Kathlene is a deputy sheriff who suspects a group of men, who have moved in to her town, are in the process of doing illegal activities. No one listens to her (she's a woman, and this is a theme among the Sheriff- he doesn't like woman who have opinions). So, she calls in an outside party to help investigate- Alpha Force. Alpha Force happens to be an elite military group made up of shifters and plain old people. Jock is the shifter in the duo that meets at her town.
This wasn't bad, but it wasn't awesome either. It kept me entertained. I thought the wrap-up happened fast and would have liked more suspense (there isn't much). I was glad that Kathlene was smart and could more than hold her own against the sexist Sheriff.

To Catch a Treat

Barkery & Biscuits Mystery, #2

Linda O Johnston

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Date of Publication: May 8, 2016
Number of pages: 312
Cover Artist: Christina Hess

When a Dog-Snatching Scheme Leads to Murder, Carrie Must Sniff Out the Truth

Carrie Kennersly, veterinary technician and owner of the Barkery and Biscuits bake shop, agrees to a day of hiking with her brother Neal—mostly because she wants to meet and critique his latest romantic interest, Janelle Blaystone. But instead of judging her, Carrie feels only sympathy for Janelle, whose beloved black Labrador, Go, was recently dognapped.

Janelle thinks the culprit is Ada Arnist, a wealthy homeowner spotted at the dog park where Go was stolen. Soon after Janelle confronts Ada, though, the woman is found dead. With Janelle and Neal on the suspect list, Carrie must solve the mystery before the police bark up the wrong tree.

Interview: 
Please welcome Linda O. Johnston to Musings and Ramblings for a little Author Q&A.

*Offers Linda a cup of black coffee and a plate of chocolate cookies.*

What makes you unique as a writer?
I think it's my focus on both mysteries and romances. I currently write four series: two cozy mystery series and miniseries for each of two different Harlequin lines. My current mystery series are the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries and my Superstition Mysteries. Am I busy? Yes. Do I love it. Absolutely! So much so, in fact, that my new release TO CATCH A TREAT is my 42nd published novel. Oh, and by the way, I now include dogs in as many of my books as I can. All of my mystery series, including two I wrote previously--my Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mysteries, and my Pet Rescue Mysteries, feature dogs. My Harlequin Nocturne paranormal romances feature canines, too--although some of them are shapeshifters!

What are your five biggest distractions from writing?
Well, two of them are my dogs, especially my older one, Lexie--although Mystie gives me orders, too. They both like to interrupt my train of thought, often to go outside or to get treats just because. Then there are crossword puzzles on my computer, although I'll sometimes do one when I'm not exactly sure how a scene should develop, and changing what I'm focusing on may help my subconscious figure it out. Not sure there are two more, though.

What’s the best vacation/trip you ever had?
I tend to like cruises, so the first answer that came to mind was one of several Alaskan cruises I've taken where afterwards we also explored Denali park and I got to see more of the wildlife there. But my family has also taken a cruise to Australia and New Zealand cruise, and the wildlife in that part of the world is spectacular!

What’s your favorite rainy day activity?
Writing and talking with my dogs. But those are also my favorite non-rainy day activity, which is a good thing since I live in Los Angeles and we don't get a whole lot of those rain days.

What are your 5 favorite words?
Cynophilist - dog lover. That's me!
Cavalier, as in Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, my absolute favorite dogs.
Unterlathorney, a nonword that was my title by mistake on a letter sent to me thanks to my handwriting being unreadable. At the time I was both a practicing attorney and a writer. It should have said "writer/attorney" but instead was unterlathorney.
Grandma, because I am one, and
L.A., which is two words, or actually two letters, but I really enjoy living there!

Thanks for sharing with us today.

Review: 

The first book in this series, Bite the Biscuit, was a great read for me, so I was excited to see the next book in the series come out. In the first book, Carrie helped solve a murder, because she was a suspect. In this second book, she is involved in the beginning, to help out someone her brother is interested in, and to make sure that he doesn't also become a suspect. But as the case progresses, she becomes much more interested in the dog-nappings that are probably linked to the death.  As an animal lover, finding the dogs and restoring them to their loving families is Carrie's primary goal. The fact that who ever is stealing dogs, might know something about the murder is just gravy.

I really liked that the story was smart. It was rare for Carrie to do something dangerous or "dumb". She kept people informed of her whereabouts and mostly did her investigating and interrogating in public. Plus, none of the information she gathered was obtained in any questionable means. It was all a matter of asking the the right questions to the right people. Of course, there were leads that didn't go anywhere and information that wasn't useful. But Carrie used logic and common sense to put the important (to her) puzzle pieces together. I had my suspicions about one of the bad guys, but the other caught me totally by surprise. Quite like Carrie.

One of the few things that disappointed me in this book, was that Carrie spent quite a bit of time in her head. I would have liked for there to have been more dialogue scenes. I enjoyed Carrie's interactions with her friends and family and wish there had been more of them.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and could really feel the canine love coming through on every page. I gave it 3 stars.

Thanks to Great Escapes for the opportunity to read and review the book.

Giveaway: 

Author Bio:

Linda O. Johnston’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the year. Since then, Linda, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, has published more short stories, novellas, and 38 romance and mystery novels, including the Pet Rescue Mystery Series, a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, and Harlequin Romantic Suspense as well as the Alpha Force paranormal romance miniseries for Harlequin Nocturne. She additionally writes the Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink. Her latest cozy mystery series, the Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries are also from Midnight Ink.

To connect with the author online:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

I have read Linda O. Johnston's other series, so I was excited when I heard about BITE THE BISCUIT in her new Barkery & Biscuits Mystery series. I loved it!

This series is off to a wonderful start! Ms. Johnston has written a good solid mystery, with very enjoyable characters. And once again, her love for animals shines through.

