I received a 4-star review from my favorite review site: Pages and Paws. Shazam! Here's a link to the review: Just Click Here.
Mystery Collection is the Dog’s Bow-Wow
The Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories
By Doralynn Kennedy (2022)
Genre: Fiction/Supernatural Mystery, Cozy Mystery
Pages: 125 (Print)
Via: Author request
Note: We received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Can two retired spooks figure out why a Ukrainian professor died, how his dog learned to drive, and why Archie had a homing device in his collar that may have had its origins in the jungles of Vietnam?
Hold on to your fur, friends. Cuz that’s only a few questions swirling in this finely crafted collection of mystery-ish stories. The collection runs the gamut of emotions and covers the waterfront from creepy to cozy to the back woods to the dog house.
The longest – and in our opinion, the strongest – story in this collection is the first one, The Mystery of the Fox Down Dog. Cuz, hey Dog! Hello!? ‘Sides. This story pulls you into the action like a dog after a bone (Hi, Kimmi). In one wag of Archie’s tail you’re neck-deep into a shadowy world of spies, sleuths, mystery, and “Boa Constrictor” nets. It’s just a lot of fun.
Arthur and Emily Gossington are two retired spooks. They live a quiet, pedestrian life until they find a mysterious device inside the collar of a stray German shepherd named Archie. Also: Do archeology and AI tie-in? How? And what’s up with Mr. Fitzgerald “Fitz” the pampered Persian cat? (Nobody’s purr-fect. Sorry. Couldn’t resist. – Kimber.)
Competition
This story is smart. Sassy. Arthur and Emily put the crank in “cranky” and the “mudge” in “curmudgeon.” So Her Momness has some competition. And a coupla kindred spirits. Finally.
The one thing we didn’t like about this story was that you get to the end and it kind of goes “thud.” We didn’t get a sense that anything was solved or any mystery unraveled. It just kinda runs out of ink.
Meanwhile, The Adventures of Darrel and Lloyd is hilarious! Would-be bank robbers toting a skunk named Daisy into a bank! We kept seeing “Larry, this is my brother Darrel, and this is my other brother Darrel” from Newhart. The story’s a riot, whereas The Death of Jaime VanCamp is full-on creepazoid of the Edgar Allan Poe variety. The Mysterious Mr. Majestic is something you probably don’t want to start during a power outtage. There’s also illicit moonshiners and a Thing you don’t want to run into on a dark and stormy night. Or in the daytime.
Bravo!
One thing we really appreciated about this collection is that it’s a professional-level publication. It’s been proofread. And edited. It makes sense. Is structurally sound and briskly paced. (You wouldn’t believe how much stuff we see that’s None of the Above. Kimber: Gag me with catnip!)
Gotta admit that we missed the Gossingtons after the first two stories. Mr. and Mrs. Cranky put in an appearance in the second story, The Brownstone Mystery. That story unfolds in an old brownstone apartment on the Upper West Side. It revolves around disappearing Christmas presents. Are the disappearances due to sticky-fingered neighbors? Secret passageways? A former tenant? An escaped con on the lam or a runaway?
The game’s afoot when the Gossingtons show up in the next-door apartment. House-sitting for a friend. But Em and Art fly the coop after that. Too bad. Would’ve liked to have seen more of them in subsequent stories. Maybe a few cameos here and there. But let’s not get picky here, okay? After all. Fitz has that market cornered. Sheesh.
Overall
Overall, The Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories is an enjoyable and engaging read. It’s also nice when one of us wants to grab something quick to read start to finish without investing hours in same. It’s chockful of colorful and richly textured characters that practically stand up and walk.
Full-Bodied
So if you’re looking for something fresh, nimble, and full-bodied like a fine wine, check out The Mystery of the Fox Down Dog and Other Stories.
While you’re doing that, I gotta find Mom. What? Hiding in the closet? Again? Sheesh.
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