Review of "Dog Dish of Doom: An Agent to the Paws Mystery" by E.J. Copperman

In this first book in 'An Agent to the Paws' cozy mystery series, an unpleasant loudmouth is murdered.

*****

When famous Broadway director Les McMaster is auditioning dogs for the role of Sandy in 'Annie', Kay Powell - a talent agent for animals - has just the pooch for the job.

Her client Bruno, a shaggy brown dog who looks like a hairy ottoman - is friendly, follows directions, and can cry on demand. Bruno is having a fine tryout - and would be a shoo-in for the job - if only his owner would shut his mouth.



Trent Barclay and his wife Louise adopted Bruno from a shelter, trained him, and have plans for his show business career. Trent - an obnoxious loudmouth who thinks he knows best - interrupts Bruno's audition, calls McMaster a hack, and says he's a bad director.



Thus, when Bruno gets the job his contract states that Trent and Louise can't attend Bruno's rehearsals. Kay doesn't mind since she'd just as soon handle Bruno's career herself - and has the experience to do it. Kay's parents, Jay and El, were performers at a Catskill resort - and Kay joined their act when she was four (Jay, Kay, and El.....get it. LOL) . Kay sang, danced, and did skits with her parents until she went off to college.



Kay then went to law school to learn about contracts, and started her career as an animal agent. Meanwhile, Jay and El took their act onto cruise ships, where they traveled and had fun while getting paid.

Jay and El are between gigs right now, and staying at Kay's house in Scarborough, N.J. To pass the time, Jay is producing a revue for the Scarborough Senior Center, and he and his wife are auditioning the elderly talent in Kay's living room. This is pretty hilarious.



To add to the foofaraw at Kay's place are her two dogs, Steve the dachshund and Eydie, the rescue greyhound - both of whom have big, endearing personalities....and a fondness for liver treats.



The day after Bruno's audition, Kay wakes up to shocking news. Trent Barclay has been found stabbed to death in his kitchen - with his face in Bruno's water bowl. Detective Alana Rodriguez of the NYPD - who's so stiff 'you couldn't get her to move a facial muscle without dynamite' - shows up at Kay's house to ask about the kerfuffle during Bruno's tryout.



Before long Lt. Rodriguez recruits Kay - asking the agent to sniff around the theater people and report anything suspicious. Rodriguez actually gets a 'threefer', because Jay and El want to be amateur sleuths as well. The trio of Powells get up to all kinds of mischief while they're investigating (can you say breaking and entering).



As the murderer is being sought, odd things start to happen. People keep trying to abduct Bruno.....and Kay gets threatening messages to hand over the dog. The agent has no intention of losing her client, and there's some desperate behavior on the part of Bruno's would-be abductors. Bruno gets to spend some time at Kay's house, where he becomes best friends with Steve and is (mostly) ignored by haughty Eydie.

Many secrets come to light before the murderer is exposed in a dramatic climax where Bruno shows his mettle.

The book is chock full of humorous scenes and zingy remarks that made me laugh. There's also an array of interesting characters, including:

- Sam Gibson, the owner of Cool Beans Coffee Shop. This potential romantic interest for Kay gives her free coffee and muffins, helpful advice, and dog-walking assistance when needed.



-Akra Levy, Les's ubiquitous assistant. Akra seemed to be 'seven hundred clones' because she's everywhere Les needs all the time - clipboard in hand.



-Consuelo, Kay's 'manager/assistant/entire staff' - who organizes Kay within an inch of her life. Consuelo is angling to be an animal agent herself.



-Diego (Dee), Consuelo's 22-year-old son, whose common sense provides vital clues to the mysteries in the story.



-Maisie, a macaw Kay took in lieu of payment. Maisie - 'a diva and a brat' - resides in Kay's office, and wants everyone to go away and leave her alone.



One of my favorite lines in the book is when Consuelo tells Kay, "You have an appointment with that parakeet at eleven-thirty, then a phone call with the bear cub and a callback for the calico cat." Ha ha ha

I enjoyed this well-written, cozy mystery and highly recommend it to fans of the genre.

Thanks to Netgalley, the author (E.J. Copperman) and the publisher (St. Martin's Press) for a copy of the book. 

Rating: 4 stars