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theavidreaderandbibliophile's review
4.0
A Deadly Bone to Pick by Peggy Rothschild has Molly Madison relocating to the West coast with her golden retriever, Harlow after the death of her husband. Molly is instructing the movers when a large Saint Berdoodle walks into her home (he is a drooler). It turns out that Noodle’s owner is too busy in the ER to take care of the affectionate dog or train him. Molly takes over the task and walks him on the beach each morning with Harlow. Noodle has a good sniffer. He uncovers a hand on the beach. Unfortunately, Molly becomes the prime suspect when the cops learn about what happened in Massachusetts. When Noodle digs up another item, it is clear the lead detective has it out for Molly. If she is going to get her fresh start, Molly needs to use the skills she learned as a copy and PI to uncover the responsible party. A Deadly Bone to Pick is the first book that I have read by Peggy Rothschild. I liked the author’s writing style. It made for an easy-to-read story with likeable characters. I like Molly and her canine companion, Harlow. We also get to meet some of her new neighbors. Noodle is a delight. He adds humor to the story as well as those “ahhhh” moments. Noodle is one clever canine. The author shares information about dog breeds and training as well as agility training. I learned some interesting facts. My dog is part St. Bernard (only drools when food is present) and I learned that he has a nose for scents (explains his tracking ability). The mystery was appealing, but there was not enough of it. I wanted more details and investigation. Solving the whodunit is a snap. I was not a fan of the nasty lead detective (I do not care if he is going through an acrimonious divorce—he should not take it out on Molly). His younger partner is much nicer and easy on the eyes. I loved eight-year-old Ava. She is extremely smart and has parents who are self-involved. Molly and Ava have a lot in common despite their age difference. Molly helps Ava train her dog, Huckleberry. I hope A Deadly Bone to Pick is just the beginning of Molly Madison’s adventures. A Deadly Bone to Pick is a charming new cozy with cute canines, a clever child, a diligent doctor, an exhumed hand, a distressing detective, a perturbing past, and a determined dog wrangler.
iceangel32's review
4.0
I really liked this book. I am happy to say I knew who the killer was before the main character. I enjoyed they way that we got there and did not expect the route to the end. I did not want to get out of the car at my destination when I was listening. I loved the dog training part of the story. I am looking forward to the next book and more on the story back east. Very happy I picked this one up.
booklvrkat's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Mini Blurb: Ex-police officer and former P.I. Molly Madison is starting over. After the death of her husband, she and her golden retriever, Harlow, move cross-country to California. But as charming and peaceful as the beachside town seems, she soon learns its tranquil tides hold dark secrets.
This past summer, I sat in on an author panel where they discussed adding animals to their mysteries. This author captured me with the description of her book, the designing (fun!) of the cover, and that she not only had a golden retriever, Harlow, but also she is introduced to a large, slobbering, Saint Berdoodle who wanders into her new home. SOLD! This panel was extremely interesting, but this tale stuck with me until it pawed at me to get it off my shelf, and into my hands to read. I admired how Molly had the pure instinct that something was wrong immediately, & just could not go against her intuition to solve a crime. Fun, fast-paced, and engaging, this story has me wanting to jump into the next book immediately. Can’t wait to see what trouble Molly, Harlow & Noodle go next.
hookedbythatbook's review
4.0
I loved the two dogs, and the mystery and suspense were enough to keep me glued to my ereader.
Molly Madison packed up her life in small town Massachusetts and moved all the way to California after her husband’s death. On her first day there, Molly and her dog befriended a huge Saint Berdoodle, and Noodle sort of adopted them even though his owner, a super busy doctor, lived just down the road. Molly’s hopes of a quiet life were dashed one day when Noodle dug up a hand on the beach. The local police did some digging and found out that Molly had a few skeletons in her closet, and that made her a suspect in their eyes.
Descriptions of Molly’s everyday life, feeding, training, and playing with the dogs, chats with her neighbors, errands to the store, and so on fill the pages of this book. You would think that sounds boring, but it’s not. The two dogs are beyond adorable. Molly is looking for a quiet place to start over where no one knows who she is, but she finds herself surrounded with some strange neighbors and even stranger events.
I found this book to a bit of a dichotomy. Molly is quietly going about her day with the dogs playing a prominent role, and it’s all so peaceful. And then suddenly a body pops up almost out of the blue. It certainly kept me on my toes. The identity of the murderer was a big surprise at the end.
