Book Review: Best in Murder by Lauren Carr
Book Description:
One Collar. Two Dead. Total Chaos.
When a priceless platinum-and-diamond collar vanishes at the Mid-Atlantic Classic Kennel Club Invitational—Best in Show at the Spencer Inn, it looks like the ultimate high-society theft. But when two women connected to the glittering event are murdered in quick succession, the case explodes into something far more deadly.
Mac Faraday and his troublemaking German Shepherd, Gnarly, dive headfirst into the glamorous, cutthroat world of championship dog shows. Amidst perfectly groomed champions worth small fortunes, ruthless competitors, and million-dollar egos, the trail leads to a missing Irish Wolfhound whose value goes well beyond his blue-blood pedigree.
As tensions rise between Spencer PD and the county sheriff’s office, Mac’s team races to untangle a web of greed, betrayal, and long-buried secrets—all while the elegant resort descends into delightful canine chaos. With show dogs of every shape and size turning the Spencer Inn into their personal playground, Gnarly does what he does best: stir up trouble and sniff out the truth.
Fast-paced, laugh-out-loud funny, and packed with four-legged mischief, Best in Murder proves that in the high-stakes world of Best in Show, the biggest prizes come with the deadliest risks.
My Review:
I am new to the Mac Faraday series, and will enjoy catching up on earlier installments. Best in Murder is a rollicking, twisty, you might say “gnarly” mystery! It is also rich in characters, human and canine, and heartwarming. This dog lover ate it up.
As a newby to this world and these characters, I admit I was initially overwhelmed by the number of people, places, roles, and plots to keep track of. I had to refer frequently to the cast of characters with thumbnail bios that Carr has helpfully put up front.
But on first reading, there was enough excitement, suspense, intrigue, humor, and warmth to keep me engaged. I enjoyed the characters of Mac, Archie, David, Smithy, Dusty, Flo, and several other humans, as well as outstanding dogs, Gnarly, Sterling, Storm, King Charles, et al. The bad guys were well drawn, and Chris did an excellent impersonation as one of them. I adored the children’s interactions with “Dumbledore.’ The dog show machinations were fascinating. The Spencer Inn is a place I would love to visit. I have never read a book set in that part of Maryland and it sounds incredibly beautiful.
It took me a second reading to pull together all the strands of the mystery, and I came to the conclusion that there may be too many of them. The Gus Rourke plot and the subsequent contract on Knox’s wife Sylvia seems one complication too many, a—to me—unnecessary red herring, expanding the novel to perhaps more pages than the core story required. Though I did like Gopher a lot. Hope she gets a fuller treatment in a future book.
That said, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and am happy to be introduced to this series.
Lauren Carr and friend
Buy the book:
BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/books/best-in-murder-a-mac-faraday-mystery-book-15-by-lauren-carr
Amazon: https://amzn.to/4vA8uR9
DOWNLOAD LINK for FREE BOOK: WHO FRAMED MICHELANGELO? https://dl.bookfunnel.com/g81ly3r4ac
