Hair of the Dog

I really enjoyed reading this cozy mystery. Protagonist Penny Lively owns a winery near the Central California coast. Her cousin, Annie’s life and livelihood are abruptly threatened when the veterinary clinic she co-owns with Brian is broken into and he’s murdered. The obvious motive would appear to be drug-related, however; is the real reason that obvious? People aren’t who they seem is the classic theme throughout this excellent mystery.

The story’s fast-paced. The author pens an amazing plot which steadily unveils layer after layer of disturbing clues. I enjoyed the cute pets, the engaging characters, and an ending you’ll never see coming! I highly recommend y’all read this mystery!

I reviewed a digital arc from NetGalley and the publisher. Thank you.

Really fun book. I very much enjoyed this series and hoped,it would continue. I love the cast of characters and how you they change over the series. Fun read!

Hair of the Dog is my first book by the author but I plan to read the first two the books in the series. While it probably would have been better to read the books in order, I didn't feel too much at a loss at knowing what was going on. Cypress Cove is a quaint small town on the Pacific Ocean in California Wine County where tourists frequent and gossip spreads quickly. Penny Lively is a former photojournalist who has inherited a winery from her aunt and has a knack for finding dead bodies, much to the chagrin of the local police chief. Penny dropped her best friend and cousin, Dr. Annie Moore, off at her veterinarian office to check something for a patient. While Penny is waiting on Annie, Annie discovers the body of her partner, Dr. Brian Grasser, in the surgery room with her own knife in his back. When Penny and Nicole, a newly fired worker, go inside and find Annie standing over Brian's body with the knife in her hand, things don't look too good. Penny sets out to prove Annie's innocence but it is an uphill battle for a while. There are many suspects that would seem to benefit or take pleasure is Brian's death but finding the killer is no easy task. This is a fun read that kept me guessing and the pages turning with a twist at the end that I did not see coming. The plot and characters are well developed and entertaining. I recommend for a good cozy mystery read.
I received a complimentary copy of the book through NetGalley and Carlene O'Neil and Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles. The opinions stated are my own.

Penny Lively is enjoying her life as the owner of Joyeaux Winery in Cypress Cove, California. But her amateur sleuthing skills are once again needed when her veterinarian cousin Annie Moore finds her business partner Brian stabbed to death at the pet clinic. The police think Annie has motive since the key man insurance policy gives her a big payout. But Penny is determined to find the killer and there are several possible suspects. Nicole is a vet technician who was recently fired by Brian and Annie for stealing drugs. Brian's physician wife Claire has a secret gambling problem and is in need of lots of cash. Long-time employee Dot may have been embezzling money from the business. The research staff running a clinical trial at the pet clinic for a rabies vaccine are acting strangely. A second suspicious death occurs and Brian's missing notebook may provide the clue needed to identify the killer.

This was a quick read and a welcome return of the Cypress Cove mystery series.

I received an eARC via Netgalley and the author with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book and provided this review.

Penny is a riot, I like her style, you always know where she stands, and that’s straight up. I like the way she stood up for Annie her cousin when things were looking really bad for her. She is a very curious individual and made no qualms about that, others call it nosy, she couldn't keep a secret if her life depended on it. This made her good at sleuthing and her natural ten questions a minute way made it quite easy to get others to talk. This cozy had some twist and turns which drove the intrigue-o-meter up there. I love the budding romance with Connor and the bantering with Lucas and Ross, really cool characters. This book has an absolute great storyline with really cool characters, it was intriguing, funny, entertaining, interesting and wholesomely captivating.

Hair of the Dog is an enjoyable blend of colorful characters, dubious behaviors and pleasing plot twists. If you are a fan of cozy mysteries, I can recommend this book to you. This is a fun read and I am looking forward to reading the other books in the Cypress Cove Mystery series.

This was the first book in this series I've read but it was so good that I'm going to go back and read the first two books. I'm really liking these characters!

