Bernie and Libby Simmons own a bakery called A Little Taste of Heaven, which used to be their late mother's. They're successful at it, and they live upstairs in an apartment along with their retired police chief father, Sean. One day at work, their employee Googie asks if they'd be willing to cater a dog wedding for his girlfriend Jennie's golden retrievers, Bertha and Ernie. Happy to do it, they want to see the space they'll be using.

Jennie is excited, but not about the fact that her business neighbor Rachel is trying to get rid of her any way she can. It's starting to cause problems, and unfortunately, Bernie and Libby are sucked right into the middle of it. Especially when Jennie's contractor, Tom Bannon, is found murdered and Jennie is the main suspect. When the women, along with the florist and photographer, begin to receive harassing messages, they vow to stick with it, even against the new police chief's threats. But when there's another murder, they're on a time limit to find a killer...who will have no qualms about killing again...

This is the seventeenth book in the series, and I have read most of them, and all of the latest. I have mixed feelings about this book (and I believe I mentioned it in other books as well). Bernie and Libby are apparently in their thirties, but they argue like teenagers. Which makes the next thing I mention make perfect sense: They have 'beaus' who apparently aren't really so. They never go on dates, never spend any time with them except at the local bar where Bernie's boyfriend Brandon is a bartender, or anything to do with a murder. I would have thought that their relationships would have progressed at this point. No talking about moving in together? Getting married? Are they going to be two old spinsters who own the local bakery? I know this doesn't bother others, but I like to see progression in mysteries. These have none.

I also don't really care for the cringe-worthy fact that they have no problem just going into someone's home and poking around. It might not be breaking and entering, but it's the next best thing to it. Surely there are other ways to get the information they crave. But other than the things I've mentioned above, I did enjoy the book. Enough that I would gladly read the next in the series. There's no doubt that they can figure out who the murderer is (almost a little too late, but that is also so in other series, so no big deal here). The ending was interesting, and the way it played out. I do like their father Sean and his friend Clyde quite a bit, and look forward to them being in each book.

The mystery was done well, as were the clues, and the time it took to solve it was no more than it should have been. Again, I enjoyed reading this book and look forward to the next by Ms. Crawford. Some of the recipes sounded yummy also and I may very well try them.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley but this in no way influenced my review. ( )

This is a fun read, if you can call a murder mystery fun. Libby and Bernie are catering a doggie wedding, which might be hard to take seriously. But when the people involved with the wedding are targeted with malicious mischief and other acts of violence which ultimately end with murder, the sisters are on the trail of the killer, to exonerate their friend. They don’t mind stretching the law to the breaking point, sometimes even seeking the help of their father, a former cop, to use his influence for information. Sometimes the sisters have more luck than sense, and they don’t let locked doors or dangerous people stop them in their quest. It’s a quick read, and the fact that it is so unreal makes it all the more entertaining. ( )

catering, dogs, vandalism, family-business, family-dynamics, family, friendship, friction, ex-cop, amateur-sleuth, recipes, cozy-mystery****

A grand opening billed as a doggie wedding gets preceded by felony vandalism and murder. The dad is a retired cop, and the sisters are prone to sleuthing. I felt a little behind it and I'm not sure it can stand alone. A good character driven whodunit with more than enough red herrings.
I requested and received a free e-book copy from Kensington Books via NetGalley. Thank you. ( )