This is a fabulous cozy mystery. To begin, the name of the town is Dead & Buried. I knew from the beginning this was going to be a very good book. The main character Ruby is a character most people can relate to. She is down to earth, puts family first and absolutely loves dogs. She owns a Search and Rescue business and her main canine is Sasha, who may be ready to retire.
In this first of a new series, Ruby is helping her mom, it seems her fiancee has disappeared. No one else seems to be concerned, but Ruby's mom knows something just isn't right.
Ruby has faith in Sasha and is determined to prove that she is still a reliable cadaver dog.

The author has done a great job in creating a very believable situation. I enjoyed reading about search and rescue. This has the potential to be a really good series and I look forward to reading more.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my fair and honest review.

No Bones by Annie Bassett is the first book I have read by this author and I admit that I was impressed with it. The characters are well developed and very believable. Ruby Nash is a strong and determined young widow who had to return to her hometown after her canine search and rescue business has now closed. I enjoyed each of the secondary characters that I met in Dead & Buried, Texas. They all seemed to be down-to-earth and very likable. The plot moves along at a good pace and had enough twists to keep me reading until I finished the book in one day. I am looking forward to the next one in this series.

A charming and delightful cozy mystery. Interesting information about search and rescue dogs woven into a clever story. I look forward to reading more about Ruby and her dogs.

This was a delightful read with colorful characters (and dogs). I especially liked learning a bit about dogs' scenting abilities to find people and cadavers.

I'm torn on this one. parts were engaging (Bennie and everyone he comes in contact with) but many of the characters aren't well drawn. The plot turns out well, there just seems to be too many people, places and dogs I couldn't connect with for lack of depth

Lots of mysteries feature dogs, but No Bones is the first I've encountered where a cadaver dog takes center stage. It makes for a nice change of pace.

Ruby Nash knows dogs, as she trains cadaver dogs for a living. Unfortunately a few bad decisions mean she has to move back home with her semi-retired Weimaraner in tow. Her mother's fiancé, Cecil is missing but the only ones taking the case seriously are Ruby and her mother. Between helping her mother at the Dead & Buried cafe and sorting out her life, Ruby and Sasha (her dog) search for Cecil.

No Bones has less humor than the average cozy, but more than makes up for it with an interesting array of small-town characters - not to mention great dogs. I especially liked Bert, the rescue who likes to dance to Englebert Humperdinck.

If you enjoy dog mysteries, No Bones should definitely have a place on your reading list.

4/5

I received a copy of No Bones from the publisher and netgalley.com in exchange for an honest review.

--Crittermom
(7/9/16)

No Bones is the first book Annie Bassett’s Dead & Buried Mysteries series. The storyline is well plotted and the characters are well developed and relatable. The book moves along at a steady pace and contains enough twists and turns to hold my interest. I enjoyed the way Ms. Bassett wove interesting information about search/rescue and cadaver dogs into this book. I’m looking forward to reading more books by this author.

When Ruby Nash’s mother, Donna, asks Ruby to help when her fiancé, Cecil, disappears, Ruby gets herself in trouble with Sergeant Lewis and loses her canine search/rescue and cadaver business. Ruby and her semi-retired cadaver dog, Sasha, move back into her childhood home in Dead & Buried, Texas. It seems no one is taking Cecil’s disappearance seriously, but Donna is convinced something is very wrong. Ruby is determined to figure out what happened to Cecil and starts interviewing people while Sasha sniffs for clues.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review from NetGalley.

Delightful, well written mystery with some fun characters- Englebert and Sasha! Seriously, Ruby's debut in this cozy was extremely well done. The small town of Dead & Buried, as well as the various players in town, were well drawn. I learned a little something about cadaver dogs, trailing dogs, and scent dogs, which was an added bonus. This was a nice set up for what I hope will be a continuing series (I'm rooting for Dr. Schmidt). Extra points for the pie recipes btw! Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC- this was a winner.

