Ally Winter is ready to establish herself as the trusted veterinarian in her small town. However, after attempting to make extra cash by walking a dog, she finds the client, Marty Shawlin, dead in his office. The only apparent witness to what happened? The dog, Roxy. While there's no shortage of suspects, Ally's grandfather Oscar feels as though police barking up the wrong tree and soon, with his constant prodding, Ally finds herself thrust into the middle of the investigation.

Most cozy mysteries have an animal sidekick involved in the action and in Dogged to Death, first in a series, author Laura Scott has kept that tradition going with an entire office full of them. They don't totally steal the show, however, with Scott infusing plenty of off-kilter shenanigans that the rest of the book stands on its own. Yes, Roxy and her cohort are cute, but they're up against a cast that includes a true-crime minded grandfather, the three widow roommates vying for his attention, a host of potential suspects, and a detective who won't let Ally live down her high school nickname.

Surrounded by chaos, Ally could get lost in a less developed cozy. Yet Scott gives her just enough quirk while still keeping her the most grounded character that it's easy to follow her as she both stumbles through the investigation and attempts to establish her practice. This consideration bleeds over to the mystery itself, which ultimately proves satisfying with plenty of twists without becoming overwrought.

With solid characters and good sleuthing, Dogged to Death proves an enjoyable start to a series.

"Dogged by Death" by Laura Scott is a delightful cozy mystery that combines an engaging whodunit with a charming small-town setting and a furry sidekick. Ally Winter's return to Willow Bluff, Wisconsin, is marked by a murder mystery involving a sleazy lawyer, Marty Shawlin, and the faithful boxer witness, Roxy. Laura Scott weaves a captivating tale with a perfect blend of humor and suspense.

The characters, especially Ally and Detective Noah Jorgensen, are endearing and well-developed. Ally's relatable clumsiness adds a touch of humor to the story, making her a likable and relatable protagonist. The dynamic between Ally and Noah, with their shared history and undeniable chemistry, adds depth to the narrative.

The involvement of Gramps, who fancies himself a sleuth, adds a delightful layer to the story. The cozy atmosphere of Willow Bluff and its quirky residents create a warm and inviting backdrop for the mystery.

While the mystery itself may not be the most complex, it is well-paced, with enough twists and turns to keep readers engaged. The book's title and theme centered around dogs add a unique and endearing aspect to the story.

"Dogged by Death" is a four-star cozy mystery that delivers an enjoyable reading experience, with a charming setting, engaging characters, and a canine twist that dog lovers will especially appreciate. It's a perfect choice for those looking for a light-hearted and entertaining mystery novel.

The first installment in the a fury friends mystery series. Ally is such a great main character and so likable. Noah is the old friend back in Ally’s life and they are so cute together. Can’t wait for more!

I really loved this book in a new to my series and author. I can't wait to read the next one. The characters and location really add to the plot. This book keeps you guessing until the end

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this book incredibly interesting the author really kept me hooked until the end. very well written I highly recommend.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Veterinarian Ally Winter has returned to Willow Bluff, Wisconsin to care for her grandfather after hip replacement surgery and to hit the restart button on her life following a bad breakup. She has bought the clinic of a retiring vet and is working hard to build her client list. Her Grandpa Oscar is recovering in an assisted living home along with three widows who all would like to be more than friends with Oscar. Oscar is more into true crime books and television shows but he eats up all the women’s attention with a smile.

One of Ally’s first clients is a boxer named Roxy, owned by lawyer Marty Shawlin. He has hired her to walk Roxy daily. When she arrives to take Roxy on her walk she makes a gruesome discovery. Martin Shawlin stretched out on the floor, eyes staring vacantly into space, his head matted with blood, and no pulse. Roxy is barking like mad. Marty Shawlin has been murdered and the only witness seems to be his beautiful boxer.

