The dog show world was a fun choice for a backdrop of an older adult crime-solving duo. I thought this was alright, but this has been done better by others. It was just what I needed to read in the moment though and I enjoyed the reading experience.

Sorry to say that I could not get interested in this first book in a spinoff from a series which I have enjoyed. I have to say that I like Aunt Peg better as a secondary character rather than a main character. It did not work for me and I had to DNF.

Two of the most charming sleuths I’ve encountered in a cozy mystery. I loved their journey from estrangement to friendship and the gaming elements.

Peg and Rose Solve a Murder has a host of characters to root for, and Peg and Rose take center stage. It was nice to see two silver-haired ladies solve a crime while trying to repair their relationship that had gotten strained in recent years. The friction between them was sometimes humorous as they lobbed vocal grenades at each other.

Peg and Rose have such diverse backgrounds, and it was enjoyable to watch them try to work together first as bridge partners and then trying to solve a murder.

The subplots of the dog shows and dogs didn't appeal to me, but other readers may find that an enjoyable addition to the story.

All in all, this is a book to appeal to fans of cozy mysteries, especially looking for older protagonists who show that age doesn't hold one back.

As a Catholic, when I learned that one of the main characters in this book is an ex-nun who married a priest, I couldn't bring myself to keep reading this. This is not a comment on the quality of the book (the writing seems excellent), but it is my personal policy not to read books that perpetuate stereotypes about my religion.

Peg and Rose make a great team. Opposites in all things. Once they aired their differences, the fun began. Why would anyone want to kill bridge player Stan? Once Peg starts investigating, Rose can’t wait to join in. This book has it all.
Goodreads

Peg Turnbull is in the middle of judging a dog show when she spots a familiar face in the stands. She’s both shocked and puzzled to see her sister-in-law, Rose. The two met decades ago when Rose’s brother Max introduced Peg as his new fiancée, and there was instant dislike on both sides. Since Max’s death, their paths had seldom crossed, and they preferred it that way.
Rose has decided, with some urging from her husband, that it’s time to mend fences. She’s joining a bridge club, and asks Peg to be her partner. Peg at first rejects the idea, but Rose does seem to be sincere, and they weren’t getting any younger.
The other members are for the most part convivial and welcoming, and the two ladies have fun despite their miserable showing. Peg, ever inquisitive, does notice a couple of odd things: one couple are cheating, and there is discrete gambling going on.
Things take a serious turn when one of the players is murdered. Peg, who’s had some experience with crime solving, enlists Rose to find the murderer. Rodney Sturgill, the detective assigned to the case, is well known to Rose. She’d helped him with a previous case, and believes she’s perfectly qualified to work on this one. The detective does not agree, and warns her off, saying it’s too dangerous. Peg doesn’t let a little thing like being told not to do something stop her, and she plunges in full speed, dragging Rose along with her.
This is a fun cozy with two engaging protagonists and plenty of adorable doggies.

Peg and Rose Solve a Mystery is a solid series debut. Following armchair sleuth sister-in-law duo Peg and Rose. This book definitely had its ups and downs. Very good cozy mystery setup - but very heavy on the descriptors and information dumping. I felt a bit bogged down while reading and it took me out of the story. The major conflict between Peg and Rose was very off putting as well.
While it was a slow start for me, I did like how the dynamic of the sisters evolved and how their personalities played off each other.
Bonus - I Absolutely loved all the animals! Especially the mentions of animal rescue & importance of getting pets spayed/neutered.
All in all an enjoyable read and I look forward to seeing what Peg and Rose are up to in the next installment.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for the complimentary copy in exchange for my honest review.

If you love senior sleuths this is the series for you. Peg and Rose are very clever and entertaining. I love their banter and quirkiness. There were some references to the author's other series that I have not read but if you have enjoyed her previous books you will also enjoy the show dog scenes in this one. I'm looking forward to the next book in this seres!

