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    Death by Chocolate Lab
    Death by Chocolate Lab
    Death by Chocolate Lab
    Audiobook8 hours

    Death by Chocolate Lab

    Written by Bethany Blake

    Narrated by Elise Arsenault

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Pet sitter Daphne Templeton has a soft spot for every stray and misfit who wanders into the quaint, lakeside village of Sylvan Creek. But even Daphne doesn't like arrogant, womanizing Steve Beamus, the controversial owner of Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy. When Steve turns up dead during a dog agility trial, Daphne can think of a long list of people with motives for homicide, and so can the police. Unfortunately, at the top of the list is Daphne's sister, Piper-Steve's latest wronged girlfriend.

    Certain that Piper is innocent, in spite of mounting evidence to the contrary, Daphne sets out to clear her sister's name-and find Axis, Steve's prize-winning chocolate Labrador, who went missing the night of Steve's death. Aided by Socrates, her taciturn basset hound, and a hyperactive one-eared Chihuahua named Artie, Daphne quickly runs afoul of Detective Jonathan Black, a handsome and enigmatic newcomer to town, who has no appreciation for Daphne's unorthodox sleuthing.

    Can a free-spirited pet sitter, armed only with a PhD in philosophy and her two incompatible dogs, find the real killer before she becomes the next victim?
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateJan 30, 2018
    ISBN9781977373106

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    Reviews for Death by Chocolate Lab

    3.5/5

    34 ratings6 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Daphne and Piper Templeton are sisters who live together, but are opposites in nature. Piper is an organized veterinarian who owns a farm, Daphne has a doctorate in Philosophy and can't even keep gas in her vehicle. She lives rent free with her sister while trying to start up her Pet Sitting business. When the book opens we meet Socrates, the philosopher basset hound, Artie, the chihuahua that is so ugly he is cute and three huge rottweilers named Macduff, Iago and Hamlet all on a walk with Daphne. I was hooked right there. Then along comes Piper’s ex Steve Beamus, who runs the Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy, with his Chocolate Lab, Axis. Daphne does not like Steve and has no idea what Piper ever saw in him. They are all trying to prepare the animals and the farm for a dog agility event. When Steve is found dead inside a tunnel on the course, Piper is the main suspect in the eyes of the new Police Detective, Jonathan Black. Daphne tries to convince him that her sister had nothing to do with Steve’s murder, but when he does not instantly believe her, she sets off to investigate to prove she is innocent.

      As a dog lover I picked up this book based on the title and cover. The dogs were the stars of this story. Socrates belongs to Daphne and she is fostering little Artie in hope of finding this unusual little dog a forever home. The rottweilers belong to a wealthy client. Axis, the victim's dog is missing throughout most of the story and Daphne was not only trying to find the murderer, but Axis as well. The human characters are a bit quirky. Of course there is Daphne, who seems to never have any money, constantly has issues with her vehicle, seems to not have any other clients and has a bit of a crush on Detective Jonathan Black. I was not sure if I liked her at first, but she grows on you. Jonathan is new in town, easy on the eyes and really doesn’t think Piper is guilty. He gets extremely frustrated with Daphne throughout the story. Mr. Peachy lives in a cottage on the farm and helps Piper with whatever she needs. He is like a grandfather figure to the girls. We also meet some of the other townspeople to round out the cast. All the characters are well developed, even though this is the first book in the series.

