A cozy mystery featuring a little mystery and most satire. It's an easy read and is kind of cheesy and the characters could have used a bit more development, and sometimes they felt a little boring. Hayden also is stupid IMO and missed a lot of things. The plot was interesting but slow at some points.

One of the best quozy mysteries I've ever read, written by the person who coined the phrase. I recommend this book often to cozy readers.

Seattle teacher Hayden McCall's first night with a go-go dancer ends up with him getting a black eye & waking up alone in Camilo's house. The police come knocking with the news that Camilo's abandoned car was found & they are fear the worst. Hayden gets help from Camilo's loyal lesbian friends Hollister and Burley to help figure out what happened to Camilo. The trail first leads the trio to a pet shop called Barkingham Palace owned by an extravagant woman named Della who denies knowing Camilo. Then they follow Camilo's ex-boyfriend Ryan to a secure airport warehouse where they find signs of an illegal & lucrative animal smuggling ring. The final confrontation occurs on Della's huge Bainbridge Island estate where Hayden, Hollister & Burley learn the truth about Camilo's disappearance & his family.

This was a fun quirky story with diverse charming characters.

A light mystery with fantastic LGBTQ+ rep and so much heart. This debut novel was a great audiobook, as well. I just loved the characters and their friendships, as well as the various romances sprinkled in.

Devil’s Chew Toy is Rob Osler’s debut mystery novel which features Seattle teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall. His blog, Mates on Dates, is where he shares about his dating experiences as a single gay man in Seattle—one experience is going to take Hayden on a very unexpected and dangerous adventure.

One night Hayden tries to slip a dollar bill into the jockstrap of one of the go-go boys at Hunters and ends up accidentally kicked in the face. The dancer who kicked him, Camilo Rodriguez, is apologetic, and much to his surprise, invites Hayden to go home with him. Hayden wakes up the next morning in Camilo’s bed with the police knocking on the door. Camilo has gone missing and Hayden is now their prime suspect. At first, Hayden wants to go home and forget the whole thing. But he can’t help worrying about Camilo, and about the possibility he might go to jail for something he didn’t do, so he begins to investigate. Concerned about leaving him alone, he also takes home Camilo’s bull terrier Commander, despite the no pets policy where he lives.

Hayden tracks down Camilo’s friends—Hollister and Burley—both lesbians and very devoted to their friend. They tell him that Camilo is a “Dreamer” whose parents had been deported years earlier, and whose sister, Daniela, is presumed to have returned to Venezuela with them. The three team up to find their friend. Clues lead them to Barkingham Palace, a pet store where Camilo also worked part time. The store’s owner claims ignorance, but Hayden knows that something isn’t right. Camilo’s ex, Ryan, also seems shady. When Hayden and Hollister follow Ryan to a secure airport warehouse, they discover a shocking connection between him and Della and uncover the twisted scheme that’s made both of them rich. Could Camilo have figured it all out and been silenced?

This mystery is filled with twists and turns that lead the reader to unexpected answers—both about Camilo’s disappearance, and about his family. Devil’s Chew Toy is a delightful and fun mystery that you just can’t put down! Hayden is sweet, short (which I relate to), smart, and adorable, and the kind of person you would like to have as a friend. I love the friendship that develops between Hayden and Hollister, and I love that the book has such a diverse group of characters! This is the first in a series and I can’t wait to find out what kind of trouble comes up next for Hayden & Friends.

This was an unexpected treat! I loved meeting Hayden, Camilo, and the rest of the cast of characters. The story had really nice pacing and kept my attention throughout. This was a fun mystery, and the blog posts added a cool quality. Looking forward to more from author Rob Osler!

What an enjoyable romp from Rob Osler. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry with an assortment of characters, an original plot, with a happy ending. I particularly warmed to the fact this story hasn't been pigeonholed as a Gay book as is the want with publishers and treated as a terrific story.
An independent review NetGalley / Crooked Lane

Perfect for fans of Carl Hiaasen and Armistead Maupin, this light, LGBT mystery follows an unlucky in love—and life—teacher who unwittingly ends up the prime suspect in a disappearance.

Seattle teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall wakes sporting one hell of a shiner, with the police knocking at his door. It seems that his new crush, dancer Camilo Rodriguez, has gone missing and they suspect foul play. What happened the night before? And where is Camilo?

This book was definitely not for me. It was extremely weird and very confusing at times. Not a great debut book in my opinion.

THE DEVIL'S CHEW TOY, Rob Osler's debut novel, is an inviting and gay cozy mystery, written with a clipped pace and a strong and assured voice. This droll and beguiling story reads like a sparkling combination of Alfred Hitchcock's NORTH BY NORTHWEST and Armistead Maupin's TALES OF THE CITY. Diminutive eighth-grade social studies teacher and part-time blogger Hayden McCall--"Being five foot four (rounding up) and weighing 125 (again, rounding up)"--has been criticized by his former boyfriend, who said his "tolerance for thrill-seeking maxed out on the teacup ride at Disneyland." But that was before Venezuelan go-go boy Camilo Rodriguez accidentally kicked him in the face during a pole dance and took him home for an erotically charged, but chaste, night of conversation and cuddling. In the morning, Hayden wakes up to find only Camilo's bull terrier, Commander, in the apartment. He learns through two police officers that Camilo's truck was found in an empty parking lot, doors open and engine running.

Realizing that finding a missing gay go-go boy is a low priority for the police, Hayden sets off to find the mislaid man. He partners with Camilo's friend Hollister, a lesbian furniture maker (Hayden describes her as Serena Williams with a mohawk); Mysti, Hollister's prickly Korean American girlfriend; and Burley ("a six-and-a-half-foot-tall, three-hundred-pound giant of a woman") to form a ragtag team of amateur sleuths.

