Deadly Dog Days by Jamie M. Blair is A Deadly Dog Days Mystery (the first one). Cameron Cripps-Hayman is enjoying the day by the canal in Metamora, Indiana when she spots a hand sticking out of the water. She immediately calls out Sheriff Reins. The body turns out to be Jenn Berg, a local girl in her 20s. Cameron finds out that her estranged husband, Ben (also a police officer) has been going out with Jenn (per local gossip). Everyone in town believes Cameron killed Jenn in a fit of jealously. Cameron gets her phone bank (people who are serving community service) to help investigate. Johnna, Anna, Roy, Logan, and Nick are eager to help. They have dubbed themselves The Metamora Action Agency. But then Reverend Stroup throws them out of the church basement. He does not feel he can have a murderer on the premises (he needs to go back to the seminary). Cameron moves the operation to her home where she gets additional help from Andy, her handyman and budding filmmaker. Things get a little complicated when Ben’s daughter, Mia (16) comes to visit her father (who is living at the local hotel). Another guest at Chez Cameron’s. Then there are the dogs. Jenn owned five (maybe six) dogs and Cameron agreed to take care of them. One of them is a biter. Then Cameron’s sister comes for a visit. Will Cameron and her group be able to find Jenn’s killer with all this chaos?

Deadly Dog Days felt more like a rough draft than a finished novel. At the beginning the author just keeps introducing more and more characters. We never get any real information about the main characters (just the basics). The opening is like someone rambling on and on (and you cannot get them to stop). During the novel, I found information repeated frequently like the author needed filler or she thought the reader was forgetful. There is also contradictory information. I give Deadly Dog Days 2.5 out of 5 stars. The pace of the novel was sluggish. The mystery was sorely neglected in this cozy mystery. The author tried to put too much in one book. I did not mention everything that happened in this novel. I only listed a few tiny items. The author made life in Cameron’s house sound like bedlam. I did not like how the author portrayed the dogs. The dogs in this novel sound like horrific beasts (I felt bad for the poor things). They probably need love and training. I found the mystery portion easy to solve despite the lack of clues. I prefer less humor and more mystery. This was just not the right book for me.

A fun new cozy mystery from new to me author Jamie M. Blair. Moving to a new place is always tough and has placed a heavy strain on Cameron Cripps-Hayman’s marriage. But Cameron is making the best of it and carrying on. The town is dying a slow death and she seems determined to nip that in the bud. She is surrounded by an eclectic group of misfits that will steal your heart and pretty much anything else lying around. When Cameron finds the body of a young woman rumored to have been seeing Cam’s estranged husband she is immediately a suspect. She is not going to take that lying down. With the help of her silly friends and the deceased’s pack of dogs Cam is a rather inept sleuth but determination and a big heart make up for a lot. This is a really sweet and fun read. I look forward to more from Cam in the future.

This was a good start to a new series set in a dying tourist town in Indiana. and of course the title mentions dogs, so I was naturally intrigued as I am a dog lover.

The pace started off slow to me but did pick up about halfway through. There are a myriad of characters, all have their issues, but for the most part are good characters.

Cameron is a bit of a wild child - not much in the house other than cookies. oh and it is a house given to her and her husband by his mother....who is VERY controlling and is taking bits and pieces of the house to sell. Irene (the MIL) is not a very likable character. I think she is used to getting what she wants and no one stands up to her. She doesn't like Cameron much, but I lay that blame at her husband Ben's feet. Ben needs to stand up for Cameron with his mother. Sure they may be estranged right now, but they still talk and are trying to work out their relationship.

The mystery wasn't anything I might have solved because the killer wasn't anyone anywhere close to my radar. I think I'm still a bit unsure why this person was the killer.

The story was enjoyable and I am curious as to how future books will play out for Cameron, Ben and Mia (Ben's daughter).

The Good
+Yay, animals!
+Liked Cameron and loved her ending
+Strong supporting cast
+Didn’t guess the killer
+Fun without being outlandishly zany

The Bad & The Other
-Status quo. No social issues or diversity included.

Deadly Dog Days is a fun contemporary cozy mystery that I enjoyed. Cameron is a transplant to this small town after a whirlwind romance and marriage to the local sheriff. When the book starts though, they’re already estranged and been he’s out of the house for months.

It doesn’t come right out and say why they split at first, and there’s a tug and pull relationship. What it isn’t: torrid. What it is: practical issues that they must work on. I loved it. It’s chuckle-worthy grounded escapism.

Cameron’s a typical woman trying to figure her life, her joy, her purpose out and stressing about weight and looks. The latter wasn’t much fun to read, but she’s not dieting and pushes back on those that shame her. The insecurities and jealousy was much the same. It’s not pretty but I viscerally understand her internal dialogue.