Ally Winter is a wonderful protagonist. She’d been knocked down and she got back up and is slowly succeeding at getting her life back on track after leaving her cheating fiancé in the dust. She has a great bond with her grandfather. Oscar thinks it will be easy to catch a killer and encourages Ally to investigate with his help, of course. Harriet, Lydia, and Tillie reside with Oscar at the Willow Bluff Legacy House, a small assisted-living facility. The “Willow Widows” are all trying to outdo each other for Oscar’s attention. We also meet Detective Noah Jorgensen. He went to school with Ally and knows all of her embarrassing history. And then there is Roxy. She immediately stole Ally’s heart and mine as well. All of Ms. Scott’s core characters are very well developed for the first book in the series. They are genuine and for the most part, engaging. Noah hit me wrong from the start so I haven’t made up my mind about him yet.

The mystery was very well-plotted. The victim had angered several people which meant a nice pool of suspects. I got a real kick of Grandpa Oscar. He doesn’t let a little thing like a hip replacement slow him down especially when the police have him on their suspect list. Ally tries hard to reel him in but when the threats hit close to home she knows she needs his help. I enjoyed tagging along with them as they followed the clues and came up with theories.

The author adds a whole bunch of humor to the story too. The Willow Widows bring their share but Gramps and Allie have their moments too.

Dogged by Death has set this series off to an excellent start. Tailing Trouble is impatiently waiting on my Kindle. I can’t wait for my next trip up the road to Willow Bluff.

Dogged by Death is the first book in the Furry Friends Mysteries series by Laura Scott. The two words that best describe it are “cute” and “charming.” It is a feel-good book that animal lovers who like a good mystery will enjoy.

Veterinarian Ally Winter has moved back to Willow Bluff after purchasing the retiring veterinarian’s practice. To make ends meet, she begins offering dog walking and grooming services along with her clinic duties. When she arrives at the house of one of her dog-walking clients, she discovers his dead body. Much to the chagrin of local detective, Noah, Ally and her grandpa (who fancies himself an amateur sleuth) set out on the trail of a killer.

There is much to like about this book. We see a great deal of Ally’s veterinary practice, watching her interact with the various clients and their pets. Noah, too, is an interesting character, and a possible romantic interest for Ally. Gramps is larger than life, with his booming voice and insistent personality. And the “Willow Bluff Widows,” a charming bunch of ladies who live at the Legacy House, are comical in their unrelenting pursuit of Gramps. And the animals, particularly Roxy, the victim’s dog, have such adorable personalities.

The mystery itself is intriguing and multifaceted. Ally’s use of Roxy as an excuse for sleuthing is a good one. With several suspects with many secrets, Ally and Gramps have plenty to investigate – and lots of danger afoot.

Two things stood out as being a bit contrived. First, Ally constantly bemoans the fact that she is having to take on these additional jobs because the veterinary clinic is not earning enough money. Why would she buy a struggling practice without first doing her due diligence? Secondly, in the opening scenes (and a theme that is carried on throughout the book), Ally and Gramps speak derisively about an estates lawyer who visits the Willow Bluff Widows to speak to them about making a trust. There are myriad reasons why a trust might be appropriate for them, and the idea that the lawyer was a bad person for doing so is just wrong.

Despite these minor shortcomings, I really enjoyed Dogged by Death and I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Note: I received an ARC of Dogged by Death from NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books. The above is my honest review.

Ally Winter has recently moved back to her hometown of Willow Bluff, WI. She is the new owner of Furry Friend Veterinary clinic. Her business is having a rough time getting off the ground but she is getting valuable time with her grandfather.

When Ally Winter goes to Marty Shawlin's house to walk his boxer Roxy she discovers his dead body. With Roxy as the only witness to the murder Ally and her grandfather begin to snoop around the investigation much to Detective Noah Jorgensen's chagrin.

This is a delightful read and the mystery unravels at a brisk rate.

I love animals and the premise of this cozy appealed to me. I like Ally and this was a promising start to what I hope is a long-running series. This was a fast and fun read. I cannot wait to see what happens next.

My apologies to the author and publisher for the long delay in posting a review. Covid made reading impossible for me during most of 2021 after I signed up to Netgalley.

A fun new series about a struggling vet and her feisty gramps who become embroiled in murder when Ally finds the victim when she shows up for to walk his boxer Roxy. No job is too small for her and that includes solving a murder when she clashes with the detective in charge of the case, a former high school annoyance that might not be as annoying as she remembers.

