What a wonderful story…lots of heart & emotion. I love how it turned out. TheWagtailMurderClub #NetGalley

recipes, pet-cat, pet-dog, amateur-sleuth, friendship, family-dynamics, cozy-mystery, situational-humor, Virginia, unpleasant-ex, small-business, small-town, local-gossip, local-history, local-law-enforcement****

Another lovely cozy set in a fantastic (if you love pets like I do) small town. The story centers around a large law firm wanting to open a branch in Wagtail. The fallout from all this is deaths and a faux engagement. No erotica, no explicit violence. Just a nice cozy murder mystery with lots of interesting characters and their pets.
I requested and received a free temporary uncorrected ebook file from Berkley Publishing Group | Berkley via NetGalley.
#TheWagtailMurderClub by #kristadavisauthor #PawsAndClawsMysteriesBk10 #berkleypub
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As someone who is new to the cozy mystery genre, I thought that this was a fun way to introduce a new series to my reading lists. I didn't realize that this book was part of such a large series, and didn't have too much trouble jumping into the book when reading.

I'm always a fan of a small town vibe and this definitely gave that! Reading the descriptions of Holly's day to day activities at the inn gave it such a cozy vibe that made me want to curl up with a blanket and some tea. I did think that there were a little too many characters for a book thats supposed to be a cozy read, but this might have been just because I hadn't read the previous books in the series. I also found Holly's decisions questionable at times, which made me enjoy the story a bit less.

I think I would give the other books a try, it's a fun book to read if you're in a bit of a slump or want something quick and cozy!

"The Wagtail Murder Club" is a cozy mystery. It's the 10th book in a series. You don't need to read the previous books to understand this story, and this book didn't spoil the previous ones. But I lost all respect for Holly in this book. The author decided to have a crisis between her and Holmes, whom she supposedly loves. Ben showed up unexpectedly and proposed marriage to Holly in public in front of his business colleagues even though she'd made it clear she's not interested in him. A thousand ways to handle that, but she choose 'I can't embarrass Ben; I'll say yes and break the engagement later' like that'd do anything but delay the embarrassment. She didn't think once about Holmes' feelings, and she didn't try very hard to tell him what she intended to do before he heard the news of her engagement to Ben from someone else. This became a big mess and yet...in the end, no feelings were hurt. Seriously?

At the beginning, I quickly identified whodunit. I'm going, "Oh! What a horrible person!" though this was based off of subtle clues rather than outright meanness. By halfway through, I'd figured out whodunit for the old murder (though why came out later). Then there's another murder, and I easily figured that one out. Only Oma thought things out logically. Holly would think a clue could mean this or that or that. Or she'd recognize a clue indicated this but then conclude the exact opposite a moment later. At the very end, suddenly the lightbulb went on for her.

The pets were charming, as usual. I never did understand why a law firm wanted to open an office in Wagtail and why Ben, of all people, wanted so badly to move there. There was no sex or bad language.

I love that Holly always involves her mom and grandmother into her amateur sleuthing. And unlike the other books by Krista Davis, I really couldn't figure out who the killer was until the end. So A+ all around for a fun story, great characters and a good mystery to solve!

Through NetGalley, I received a free copy of THE WAGTAIL MURDER CLUB (Book 10 of the Paws & Claws mystery series) by Krista Davis in exchange for an honest review. Holly Miller is out running an errand when she sees a cage alongside the road. It holds a black Labrador puppy who’s out of water and food. There’s a note on the dog’s collar naming him Squishy and asking whoever finds him to take good care of him. Holly takes Squishy back to her family-run inn, in Wagtail, Virginia, and Squishy fits right in and endears himself to Holly, her family, and to their guests. One set of guests is a group of attorneys who are interested in developing the area and opening a branch office there. Holly is surprised to find her ex-boyfriend Ben amongst the party since he didn’t make any kind of reservation. Holly grudgingly offers Ben her spare room since the inn is completely booked and is dismayed to find out that Ben has convinced his co-workers they are seriously dating. When one of the attorneys is killed next door to Holly’s mother’s house, Holly and the Wagtail Murder Club investigate to identify the murderer. Is it a recently released convict, a coworker, the victim’s spouse, Holly’s real boyfriend, or someone else?

I liked this book. I haven’t read any of the other books in the series, but I did not have any trouble following the storyline or keeping the characters straight. I recommend this book to fans of cozy murder mysteries featuring small tourist towns, town events, ex-boyfriends, real estate development, grudges, and personable pets.

#TheWagtailMurderClub #NetGalley

"The Wagtail Murder Club” the 8th instalment in the "Paws and Claws” Mystery series by Krista Davis. This is one of my favourite cozy series, I love Trixie and Twinkletoes and the whole concept of Wagtail.
As with all the books previously I read in one sitting, I couldn’t put it down. The characters are like old friends and then stray pup Squishy comes and steals our hearts.

We had murder that looks like an accident and Holly bands together with her mom, grandmother, and beloved elderly Inn butler, Mr. Huckle, to uncover the killer and the truth about Squishy. Because nothing brings a town together like murder.

I never know who committed the murders until the end, and the food always makes me hungry - would love to vacation in a place where you and your dog are welcome everywhere. Wagtail is definitely somewhere I would love to live or visit.

I highly recommend this book to all my cozy lover friends. I can’t wait till the next book!

I requested and received an Advance Readers Copy from Berkley Publishing and NetGalley.. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I really enjoyed this book! A quintessential small town cozy mystery with a furry twist.

This is part of a series, but for the most part you are filled-in enough to just pick this up and read it without having read the others! The index at the front was very helpful and cute. The town of Wagtail and all of its unique qualities are such a nice touch, the world has really been well thought out. I liked following along with the Wagtail Murder Club, the outcome was unexpected. The mystery element was well-done, I didn't figure out who did it. I was not thrilled for Ben to be back in town!