I can’t say much else without spoiling, but the mystery was great. I didn’t guess the killer, fell for reasonable red herrings, and enjoyed the ride. The ending is perfect and I’m so proud of Cameron!



3.5 Stars because I enjoyed it but it's not OMFGAMAZEBALLS. Pretty standard for the genre so if this is what you're looking for, definitely pick it up.

I received a free audiobook copy of this book from Tantor Audio and voluntarily reviewed it.

Deadly Dog Days is a fun cozy mystery featuring plenty of dogs, like the title promises. I liked the sound of the concept and was happy I got to listen to the audiobook version of this one. The narrator did a great job. While the story wasn't as compelling and engaging as I had hoped, I still had fun listening to this one

Deadly Dog Days starts with main character Cameron enjoying her lunch until she finds the body of a dead women in the canal. She ends up becoming one of the main suspects and is determined to find out who killed her. The runs a volunteer phone bank and transforms her group of people who do community service hours and help her into the Metamora action agency who not only help put the town on the map again, but also catch the murderer.

I liked the idea of the book and it had plenty of good parts, but to me it also felt kinda slow. There is a lot of focus on the daily life of the characters and side characters and while the mystery and the topic of murder was a big part of it, at times I felt like the mystery didn't progress as much. There aren't any big clues at the start and no suspects that really stand out or who get cleared. There is quite the interesting reveal at end, but I would've liked a bit more build-up and hints in that direction as it lacked a bit of impact to me. And I would've liked just a bit more focus on the mystery as I was more interested in the mystery than the big amount of minor plot lines surrounding the characters daily lives. For me it was hard at times to keep all the pieces together about the mystery and there were so few real pieces of evidence till later in the book that it didn't really feel like progress until then.

Cameron was a decent enough main character, but at first I struggled to really get a feel for her. I didn't really get why she did the things she did and only till the later half of the book did I feel like I got a feel for her personality. I kept wondering why she and husband were estranged as it seemed she still had feelings for him and it felt like I was missing a piece, but it was one of those bits of info that don't get mentioned till late in the book. I liked the glimpses into her character we got later as it made me understand her character a bit more. And I liked how she was trying to find her place in town and help the town out.

The side characters didn't really click for me at first. Monica was a tad overbearing, controlling and annoying. Mia didn't seem likable. Ben wanted to tell Carmen what to do. The action agency people seemed to go from helpful to too helpful or a bit too involved in Carmen's live at times. The dogs were an untrained mess and I didn't feel their connection to Carmen or get a feel for their personalities. It was hard to really warm up to anyone, but it all got better as the book progressed. Monica turned more into a close sister to Carmen. Mia showed some emotions and put a bit of effort into her relationship with Carmen. It was obvious Ben still cared about Carmen and worried about her. The action agency's huddling around Carmen felt more touching than annoying. And the dogs got more their own personalities.

There are a lot of side characters, from friends and family to possible suspects and other town inhabitants and at times I struggled remembering who was who and what their role was in the story.

There is an interesting set-up for plot lines that I think will progress throughout the series. The town is in bad shape and not enough tourists and visitors are coming in. This was an interesting set-up and I liked seeing what the events in this book contribute to this. Then there are some side characters whose lives change and develop and some decisions that are made and I think we'll see more of in future books. I liked series that have a set-up like that as it's a nice way to tie the books together and have an overarching plot line.

I am happy I picked this one up in audiobook format. The narrator did a great job and I liked how she did the voices for the characters. I had trouble recognizing who some of the characters were and remembering their names and at times the voices the narrator did made me remember who a character was. I liked her voices for the different characters and the book was pleasant to listen to.

To summarize: This was a fun cozy mystery. The focus is more on the character's daily life than the mystery, but the murder is a big part of their lives. The mystery was a decent one and there was a nice twits, but I wasn't as invested in solving it as I had wanted to be. I felt like there wasn't as much progress in the first part of the story and not as many clues to progress the mystery. It took me some time to warm up to Carmen and the side characters. Only later in the book I felt like I got a bit of a feel for Carmen. And the side characters started off as not as likable and only later I warmed up a bit to them. There are a lot of side characters, which made it difficult at times to remember who was who. The narrator did a great job with this one, I enjoyed listening to this audiobook. I liked her different voices for the characters and thought her voices fit the characters well.

Cam's having a hard time fitting into the new town to which her (now estranged) husband's mother enticed them with the offer of the old family home. She's working with a group of people trying to fill their volunteer/community hours as a well to become more a part of the township. Cam has made a couple of friends and is on the way to finally belonging when she finds a dead woman and is accused of her murder.

As a person, Cam is good-hearted - she 's helping her community by setting up a programme for those who need to fulfil societal commitments and doing it as a volunteer herself. As a detective, Cam is timid and allows her rambunctious group to do most of the questioning. She feels like a delegator to me - someone who knows someone who can get the job done. For the most part, I liked her character, especially after she took in dogs that no one else seemed to be stepping up to take.

