Cozy Mystery Review: The Dog Across the Lake | Krista Davis | Paws & Claws Mystery #9

The ninth Paws and Claws Mystery by Krista Davis, The Dog Across the Lake, features a strange new dog appearing in Wagtail, Virginia, and leads to a murder mystery. A sweet cozy mystery for the dog-lovers!

About the Book | The Dog Across the Lake

Holly and Trixie meet a strange new dog in Wagtail that leads them right into murder…

Holly Miller is looking forward to finally taking a few days to relax. Enjoying an early morning on her terrace, she spots an unfamiliar reddish-gold pooch across the lake. She’s intrigued, but never expects to find the very same dog smiling at her in bed when she wakes up the next morning! Trixie and Twinkletoes appear to accept this cute stranger, but Holly doesn’t know to whom he belongs.

Oma thinks the dog looks familiar, and it turns out the wayward pooch belongs to Holly’s cousin Josh. Holly knew her cousin well as a child, but she hasn’t seen him in over a decade. He’s camping with his girlfriend across the lake. Holly returns the cute dog to Josh’s campsite twice, but the second time, Josh and his girlfriend are nowhere to be found. Instead, a guest of the Sugar Maple Inn is dead in their tent. Now it’s up to Holly and Trixie to suss out a sneaky killer. (Synopsis from Goodreads)

Review | The Dog Across the Lake

The Paws and Claws Mysteries are set at the Sugar Maple Inn in Wagtail, Virginia—which is basically the premiere vacation destination for pet owners to bring their furry friends along with them. The owners of the Sugar Maple Inn, Holly Miller and her grandmother Oma, are always so fun to visit along with their adorable dogs and the local cast of characters.

The Dog Across the Lake begins as Oma’s birthday is coming up, and family and friends from all over are coming to celebrate with her. Holly Miller spots a reddish colored dog across the lake, and then wakes up at the Sugar Maple Inn the next morning to find the same dog (that isn’t hers) snuggled in bed with her. But even stranger, Holly knows this dog—it belongs to her cousin Josh who she hasn’t heard from for over ten years.

Holly’s own pets, Trixie and Twinkletoes, don’t seem surprised by the new dog, who Oma reveals is named Radar and did indeed belong to her cousin Josh Paxton. Holly is excited that this must mean Josh has finally returned for Oma’s birthday celebration. When Holly travels to the campsite across the lake to locate Josh, she finds that he and his girlfriend Dana are staying there and acting… strange. It seems they are hiding something, but Holly has no idea what it could be.

The next time Holly visits the campsite, she finds a guest of the Inn dead inside the tent, and Josh and Dana are nowhere to be found. What happened, and is Josh responsible for the murder?

This mystery is definitely on the cozier side of cozy mysteries. I always enjoy escaping to Wagtail and the pet-loving community at the Inn. The mystery is very light and my main critique would be that it probably veered too much towards the large cast of characters and what was happening there than it did towards the mystery.

The characters are wonderful—warm and welcoming. Reading this series is like a cozy mug of hot chocolate on a cold day. The pets are a fun addition, especially for the pet-lovers out there. Holly loves running the Inn and it’s great to see how far she has progressed since the first book of the series.

While family are arriving from all over the world, Josh and Dana are the central points to this mystery. Holly instinctively believes Josh is innocent, but Josh certainly doesn’t do himself any favors when it comes to helping to prove his innocence. There were lots of secrets to be uncovered, and a second sub-mystery may link to the main one (you’ll have to read to find out!). Holly is always a delight and I enjoyed Officer Dave as well. The reveal comes with the signature cozy mystery showdown that can be expected.

The characters are lovable, the setting is a perfect escape, and the mystery was interesting. A fun mystery for the pet-lovers!

About the Author | Krista Davis

Krista Davis lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia where she writes three mystery series. She lived in Northern Virginia for many years and resided for a time in Old Town Alexandria where her Domestic Diva Mysteries take place.

Krista also writes the Paws and Claws Mysteries, which debuted with MURDER, SHE BARKED. They are set in a resort town that caters to people who want to vacation with their dogs and cats. Alas, charming Wagtail Mountain, Virginia, where dogs and cats are welcome everywhere is fictional.

Her newest series, the Pen & Ink Mysteries, features covers that can be colored! Read the book and have fun coloring the cover.

She likes to cook and bake (okay, what she really likes is eating) so it was only natural for her to include recipes in her mysteries.

Her dogs and cats have inspired the animal characters in her books.