Thank you Berkley and NetGalley for the ARC!

I loved this book. This is a pet themed cozy mystery series set in the mountains. I have read the first three but not the whole series yet and that’s okay. I was able to jump in and enjoy this nail biter mystery.

I enjoyed unraveling Squishy’s tale finding his way back to his ‘human’ while Holly is on the hunt to find out who is murdering her guests.

Very good read! Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this ARC. All opinions are my own.

I have been a fan of Krista Davis’s “Diva” novel series for years, so thought I would give this one a try. I was reluctant, at first, wondering if this would be one of those cases where the animals helped solve the mystery. Fortunately it wasn’t, and for the most part I enjoyed the story. The mystery is good, the setting is fantastic, the town charming. This was the first in the series that I’ve read, and it was clear to me that previous books would have provided answers to some questions I had in this one. It does work as a standalone, but not entirely. The only thing I found annoying was lead character Holly’s failure to stand up for herself against Ben, her tedious, narcissistic ex-boyfriend, whom she allowed to repeatedly control and manipulate her, so much so that it kind of ruined the book for me. It’s difficult to fully enjoy a book when you have absolutely no respect for the main character. If you can put that aspect aside, you may enjoy the book. While I largely enjoyed it, I was so put off by the Ben character that I doubt I’ll read another in the series.

Thanks for the publisher, the author, and NetGalley for providing me with an advanced ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley, Krista Davis, and publishers for gifting me of copy of The Wagtail Murder Club in return for my honest opinion.

5 stars out of 5

Ben is back in Wagtail and he has brought a whole bunch of trouble with him. Between two murders and him proposing Holly is in for some excitement, and not in a good way. Throw in a convicted murder moving to town and things are about to get interesting. Will Holly be able to solve the murders before someone else losses their life.

I’ve loved all of the books in the Paws and Claws series so far and this one did not disappoint. There’s always some twists and turns that keep you guessing throughout the whole book. Each book is unique to itself, bringing in new characters and different story lines.

What I loved
-The community aspect of the series has always been great, and this book didn’t disappoint.
- It kept me guessing throughout the whole book, I loved all the twists and turns.
- Squishy was such a nice breath of fresh air, it was a new dog brought into the bunch and added an interesting twist to the story time.

What I didn’t like
-Some aspects of the book were rushed, I wanted more at some aspects.
-ugh I’m over Ben, so over his pushiness and obliviousness.
-Holly accepting Ben’s proposal… why would you do that, you are with Holmes so why would you accept it.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this e-arc! Wagtail Murder Club is a spin on the fake-dating trope with a little murder mystery. Holly is the owner of the Sugar Maple Inn and returns to discover her ex-boyfriend and his co-workers are staying at the Inn. Soon, a murder occurs, and then another. While Holly and Ben have to pretend to be still dating, they are trying to figure out a murder. Overall, the book was a fun, easy, and cozy fall read. Some aspects of the mystery were confusing and took a while for me to grasp. I.e., Holmes.

The town itself gave me Gilmore Girl vibes! I imagine myself visiting a cute town like this. I would recommend this to a friend for a fall read!

~Murder-Mystery, Plot-Twists, Secrets, Small-Town, and more!~

The Wagtail Murder Club by Krista Davis follows Holly Miller and her new foster dog, Squishy. When Holly returns home to the Sugar Maple Inn, which she owns with her grandmother, she discovers her ex-boyfriend, Ben, is checking in unannounced. Holly discovers Ben's attorney colleagues, who are also staying in the inn, are under the impression Ben and her are still together. When one of them ends up dead, it could be chalked up to an accident until yet another murder occurs. Will Holly be able to discover what's happening before more tragedy happens?

4| This book was quite a cozy and enjoyable read. The town of Wagtail is beautifully described, allowing me to understand how it operates. The townspeople had a lot of personality that really came through. Holly's character is intelligent and determined, which is always a joy to see in any FMC. Her actions were frustrating at times, yet still understandable. This is the first book I've read in the series, and I definitely felt I was missing some context in certain parts. While I eventually picked up on certain aspects, my experience would have been enhanced with a tad more explanation. The murder mystery aspect was great and had me guessing who it was til the end. I would have preferred a few more clues just to give me a chance to guess the culprit. I loved seeing Holly’s relationship with her mom and grandmother. It was very endearing. One relationship I wish I saw more of was Holly and Holmes. The whole thing fell a little flat for me. More scenes and mention of him would have made more sense. His character and their relationship weren’t mentioned or shown enough to make the ending plausible. I assume it would make more sense if I had read the previous books, but it just seemed odd in this book alone.

I loved the description of Holly's day-to-day responsibilities at the Inn. It helped me imagine her life outside of the bizarre circumstances at play. While fun at first, the description of the dog's meals got to be a little much. I loved learning about the town of Wagtail and how devoted everyone is to their animals. One part of the book that wasn't my favorite was the number of characters. While it added depth, it was too many names and information about each individual character at once that it got overwhelming. I felt confused about who was who at times. Because there were so many characters, some of them got lost. Either they were mentioned constantly chapter after chapter or barely brought up. By the time they were mentioned again, I had completely forgotten who they were, causing me to go back and check. This is partly because all the characters were new to me, not just a select few who were new to this particular book.

Overall, this was a quick and cozy read. It was captivating and hard to put down. The recipes at the end are adorable and an excellent touch for the end of the book. I loved the role the animals played in the story. The town of Wagtail is adorable, and I definitely plan to read future and past books in this series.