I am not as attached to some of the people around her. Her husband sounds as though he's not supportive nor is he empathetic. Her step-daughter, for the most part, is a spoilt brat. Her volunteers seem to be unappreciative (mainly the ones serving community service). And her mother-in-law is a complete nightmare.

The mystery felt a little random. It didn't feel like all the clues were made available at the right time. The motive felt a touch thin, too.

Putting everything together, I liked this introduction to the series - enough that I'm heading on to the next book to see how things work out for Cam.

3.5 stars

Deadly Dog Days is a cozy mystery with a lot going on behind the scenes. It starts with Cameron finding a dead body on her lunch break and gets more chaotic from there. Or maybe I should say we’re introduced to more chaos from there … because I have a feeling Cam’s life was already pretty chaotic pre-dead-body-discovery! Between turning 40 and her sore knee, her separation from her estranged husband (who may or may not have been dating the dead girl) and her mother-in-law from you-know-where, the bee infestation at her house and her cookie hoarding, not to mention her call center volunteers who are earning community service hours for various reasons, Cam is already the poster child for “frazzled”. Then, of course, she adds her teenage step-daughter, her own sister, 5 untrained dogs, and a new business to the mix. Because she clearly needed more chaos.

And oh yeah – let’s solve a murder in our free time. lol.

What I liked most:

--Cam and her narrative voice – Slightly wry, her perspective on everything going on kept the mood light in spite of the chaos.
--Cam’s call center volunteers-turned-detectives – Such a quirky bunch, this ragtag group is always good for at least a smile and usually a laugh or two.
--Metamora – The small town has its share of interesting characters, which gives the series lots of intriguing possibilities!
--Cam’s sort-of cat – Ok, don’t tell my dog Zuzu but the cat intrigued me with its mysteriousness.
--The dog treat recipes – definitely going to try some of these for Zuzu!

What I liked least:

--Ben – Cam’s estranged hubby may want to reconcile but he doesn’t seem to have a backbone and thus doesn’t defend her against his mother’s craziness or his daughter’s disrespect or much of anything really. But he wants her to drop everything and help him whenever he needs her. I’m all for reconciling marriages but she deserves better so he needs to get it together!
--The dogs – *gasp* I know. I normally love all things dog but I felt no warm fuzzies for this wild brood. They’re the dogs I would be scared of if they lived in my neighborhood lol. But they do have potential so I’m curious to see what they’ll be like as the series progresses and they maybe get some training?

Bottom Line: In Deadly Dog Days, Jamie M. Blair gives cozy mystery fans a fun new alternative. Quirky characters and a mysterious little town provide the ideal setting for future books, and a likable main character with a dry sense of humor keeps reader interest engaged. While this isn’t my favorite cozy mystery, I did enjoy it and look forward to more from this series and these characters.

(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.)

See my review at Reading Is My SuperPower

**I voluntarily reviewed this ARC**

It honestly took me a while to get into this book. Too many hateable characters, including the main character. After I got used to the characters, I enjoyed the story a lot more. It was a great mystery, and I'm looking forward to trying some of those dog treat recipes.

As a new dog owner, the cover of this book really caught my attention. The start of this book was good, but a lot happened since then and there were too many characters for the length of the book.

As I was expecting more nice dog involved scenes I was a bit disappointed as most of the dogs here are not trained…

Over all it was a okay book for me.

The Good
+Yay, animals!
+Liked Cameron and loved her ending
+Strong supporting cast
+Didn’t guess the killer
+Fun without being outlandishly zany

The Bad & The Other
-Status quo. No social issues or diversity included.

Deadly Dog Days is a fun contemporary cozy mystery that I enjoyed. Cameron is a transplant to this small town after a whirlwind romance and marriage to the local sheriff. When the book starts though, they’re already estranged and been he’s out of the house for months.

It doesn’t come right out and say why they split at first, and there’s a tug and pull relationship. What it isn’t: torrid. What it is: practical issues that they must work on. I loved it. It’s chuckle-worthy grounded escapism.

Cameron’s a typical woman trying to figure her life, her joy, her purpose out and stressing about weight and looks. The latter wasn’t much fun to read, but she’s not dieting and pushes back on those that shame her. The insecurities and jealousy was much the same. It’s not pretty but I viscerally understand her internal dialogue.

I can’t say much else without spoiling, but the mystery was great. I didn’t guess the killer, fell for reasonable red herrings, and enjoyed the ride. The ending is perfect and I’m so proud of Cameron!



3.5 Stars because I enjoyed it but it's not OMFGAMAZEBALLS. Pretty standard for the genre so if this is what you're looking for, definitely pick it up.