Yikes, this one just didn't work for me. It felt forced and like it was trying to be better than it was. I thought it would be funny, but it really wasn't.

Thanks to the publisher for a free copy of this through NetGalley. It was pretty funny in parts, I've picked out some of my favourite quotes below:

"Somehow, George's role seemed to be to stop it [the dog] doing any of the things it wanted to do - like eat the sofa and defecate on the floor - and in the process he had more or less ruined the dog's life."

"'This is a crime scene, ladies and gentlemen! Not a birthday party! Mrs Pearmain is not receiving guests today! She is unable to lunch! She is dead! Do you hear me? Dead!'"

I liked the mystery, especially as the detective was especially competent, so it was a refreshing take to see someone doing their job so well. However, there was a lot of uncomfortable characterization and language. There were several characters who were openly identified as racist but there weren't any POC characters and no characters who offered other attitudes on race. There were also a few characters who were referred to as lesbians, comments which seemed to purely be thrown around as insults or as a joke. The MC is bigoted himself so we never get any other view besides the homophobic and racist taunts of this incredibly unlikeable family, so it was very uncomfortable to read.