The Dog Across the Lake - (Paws & Claws Mystery) by Krista Davis (Paperback)

The Dog Across the Lake by Krista Davis takes us back to Wagtail, Virginia where the town is getting ready to celebrate Oma’s (Liesel Miller who is the mayor of Wagtail) birthday. I look forward to my visits to Wagtail each year. It is a charming town where cats and dogs are welcome along with their owners (of course). The story contains good writing along with developed characters. Holly Miller, the protagonist, has grown over the course of the series. It is easy to see that Wagtail is where she belongs, and that Holly is meant to run the Sugar Maple Inn. It is obvious how much Holly loves the inn. All the regular characters are back along with a couple of visitors. Holly’s father, cousin, and aunt are in town for Oma’s birthday dinner. Trixie and Twinkletoes are as wonderful as ever and they have a new friend. I appreciate that the author includes a cast of characters especially since the cast has grown with the series. The mystery has Holly fretting about her cousin, Josh. Josh’s mother is worried (a regular nervous Nelly) and wants Holly to unravel the thorny puzzle. Holly asks questions, observes people, looks for clues, and just “happens” to overhear conversations. There are clues for the readers that will help them identify the guilty party. I pinpointed the killer quite a while before Holly. There is a secondary mystery that Holly solves as well. While The Dog Across the Lake is the ninth A Paws and Claws Mystery, it can be read as a standalone. It will take a new reader a beat to get the characters straight but that is where the cast of characters comes in handy. I enjoyed the humor sprinkled throughout the story. Friendship, family, and a love of animals if prevalent throughout. I was sorry when my visit to Wagtail came to an end. The Dog Across the Lake is a delightful tale with a roving Radar, a victim in a tent, a questionable girlfriend, a birthday bash, a mournful howl, a laid-up officer, and visiting siblings.