It looks to be the start of a new series, and I would love to read more about Molly, Harlow, and Noodle. A Deadly Bone to Pick is more a mystery than anything else. There are some hints of a possible romance and maybe that will be explored more later on. I hope so.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
mindfullibrarian's review
5.0
MY NEW FAVORITE MYSTERY! 2 reasons I adored this so, so much:
1) it was a perfect blend of cozy mystery and Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone - I grew up on the alphabet series and seeing glimpses of Kinsey in Molly just brought me all kinds of joy ❤️ But also, the cozy aspects were there too. NOT cute and quaint cozy - not at all. But the “tied up with a bow by the end” and the small community parts are all there.
2) THE DOGS. I have never read a book where the main character talks to and relates to her dogs just like I do. Seriously I talk to my dogs more than my family members some days - and those are the best days
1) it was a perfect blend of cozy mystery and Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone - I grew up on the alphabet series and seeing glimpses of Kinsey in Molly just brought me all kinds of joy ❤️ But also, the cozy aspects were there too. NOT cute and quaint cozy - not at all. But the “tied up with a bow by the end” and the small community parts are all there.
2) THE DOGS. I have never read a book where the main character talks to and relates to her dogs just like I do. Seriously I talk to my dogs more than my family members some days - and those are the best days
annieb123's review
5.0
Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.
A Deadly Bone to Pick is the first book in a new cozy series by Peggy Rothschild. Released 22nd Feb 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley Prime Crime imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.
This is a very promising beginning to a new small-town cozy series with a widowed ex-cop female protagonist who has moved from New England to the west cost to make a new start. Having traumatically lost her husband, she's unprepared to be drawn into another murder when a neighbor's dog she's helping to train finds a dismembered hand on the beach. It's a bit trope-y in some ways, for example there's the requisite completely unprofessionally antagonistic local misogynistic law enforcement officer harassing her and trying to frame her for some involvement (boo, hiss), but overall I really liked Ms. Rothschild's facility with characterization and plotting. The dialogue is generally good and it's a fast, easy read. I was especially impressed with the way the author handled introducing protagonist Molly's back story and her move to the opposite coast of the USA.
The plot threads are spun out well and the denouement and resolution are satisfying if a tiny bit predictable. The author did a good job of fleshing out the secondary characters as well. They're three-dimensional and believable, even the antagonistic jerk cop (boo, hiss). One of the secondary but pivotal characters is a precocious 8 year old who was one of the stars of the book for me. Dog lovers will find a lot to enjoy here and it's clear the author is either gifted at background research or very familiar with dog training and agility.
The language is mild (a few "damns" and nothing worse), and there's no explicit content, gore, or violence on-page. There's the merest whiff of romance, but nothing even remotely stated in this book. (Possible future romantic interest from the "good" cop partner of the "bad cop"(boo, hiss)).
Four and a half stars. This is top shelf cozy mystery. Highly recommended.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
A Deadly Bone to Pick is the first book in a new cozy series by Peggy Rothschild. Released 22nd Feb 2022 by Penguin Random House on their Berkley Prime Crime imprint, it's 304 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links. I've really become enamored of ebooks with interactive formats.
This is a very promising beginning to a new small-town cozy series with a widowed ex-cop female protagonist who has moved from New England to the west cost to make a new start. Having traumatically lost her husband, she's unprepared to be drawn into another murder when a neighbor's dog she's helping to train finds a dismembered hand on the beach. It's a bit trope-y in some ways, for example there's the requisite completely unprofessionally antagonistic local misogynistic law enforcement officer harassing her and trying to frame her for some involvement (boo, hiss), but overall I really liked Ms. Rothschild's facility with characterization and plotting. The dialogue is generally good and it's a fast, easy read. I was especially impressed with the way the author handled introducing protagonist Molly's back story and her move to the opposite coast of the USA.
The plot threads are spun out well and the denouement and resolution are satisfying if a tiny bit predictable. The author did a good job of fleshing out the secondary characters as well. They're three-dimensional and believable, even the antagonistic jerk cop (boo, hiss). One of the secondary but pivotal characters is a precocious 8 year old who was one of the stars of the book for me. Dog lovers will find a lot to enjoy here and it's clear the author is either gifted at background research or very familiar with dog training and agility.
The language is mild (a few "damns" and nothing worse), and there's no explicit content, gore, or violence on-page. There's the merest whiff of romance, but nothing even remotely stated in this book. (Possible future romantic interest from the "good" cop partner of the "bad cop"(boo, hiss)).
Four and a half stars. This is top shelf cozy mystery. Highly recommended.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes
heather_marie__'s review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75