The first book in a new series finds veterinarian Ally back home with her own office. Unfortunately she has very few patients. To bring in some extra money, she starts walking dogs as well. Even worse she finds one of her clients dead when she goes to walk his dog, Roxy. With the help of her amateur sleuth grandfather and the ladies at his care home, Ally decides to find out who killed Roxy's owner. This is a fun series, and I look forward to seeing how it develops.

Back in town and struggling to get her veterinary practice off the ground, Ally never expects to find one of her clients with his head bashed in. Suddenly her attempts to grow her client list are complicated by trying to keep her true crime obsessed grandfather from investigating - and the lead detective being an old crush certainly doesn't help the situation.

I really enjoyed the characters in this book - Ally, her grandfather, the three widows he lives with, and Noah, along with the various townspeople. The author did a good job building the town of Willow Bluff and the people in it. Ally's work as a vet is integral to the story and well-explored. I'm definitely interested in reading more!

I was however put off by Ally constantly ignoring Noah's request that she stop investigating - and that this decision is supported by the text. If I was Noah, having a witness constantly interfering with the investigation and accusing you of incompetence would not lead to a date at the end. And for all the conversations and discoveries, it seems like the mystery was solved by accident and would've soon been solved by the police anyway? I guess it felt like a bit of a let-down.

There are the bones of a good series here and it's a solid cosy mystery with an enjoyable theme. Overall, a good read but not an outstanding one. If animal stories are your thing, this would be a good cosy mystery for you.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book via NetGalley, all opinions are my own

This was fun surprise and good debut in a new mystery series. Vet Ally Winter is starting over in Willow Bluff, Wisconsin, thankfully able to buy out the local, retiring vet's practice. Her grandfather lives nearby and is a true true crime aficionado. Ally is willing to do dog walking to get her business off the ground and when she arrives to walk a boxer, finds the owner deceased. Roxy, the boxer, takes on a role of co-sleuth with Ally and her grandpa. I liked the small-town atmosphere and many of the secondary characters were a hoot. I also appreciated the fact that Ally had to take time for her new clinic, something that often falls by the wayside in cozy mysteries.

Dogged by Death A Furry Friends Mystery by Laura Scott is an excellent start to a debut series and one that will stay on my TBR list. Veterinarian Ally Winter returns home to Willow Bluff to take over a veterinary practice that may not have been as thriving as she was led to believe. She’s happy to be able to spend time with her grandfather until she discovers the body of a less-than-reputable attorney and her grandfather puts his true crime obsession to work interfering in the investigation.

This book has a delightful cast of characters, especially Gramps and the Willow Bluff Widows (WBWs) who are fighting for Gramps’ attention. There are plenty of twists, turns, and red herrings as the plot progresses. The story kept me engaged from start to finish with its well-plotted mystery and the hint of a love interest. Can’t wait to read about Ally’s next adventure. (I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy and all opinions are my own.)

Ally Winter lost her fiancé, her veterinary clinic, and her savings in the 'big city'. When her Gramps undergoes hip replacement surgery, she moves back to the small town of Willow Bluff, Wisconsin to be closer to him. Ally buys a small veterinary clinic and struggles to make it work.

One day Ally arrives at her grandfather's assisted living home to find him yelling at a man to "get out and never come back". Apparently this man is a shifty lawyer trying to sell widows trusts that they don't want or need.
When she returns to her clinic, she's surprised to find the same man needing a dog walker. Since her philosophy is 'no job too small', she accepts the job. Unfortunately the first time she picks up the dog, she finds his owner's dead body.

Things get complicated when the detective arrives at the scene, and he happens to be Ally's old high school crush.
The murderer isn't identified quickly enough to suit Gramps. He's watched a few too many episodes of 60 minutes and decides to solve the crime himself, with Ally's reluctant help.

This is a cute story with likeable characters. I look forward to reading more by this author.

This is a great start to a new series. I loved the characters and their antics. Roxy was awesome. I look forward to the next installment.
Many thanks to Crooked Lane Books and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I loved the setting for this cozy so much—veterinarian makes so much sense given that plenty of cozy readers love the genre for its adorable animals. The story itself was compelling and plenty of fun. I felt like as a reader, I had just enough clues to go on without it being too predictable.

