After winning $5 million dollars in the lottery, Kari is still working her dead-end waitressing job and living in a crummy apartment while deciding the best way to use her winnings. When an opportunity to buy a struggling local animal sanctuary comes up, Kari knows this is what she’s meant to do. But Serenity Sanctuary comes with a fistful of problems; dilapidated buildings that need updating, an over-zealous dog warden who is inexplicably obsessed with shutting the sanctuary down and a dog who has been accused of attacking a man and his dog. As she begins to tackle everything on her to-do list, a bigger problem arises; the dog warden is found dead in the dog yard! Under suspicion, Kari and her group of sanctuary volunteers begin investigating, uncovering more than just a murderer.
As an animal lover, I can’t resist a good pet lover cozy, so when I saw this on Netgalley, I snapped it up quick. The first third of the book didn’t wow me, although I liked Kari, the “you found the body, you’re the main suspect” and the “leave the investigating to the police…” tropes really get under my skin. But I held on and, as the story unfolded, it turned into a smashing good read. Once the pace picked up and more and more leads were uncovered, it was impossible to put down. And I loved how Kari and her friends uncovered pieces of the puzzle and went to the sheriff with what they found, leading to several people headed off to jail. This little plot-within-a-plot elevated this to not-just-your-average cozy. Add in the heartwarming rejuvenation of the pet sanctuary, finishing this left a smile on my face and that warm, fuzzy feeling when all is put right.
One last note…seriously, NO ONE called out mouthy Bryn when she blames everything on Kari several times? No one, absolutely no one, told her to grow up and stop acting like a spoiled toddler? Not a fan of Bryn. She can go wash dogs somewhere else.
Heartwarming, satisfying and oh so cozy, Furbidden Fatality was a wonderful debut to a new series.