The Case of the Invisible Dog by Diane StingleyPublication date: May 19, 2015 by Alibi
Genre: Mystery
Source: digital galley from Publisher via TLC Book Tours for an honest review
Description:
In the start of a charmingly imaginative cozy series sure to delight fans of Carolyn Hart and Diane Mott Davidson, Diane Stingley introduces a blundering detective who believes herself to be the great-great-granddaughter of the legendary Sherlock Holmes.
After failing to launch her career as a Hollywood actress, Tammy Norman returns home to North Carolina, desperate for a regular paycheck and a new lease on life. So she accepts a position assisting Shirley Homes, an exceptionally odd personage who styles herself after her celebrated “ancestor”–right down to the ridiculous hat. Tammy isn’t sure how long she can go on indulging the delusional Shirley (who honestly believes Sherlock Holmes was a real person!), but with the prospect of unemployment looming, she decides to give it a shot.
Tammy’s impression of her eccentric boss does not improve when their first case involves midnight romps through strangers’ yards in pursuit of a phantom dog—that only their client can hear. But when the case takes a sudden and sinister turn, Tammy has to admit that Shirley Homes might actually be on to something. . . .
My Take:
Even though The Case of the Invisible Dog is A Shirley Homes Mystery, Tammy Norman is the real star of the book. Tammy has recently returned to her hometown after trying to make it as an actress in Hollywood. She is still down about her lack of success as an actress and her failed relationships. Tammy needs a good job, but her qualifications are a little lacking so she eventually answers a strange advert for employment and winds up working for Shirley Homes. The money and benefits are good, so who could blame her for working for the quirky and more than a little odd Shirley Homes?
The premise of the novel is fun and entertaining and I liked Tammy as the point of view character quite a lot. I found her struggle trying to decide if the money was worth the problems that come along with working for Shirley to be fun and entertaining. And there are a lot of problems that go with working for Shirley -- let's just say that most people, including the local police do not actually believe her story that she is the great-great-granddaughter of Sherlock Holmes. They are all still caught up in the pesky fact that he is a fictional character.
I enjoyed following Tammy on her adventure and witnessing her personal growth and seeing her use her acting skills to keep things moving along and trying to minimize the chaos that seems to follow in Shirley's wake.There is plenty for mystery fans to chuckle over and still enjoy the mystery solving process.
This was a fun book to read. There is the mystery of the invisible dog, but there are several side mysteries that must be unraveled in order to solve the main one. There is also the much bigger mystery of Shirley and her heritage. This one is still unsolved, but I am sure that Tammy will be able to get to the bottom of it and I look forward to following her as her story progresses. The Case of the Invisible Dog is a light, fun read that should entertain many mystery fans.
Purchase Links
About Diane Stingley
Diane Stingley is the author of Dress You Up in My Love and I’m With Cupid. She was also a columnist for The Charlotte Observer and received e-mails from around the country in response to her columns. She currently resides in North Carolina and is hard at work on the next Shirley Homes mystery.
Diane Stingley’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:
Monday, May 11th: Kahakai Kitchen
Monday, May 11th: A Chick Who Reads
Tuesday, May 12th: Bibliotica
Wednesday, May 13th: From the TBR Pile
Thursday, May 14th: Mama Vicky Says
Monday, May 18th: Priscilla and Her Books
Monday, May 18th: Bell, Book & Candle
Tuesday, May 19th: Book Babe
Wednesday, May 20th: Reading Reality
Monday, May 25th: Patricia’s Wisdom
Wednesday, May 27th: Mom in Love with Fiction
Thursday, May 28th: For the Love of Fictional Worlds
Monday, June 1st: A Book Geek
Wednesday, June 3rd: Dwell in Possibility
Monday, June 8th: Staircase Wit
Wednesday, June 10th: Joyfully Retired
Shirley sounds like a fun and quirky character who I'd enjoy getting to know!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being a part of the tour.