Georgie Johansen, a screenwriter, moved from Los Angeles to the beach town of Twilight Cove, Oregon, to help her Aunt Olivia with her farm/animal sanctuary. A local man, Jasper Hogan, has the town in an uproar about a treasure map he claims to have that leads to pirate Dead Eye Dawson’s buried loot.

Readers will enjoy this satisfying mystery, the main characters, and the magical dogs, Flossie and Fancy; a kitten; the wise owl, Euclid; and an African Grey Parrot who witnessed the murder! There’s a lot more than meets the eye. Enjoy!

I honestly read and reviewed a digital arc provided by NetGalley and Severn House. All opinions are my own.

Georgie lives in a small coastal town in Oregon and helps her aunt with her animal rescue farm. She also is a screenwriter, so she’s able to work from her new home. Georgie has two very special dogs with unusual abilities, an owl that shows up to assist her, and a newly adopted kitten. Her life is full with friends, the animals, and a blossoming relationship with the farm manager.
The town is getting ready to celebrate pirate days, even though there is doubt whether the pirates made it that far north. When a pirate map is found, whether it is authentic and whether there really is a pirate treasure provokes deep feelings. After a death and the disappearance of the map, Georgie and her friends are on the hunt for the murderer.
The animals are adorable and the mystery has plenty of red herrings to keep you guessing.
Thanks to Severn House and NetGalley for the ARC..

3.5* I didn’t realize that this was the second in a series when I applied for this, I’ll have to pay better attention to that. But it was super cute and I’m looking forward to going back to check out the first book! I don’t love the cover, but it’s ok!

Paranormal Cozy Mystery about a screenwriter who moves to Oregon to work at her aunt's animal sanctuary as she turns sleuth after a pirate fanatic and treasure hunter is found murdered.

4/5 stars: This is the second entry in Fox's Magical Menagerie Mystery series which is a Paranormal Cozy Mystery that is set in Oregon and features a screenwriter who also helps her aunt run her animal sanctuary. Her summer plans of helping out with the annual Dead Eye Days pirate festival are complicated after she and her aunt discover a pirate fanatic stabbed to death after publicly declaring his possession of a famous pirate's treasure map. With her magical dogs beside her and the mysterious great-horned owl keeping a watchful eye on them, she soon finds herself turning sleuth to uncover the killer before they strike again. With plenty of twists and turns, Fox has deftly crafted a mystery that balances the suspects, clues and red herrings and will leave you pondering the whodunit until the final reveal. Heartfelt and humorous, Fox's writing and character work are excellent; the characters are well-rounded and complex while remaining incredibly likable. Georgie's great and I love getting to catch up with her Auntie O and the Twilight Cove townsfolk. Also I really like seeing her relationship with Callum continue to grow. Oh and of course one mustn't forget Georgie's adorable dogs, Flossie and Fancy, and Euclid, the owl plus the new addition of Star, the kitten, as well as the sanctuary menagerie. The paranormal elements are light, mainly revolving around the dogs and the owl who have special magical abilities. While you could read this as a stand-alone, you'll gain so much more by reading the series from the beginning; so be sure to pick up book one, Murder Most Owl.

I received this eARC thanks to NetGalley and Severn House in exchange for an honest review. Publishing dates are subject to change.

Dead Men Wag No Tails is the second book in the Magical Menagerie Mystery series by Sarah Fox. Georgie Johansen is back and settling into her life in Twilight Cove. She is happy to be working at her Auntie O's animal sanctuary waiting for her new boyfriend Callum to return. The town is preparing for the annual Dead Eye Days pirate festival. Excitement is drummed up town resident Jasper turns ups to a meeting claiming to have an actual map to the mythical pirate treasure. The hunt for treasure unfortunately becomes the hunt for a murderer when Jasper is found dead. Georgie with her mysteriously magical pups and owl, Euclid, set out to uncover who committed this crime.

This is such a fun series. I love cozy mysteries but my favorites have a little bit of magic involved. I really like how lightly it is used in these books. My other favorite thing is when our main character is dating someone that is not a cop. I really like Georgie and Callum's relationship. Sarah is setting up an interesting future conversation when Georgie finally has to find a way to explain that her dogs and owl have powers. The mystery in this one was very good with some nice twists. I look forward to reading future installments of this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and Severn House for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Jaspar announces that he's found a pirate's treasure map and then--he's murdered! Georgie, her Aunt O, her friend Tessa, and of course the magical animals Flossie, Fancy, Euclid and new addition Stardust are on the case. This is a classic cozy with nice paranormal characters in the animals (gotta love an owl). There's also a love interest in Callum. While this is the second in the series, it will be fine as a standalone. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. I'm looking forward to the next one.

Georgie and her magical dogs are deeply involved in the murder investigation of a man who claimed to know where buried pirate treasure was located. Lots of red herrings but also fun to read. Would recommend.

