13) A Taste Fur Murder by Dixie Lyle

The Blurb :


Meet Deirdre “Foxtrot” Lancaster. Trusted employee of eccentric zillionairess Zelda Zoransky, Foxtrot manages a mansion, a private zoo, and anything else that strikes her boss’s fancy. Her job title is Administrative Assistant, but chaos handler would be more accurate. Especially after she glimpses a giant ghost-beast in Zelda’s pet cemetery. For some strange reason, Foxtrot is seeing animal spirits. And, ready or not, the fur’s about to hit the fan…

Still reeling, Foxtrot comes home to find her cat, Tango—her dead cat Tango—alive and well and communicating telepathically. But that’s not all: There’s an ectoplasmic dog named Tiny who changes breeds with a shake of his tail…and can sniff out a clue like nobody’s business. So when a coworker drops dead while organizing closets, Tiny is on the case. Can Foxtrot and her new companions ferret out the killer among a menagerie of suspects—human and otherwise—before death takes another bite?

My Thoughts :

This cover caught my eye and the blurb sealed the deal.  This was a cozy I had to try.  Not only did it promise a paranormal element but also there were animals involved.  Sounded like fun, seemed like a cool concept and had to be unique.  I have to say that this this debut did match up to those expectations.  The story was fun, the concept was well thought out and interesting.  The idea was unique and it seemed the author went to a lot of trouble to make sure it wasn't like anything else out there.  However as with any first in a series there are always some kinks that need ironing out.

A Taste Fur Murder started off with a nice little introduction into the life of Foxtrot.  A nice character who seems to have a lovely job and great boss.  All the people involved were interesting to meet and the author created some nice characters, some that I hope we will see again in future books.  The paranormal element was very unusual.  Ghost animals that help solve murders isn't something I would have expected but it seems there are still some cozy mystery concepts out there that haven't been used yet.

While I thought the paranormal element was new, different and interesting I have to say I found that Foxtrot accepted it way too easily.  Also the continuing advancement in the supernatural goings on (another character reveals a talent) was a little over the top and maybe a little too much for the first installment.

I enjoyed this read but I have to admit that the conversations between Foxtrot and the animals had the makings for a headache.  Although the dialogue was written so you could tell who was talking I still found it hard to follow sometimes.  Was Foxtrot talking out loud?  Was it the dog or the cat answering?  Or maybe one of the other animals?  A translation?  On more than a few occasions I found myself re-reading parts of what was said because It got a little confusing.

All in all this wasn't a bad read and I have to admit I am curious about how the series will develop.  The second book in the series, To Die Fur, is already set to release in August so big plus points for not making us wait around too long for a sequel.  Well worth checking out if you like cozy mysteries or paranormals.  Oh and if you love cats and dogs you will also enjoy this one.

*** A Taste for Murder releases on Feb 25th ***

 

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