Title:  Furbidden Fatality
Author:  Deborah Blake
Genre:  Cozy mystery
Rating:  4.0 out of 5

Kari Stuart’s life is going nowhere–until she unexpectedly wins the lottery. The twenty-nine-year-old instant multimillionaire is still mulling plans for her winnings when trying to rescue a bossy black kitten leads her to a semiabandoned animal shelter. They need the cash–Kari needs a purpose.

But the dilapidated rescue is literally going to the dogs with a pending lawsuit, hard to adopt animals, and too much suspicious attention from the town’s dog warden. When the warden turns up dead outside the shelter’s dog kennels, Kari finds herself up a creek without a pooper-scooper.

With the help of some dedicated volunteers, a cute vet, and a kitten who mysteriously shows up just when she needs it, Kari must prove her innocence all while trying to save a dog on death row. Now she just needs to hope that her string of unexpected luck isn’t about to run out.

This was a cute cozy mystery to start off a new series. There were several moments I thought the main characters was a little too naïve or oblivious—I’m sorry, but if I knew there were bears around, I would not go wandering around at night unarmed and alone when the dogs started barking, nor would I ever venture outside at night alone after finding a dead body and repeated vandalism. So, no, she’s not the brightest light in the room, but she’s likable enough, and the background characters are quirky and fun. The hint of romance isn’t overdone, either, so that/s nice. I’d definitely read more of this series.

Deborah Blake lives in New York. Furbidden Fatality is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Berkley in exchange for an honest review.)

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