I really enjoyed the idea of the profession for the protagonist. Owning her own pet food bakery is so cool. I would be in a place like that all the time for my pup!

If you're a fan of Linda O. Johnston's other titles, you are going to love BITE THE BISCUIT as much as I did!

Bite the Biscuit

Barkery & Biscuits Mystery

Linda O Johnston

Genre: Cozy Mystery
Publisher: Midnight Ink
Date of Publication: May 1, 2015
Number of pages: 312
Cover Artist: Ellen Lawson & Christina Hess

Carrie Kennersly, a veterinary technician, has become known for offering healthy and popular dog treats at the clinic where she works. When the local bakery's owner moves away, Carrie jumps at the chance to convert it into the Barkery, a shop to make and sell her canine delights.

But Myra Ethman, co-owner of another pet product store, hates the new competition. At the Barkery's opening party, she badmouths Carrie's homemade dog biscuits, insisting she'll find a way to shut the place down. So when Myra is found dead with a Barkery biscuit beside her, Carrie must prove she didn't do it before she's collared for murder.

Guest Post: 

Here I am on my wonderful Great Escapes Virtual Book Tour to help inform people about my latest book release, the first Barkery and Biscuits Mystery, BITE THE BISCUIT.

I've written several blogs for the tour, and also answered interview questions for some other blog sites. Still others will post reviews of BITE THE BISCUIT. And some will do more than one.

You know what I think about this? It's fun!

I really enjoy blogging--so much that I blog on four sites regularly: each Wednesday at Killer Hobbies; on the first Monday of the month at InkSpot, the Midnight Ink authors' blog; and on the sixth of each month on the Orange Blossom, the blog of the Orange County Chapter of Romance Writers of America. Also, on the eighteenth of each month, a character from one of my mysteries blogs at Killer Characters--with a little help from me.

I have a friend who gets paid for some of her blog posts, mostly about women's issues including growing older, but although I certainly wouldn't mind compensation besides telling lots of people about my writing, I otherwise do it for free. Blogging is enjoyable. It's a fun way to do an essay about what I know and like, in addition to what I write, and share it with online readers.

So... let me tell you about my latest book!

In the Barkery & Biscuits Mysteries, protagonist Carrie Kennersly is a veterinary technician who also gets to realize her dream of becoming an entrepreneur. A good friend has to sell her bakery, Icing on the Cake, and move away from Knobcone Heights, California, because her mother is ill. Carrie buys it from her and converts half of Icing into Barkery and Biscuits, a store that sells handmade dog treats made from healthy recipes Carrie developed for patients as a vet tech.

But in BITE THE BISCUIT, the first Barkery & Biscuits Mystery, a married couple who own a pet supply store in Knobcone Heights aren't happy because they see Carrie's new venture as competition. And when the wife is found murdered with one of Carrie's special Barkery biscuits near her, Carrie's the primary suspect and has to figure out how to clear herself.

Can she do it? What do you think? It was a fun book to write and, hopefully, is a fun book to read!

Before I end this blog post, I want to extend my very, very deep thanks to Lori Caswell for holding these blog tours and doing such a great job with them.

And by the way, my next Superstition Mystery, KNOCK ON WOOD, will be an October 2015 release. I plan to blog about it, too!

Review: 

Years and years ago, there was a tv show on that included a bakery that sold pet treats, mainly for dogs.  I can't, for the life of me remember which show it was, but I remember thinking it looked like a lot of fun, being able to cater to the furry population and their owners. So when I saw a cozy mystery set in this very scenario, I just had to give it a try.

Carrie Kennersly is the proud new owner of not just one shop, but two. The first is an established bakery called Icing on the Cake, the second is an off shoot of it called the Barkery. A pets only bakery, that is a mirror image of Icing on the Cake, but allows pet owners to bring their pets in for a special treat. As a vet tech and dog lover, Carrie had been experimenting with creating healthy, all natural treats for the animals at the veterinary where she has worked. Now, with the both the financial and moral support of the senior vet, she has turned that hobby into a new career.

But on the day of the grand opening of the shops, Carrie finds out that not everyone is happy about her success.  The wife of the town's Pet Emporium, and the manager of the local resort spends the day bad mouthing both Carrie and her product. When she is found murdered, Carrie is the prime suspect.  To remove herself from the suspect pool, Carrie starts doing some digging of her own.

As the first book in the series, there was a lot of information to be disseminated to the reader about both the world and the characters. This was smoothly and skillfully done. Information was presented as needed, so there is still much to learn as we go along.  I was impressed with the honesty and maturity of Carrie. There were several instances where drama could have been manufactured by misunderstandings, but Carrie would pluck up the courage and immediately address them. This kept the attention on the mystery itself.

We were introduced to some interesting and varied characters in this first book, including: Carrie's younger brother, the senior vet, the woman who sold the bakery, the owner of a local pet shelter and several potential love interests. And it appears we have only barely scratched their surfaces. This is a promising start to a new series and one that kept me guessing right till the end. I am giving this book 4 stars.

Thanks to Netgalley and the author for the opportunity to read and review the book.

Giveaway: 

Author Bio:

Linda O. Johnston’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the year. Since then, Linda, a former lawyer who is now a full-time writer, has published more short stories, novellas, and 38 romance and mystery novels, including the Pet Rescue Mystery Series, a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries for Berkley Prime Crime, and Harlequin Romantic Suspense as well as the Alpha Force paranormal romance miniseries for Harlequin Nocturne. She additionally writes the Superstition Mysteries for Midnight Ink.

Her latest cozy mystery series, the Barkery and Biscuits Mysteries also from Midnight Ink, kicks off in May with BITE THE BISCUIT.

To connect with the author online:

Website | Blog | Facebook | Goodreads