      The story starts out quickly and with some humour. The murder happens in the early chapters and sets the stage. The middle begins to drag a bit, then picks up again. I did find the story a bit choppy, with short chapters. Some of the breaks could have been left out to help the flow. The murder had plenty of suspects as Steve was not all that well liked, and when the culprit was revealed, I was surprised. It made sense when the story wound up. Bethany Blake wrote a fun story with some interesting twists and characters. I enjoyed this book and am looking forward to the next one. The Lucky Paws Petsitting Mysteries are off to a good start.
    • 5/5
      Daphne Templeton is a pet sitter. She has a soft spot for animals, but she doesn't have a soft spot for arrogant, womanizing Steve Beamus. He's the owner of Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy and Daphne's sister's ex-boyfriend. When she finds him dead on her sister's property while preparing for a dog agility trail, Daphne can think of a long list of people who didn't like Steve. She knows her sister didn't kill him, but the police think otherwise. Daphne, her basset hound sidekick Socrates, and a hyperactive chihuahua named Artie set out to clear her Piper Templeton's name.I've read books two, three and four before reading this one which is the first in the Lucky Paws Petsitting series. While I did remember who was the murderer I thought that the whole mystery was well done to the point that I thought maybe I hadn't remembered correctly. It didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book, but I do recommend starting book one first. I like the characters, both human and canine, and I like Sylvan Creek. It's always fun spending time inside these pages and I will patiently wait for book number five!
    • 4/5
      This book hit a lot of the usual cozy tropes, but what I really liked were all the dogs! Sisters Daphne and Piper share a home, and even though both work with animals, are quite different. When an agility trial event is being set up at their farm and Piper’s former boyfriend winds up dead, Daphne’s natural nosiness kicks in. I liked the Sylvan Creek setting and Daphne is surrounded by some characters that I hope will continue to flourish in the next book. The new detective in town and Daphne's pseudo boyfriend add a bit of romance, but not anything that detracts from the mystery too much.
    • 3/5
      Daphne Templeton is a pet-sitter currently caring for an eager Chihuahua who has too much energy, which led him to a dead body. Now she's the one who's eager to find a killer before her sister winds up in a permanent cage...Daphne Templeton is a pet sitter in Sylvan Creek, Pennsylvania. She has a basset hound named Socrates, and is temporarily caring for Artie, a one-eared Chihuahua with an overbite. She lives with her veterinarian sister Piper on Piper's Winding Hill Farm, which is going to be the setting for a dog agility trial. The night before the trial, Steve Beamus arrives to set up the course. He owns the Blue Ribbon K-9 Training Academy, and is Piper's ex-boyfriend. Steve may be a very good dog trainer, but he's a terrible person. He has an abrasive personality, a womanizer, and is condescending to people, which makes him disliked by many. The next morning, Artie gets loose on and runs into one of the tunnels and Daphne goes to retrieve him. However, it isn't only Artie she finds in the tunnel - it's also the dead body of Steve.What makes it worse is that Daphne saw Piper arguing with Steve the night before, and the police detective overhears a conversation between Daphne and Piper while they are discussing it. Unfortunately, it puts Piper front and center as a suspect in Steve's murder. But Daphne knows Piper couldn't have done it, and since it appears (to her at least) that the police aren't even looking for anyone else, decides to find proof her sister is innocent. She also wonders where Axis, Steve's champion Labrador, has gone to, since she knows he wouldn't have left Steve willingly, and no one seems to care except her.When Daphne starts sleuthing on her own, she somehow always winds up in close proximity with a frustrated Detective Jonathan Black, who keeps telling her to stay out of the investigation while she keeps telling him her sister's innocent. It doesn't help things when Daphne finds another dead body, and that this one might very well have a connection to Steve's death. Now Daphne needs to find a killer before she winds up as the next victim...First off, let me say that I really liked Socrates and Artie and the recipes look really good. I would have liked to enjoyed the character of Daphne more, but she didn't make sense. She supposedly has a Ph.D. in Philosophy, but doesn't use it. (For those that don't know, a Ph.D. in this subject can take anywhere from 5-7 years beyond undergraduate study - so why would you get one if you're not going to use it?) I have no idea how she earned it because she seems really flaky and acts more like an 18-year-old instead of 33. It didn't seem plausible that she would devote that much concentration to study and a dissertation yet can't keep gas in her car or wear a watch to keep track of the time (how does she know when to pick up or return the pets?)Speaking of which, she's a pet sitter who doesn't have a working cell phone, a reliable vehicle, and doesn't advertise her services...which explains why she's always broke and can't buy a new van. She also doesn't believe in commitment, which explains the attraction Dylan, a laid-back surfer dude who's her sister's vet assistant, feels for her. He doesn't believe in commitment either.Piper seems cold, and her mother Maeve is a super-realtor who obviously favors Piper (because she's just like her, contrary to Detective Black's belief). She practically ignores anything Daphne says, looks down on her and acts like she's better than anyone else. A mother like this I can do without. I do like a cozy where there's a potential love interest later on down the line, but I can't imagine Detective Black being interested in her at all since she's so flaky, and Dylan is just too laid back for me to even care about him. When the ending comes and we find out the identity of the killer it came as a surprise, and I do think a warped mind is capable of anything. But I will add that the opening paragraph was flat out funny, and it convinced me to read the rest of the book. The interactions with the dogs is priceless, and I believe that Ms. Blake could, as the series progresses, give us a fun cozy experience. As a matter of fact, I have already pre-ordered the next in the series, Dial Meow for Murder, which is due out in September, and I suggest you do the same. All in all, a decent quick read.
