Lane Stone

Sue Patrick loves her upscale Doggie Daycare and Spa, Buckingham Pet Palace. Located in Lewes, Delaware the spa caters to dogs, offering grooming, boarding, daycare....all the doggie amenities. Sue is excited because her business partner is travelling from England to visit the spa. Unfortunately, just as Lady Anthea Fitzwalter is arriving, things suddenly turn bad. The pet spa's van is discovered near the Lewes ferry terminal, with a load of dogs left abandoned inside. Well, not exactly abandoned....the corpse of the van's driver is inside as well. Soon rumors start that the spa employee was dognapping the pampered pooches and was murdered before he could get away. As customers dwindle at the dog spa, Sue and Lady Althea start investigating to find out who killed their driver and why. The fate of their business venture is at stake!

Although not really very realistic, I thought the idea of the upscale doggie day care with a British flare was cute. Cozies don't have to be realistic, so I just shut off that portion of my brain and enjoyed the story. Sue is an intelligent and capable main character. Lady Althea jumped right in to help and proved to be quite an asset. The duo works well together. I can't wait to see how their business partnership and friendship progresses.

The mystery moved along at a nice pace with plenty of suspects and sleuthing. The background theme is cute and enjoyable, and doesn't overpower the mystery portion of the plot. All in all, a very enjoyable, relaxing read. It was a nice book to read on a cool, crisp autumn night with my dog on my lap (of course). The cover is cute (as with most cozies). This is a shorter cozy so I was able to read it easily in one day. Nice start to a new series! I will definitely be reading more!

For more information on the author and her books, check out her website: http://www.lanestonebooks.com/

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Kensington via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**… (plus d'informations)

Stay Calm and Collie On by Lane Stone is the first book in A Pet Palace Mystery series. Sue Patrick co-owns Buckingham Pet Palace with Lady Anthea Fitzwalter. Sue has been busy getting everything ready for Lady Anthea’s visit including a Pet Parent Appreciation Gala (a doggy gala). Soon after Lady Anthea arrives, Sue gets a call from the police stating the Buckingham Pet Palace van has been found abandoned at the Lewes Ferry Terminal. Henry Cannon was driving the dogs home and only one made it to its destination. Sue and Lady Anthea arrive and discovers Henry dead in the back of the van along with the dogs. Business takes an immediate nosedive when rumors abound that the dogs were being smuggled out of the country. Sue and Lady Anthea realize they need to sniff out the killer or their new business venture will be over before its begun.

Stay Calm and Collie On did not feel like a finished novel. It seemed like a rough draft in need of polishing (and some rewriting). I thought the story had a decent pace, but I felt some key details are missing. We are not given enough information on Sue Patrick. Readers are given details on the business and how she came to be in contact with Lady Anthea. I wanted to know more about Sue (I found out more about the gala than about Sue). The story lacked focus. It jumped around (reminded me of a dog twirling in circles chasing its tail). Plus, did we need so many references to surfing and Elvis Presley. The mystery is not complicated and the killer can be deduced early in the book. The suspect list is extremely small. I just wanted more substance and less fluff. There are some cute scenes with dogs and humorous dialogue. For readers who enjoy light, humorous cozy mysteries (with emphasis on cozy), then pick up a copy of Stay Calm and Collie On.… (plus d'informations)