What I Read This Weekend

What I Read This Weekend . . .

Chihuahua of the Baskervilles (A Tripping Magazine Mystery) by Esri Allbritten-- Cozy Mystery

Charlotte Baskerville loves her Chihuahuas. She runs a small dog  high-end clothing business and has made quite a bit of money from it. When her late Chihuahua Petey makes a ghostly appearance, she believes he's trying to tell her something. Her husband thinks she's crazy and wants to have her committed. He feels threatened because he once lost the family fortune and now his wife has made it again. The newly formed staff team of Tripping Magazine heads to Manitou Springs, Colorado to investigate the mystery of the Bakserville's Chihuahua and look at some other quirky macabre events in town their readers might like. When another appearance by Petey leads to a shocking event, everyone has more questions than answers. Cynical Michael believes that someone in the house must be behind the haunting. Is it Cheri, the alcoholic granddaughter; Ivan, the Russian circus performer turned dog trainer; the Acai berry obsessed neighbor; or Ellen, the clothing designer? Angus, the magazine editor, wants to stick with the paranormal explanation, but when the police get involved, the Tripping staff have no choice but to cooperate and share their evidence. This story is much cuter and a little lighter than the Portrait of Doreene Gray. I love dogs and was happy to see the Chihuahuas play important roles in this story. The characters are unique and well-developed. The secondary characters provide a lot of comic relief from a plot that could be dark. The plot kept me guessing the whole time. I never ever guessed anything and stayed up late to finish the book. I liked the incorporation of some of the other events in Manitou Springs. It sounds like it's Halloween 365 days a year there. This is a light, fun read to pick up for Halloween for those who aren't into scary horror movies, zombies or vampires. It's good, simple fun. I hope the author writes more mysteries with Chihuahuas.