Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for suppling me with an advanced review copy.


I read the first book in the series not that long ago and really enjoyed it, but didn’t get back to the series right away. I was able to get an ARC through netgalley and decided to give this one a try even though it is the 9th in the series. I did not feel remotely lost not having read all of the books in the series, but I will be going back and reading from the beginning as soon as I get the chance. I love the interaction between all of the characters, but I especially love Megan and Brigit. The first person point of view of Brigit cracks me up! She seems so real, like the author can totally get into the head of a K-9. It was hard to put this down! Highly recommended!

An investigative duo that is smart, funny and half canine. I picked up this book on the recommendation of a friend. Now I have to go back and ask her for more recommendations since this one was so good. Cozy mystery lovers UNITE.....Diane Kelly and her "PAWS" series are well worth your precious reading time.

An unusual crime scene and few clues mean Megan and Birgit get a call for help. As they investigate what looks like a murder/ robbery that is missing a body, they must also follow the rail of a contractor that maybe taking advantage of the severe weather to scam homeowners.

A really good read. As it was recommended to me, I now recommend to you....READ THIS BOOK.

"Bending the Paw" was a great light mystery, and despite the fact that I was able to figure it out pretty quick, it was still an enjoyable read. Office Megan Luz and her K-9 companion, Brigit, get called to a home to help investigate a murder on Valentine's Day. There they find blood covering the kitchen- enough blood that there is no doubt that the victim would absolutely be dead if it all came from the same person- with one problem: there is no body. The homeowner, an employee at a law firm, believes that the blood is from her husband, a movie theater manager, as he is missing, but she has no idea who would want to hurt him. The couple seems to be very much in love from all accounts during Megan's investigation, so is the wife somehow responsible? Was it related to a potential robbery from someone who saw the husband go to make the theater's bank deposit? Was the husband somehow involved in something illicit that led to his death? Meantime, Megan & Brigit are also on the lookout for a salesman for a roofing company that seems to be scamming local residents out of the money after a local hailstorm.

While "Bending the Paw" is the 9th in the Paw Enforcement series, its the first of them that I have read, and it easily read as a stand-alone book. It was a quick, easy read, and honestly, give me any book with a dog and I'll probably read it, lol. The relationship between Megan and her K-9 partner was adorable, and you get little snippets of the dog's perspective throughout the book. Definitely looking forward to reading more from Megan & Brigit!

Thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for providing me with an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. "Bending the Paw" is scheduled to be released on 10/27/20.

Bending the Paw is the ninth book in the Paw Enforcement series (I just love the punny name of the series)...but I believe it works fine as a standalone.

What a fun cozy mystery! The characters, the storyline, and the mysteries were interesting and intriguing. They held my attention from the first chapter until the last. I absolutely love Megan and her K-9 partner, Brigit.
Highly Recommend.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. My thoughts and opinions are my own and without bias or favor.

Bending the Paw by Diane Kelly is the 9th A Paw Enforcement Novel. It can be read as a standalone, but you will be missing out on some entertaining cozy mysteries. I have read each book in this series and they just keep getting better. Plus, there is background information in the previous books that would enhance your understanding of the characters. The story is told from three different points-of-view: Megan, the antagonist (aka The Slasher), and Brigit. I just love Brigit’s chapters. I like getting her take on the situations plus they are amusing. There are a variety of secondary characters that include Seth (Megan’s boyfriend), Frankie (Megan’s roommate), Blast (Seth’s bomb sniffing dog), Derek (Megan’s former partner), and Detective Audrey Jackson (Megan’s mentor and role model). They are not as developed as our main characters, but they enhance the story. Megan Luz is a police officer in Fort Worth, Texas who works with her K9 partner, Brigit. Megan and Brigit make a great team (and Brigit is a step up from her last partner). I enjoyed the two mysteries in Bending the Paw. The death of Greg Olsen was a fun one to solve. It is an unusual whodunit for cozy mysteries. We get to follow Megan and Brigit as they work to solve this case. It is a police procedural mystery with Megan reviewing security footage, talking to people, digging through emails, and checking financials. The second mystery involving a roofer allowed Megan and Brigit a little more time on the street. There still was time spent searching for information, but Brigit gets a chance to stretch her legs. Megan and Seth’s romance is developing nicely. I like the direction of their relationship. Bending the Paw is a fun cozy mystery to read. I cannot wait for the next A Paw Enforcement Novel. Bending the Paw is an amusing cozy mystery with a crafty roofer, a crime scene conundrum, a sneaky slasher, beaucoup blood, lackluster leads, and a romantic proposition.