I really enjoy the books I have read by Sarah Fox, so I was interested in checking out this new to me series. This is the second book in the Magical Menagerie series, but it was easy to feel like you knew what was going on. Georgie is an LA transplant and a screen writer to boot so she can write anywhere, and her Auntie O's animal sanctuary is now home. With a friend Tessa that she's had since the summer she spent at the farm at 15 years old and a love interest in the farm's handyman, a retired major league baseball player, Georgie is feeling at home. When a friend of her aunts is murdered after declaring that he had found a treasure map for treasure left by Dead Eye Dawson, the area's legendary pirate, Georgie, Tessa and Georgie "special" animal friends decide to ask a few questions. This was a charming tale with a beautiful location, smart and likable characters, and a little something magical. I will definitely look forward to future adventures with these characters. Thanks to #Netgally #SevernHouse and the author for a chance to read! #DeadMenWagNoTales #MagicalMenagerieMysteries #SarahFox #bookreview #bookideas #retiredreader

Read his full review on <a href="https://rosepointpublishing.com/2024/11/17/dead-men-wag-no-tails-by-sarah-fox-bookreview-witchwizardmysteries/"<a> Rosepoint Publishing.</a>

A legend of pirate treasure always stirs the quest for instant fortune in most of us. An old treasure map is found near Twilight Cove and the whole town seems to want to get in on the action. Suddenly, however, some of the towns folk seem to disappear without a trace. Is there a killer in the town who wants to keep the treasure?

Georgie has been a private sleuth all of her life. She tends to be a bit of a pain and has been told to leave the investigations and crime solving to the professionals. Trouble is, her inquisitive mind will not allow her to stand back and watch.

This story is a testament to the dangers of not letting the police investigate and solve crimes. As the story develops there are serious episodes of people suddenly going missing. Is Georgie putting herself in danger by not keeping out of the investigation and minding her own business? This book examines the motivation, risks and dangers of treasure hunting. Enjoy this tale! 4 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book. These opinions are my own.

Another wonderful series by Sarah Fox! I thoroughly enjoyed this second installment of the Magical Menagerie mystery series and fell even more in love with magical pups Flossie and Fancy and Euclid, the great-horned owl who watch over Georgie and the animal sanctuary. Pirate lure is always exciting, and this book centered around the annual Dead Eye Days pirate festival. Treasure maps, a mystery within a mystery, and getting to know the characters of the cozy, seaside town Twilight Cove more? Yes, please. Georgie is such a fun sleuth and I love the slow-build romance brewing between her and farmhand Callum. This mystery kept me guessing. I can't wait till the next book! Thank you #NetGalley and #SevernHouse for the opportunity to read and review this amazing book.

I enjoyed this book. I really Ike how the animals are included & used throughout the plot. I had absolutely no clue who the killer was, so it was definitely a surprise. I do wish The romance was movie bit faster, lol. #DeadMenWagNoTails #NetGalley

Romance, treasure. and danger collide in the coastal town of Twilight Cove. It's been a dream come true for Georgie to get to work with Auntie O at the animal sanctuary. She has adopted two adorable dogs who have some paranormal abilities, as well as the same for an owl. Plus, she has a blossoming romance with the gorgeous farmhand Callum.

Sadly, I didn't enjoy reading Dead Men Wag No Tails as much as I did the first book, Murder Most Owl. It was much heavier in the romance department - and to me it felt more like a young adult, bordering on middle school, romance. I could have done without so many descriptions, too. (The food the characters were eating, what they were wearing, when they showered, how their hair was fixed, etc.)

Of course, I adored the dogs and the owl. We all need dogs and owls like that to help us navigate life! The storyline and plot were interesting, as well.

Thank you #SevernHouse for providing this book for review consideration via #NetGalley. All opinions are my own. This book is #2 in the Magical Menagerie Mystery series, and it has an expected publication date of January 7, 2025.

“ Dead Men Wag No Tails” by Sarah Fox is the 2nd instalment in the "Magical Menagerie Mystery series”. What a great sequel to book one! Once again Sarah Fox has a winner on her hands and I can’t wait for book 3. Sarah’s books are an automatic preorder even without reading the blurb on what the book is about, I just writing style. I’m hoping there will be more of her other series in 2025. (Sweet Confections series, Literary Pub Mystery series as well as the Pancake House Mystery series)

I loved it! I really enjoyed visiting Twilight Cove, Oregon and the animal sanctuary again especially during the annual Dead Eye Days pirate festival. Sarah is very good at descriptive writing so you feel like you’re right there walking amongst the woods, on the beach or walking main street and seeing the picturesque stores. I know I would love to live there and be part of Georgie’s friend group.

Who wouldn’t want to hang out with two magical dogs named Fancy and Flossie, a great horned owl named Euclid, and now an adorable kitten named Stardust, or all the Sanctuary animals. Another thing I enjoy is the relationship between Georgie and her aunt Olivia, her bff Tessa and the budding romance with Callum.

I wasn't surprised by what happened to Jasper once the cat was out of the bag with respect to his treasure map. Having all those suspects drew me in and I had to find out what happened to him and the treasure map!

It was entertaining, full of twists and turns and I didn’t completely guess whodunnit until Georgie did.

I highly recommend this series to all my cozy loving friends and I can’t wait for book 3 to come out!

I requested and received an advance reader copy of this book from Severn House and Netgalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I'm sure many will love this book. The setting, the atmosphere, the dogs! The dogs are great, my favorite part. However, I wasn't in love with the rest of the book. As I said, many will love it, I just didn't.

This was a good book. It filled with a little magic and pirate treasure. Of course a murder is involved. Georgie becomes involved because it was a close friend of her aunt. I would highly recommend the book.

#DeadMenWagNoTails #NetGalley is another fun cozy mystery that I enjoyed reading.
Georgie is happy working at the animal sanctuary and she's enjoying her adorable dogs, Fancy and Flossie as well.
Twilight Cove is preparing for the pirate festival, but things go bad when a resident is killed. Georgie once again gets involved in the investigation and hopes she can solve it before someone else is killed.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for selecting me to read an advanced copy of this book.