Kneading to Die by Liz Mugavero ~ review

• Mass Market Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Kensington (May 7, 2013)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0758284780
• ISBN-13: 978-0758284785

Maybe the best thing that ever happened to Kristan "Stan" Connor was losing her high-stress public relations job. Now there's plenty of time to spend in her sleepy new Connecticut town working on her dream: baking healthy, organic pet treats!
Before long the neighborhood dogs are escaping their yards to show up at Stan's doorstep, begging for the kinds of special homemade treats her Maine coon cat Nutty loves so much. And Stan's pet-loving neighbors are thrilled with the new organic options available to their furry family members. But not everyone loves Stan and her newfangled organic ways...

It seems Carole Morganwick, the town vet, is from the old school of pet care. But when Stan swallows her pride and brings a very unwilling Nutty in for a checkup, she not only finds Carole dead under a pile of kibble. . .but also that she's in the dog house as the prime suspect! Finding the real killer and clearing her name will require some seriously surreptitious sniffing around. . .and hopefully, curiosity won't kill this innocent cat!

Includes Gourmet Pet Food Recipes!

My take on this book:

Kristan (Stan) Connor finds herself wanting a change of scenery after she loses her PR job with Warner Insurance, so against the advice of her boyfriend Richard Ruse who incidentally still has a job with the firm she purchases a home in the tiny town of Frog Ledge Connecticut, where she plans o having a slower pace of life baking organic treats for her kitty Nutty. One of the first things she sees when she moves into her new neighborhood is her neighbor fighting with someone, turns out her neighbor was having a verbal spat with the local vet Carole Morganwick. Turns out the vet isn't happy that Stan's neighbor practices holistic medicine, something that Stan learns when Carole shows up demanding that she bring in Nutty for a get to know you visit. What Stan finds though when she shows up for Nutty's appointment is one dead vet, and as the new person in town all eyes are on Stan as the prime suspect, but more than that someone tries to run Stan down, could it be the killer? With more suspects than a barrel full of fish, it isn't easy to figure out who wanted the  vet dead!

"Kneading to Die" is the first book in the Gourmet Pet Food Mystery series and if this book is any indicator its going to be a top notch series! With a small town setting where there is more going on than meets the eye and a cast of quirky but oh so likable characters this cozy mystery is a page turner from the get go! I loved the character of Stan, and found myself loving the fact that she slowly learns that the corporate life really isn't for her. Her amateurish sleuthing was interesting to watch, and truthfully the author created a well crafted mystery making it hard for me to figure out who actually committed the crime. Even though Stan felt the scrutiny of  most everyone watching her, thinking she might have done it because she was the new person in town, actually there was an interesting array of suspects. From the next door neighbor who had the altercation with Carole, to Betty Meany, the librarian who blamed the vet for the death of her fifteen year old cat Snickers, as well as several other suspects each one could have done it, but did they? There was also a few secondary stories going on with this one as well, such as the relationship between Stan and Richard, along with the interesting job of pet rescue that Stan's best friend Nikki participated in. Overall anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery filled with more than a few twists that will keep them guessing, along with an interesting cast of characters,and a setting with a small town feel will certainly enjoy this story. Animal lovers are going to find this pet filled mystery hard to put down as well, I know I did!  Can't wait to see what the author has in store with book two in the series!

reviewed for readersfavorite.com