Reviewed by annieb123 on
Dogs Don't Lie is the first book in a new cozy series by debut author Lisa Shay. Released 11th Sept 2019 it's 189 pages and available in paperback and ebook formats.
This is a nice cozy with a very slight magical realism facet (the communication with animals / Dr. Doolittle aspect). It's written in the first person, which is a challenge, but I didn't find it especially grating. The author is adept with the more technical aspects of writing.
Protagonist Kallie is a veterinarian working in a group practice. She can communicate with animals, but it's presented as something she learned at a workshop and can be taught to anyone. Other than that, though it plays a fairly central role to the plot progression, it's not discussed or analyzed in any meaningful degree. Other than requiring a healthy suspension of disbelief, I found the rest of the book well written and charming.
There's a slowly developing romance between Kallie and a hunky detective of course. There are numerous animals (though none talk or cast spells, thankfully). The denouement is satisfying and the book is a short and undemanding read. The language is very clean (G-rated) and there's no trigger-warning-worthy violence in the book at all.
The ebook version includes an interactive table of contents Possibly worth noting for Kindle Unlimited subscribers, this book is included in the KU subscription library to borrow and read for free. It's always fun to find a new author and series to read. I would recommend this one to fans of cozies with romantic subplots. I'm looking forward to more from this debut author.
Four stars.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
Reading updates
- Started reading
- Finished reading
- 23 November, 2019: Reviewed