Fort Worth Police Officer Megan Luz is getting ready for a romantic Valentine’s Day celebration with her firefighter boyfriend when she is called to a crime scene. Along with her K-9 partner, Brigit, they head out to the most grisly sight they’ve ever seen. Quite the opposite of what you’d expect to find on Valentine’s Day. There is blood everywhere…the wife is in shock while the husband is nowhere to be found. The days pass by with no answers.

Megan is also assigned to another case. The weather is bad and roofing contractors are in high demand. Many people are signing up to get their roof repaired, but nobody is seeing any actual work being done. Megan is very suspicious and begins her investigation.

Megan and Brigit have their work cut out for them with these two cases. Together, the plan is to put the guilty behind bars, but it won't be easy.

This is the ninth book of Diane Kelly’s Paw Enforcement series. It’s the first one I’ve read and all I can say is - where have I been? Without knowing any of the characters, I immediately fell in love with Megan and Brigit. I do wish I had started with the first book to get a better feel for all the characters, but I had no trouble at all jumping into this series. The mystery is contained in this book…there are no carryovers from other books as far as the current storyline goes. The author does provide information throughout the book so readers aren’t lost as to the relationships of characters and how everyone fits together.

The story is told in three different POVs - Megan’s, Brigit’s, and the Slasher’s. I found this to be quite an interesting technique. It gave us the unique opportunity to get inside the heads of the K-9 partner as well as the killer’s. Brigit’s POV, of course, was the most fun for me. Even this cat lover fell in love with Brigit.

The chapters that are the POV of Brigit and the Slasher are very short. The story was fast-paced. It’s a police procedural that grabbed from page one. I couldn’t put this down as I had to see how it all played out. I had my suspicions, but I so enjoyed how it all unfolded.

This is going to be a “must read” series for me and I fully intend to start at the beginning. From the looks of it, I’m in for many hours of reading fun.

5 stars

This is the ninth book in the Paw Enforcement series by Diane Kelly.

This book was greatly complex and so well written. I loved how this was easy to get into and I didn’t need a ton of backstory to understand all the characters. This is totally in the standalone category even though it is in a series. If you are looking to try out a book in a series, pick this one for sure!

We started off with what seemed to be a crime scene in a woman’s house with three sets of men’s footprints over the house. Megan’s K9 dog Brigit, can tell there is a difference in the blood samples left all over the floor but they don’t realize what this clue means until later. They only know that no one could lose that much blood and live.

We get a perspective of the killer after he leaves the scene of the “maybe” killing and watch him as he lives out the next month during Megan, Brigit and Det. Jackson’s investigations.

There is a secondary story featuring a con man trying to get residents to sign on to his roofing contracting business after a pretty bad hail storm hit the area. Megan does a lot of digging on this mystery and it is so fun to follow.

I loved it so much! Great series worth digging into! I need to read more ASAP!

If you like police procedural/detective fiction, mystery, cozy or thriller, definitely check this one out. You won’t be disappointed.

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.

Bending the Paw by Diane Kelly could be classified as a cozy mystery I guess. However unlike many of the books in that genre Megan Luz is not an amateur sleuth but a Fort Worth, Texas Patrol Officer working towards making detective. With her K-9 partner Brigit they seek to solve a murder crime that is missing the actual body as well as their regular police work. This is a police procedural series in my opinion that manages that wonderful thin line of having action with humor so that does not stray into being too dark or morbid.

Several POVs are seen in this book, Officer Megan Luz’s and the villain’s. This is not unique in books. Yet it stands out in originality because the reader is also able to know K-9 Brigit’s POV. Together Megan and Brigit go after a killer while trying to solve another mystery/crime subplot.

Megan and Brigit are a police team to follow. Bending the Paw is book nine in the series. While each book is a stand-alone, you will want to read all of their cases.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

He reached over to the wooden block of serrated steak knives on the kitchen counter and yanked one out, clutching it in his fist.

What a wonderful addition to the Paw Enforcement series! Megan and Brigit are called to a grisly scene covered in blood but with no body. Megan becomes back up for Detective Jackson as they try to find the victim.