Ally Winter is a veterinarian who had her life savings stolen by her fiancé, who ran off with their vet assistant. In order to keep her head above water, she sold everything she owned and bought out the vet practice in her home town of Willow Bluff, Wisconsin; and also to be nearer to her grandfather, who recently had hip surgery.

When she goes to see her grandfather at his residence, Legacy House, she hears him arguing with a man who dashes past her and out of the house. She finds out that he's an attorney who wanted the other residents -- all elderly women who have their eye on Gramps -- to set up financial trusts. Ally is struggling for clients and is happy when someone wants her to walk their dog daily for a week -- but she's surprised when it's the attorney, Marty Shawlin; but he paid in advance so she's not saying a word.

The next day she goes to pick up his boxer, Roxy, and is stunned when she finds him dead. Calling the police also gives her a surprise when she sees that the detective in charge is none other than Noah Jorgensen, a football player she once had a crush on. But for now, she vows to keep Roxy with her and safe until Marty's ex-wife can contact her.

Still, when her gramps is questioned, she's not happy. She's even doubly unhappy when he demands an a lawyer -- all because he's hooked on true crime books and Dateline on television. Gramps thinks it makes him a better detective than Noah, and Ally is forced to go along with whatever Gramps is going to do anyway, just to keep him safe. But when Ally has someone attack her business that puts her in danger, she realizes that if they don't find the killer, the killer is going to find her...

This is the first in a new series and I found it delightful. It's not high literature, nor is it supposed to be. It's a fun, bright, cozy mystery that centers around a veterinarian and her grandfather, who is a hoot. The elderly man thinks he's more like Sam Spade all because he watches real life crime on television and reals true crime books. He drags Ally into his schemes, which causes tension with the real life detective. (Got that?) Anyway, it's a hilarious run around town, with Gramps and Roxy in tow, questioning people and watching him work his magic on the women he meets.

Which brings us to the widows he lives with who are all trying to get his attention -- and if that means going through Ally, then so be it. Not that she wants it; but she's got to be in contact with them, so she reluctantly is drawn into their circle, too.

But when the murderer discovers what's going on, they target Ally and she starts to realize she's in real danger. She notifies Noah of everything -- which I heartily approve of, by the way. I absolutely hate it when the protagonist learns something and then refuses to contact the police to give them the information (who would do that in real life?) So Ally has to work with Noah, which she finds a bit humiliating, considering her past, but does anyway.

Ally's life is one stumbling block after another, and she's a bit accident-prone; but she's fun to be around, and I love all the characters in this book. I would love it more if Ally would also get a cat, but we can't have everything, I guess. When the ending comes and the murderer is revealed, we know the clues are there, but the climax is different, and worth reading. A new mystery series that I will continue to read, and I enjoyed it immensely. Recommended.

This is the first book in a new series by Laura Scott. Ally Winter has returned to her hometown after her fiancé runs off to Mexico with their money and an employee from their veterinary clinic. Business at the new clinic is slow and Ally takes on dog walking and grooming in addition to her veterinary services to make ends meet. When she goes to walk Roxy, she finds the owner dead on the floor. Can Roxy’s nose lead the police and the amateur sleuths to the killer before the killer gets to one of them?

The characters in this book (both human and canine) are what make this series debut so enjoyable. The storyline is also interesting and entertaining. It’ll be interesting to see what new adventures Ally, Roxy and Gramps find themselves entangled in next.

This is a fun cozy novel in a new series by Scott. The plot presents a good mystery with a plethora of suspects. It's the characters that make this novel so much fun. Gramps is a great character and a suitable amateur sleuth. While elderly and limited in his actions, he has a rumor mill that gets him more information than the police can uncover. He has a way with women too, getting them to reveal vital facts the police overlook. I liked Ally too although I don't understand how she could be gone so much from her veterinary clinic when she was trying to build her business. Doesn't she know about walk ins?

Scott's writing style is easy to read. The plot is good and characters engaging. I like the idea of a dog helping Ally and Gramps investigating, even if he did produce many red herrings. There are bits of suspense here and there and a potential romance in the future. I look forward to reading another in the series.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.