    • 5/5
      The author is off to a grand start with this new series. I was so impressed with the writing style and how the story kept my attention. I love reading about animals and adore dogs. The setting for the story was great and oh how I loved the characters. Daphne is quite the dog whisperer. Well maybe not to some of the dogs but as a pet sitter she is perfect. Getting to know the animals she takes care of were fun. I absolutely love Artie. He would be the dog I would adopt without question. The author described him so well I could see his big eyes and bulging teeth with only one ear on a face that you have to love. Socrates is such a laid back dog and I laughed as Daphne tried coaxing him on walks. Daphne lives with her sister Piper, who happens to be a veterinarian. Piper is a very intelligent woman and is much more serious than her wacky sister Daphne. As it gets closer for the agility trail for dogs , Daphne is helping her sister set up for it on her farm. I would love to watch one of these trails in person. I can just imagine the beautiful and powerful dogs showing their strength and ability to listen to commands. It must take a lot of work to train them. Unfortunately something goes wrong and the trail is cancelled. A body has been found and who do you think discovers the body? Detective Jonathan Black is the investigator on the case. He really sounded like a good man with no tolerance for people who try to interfere . He is pretty quiet about his personal life and I enjoyed his encounters with Daphne. Will Piper be charged with the crime? Can Daphne stay out of the Jonathan's way? The story is funny and the trouble that Daphne finds herself in exasperates everyone around her. With Daphne the pet sitter on the case , shenanigans are sure to follow. Don't miss this fun cozy mystery filled with laughter and intrigue. I received a copy of this book from Great Escapes Book Tour. The review is my own opinion.
    • 3/5
      Death by Chocolate Lab by Bethany Blake is the first book in A Lucky Paws Petsitting Mystery series. Daphne Templeton lives in Sylvan Creek, Pennsylvania with her sister, Piper (their mother, Maeve lives in the town as well). While Daphne has a PhD in philosophy, she runs Daphne Templeton’s Lucky Paws Pet Sitting (now many job opportunities for someone with a degree in philosophy). Her sister, Piper owns Winding Hill Farm (and is the local veterinarian) and is hosting a dog agility trial competition the next day. Late that night, various vendors show up to set up their tents. Steve Beamus, owner of Blue Ribbon K-9 Academy arrives to set up the course. Steve is not well-liked because of his condescending, superior attitude and womanizing ways. The next morning, Daphne is out early with her dog, Socrates and her foster dog, Arnie (a little Chihuahua with an overeager personality and an unfortunate overbite). Arnie enters the course and dives in a red tunnel. When he does not exit, Daphne crawls in to get him. She gets a shock when she discovers the body of Steve Beamus. The new to town Detective Jonathan Black is in charge of the case and happens to hear a private conversation between Daphne and Piper that puts Piper at the top of the suspect list. Daphne is determined to prove her sister’s innocence to the detective. There is no shortage of suspects for the murder of such an unlikeable victim. Daphne, with the help of her canine sidekicks, starts questioning her list of suspects. When Daphne is out late one night for a clandasdine meeting, she discovers the body of Virginia Lockhart in the park. Virginia must have stumbled upon the killer and paid the ultimate price. Daphne will need to up her game if she is to find the killer before he strikes again (and she stumbles across another body)!I found Death by Chocolate Lab to be easy to read. I like the various dogs included in the story (can you tell I am trying to list the positive attributes first) and there are some good recipes for dog treats included at the end of the book (I will have to try them out). I enjoyed the mystery that Bethany Blake created in Death by Chocolate Lab. I do not think that many readers will guess the identity of the murderer. You will need to utilize deductive reasoning to identify the perpetrator (really think about all the people in the book). I give Death by Chocolate Lab 3 out of 5 stars. I thought that Daphne was too quirky (nicest word I can use). Daphne has a PhD in philosophy (she is also a vegetarian). It takes intelligence and time to get a doctorate degree. But the author then made her out to be a babbling idiot who cannot remember to keep gas in her car. Daphne has not managed to get her life together and lives with her sister who likes to remind her of this frequently (that she does not pay rent). She drives a 1960s era VW bus that breaks down as frequently as it runs out of gas (she puts in $5 and then drives 10 plus miles and is shocked there is no gas). The car has the worst paint job on the planet. It is supposed to depict a dog (for her business), but it looks like a horse (of course). I wish the author would have let Daphne be an intelligent, confident woman. It would have made for a more appealing story. Then there is the situation with Jonathan Black. It seems he is very handsome and Daphne cannot help but notice him. A reader is subjected to the many fine attributes of Detective Black several times throughout the novel (every single time Daphne and Black encounter each other). I like a little romance in cozy mysteries, but I do not feel the reader needs to be hit over-the-head with it (and we do not need the main character to be drooling over him). Detective Black is not the only hunky man in the book (there are two others). While Death by Chocolate Lab is not the right book for me, I believe others will enjoy the humor. The next book in the series is Dial Meow for Murder.