A Catered Doggie Wedding
At A Little Taste of Heaven, Bernie and Libby Simmons cater all sorts of affairs, from book clubs to bridal showers and everything in between. So when their counterman, Googie, asks them to cater a dog wedding for his girlfriend Jenni’s eight-month-old golden retrievers, they jump on the opportunity. The reception, which will also serve as a grand opening for Jennie’s new doggie daycare center, is no small affair. Bertha and Ernie, the bride and groom, will celebrate with more than a hundred guests, including the puppers’ pals and their people.
But all weddings, even shaggy dog shindigs, come with some drama. Not everyone in town is excited about the upcoming pup-tuials, or Jenni’s business. Someone is sending threatening messages to Bernie, Libby, and others in town, warning them not to cater the party and cancel the festivities. But when folks start dying under curious circumstances, Bernie and Libby know it’s up to them to untangle the leads and find the murderer before anyone else bites it.
The Details
Series: A Mystery With Recipes – Book #17
Author: Isis Crawford
Genre/Category: Cozy – Amateur Sleuth/Culinary
Publisher: Kensington Cozies
ISBN: 1496734963
Page Count: 336
Rating: 
The Review
Although I have been a fan of the “A Mystery With Recipes” series through the years, A Catered Doggie Wedding was not one of my favorites. Don’t get me wrong, I adore Bernie and Libby, and their father is the best character in the series, but this story just didn’t grab my attention and keep it. When Bernie and Libby accept a job to cater a dog wedding, they think it will be a fun event or a hairy one depending on how it goes. When they start receiving threats to cancel their involvement, and someone is killed, they rethink their position but decide not to give up. Suspects are plentiful, a little too plentiful, and the evidence abundant and confusing.
Having a dog wedding has become a fashionable event for some people, and some caterers might find it almost irresistible to cater this type of party; most, however, would likely steer clear of anything that could cause their clients, or the health department, to question their business practices. Bernie and Libby don’t pay attention to such matters, or any others for that matter. Investigating and sticking their nose in is what they do best besides cooking, even when it has nothing to do with them. No matter how often they are told to stay out of police business, they plow their way through whichever direction they feel they want regardless of evidence or people’s privacy.
The characters in this book, including a dog or two, and the series, are usually fun and make readers laugh. Bernie and Libby are one of a kind and might even be a bit too old-fashioned for today’s modern world. They cater all sorts of events, and the recipes all sound delicious. They still live with their father, and even though they are well past the age when they need to do everything their parent tells them to, they generally allow their father to dictate much of their daily actions. The other characters in this series are interesting, and readers will like many of them, especially their father. They could use a change of setting, but readers get a good idea of what the town and their home look like.
In this installment to the series, I have to say that Bernie and Libby might want to rethink their business. It’s fine to cater a dog wedding, but I wouldn’t want them to make a habit of it. The victim isn’t at all likable, and no one will be surprised when he is killed. The main suspect is expected and clearly has a motive, as do all the suspects. Unfortunately, the pacing in this book is a bit too slow. The evidence is far too easy to follow; however, the ending and the killer are simply not believable. I would like to see Bernie and Libby grow, but so far, they have avoided any growth over several of the latest books, and this is causing a problem on where to go with the series. I hope that A Catered Doggie Wedding isn’t the last book in this series, as that would be disappointing, but I think it’s time to change things and bring Bernie and Libby into the 21st century. Hopefully, they won’t cater more dog weddings in future volumes.
The Author
Isis Crawford was born in Egypt to parents who were in the diplomatic corps. When she was five, her family returned to the States, where her mother opened a restaurant in Upper Westchester County, and her father became a university professor. Since then, Isis has combined her parents’ love of food and travel by running a catering service and penning numerous travel-related articles about places ranging from Omsk to Paraguay.
Before she became Isis Crawford (named incidentally for her cat), she was Barbara Block and still is. Like Isis, she ran a catering business, which also specialized in desserts. Unlike Isis, she co-owned a pizza shop as well. Barbara is married and has three sons. She lives in Upstate New York, having relocated from New York City.
Other books in the “A Mystery with Recipes” series readers will enjoy include A Catered New Year’s Eve or Catered Book Club Murder.
Represented by: The Evan Marshall Agency
Contact Isis: 
Find Isis on Social Media:
Contact The Cozy Review
Leave a Reply