Peg and Rose Solve a Murder is the first book in a new series by Laurien Berenson. Fans of Berenson’s Melanie Travis series will recognize Aunt Peg. Aunt Peg and her sister-in-law, Rose, have never been friends. They have been bickering for 40 years. The two have nothing in common. Peg is a dog show judge who raises poodles, while Rose is not a dog person at all. Peg is not afraid to speak her mind and often comes across as bossy and demanding. Rose is a former nun who has spent her life helping people. Much to Peg’s surprise, Rose asks her to be her bridge partner. Peg decides to give it a try. Their relationship can’t get any worse. The bridge club has been together for years and are somewhat wary of the new team. When one of their members is murdered, they immediately suspect Peg and Rose. The ladies conduct their own investigation to figure out who the real killer is. As they investigate, their relationship improves.

Told in alternating chapters from each woman’s point of view, the reader gets to know each of the characters better. The antics of these two senior citizens as they try to solve the mystery had me laughing out loud. Having read many of the books in Berenson’s Melanie Travis series, I wasn’t sure if this spin-off would measure up. It exceeded my expectations! This new series is just as good or better than the Melanie Travis series. I look forward to the next book in this new series.

Thank you to Netgalley and to the publisher for providing me with an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Instead of Aunt Peg working with her niece Melanie, this one has Peg working with her sister-in-law Rose, and their animosity from he past is hard to overcome. Enjoyed this one, and glad to see Peg and Rose work together and start to appreciate each other while solving a murder. Who knew bridge could be so deadly? Would recommend.

This is a new to me author and I have to say I am looking forward to reading more by this author! I loved this book

Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I made it halfway through this arc before deciding it was great, but ultimately not for me. I think I would recommend this to fans of Rosemary and Thyme, and cozy mysteries. On paper it had everything I love: great characters and a mystery afoot with a quirky take. I just couldn’t get into it.

I was drawn to this title by its cover. It looked exactly like the sort of cozy that I might enjoy. Plot lines are right there for the reader to discover. Plus, I have enjoyed books by this author for many years.

Peg, is Aunt Peg, from the long running series of dog mysteries that Ms. Berenson has penned. Here Peg teams up with Rose who is her sister-in-law. The two are very different; Rose is a former nun who always looks for the good in people while Peg is more blunt.

In this book, as can be seen from the cover, Peg and Rose have taken up bridge. It’s supposed to be a game that does not result in murder but…here we are. Enjoy solving the case with these gray haired sleuths. It is a fun read.

This book is part of what seems like a trend now. While senior sleuths have existed since Jane Marple, now we are seeing more of them. There are the title by Richard Osman and Deanna Raybourn’s latest to name just two. Peg and Rose will be welcomed by readers as well.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for this title. All opinions are my own.

Peg is a very familiar character if you read Laurien Berenson books. This is book 1 in a new series called Peg and Rose. I really enjoyed this one with both the characters being senior women who have lived full lives. Rose is Peg's sister-in-law and decides it's time to bury the hatchet with their long time feud. They join a bridge club and shortly thereafter one of the members is killed. Peg is still busy with judging dog shows and keeping up with her poodles. Rose is running a shelter for women who need help. Great book 1 and I'm looking forward to more. The only thing missing was some interaction with characters from the Melanie Travis series

Peg and Rose Solve a Murder is the first book in a new cozy series by Laurien Berenson. Released 30th Aug 2022 by Kensington Books, it's 288 pages and is available in hardcover and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats lately.

This is a really well written and engaging cozy with a distinct Odd Couple vibe with a little bit of Golden Girls thrown in for good measure. The plot is fun; late middle aged sisters-in-law with decades of unpleasantly fractious interactions decide to join a local bridge club as partners (and repair/build a relationship with one another). They couldn't be more different, one's a former nun who renounced her habit to marry a priest, the other is a pragmatic professional purebred dog show judge who generally has little time for what she considers distractions and non-practicalities.

As with most of the author's oeuvre, there is a surprisingly educational amount of minutiae and interesting behind-the-scenes nuts and bolts info about the dog show world and especially poodles. The book shows some of how professional handlers and their assistants function in the dog world and how judges interact with them and the dogs themselves.

The plotting is well paced and the climax and denouement are fair-play and satisfying. The characterizations are where it really shines though - the author is very adept at making them come alive in all their imperfections and iracsibility.

Four stars. Recommended for fans of cozies, and especially for fans of the author's other work.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

This was such a fun cozy! I loved the bridge club group, and Peg and Rose are a hoot. Their hijinks were so much fun to follow, and I cannot wait for the next book!