This series gets better with every book. I love that Megan and Seth's relationship is solid and progressing towards marriage. Seth was a bit of a background character in this installment as it was all about Megan and Brigit. What a team they are! Both are bright, strong females that know their job and do it well.

I love that the chapters are told from different points of view. Brigit's chapters tend to make me smile. It's always interesting to be inside the mind of the culprit.

The mystery was very well done. I started getting the same feelings Megan was about what truly happened just as she did. There are lots of twists and turns that keep you turning the page. (I read it in one sitting because I didn't want to put it down.) i like that Megan also has a side case she is investigating in addition to the main event.

Brigit is one of my favorite dog characters. I love that she wants to chase suspects and bring them down. She does an excellent job. Her love of treats is amusing. Her resourcefulness in getting treats is even better.

This is an excellent addition to the series. I have enjoyed watching Megan grow in confidence in each book. I highly recommend this book!

Patrol Officer Megan Luz and her K-9 partner, Brigit, are back again in the 9th book in the excellent series. It can be read as a stand alone but reading them in order would be my choice. Megan works for the Fort Worth, TX police department and her goal is to become a detective. She has been lucky in that regard with a mentoring relationship with two detectives. Megan's day is going well - it's Valentine's Day and her firefighter boyfriend, Seth, has just proposed and she said yes. Before day is done, however, crime intrudes and she and Brigit are called to the scene of what could be called a blood bath. A wife returns home from dinner with co-workers to find her kitchen awash in blood and every indication that the one who did the copious bleeding was her now missing husband. Along with this case, Megan is also trying to sort out a possible roofing scam. It's a lot to juggle but Megan and Brigit are up for the challenge.
This series is different with the use of three points of view. The reader is privy to Megan's POV, Brigit's POV and the "bad guy" as well - in this case called The Slasher. The mystery is balanced out with humor, great family relationships and some romance. The mystery itself is well laid out and it kept me guessing.
My thanks to the publisher, St. Martin's Press and to NetGalley for giving me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.

I recieved this book from netgalley. I loved it, I can't wait for more of this author books. I loved the character's and the cover to it
thank you for the opportunity to read it.

This is my first Diane Kelly book and I must say the writing and characterizations are spot on but the story line could use some improvement but that may just be me since I've read several K-9 books lately. Murder = dead body, right? Wrong! Enjoy!

I received an ARC from NetGalley and this is my voluntary, honest review.

I love every book I’ve read in this series. Bending the Paw is Book 9 and I’ve read at least 5 so I think I can have a legitimate opinion. I love the cop and the cop dog and I love the fireman and the fire dog :) I love the mystery and story of a cop’s life and I love the humor of a chapter or two where the POV is from the dog’s view. The cop dog (Bridgett, that is).

I’m going to say I thought this one started out a little slow. As I thought back, I decided that maybe too much cop procedure or description of a crime slowed it down. However, it didn’t take long til I couldn’t put it down. It’s story and the writing did not disappoint.

I hope we can count on Dianne Kelly to keep writing about her great characters and their lives and of course about Bridgette and Blast. I’m not going to tell you which of the characters I love the most, but they do have perky ears and they wag a lot. Hint, hint.

Excellent Police K-9 Crime Story
This book is 9th in the Paw Enforcement series and the first that I have read. The book was written to stand alone, yet be part of a story arc. This story has an intriguing plot with plenty of twists. Nothing is given away so the reader is discovering things along with the police. The German Shepherd K-9 is wonderful and is shown as a professional, working dog that is exceptionally well trained. The other animals are also totally believable and lovable. I definitely want to go back and read the previous books. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.

A mystery, police procedural, a grisly crime scene with a touch of cozy. Quite a combination that kept me guessing and formulating a hypothesis and then doing it all again. Add in the interesting characters and it is a story I won't soon forget.

Thanks to St. Martin's Press and NetGalley for an ARC. The opinions expressed are my own.

If Greg was killed, where is his body? That's the question Megan and her K9 partner Brigit hope to answer in this latest installment in a well done procedural series that's lighter than most in the genre. Don't worry if you haven't read the earlier ones- I've only read one- this will be fine as a standalone. Megan has just gotten engaged to Seth when she gets the call- a wife (Shelby) has come home and found a kitchen covered with blood and her husband missing. They seemed like the perfect couple but Megan, a patrol officer who wants to be. a detective, finds some interesting anomalies. At the same time, she's trying to figure out what's going on with a roofer who appears to be ripping off customers. Kelly does a nice job of switching perspective between the slasher, Megan, and Brigit the dog (don't worry- it's not twee). I enjoyed this for the characters and the plot is sufficiently twisty to keep you engaged ( like Megan, whose effort to find a wedding dress is a hoot). Thanks to the publisher for the arc. It's a fun read and I'm looking forward to more from Kelly.

