This murder mystery has everything you could want; a curious and clever heroine, a chatty canine companion, a rustic English village straight out of a storybook, a pair of gossipy husbands, a diverse cast of well-developed side characters and suspects, unpredictable twists and turns, and of course, a satisfying resolution to the mystery. I very much enjoyed this book and will most certainly pick up the second when I have a chance!

The chapters in Oliver’s perspective were a delight to read. He communicates and thinks exactly like how you would think a corgi would. He struggles to understand Emma’s human world and tries to make sense of it through smell, which often leads to more confusion for the both of them.

Knowing the end of the story, I realize that the hints and clues were there from the very beginning, but I was not able to put them together and figure out the answer before it was revealed in the story. I’m usually quite good at guessing the murderer in these types of stories, so I’m pleasantly surprised that this one was able to stump me.

My complaints are few, but major. This book takes place in England, but is written by an American author. It truly feels like she tried to throw every English phrase or word she knew into this story to try to make it seem more English. What this actually accomplished was unsettling the reader and pulling them out of the story.

Additionally, the beginning of this book was incredibly slow. It took me about a month to read the first half of this book. Once I made it past that halfway point, I finished it in two days. It’s just…boring. Emma spends more time searching for her dream house and the future location of her tea shop than she does trying to solve the murder. But once the plot eventually picks up, it really takes off and I struggled to put the book down.