Perri Morgan is back and this time she will need to do more than create exquisite riding harnesses for horses. Babette, Perri's socialite BFF wanted to help a horse farm but what she got was murder. Babette's personal assistant winds up dead, in her unmentionables, in Babette's bed and there is no way that Perri is going to let Babette take the fall for this. Of course, Perri isn't alone on her fact-finding mission as Wing Pruett, her hunky paramour and D.C.'s most eligible bachelor is hunting for his story. There are some viable suspects, some valuable horses, and some very funny goings on in this latest installment. I did feel that Peri should have been more confident in her relationship with Pruett after the first book. It seems as though the relationship progress that was made in the first book is gone and Perri is back to second guessing herself and Pruett's feelings for her. As always, I do love the care and effort that is made with regards to Peri's dogs and hope to one day see a Belgian Malinois as they sound quite regal.

Perri (Persephone) Morgan is a leather crafter extraordinaire and her custom halters, dog collars, leads and more are a hot ticket item on the horse and dog show circuit in Fairfax County.

When Perri is at a meeting of the local affluent at her wealthy friend Babette’s house to work on saving the local horse rescue farm, a body is discovered in the master bedroom. And just like that….everyone is a suspect! Since this includes Perri’s friends and even her heart throb DC reporter Wing Pruett, she’s hot on the trail to pick up clues and discover who the murderer is. Then a second body shows up and things get even dicier for the erstwhile amateur detective. As she searches through the dog and horse show rings of Fairfax, will Perri figure out the killer’s identity or will she become victim number 3?

Homicide by Horse Show was an easy read with enough twists and turns to keep you trying to figure out whodunit right along with Perri.

Homicide by Horse Show
(Creature Comforts #2)
by Arlene Kay 

Kindle Edition
Published October 15th 2019 by Lyrical Underground



Goodreads synopsis:
Leathersmith Persephone “Perri” Morgan makes the kind of beautiful custom leashes and saddles that make wealthy dog and horse show lovers swoon—until murder strides onto the course . . .
 
When Perri’s BFF Babette hosts a meeting of Fairfax County’s affluent animal lovers to save a local horse rescue farm, the agenda gets sidetracked by the discovery of a corpse in the master bedroom. Everyone present is a suspect, including Perri’s main squeeze, Wing Pruett—Washington, DC’s sexiest reporter.
 
While Perri scours local horse and dog shows hoping to unmask the killer, she uncovers bad manners, infidelity, and low-level crime in her hunt for the killer—but what she can’t find are grounds for murder. When the killer strikes again and she gets a warning to stop her sleuthing, Perri has to muster all her training—and all her allies, human and animal alike—to make it out of the ring alive.


***

3 Stars

This is the second book in the creature comforts series by Arlene Kay. The first book is titled Homicide by Dog Show.

I think the best thing about this mystery was the constant support between Perri Moran and her bestie Babette. That gives me hope that some day I might have a friend like that who would go to the mat for me.

Perri sells custom leaches and leather goods to people involved in dog and horse shows. I have to admit that I am not the biggest horse fan and I wasn’t intrigued by the subject matter to begin with. I guess I couldn’t understand Perri’s fascination with these custom leather goods and thus couldn’t find a common ground with the character. The mystery, however, was interesting and fun to follow. The friendship between Perri and her best friend made that all the more palatable. If you are really into a world like this, you would love this book. You really get to see what goes on inside the horse/dog show circuit and the life behind it.

There is quite a bit of a roller coaster ride in this book. Just when you think you are getting a clue whodunit, the rug gets pulled out from under you and you have to pick a new suspect as your favorite. Did I figure out whodunit? No. I was a clueless nelly. But the ultimate showdown with the killer was just the best! Her warrior dog was quite the risk taker in the end. I think the dog had it all figured out from the beginning if you ask me.

Great cozy mystery caper inside the horse show circuit. Check it out.

I received this as an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) in return for an honest review. I thank NetGalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this title.

This was such a fun cosy mystery. I really liked Perri and her furry friends, especially the dogs. It had a few twists and turns which made me guess until the very end.

This was a fun cozy. I love books that more than just your typical dog or cat. It was a quick, light read. I would recommend this book and look forward to more by this author.

This is the 2nd book in the cozy series "Creature Comforts" by Arlene Kay. i have read the first in series and enjoyed the author's charcters , the horses and the sleuth. I highly recommend this series.
Thank you for the advance reading copy to the publisher and to Net Galley. My opinion is my own.

In this next in series our protagonist Perri is enjoying her business as a leather smith with many clients among the horse show and dog show set . Her work is sought after and very unique in high end bridles and dog leads. Her friend and BFF host a meeting at a local horse farm to save the farm, a murder occurs. Everyone is suspect even Perri's boyfriend who was present. Perri decides to investigate and begins to ask questions at local horse and dog shows. She enlists the help of her friends and boyfriend. Soon another murder occurs and Perri feels the pressure to find the suspect before more bodies pile up. As her sleuthing gets her into danger she knows she is on the right track of the killer.