Bending the Paw: A Paw Enforcement Novel
By Diane Kelly
St. Martin’s Paperback
November 2020

Review by Cynthia Chow

Valentine’s Day is a true day of romance for Forth Worth Police Officer Megan Luz. She has just accepted the proposal from her firefighter boyfriend Seth, and they and their canine companions are formally forming a new family. The celebration with Megan’s family is cut short when she is called to the scene of the crime of what is obviously a Valentine’s Day Massacre. At the home of Shelby and Greg Olsen there is a missing husband, a body’s worth of blood, and their French Bulldog as the only witness. With no corpse on the premises and a lack of evidence on site, it’s up to Megan and her very capable K-9 partner Brigit to track down clues that will lead them to the fate of the missing theater manager.

As Megan and her investigating Detective mentor follow the path of the film buff who was apparently beloved by all, Megan is also made aware of a possible scam artist taking advantage of seniors victimized by a recent storm. Megan has more than surpassed her former chauvinistic partner, the same one she tasered and ultimately led to becoming partner with the much more intelligent Brigit. Chapters usually narrated by both Megan and Brigit also include ones by The Slasher, the knife-wielding criminal hiding his identity as he attempts to stay one step ahead of them. Lightening up the novel are Megan’s efforts to find a wedding dress, along with her job-related friendly youth outreach to Brigit’s adoring fans. Brigit’s narrations are always highlights, with the standout being a playdate with Seth’s Blast and their cooperative mission to break through childproof-but-not-dogproof treat cabinets.

This ninth in the series continues to balance fascinating police procedural investigations with the delightful relationship between Megan and Brigit. Seth and Blast bring a new dynamic to their family, but the ladies have become an unbeatable team despite their occasional communication mishap. Megan really needs to learn to speak dog better. Megan’s lifelong devotion to reading mysteries leads to her discovery of the biggest clue to help crack the case, and crafty readers will not be far behind. Shifting narrations and focusing on different cases keeps the pace lively and spurs the action forward. The novels by this prolific author always have her trademark humor, romance, and thrilling action, but this series excels with the realistic and heartwarming bond between Megan and Brigit. The Valentine’s Day setting highlights the romantic relationships between the human characters, some more successful than not. The next appearance by Megan, Brigit, and the upcoming wedding – one which must have a Canine Wedding Party – can’t come soon enough.

Enjoyable series addition. The various different character chapters lent humor and insight. I especially enjoyed one of the Slasher's chapters. There is a mystery in addition to the murder mystery. I suspected the culprit(s) immediately, but that did not diminish my interest.

In Bending the Paw, Fort Worth Police Officer Megan and her K-9 partner, Brigit, are helping Detective Audrey Jackson investigate a missing person, Greg Olsen. Judging by the amount of blood left in his kitchen, it is a probably a murder rather than a kidnapping case. The obvious suspect, Greg’s wife Shelby, has an unshakeable alibi. Since the couple only recently moved to Texas, who could have committed the crime? Someone who had seen Greg depositing large amounts of cash from his work into a nearby bank? One of his co-workers? Or was Greg simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time?

The book alternates point of view between Megan, The Slasher, and Brigit the dog. There are also a few secondary plots. There is an unscrupulous roofer scamming locals hit by a recent hailstorm. Megan becomes engaged to long-time boyfriend Zach. There is even some comic relief with the travails of Megan’s ex-partner, Derek.

If you want to read a somewhat gory K-9 police procedural with the characterizations of a cozy mystery, Bending the Paw is a good choice. 3 stars.

Thanks to St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review.

I had no idea when I read this book that it's number eight in the series. It was so good, and I never felt like I was missing anything. That being said, I thought the murder mystery with no body and the different points of view from various characters, including Brigit, the K9 added to the overall tone of the story. The subplots kept it from getting too gruesome. I really enjoyed reading about Megan Luz and Brigit, and I'll add the earlier stories in this series to my TBR. Well done.