It's advertised as a cosy mystery and it certainly lives up to its name. I loved the way the author(s) wove the dogs into the story, making them an integral part of it, and it added to my enjoyment to discover how these dogs are trained and how they work. At times the main character, Ruby, was rather impetuous and headstrong and made decisions that were silly, but they certainly helped to move the story along. A quick, easy read, that was interesting and informative, as well as entertaining and funny.

No bones about it; a great story

I enjoyed this great cozy mystery, book one of the “Dead and Buried Mystery” series. Annie Bassett (actually the writing duo of Monica Shaughnessy and Mandy Broughton) tell a great, well-paced story. The characters are well developed and the action scenes are great. Some of the wording was clever and had me rereading the lines over and over. The running themes through the book are pies and dogs and even though I do not have a strong interest in either one, the story was so well written that I couldn’t put it down. I look forward to reading more books in the series.

No Bones by Annie Bassett is the 1st book in the Dead & Buried Mystery series, and a very enjoyable book. Ruby Nash is struggling over the death of her husband, and is unable to commission more cadaver dogs to train. Ruby's mother asked her to come home and find her fiance who has disappeared. Rudy also agrees to help her mother with her cafe Kiss My Bass. Where could the fiance have gone, as suspects keep plying up.

This book has more twists and turns, that kept me reading page after page. I enjoyed reading about how cadaver dogs are trained, how the whole process works. Just when I thought I figured out the mystery, it changes. I found this book to be a quick read, with a well developed plot and characters. I am looking forward to reading the next book in the series Dog Gone. If you love cozy mysteries and dogs, I strongly recommend this book.

Cute, cute read...... especially for a dog lover & mystery fan. This was a cozy mystery set in a small Texas town. I like how the author created a lot of different avenues for the story to go in future books.

Ruby is tough, just trying to live her life with her dog(s) and run her dog Search & Rescue training business while mourning the recent loss of her husband. She makes a mistake & gets fired from her job in Austin so the rest of the book deals with her moving home & aiding in the search for her mother's fiance.

I look forward to more in this series!

Advanced Reader Copy provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a new series (Dead & Buried) that dog lovers will adore. Ruby is moving back to Dead and Buried , Texas with her Weimaraner named Sasha, to rebuild her canine search and rescue business after her husband dies. When her mother's fiance disappears, Ruby and Sasha quickly make friends with the local police during their mutual investigation. Ruby also decides to adopt a Border Collie from the local shelter to train for future searches. Since Ruby's mother runs the local diner they have included lots of recipes for human and dogs and some great tips on dog nutrition. Can't wait to see what Sasha gets into in the next book.

This quirky, charming cozy mystery was a complete surprise. I'm not sure what I expected when I begin this first book in the Dead & Buried Mysteries series, but I thoroughly enjoyed the story...the characters were so very endearing. The first clue (no pun intended) about just how much fun this story would be was that it's set in a town called Dead & Buried.

For the first book in the series, the premise of Search and Rescue leaves room for so many more entertaining stories in the future. I truly enjoyed Ruby's determination to get to the bottom of her mother's missing fiancé. Without the irritating need to be nosy and interfering...as so many cozy heroines tend to come across as...Ruby's true caring nature is her driving force. That she has such a good heart when it comes to her SAR dogs, provides her with the tools to do what is right...and in this case, it's not so much as finding a murderer as it is in alleviate her mother's suffering.

I look forward to reading more stories about Ruby, Sasha, Bert and Dead & Buried in the future.

This book was provided by the Publisher and Netgalley for my honest review.

No Bones Dead and Buried Mysteries, Book #1 Annie Bassett 5 Stars

Synopsis:

Ruby Nash’s life has gone to the dogs. Since her husband passed, her once-thriving canine search and rescue business has hit the end of its leash. When her mother, Donna, asks for help investigating her fiancé, Cecil’s, disappearance, Ruby leaves no bone unturned, roaming outside the boundaries of the law. But she’s caught faster than a three-legged cat at a dog show. With her tail tucked firmly between her legs, she and her remaining cadaver dog, a Weimaraner named Sasha, return to her tiny hometown of Dead & Buried. It’s a Texas speed trap with more buried secrets than citizens.