Penny Lively had been a photojournalist and now that she was back in her hometown of Cypress Cove, running the winery that was left to her by her aunt, she seemed to be a dead body magnet. Unfortunately the latest one she's found is the body of her cousin Annie's business partner at their veterinary clinic. The suspects are plentiful and when Penny discovers a second body, she knows the killer isn't just playing games. Things are getting dangerous and she's afraid she or her cousin could be next! Of course warnings from her winery manager (and favorite guy) Connor as well as Lucas, the police chief have never done any good to keep her off the case. It does get wrapped up fairly nicely with an odd twist at the end but it was so good!

With all the great twists and turns in the plot and so many good suspects, I never guessed the killer but definitely enjoyed the ride in finding them out. One clue planted by the author told me who it was but by then I think we were supposed to be figuring it out.

I really enjoyed these characters. I'm not sure if Annie was in the other two books but Connor and Hayley, Penny's manager and assistant manager at the winery are amazing to have as friends and family--Hayley is also Penny's niece who happens to date chief Lucas. Lucas is sort of a good mix of the typical cop in these stories. He's not so hardened that he's ready to toss Penny in jail for interfering. He does actually admit that she's helped and even gave her a little assignment of her own this time. I do have some other books I want to get to but I ordered the first two in this series so I'm ready to read when I find some extra time! (I hope there is going to be more in the series since I like what's developing between Connor and Penny!)

The only thing I didn't like about this book was that I had to wait so long for the 3rd installment in this series. I love this series. This book can be read in order or as a stand alone. It's like picking up the phone and catching up with an old friend.
I certainly hope there are more!

Penny's cousin Annie is found standing over the bloody body of her business partner Brian at their veterinarian clinic. Of course, Penny goes into detective mode to help Annie and discovers more mistrust and evil deeds than she bargained for. Drugs, murder, mayhem, and of course yummy wine make this a fabulous read. This is the third installment in the series and I went back and read the first two. They can be read out of order.

"Amateur sleuth Penny Lively is working her tail off trying to keep her family winery afloat. For the first time in her life she's too busy to go looking for trouble. But when drugs are stolen from town veterinarian Annie Moore, Penny is there to help. After all, Annie is her cousin and best friend."
I enjoyed reading this, my first book by this author. Set in central California, the main characters, Penny, Annie, Connor and Hayley were well developed and felt 'real'. I would certainly recommend this book to lovers of cozy mysteries and I look forward to reading more of the Cypress Cove series. A fast paced and fun to read mystery with a final twist that I didn't see coming.
Thank you to NetGalley and IBPA for the ARC

I adore this series ! I have read the entire series and highly recommend the first two in the series. This third installment can be read as a stand alone to any new readers to the series. The location of Carmel Valley is close to me and I recognize many landmarks in the authors exemplary descriptions of the area.
I enjoy the authors talent for describing the area and the beauty of the wineries.

Penny is our savvy sleuth/winery manager running the winery she inherited with her winery manager Conner. They have a mutual regard for each other which is slowly growing into a romance for further books. In the meantime they work together well and Penny is professional where her business is concerned. She manages to stumble across murders which she is compelled to help solve. She has proven to be a apt sleuth and this new murder is challenging for her skills.
The latest one she's found is the body of her cousin Annie's partner at their veterinary clinic. The suspects are piling up as are the clues she finds and when Penny discovers a second body, she knows the killer must be someone she is overlooking. She is asked by everyone close to her to not proceed but she does . . She is putting herself in danger and as always determined to find the suspects . I love how she is smart, savvy and a great protagonist . She manages to run a busy winery in between finding clues. The clues are many but I did not guess and I found myself engrossed in the book until the last page the sleuth was so well done.

I really enjoyed all of the supporting characters. Her writing has a sense of humor that is delightful. The author has a talent for developing characters, for describing the beauty of the location and building a outstanding sleuth full of twist and turns. I loved this next in series and am looking forward to the next. Thank you for the ARC which does not affect my personal opinion. Cross posted review. I highly recommend this series for all mystery fans and cozy mystery lovers.