A fun start to a new series!
At first I didn't know if I was going to care for this book. The beginning of it had a lot of focus on dog show/dog show judging and that is just really not my thing, but when the gals joined the bridge club I was hooked. I loved the bridge club group, meeting all the teams, learning about all the extra curricular activities that were going on besides cards, and especially our two main characters Peg and Rose. These two women are opposites, but both loved the same man. Peg's deceased husband was Rose's brother.
They want cards to "bridge" their relationship, but it ends up being teaming up to find a killer that allows these women to come together.
I can't wait to read what hijinks these ladies get up to next!
I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank Netgalley, the author Laurien Berenson, and the publisher for this opportunity.

Peg and Rose Solve a Murder is the first in a new cozy mystery series by Laruen Berenson. I love a good cozy and I'm all in for some older protagonists, like Peg and Rose. Also, if a character is described as grumpy or a curmudgeon, I'm 100% along for the ride.

Rose is a former nun who has NEVER felt warm and fuzzy toward her sister-in-law, Peg. Peg is holding some long (40 years long) grudges against Rose. But seemingly out of nowhere, Rose asks Peg to be her partner in a local bridge club. As they are slowly working toward having a civil conversation and brushing up on long dormant bridge skills, one of the club members is murdered in their home.

In trying to work together to narrow down their list of suspects, Rose and Peg also learn to communicate and let go of some of their long-held resentments and misunderstandings.

I thoroughly enjoyed this cozy mystery and the characters of Peg and Rose. Marketing calls it Murder, She Wrote meets The Golden Girls, and I don't disagree.

Thank you to the author, Kensington Books and NetGalley for the advance digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

Dollycas’s Thoughts

Sisters-in-law Peg Turnbull and Rose Donovan are complete opposites and have a rocky relationship but Rose decides to take the bull by the horns in hopes they can build a healthier less contentious connection. She asks Peg to join a local bridge club with her and be her partner. Peg has not played bridge in years and she questions Rose’s motives but finally agrees to give the group a try. They don’t fair too well on their first day which Rose blames Peg for and Peg counters that some of their opponents may have been cheating. Still, they agree to return the following week.

Sadly before they can get a rematch one of the group’s players is murdered in his home. All of the members of the tight-knit group are questioned but as the newest members, Rose and Peg are given extra attention. Peg knows the drill, to clear their names they need to do some investigating on their own. An investigation that uncovers their new friends have some skeletons in their closets. Could one of those skeletons have stacked the cards against the newly deceased? Will Peg and Rose solve the murder before the killer turns the tables on them? Can the two septuagenarians’ new closer relationship trump everything and keep them safe?

We have met and gotten to know well Peg Turnbull in Laurien Berenson’s Melanie Travis Mystery Series. She is a treasure, set in her ways and not afraid to give her opinions and tell you what she thinks about almost any subject but her life revolves around her dogs. She is a breeder/owner of several standard poodles and also a judge of many breeds at dog shows near and far. Her usual sleuthing partner is her niece Melanie but Melanie is traveling across the country on a family vacation. So she takes what she has learned from her escapades with Melanie and teams up with Rose to solve the murder. Rose is a former nun who has traveled the world and fell in love with a priest who she married. They have recently returned to town and have opened a woman’s shelter. These women couldn’t be more different but that starts to change within the pages of this book. The author has these characters take some very interesting steps as they investigate and learn about what really happens in each other’s lives.

The murder mystery has several viable suspects and I enjoyed following along with Peg and Rose as they worked through each of them coming up as to why each had a motive to kill. The clues were cleverly dropped to keep the story moving at a nice pace leading up to a great reveal.

With the unique relationship between Rose and Peg, the story contains quite a few humourous moments. I also loved that Peg’s dogs were featured and that Peg even took on helping a new little pup. Ms. Berenson knows dogs and she crafts them so that each one has its own distinct personality. It really makes them as true to life as her human characters.

Peg and Rose Solve A Murder was a darling little read and has set this series off to a fine start. I am looking forward to seeing how this series moves forward knowing that Peg is a key character in the author’s other series.