I think I was hoping for a lot more from this, given the dog involvement. I love cozy mysteries that include animals, and the cover on this one really drew me in. Unfortunately, the cover was about the best part.

I didn't love the character who cared so much about her image and her ostrich-skin boots. It's a stark contrast between most of the cozy mysteries where a woman is down on her luck and trying her best.

I didn't know how to feel about the other characters either. I didn't like that there was so much around relationships that weren't really explored, and for some, may have bordered on inappropriate (I can't stand age gap stuff). I did like the way the characters cared about each other, but it seemed like something was missing.

I also feel like I didn't get to know the setting as much as with most cozy mysteries either, or with most stories in general. Like the characters, it just kind of existed.

I will say the one thing I really did like was the author bio at the end. Cozy mysteries are so often done by ghostwriters, so it was refreshing to see that [a:Anne Shillolo|19624895|Anne Shillolo|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1600458522p2/19624895.jpg] is a real person.

I'm glad I got this book for free, because I was definitely enticed by the cover. I own two white poodles and that was what drew me into the story. I got the second one for free too. I'll probably read it, but not necessarily soon.