Determined to help her mother find the truth about Cecil's disappearance, Ruby and Sasha begin an investigation of Dead & Buried’s crazy characters, digging up more trouble than a dog full of fleas. But without a body, it’s devilishly hard to pin down the murderer. Can she find Cecil and get out of the doghouse alive? More importantly, can she keep from eating too much pie on the job?

No Bones is a barking good time. Full of Texas sass, small town charm, and plenty of down home cooking, the Dead & Buried Mysteries are cozies with bite. Dog bite. (Goodreads)

Review:

First off, I want to say how much I enjoyed this book and hope it is the start of a very long series. Fictional search and rescue is one of my favorite types of books to read and this one did not disappoint.

The characters are well developed, well rounded and three dimensional. I enjoyed getting to know Ruby and her dog, Sasha. Ruby has had a hard time of it lately, starting with the death of her husband. She had a hard time going on with her life, and if it wasn’t for Sasha, she would have given up. But the work that her and Sasha do, and her love for her dog, has kept her going. When she is forced to close her doors on her search and rescue company and return home to live with her mother in Dead and Buried, she feels like she has reached a new low. But her mom needs her help locating her missing fiance so Ruby decides she will do whatever it takes to solve the mystery for her mother.

I really enjoyed reading about the search and rescue activities of Sasha and Ruby. I find that type of work fascinating to read about. And when Ruby takes Engelbert into her home, the mischief and antics are doubled. There were times when I was laughing out loud reading about their doggy capers.

The writing style flows smoothly and the book is an easy read. The author is very talented in her descriptive writing and while I was reading the book, I felt like I was right there watching all the action going on around me. The mystery was well plotted and there were enough twists and turns to keep this reader guessing throughout the whole book. I enjoyed the fact that Ruby had Sasha and Engelbert to help her solve the mystery. In most cozies, the protagonist has the help of her friends, so it was refreshing that the sidekicks were dogs.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a well crafted cozy mystery. If you enjoy search and rescue, like I do, or if you love dogs, this is a must read book.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I would like to thank NetGalley and Dead & Buried Books for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Annie Bassett is the pen name of writing duo Monica Shaughnessy and Mandy Broughton. This the first book in the Dead and Buried Mystery Series and it looks like it will be a fun one.

Ruby Nash is a recent widow who operates a Search and Rescue business in Austin Texas. Her weimaraner, Sasha, is getting older and Ruby is not sure if she needs to retire her or not. When her mother, Donna, calls her concerned about the disappearance of her fiance, Cecil, Ruby decides to take Sasha and another dog she has trained for the Austin PD to the small town of Dead & Buried to see what she can find out. This was not a good idea and suddenly Ruby is without a contract with the Austin PD and not choice but to move back to Dead & Buried to live with her mom and help her out at the Kiss My Bass Cafe. Once there she continues to investigate the disappearance of Cecil on the side. She meets up with highschool friend Susan who used to run the dog shelter until it closed down due to lack of funds. Suddenly Ruby is the owner of Englebert, a border collie, who she decides to train.

This book is a quick, fun read. There are a lot of characters to meet in this first book in the series but I am sure we will learn more about them all in future books. Ruby, the protaganist, is a strong-willed young lady who loves dogs and will do just about anything to help friends and family. She settles back into Dead & Buried quite quickly, and there is even the beginning of a love triangle. It is not overblown, just the hint in this first book. It is easy to see where she gets her personality once you meet her mother Donna. Donna is struggling with the cafe, but does not want to give it up. She plans an event, Pie-palooza, to raise money to keep the cafe running as well as to give the town a fun activity to participate in. These ladies are a force to be reckoned with.

This is a good introduction to this series and I am looking forward to the next one due out later this year. If you like cozy mysteries, animals and of course pie, pick this book up. It is sure to please.

No bones about it a delightful cozy series is here. I loved the new subject of cadaver dogs and search and rescue. The writing is first rate mystery with great twist and turns. I like the relatable characters and how each added to the story. Great fun read. Looking forward to the next in series.