The Dog Park Detectives by Blake Mara

Murder is never just a walk in the park . . .

When friends Louise and Irina find a dead body in the local park whilst walking their dogs, they are soon drawn into the mystery of who murdered local entrepreneur Phil Creasey.

Phil used to be a member of their dog walking community – nicknamed ‘the Pack’ – until the death of his cockapoo, and the Pack feel they owe it to Phil to investigate his death. But with Louise and Irina leading the charge, it isn’t long until they’re neck-deep in local gangs, stolen motorcycles and a disturbing string of poisonings. Have the Pack bitten off more than they can chew, or can they follow their noses and solve the crime?

The Dog Park Detectives is a joyous and fur-ociously entertaining murder mystery for fans of dogs and cosy crime, and the first in a pawfully exciting new series that is perfect for fans of Richard Osman and Robert Thorogood.  

My thoughts:

Thank you to The Likely Suspects (Simon & Schuster) for the opportunity to read and review The Dog Park Detectives by Blake Mara (aka Mara Timon).

Regular readers of my reviews may know that we have two adopted chihuahuas, so I was keen to read a book full of dogs (and their humans).

This is a fast paced book (unlike our chihuahuas) with a suspected murder happening early in the story, and the body found by Lou and Irina. There are a number of suspects and other stories running alongside, some of which the police appear to be ignoring or not taking seriously.

So can the local dog walkers (with the help of their group chat messages) help solve some of the mysteries and stop any more dogs being poisoned.

I loved both the human and canine stories, and also loved how the dogs ‘helped’ the investigators or were left with a friend rather than being left home alone for hours on end.

There is a great mix of humour, secrets and friendship in this book, and I loved the story. I have so many questions about the other dog park club members that I hope that this will be the start of a series.

Author Bio:

I was midway through writing my 3rd WW2 espionage thriller, when I got a dog – a miniature dachshund with a massive personality – and discovered the dog park and the dog community. It didn’t take long for me to wonder… what if two people are out walking their dogs and find a dead body? What if it’s someone they know? I followed the trail of “What Ifs” as THE DOG PARK DETECTIVES took shape. (While murder isn’t a walk in the park, in this case, the research literally was!)

Inspired by my hound and our local East London dog park, I’m now working on BONE OF CONTENTION, the second book in the series.

Writing as Mara Timon, I’m also the author of CITY OF SPIES (shortlisted for CrimeFest’s debut of the year) and its sequel, RESISTANCE.