This sleuth kept me guessing to conclusion. I love the addition of dog and horse show worlds to this series. The author writes with well crafted clues and I love the interesting charcters as well as the animals. I look forward to the next in series.

Horses, Dogs, and Murder!
What an enjoyable mystery! This cozy mystery has dogs, horses, and lots of money in the horse country of Virginia. The mystery is a good one with too many suspects and not enough clues. The story has threads of human drama and romance woven through it as well. This book is second in a series and stands alone nicely. It does make me want to read book one. I can't wait to read the next book in this series as well as the author's other books. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

Homicide by Horse Show was not the book for me. I like mysteries, but I did not like these characters. Selfish,vain,money hungry,and shallow.

I really enjoyed this second in the Creature Comforts series. This time it took place in their home town of Great Marsh, VA and revolved around horse shows and concerned citizens saving a horse rescue facility which ended up having a very cool outcome. The murder itself was tricky, and there were plenty of good suspects. A few well-placed clues told me who it was possibly before Perri herself knew, but I so loved how she handled the showdown with the killer. Schutzhund training is super useful in a situation like this. This is the second series that I've come across that particular type of military dog training. Most perps wouldn't know the German commands either.

I loved that everything was completely explained and that the people and pets involved got good endings. I'm happy with where Perri and Pruett are in their relationship. I've sure waited for it to at least get going. Slow is fine with me as long as they don't fight lol. His little daughter Ella is such a sweet addition to the story with her love of horses and dogs just like her friend Perri. It's great that the kid has no problem telling her supermodel mom that Perri is her dad's girlfriend. I'm very anxious now to see what adventures the next book has in store for Perri, Pruett and Perri's bestie, Babette.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book which was provided by the publisher via NetGalley, and my opinions are my own.

You gotta like Perri, a veteran who makes custom leashes and saddles to sell to wealthy clients. In this second outing in the series, she becomes involved in the search for the person who killed Ethel. Not only killed her, but put her corpse in Perri's friend Babette's bed. Fans of the cozy who do not know the area where this is set might find the whole thing more engaging than I did. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

This is the 2nd installment in this series and Perri begins to grow on you. Perri ( Peresphone) is a leathersmith who works dog and horse shows selling her leather goods. She travels often with her affluent friend Babette but in this mystery it is Babette who is hosting a meeting to save a local horse rescue farm. A dead body is found and everyone in attendance is a supsect including Perri's boyfriend and D.C. reporter Wing Pruett. I have to admit I am not sure I get this relationship as it seems to be on again and off again and they don't always seem to be on the same page in the communication department. Perri is going to the local dog and horse shows trying to find out who the real culprit is. Another death and warnings to Perri to stop her investigating. This is a good mystery but I do think the folks in the world of horse and dog shows are not very nice... Guess that means lots of future mysteries I guess.

Engaging and entertaining cozy mystery. Despite financial disparities our poor country mouse is accepted into the homes and friendships of her neighbors. Our sweet protagonist has many insecurities, especially in the romance area. I was able to deduce the culprit due to well hidden clues. Still a bit of a surprise that I was right. I look forward to reading the next one in this charming series.

I thought I would give this second installment of this series a try. I really couldn't get past how abhorrent the characters were. None of them were likeable- not even the dogs. Perri spends most of her time thinking about how everyone has more money than she does and that they are all looking down on her. Most of the characters are shallow and frankly one dimensional. I was confused most of the time when she referred to Pruett, since at times she seemed to be in a relationship and at others they weren't. She also kept thinking that he was scornful of her and looked down on her, which made me wonder why they would be dating. I couldn't get past how badly people treated each other to even get interested in the mystery part. The references to horses and horse show contained so many errors that was also eye-rolling. Some research on the subject would have helped.

This is an excellent cozy mystery featuring an admirable lead character in Perri Morgan. Perri is a former foster child who served in the Army, then used the G.I. Bill to go to college and now runs her own leathersmithing business, Creature Comforts where she makes leashes, bridles and other items for dogs and horses. Perri lives in Great Marsh, Virginia, horse country, among the very rich. Her best friend Babette Croy is a passionate animal lover and has asked Perri to be part of her committee trying to save Cavalry Farms, a horse rescue facility. When Perri goes to Babette's home to prepare for a committee meeting, she find Ethel, Babette's secretary dead in Babette's bed. Babette is heartbroken and gets Perri, along with their friend Sheila, and Perri's love interest, the investigative journalist Wing Pruett, involved in trying to figure out who Ethel was and why she was killed. This book held my interest from the first page through to the very end and I highly recommend it.