needed lighter and cuddly element to this cozy series.

Vet tech and people / pup treat baker Carrie gets pulled into a murder investigation when a nasty woman she and a few of her friends each had a confrontation with was stabbed to death.
She was quickly cleared....but her friends...not so much. Carrie was not even sure of their innocence herself ....at first.
Running her people bakery, her pet bakery, working as a vet tech as well as several volunteer stints and trying to have a love life has her running ragged.
Providing the police with the info she digs up in her investigation and mulling it all over, she realizes that someone who was not on anyone's list....could be the killer.
Vivid descriptions of people, places and the food bring the book to life. Bits of humor spice up the tale

This is a solid mystery story that will have appeal to pet-lovers. Carrie Kennersly, the protagonist of this book, is no stranger to being involved in murders. She is a busy, busy girl - working part time as a Veterinary technician, running her own businesses - bakeries for people and pets and developing a romantic attachment to one very good looking vet. In the midst of all this she becomes involved in solving the murder of one highly unlikable Wanda Addler, employee of VimPets, a company looking to buy some of Carrie's healthy pet recipes.

This story is told from Carrie's point of view and is the third one in the series. She is a very appealing character though there are moments when we are told a little too much about what she is eating, drinking or thinking. There are a range of interesting characters who obviously appeared as well in the earlier books so Carrie's world is very well shaped.

I enjoyed working through the crime with Carrie because you were definitely taken along for the ride. I will be looking up the previous stories to see where it all began.

Fun, quick mystery... a dream afternoon read! Keep em coming!