Osler has a knack for pacing this rollicking mystery at a fun gallop, but he truly excels at creating quirky and original characters. Cozy fans will be clamoring for sequels. Rob Osler's debut, THE DEVIL'S CHEW TOY, is a remarkably assured, funny cozy mystery filled with memorable, quirky characters.

I am really excited to read that this is going to be a series! Not only do I love that there is a diverse set of characters, but I love the actual characters themselves! Sweet, quirky, and completely real people. Not the caricatures you frequently find when someone is trying to check the LGBTQIA+ box. Hayden, our main character, is a school teacher on summer break who finds himself in the middle of a mystery after being kicked accidentally by a go-go boy. Following that, he teams up with a wide variety of interesting characters that will hopefully be the basis for many of the future installments in this series. This first book did a great job at both establishing a foundation for the series going forward and providing an interesting mystery to keep the reader engaged. I just want to know how Hayden is going to have time to sleuth once school starts back up!

Dnf at 20%

I'm sure plenty will love this one, but I couldn't connect with anyone, and I really didn't like anyone, ex ept the dog

A different sort of cozy! Hayden didn't expect to find Camillo, the hot go go boy he brought home, missing from his apartment the next morning or that Camille's dog Commander (wonderful dog) would still be there. The police are a little interested in the disappearance but not so much- Camillo is a DREAMer from Venezuela- so Hayden enlists Hollister and and Burley to help look for him. What is Della, the owner of the pet store when Camillo worked part time, hiding? I'd normally write that cozy readers know what happens next but that's not the case here. Osler has created a unique and entertaining read with distinct and diverse characters. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm curious where he's going to take this next.

3.5 stars, rounded up.

devil's chew toy is a fun, light read perfect for a vacation. i don't know if it will have an audiobook version, but i feel it will be awesome to read in a car drive.

the characters are all good but commander is my fave. i kept picturing lady gaga's paparazzi dog going for a pee outside and it always made me chuckle.

the biggest problem i had was with the book description actually. look, i usually read a book descriptions one time (mostly) long before i read it, and only read it again after i start if i thought i misremembered something. for some reason, i thought camilo was a internation spy (?) and had to read it again, which was not a good idea because the book catches up with the full description past the 70% mark. i was 25% in and was still at the first sentence of the second paragraph. maybe the description could've said less about the plot, since this is a mystery book. also, i wish there were more romance but that's just me.

all things said, it's a good book to pass the time, perfect for slightly cold weathers and long drives.

thank you netgalley and crooked lane books for giving me an arc!

Really fun cozy mystery featuring a 25 year-old ginger gay guy who stumbles into investigating a go-go boy's disappearance after spending a chaste night together. Along the way, he gathers help from two butch lesbians who keep him engaged and on the path to discovering who's behind the kidnapping. Lots of fun with a number of great secondary characters and a wonderful dog named Commander. 3.5.

It’s a mystery novel, but there wasn’t that much turns and twists. If you want to read something really quick, read this.

What if the first meeting with a potential date consisted of him kicking you in the face by mistake? That's how Hayden meets Camilo, who is a go-go boy in a gay club, and he ends up going home with him that night.

Nothing happens between them, and the next morning, when Hayden awakes, he finds that Camilo has disappeared, leaving him with his dog, Commander.

What follows is a wild trip, with Hayden setting out to play detective and find Camilo. One of Camilo's friends joins forces with him and they stumble on one clue after another, which finally leads to them figuring out what happened to Camilo, as well as uncovering a major illegal trafficking racket.

I would say it's a light (not necessarily light-hearted, though) mystery, which didn't really give me that feeling of mind-blowing, knock-your-socks-off reveal. The ending was just okay, though the author did manage to create vivid, unique characters.

Hayden was a timid and bland character, and I just could not get behind his motivation for endangering his life and putting so much time and effort into finding Camilo, whom he met for one night and didn't even know. To pursue a romantic relationship with him? Nah, that seemed a bit weak to me. I also wanted more of Commander! Dogs are the way to my heart!

Hollister and Burley were characters that stood out, followed by Della. This is just a light and easy read and you wont be disappointed if you don't go into it expecting too much, though pretty forgettable in the long run.

Thanks to Crooked Lane Books and Netgalley who sent me an ARC of this book in exchange for my review.

Hayden decides to get out of his comfort zone by tipping hot go-go dancer Camilo at his favourite club. That simple decision spirals into an impossible adventure: a kick to the face, a mysterious disappearance, accident pet ownership, stakeouts, conspiracies, and making multiple unusual friends.

▪ Wall to wall LGBTQIA characters. That is just fantastic.

▪ Each character is quirkier than the last. I love when books have interesting side characters and this one has them in spades. Sure, it makes some of them a bit one-note (cough neighbour Sara Lee cough), but over all the effect is vibrant and fun. The characters’ strengths and weaknesses are used to good effect during the dénouement.

▪ The mystery is completely improbable and entirely fun. Everything seems just a little bit too heightened to be real, kind of like Brooklyn 99. The adventure sequence at the end is brilliant and manages to be at once over the top and perfectly believable in the world of the book.

I don’t know what else to say except that I want to spend more time with Hayden and his friends.

This book was super weird and confusing at times. I couldn’t connect with this story at all and I just wasn’t a fan.

This was a fun read from start to finish with intriguing twists and turns that kept me wondering what could possibly happen next!

Osler creates such fun, unique characters for this novel. I greatly enjoyed the friendships that were created and the variety of personalities that come in to help solve the mystery.

I also love that this mystery is set in the LGBTQ community!