MurderByDeath
I suspect there are more than a few really talented authors that are forced by publishers to write compelling mysteries wrapped in a shell of silliness because the marketing department decided that's what's "hot". I suspect this is just such an author.
Annie Knox is a pseudonym for Wendy Watson who wrote a way-too-short-lived series about an ice cream shop. I thought the ice cream shop setting was beyond silly and passed the series by for ages before a friend assured me it was not only good, but better than most cozies; she was right. Unfortunately, I'm not the only person who must have been put off: the series was cancelled and the last book ended on a monster of a cliff-hanger.
Collared for Murder was a great read. Once you get beyond the marketing-approved premise you have a very well-written story set in small town Minnesota with an outstanding cast of complex, diverse characters who all like, or at least respect, each other. Knox writes real relationships between real people and is very talented particularly with achieving the perfect touch of romance that leaves the reader breathless; I miss that in my cozies nowadays; everything's so damn chaste.
The mystery plotting is good; a little convoluted, but easy enough to keep up with. The plot was TSTL moment free and the ending was great because it didn't follow the formulae of "MC's life must be in peril!" These are definitely staying on the shelf.