Yet another cozy mystery series I will pass on.

Start with a quaint small hometown to which our heroine returns after a failed romance and several years in the big city. Make her the absolute bestest, smartest, most competent person in the ENTIRE town. Turn her into a better investigator than the investigators. In fact, make her so good that she doesn’t have to follow police protocols, at all and the cops are still thrilled she’s around to help.

Now, give her insane levels of knowledge about EVERYTHING, ever. But don’t telegraph any hints with foreshadowing. Just dump all that glorious knowledge on the reader out of the blue. Let our heroine take incredible leaps of logic and make assumptions she has no basis for. It’s okay, ‘cause she’s the smartest person ever.

To prove her awesomeness, she will offer sage advice to people throughout town, including advice on personal matters with which she is unfamiliar. Her advice is on-point and perfect. Every. Single. Time.

Then, spring a killer from the shadows without warning because everyone our heroine has interacted with through the story has been so nice. None of them could possibly kill our victim. Just for giggles, foreshadowing a character as important to a murder mystery as the killer should include more than one line of dialogue and a description of said killer as part of the scenery in our quaint little tourist trap.

The author needs to do more research on poisoning if she wishes to feature poisons or drugs in her story. The drug used to sicken one victim would not have caused the reaction described. It was sloppy and obviously not studied before being used as a plot device.

A cozy mystery is still subject to the same intellectual physics as any other mystery. There’s more to it than a couple of dead bodies, elaborate menus in quaint hotel dining rooms, and cute pets. It would behoove this author to learn what makes a mystery work. ( )

Big Little Spies is such a fun cozy mystery series, and I definitely enjoyed this latest entry. In this one, people are coming for a major event, a charity ball, aptly named the "There's No Place Like Home" event. Gosh, how can you not love an event with a double entendre like that? With a slew of quirky characters, this was a nice, light-hearted mystery to delve into.

I enjoy all the characters in this book and love how the author goes out her way to give them all their own quirks and personalities. Holly and Trixie are the main characters, and yes, I know Trixie is a dog, but she is so adorable I can't help thinking of her as a main character. There is actually a lot going on with certain characters and I am happy the author takes the time to develop secondary characters as well as main ones. I also love the fact that Holly's relationship is not the central focus of the book, but just seems to fit in nicely with the story line - no drama, no angst, no other tropes that authors seem to always want to throw into books which can be so annoying. It doesn't mean they don't have disagreements or they don't get annoyed with each other, but they deal with it maturely. Enjoyable to read.

The plot was interesting and it took me a while to figure it out; the fact the author can still do this by the seventh book is impressive. Keeping things fresh and intriguing must be so hard to do, but the author does it so well. There are multiple things going on and the author uses those things as red herrings to throw you off the scent, so to speak, so you really have to pay attention to what is going on.

I have always enjoyed this author's writing style, and really enjoy the witty dialogue. Holly's inner monologue is a lot of fun too, and the sarcasm as she deals with certain people is priceless. She is never mean though, but I did have a few laugh out loud moments when she was dealing with her aunt.

And the animals. It would definitely make me feel better if there were more misbehaved animals in this book as they are all so GOOD. I have two cats and while they are great animals, they tend to do their own thing and would never obey me like the cats in this book. I would get this weird look, then they would turn their back on me to say 'whatever'. I definitely love the idea of this town and how the tourism is marketed to animal lovers though; it's a cool concept.

Big Little Spies definitely kept you guessing which is why I enjoyed it so much. With a host of quirky and fun characters, I enjoyed returning to this town and learning more about them. There are a lot of recipes included at the back of the book, for human and animal and sometimes both. I do think long-time fans of this series will really enjoy this book and while it's always nice to start at the beginning of a series, I do think you could actually read this one without having actually read the previous entries. I am looking forward to the next one when it is released. ( )

Big Little Spies by Krista Davis is the 7th A Paws & Claws Mystery. I love visiting Wagtail in each delightful tale. While Big Little Spies could be read on its own, I recommend reading this charming series in order. Holly, Liesel, Rose, Holmes, and the other residents of Wagtail are wonderful characters. They are developed characters who are friendly and relatable. I love all the cats and dogs. They run around playing, snooping, getting into mischief as well as helping find a clue now and then. Wagtail is a special town. I would love to live in this pet-friendly place. The mystery is well done. It is clever and fun to follow (and solve). There is plenty of action to keep things lively. I enjoy following Holly and Trixie as they ask questions and dig up clues. There are some great twists and turns in this whodunit. There is a good wrap up at the end. I wish all cozy mysteries were as well done as this one. There are some recipes at the end of the book for humans and canines. I am going to try the canine recipes (I think my fur babies will love them). I also learned to check the ingredients on my peanut butter before giving it to my dog. This is one of those books that you cannot wait to see how it ends, but you also do not want it do end. I was sad to leave Wagtail, and I cannot wait for my next visit. Big Little Spies is a captivating whodunit with a dead detective, a beastly bash, a misplaced pooch, a startling romance, a clever canine, and a crazed killer. ( )

Big Little Spies is the seventh book in the Paws And Claws Mystery series by Krista Davis.

Holly Miller and her Oma are busy getting their Sugar Maple Inn ready to welcome Wagtail Animal Guardians(WAG) members, who are having their There’s No Place Like Home Pet Adoption Ball.

Holly and Trixie, her rescue dog, are enjoying meeting with their guests and their pets when she gets a phone call from her boyfriend’s grandmother, Rose, asking her to come to Judge Barlow’s home. Holly thinks that there has been some word on Barlow’s missing German Shepherd, Fritz. Holly knew that Barlow’s housekeeper, Miss Dovie, had hired a pet detective, Seth Bertenshaw, to look for Fritz. But instead, Rose and Barlow feel that listening devices have been placed in the judge’s home.

A day or two later, while at a shed fire at Miss Dovie’s, Holly notices that Trixie is missing. Soon she hears her bark and fears what that bark might mean. She soon finds not only Trixie but also Fritz. Trixie and Fritz are standing guard over the body of the pet detective. Before long, a guest dies when someone switches her medicines, and another lady is sent to the hospital in serious condition possibly caused by poisoning. It’s time for Holly and Trixie to get down to business and find out what is going on in Wagtail before there are any more deaths.
It’s always great to visit with Trixie, the pets, and the wonderful residents. I would love to live in a community like Wagtail, where the dogs and cats can go wherever their humans go. The story is well-written and plotted. The characters are well-developed and believable,

Delicious recipes, both for humans and pets, are included in the book.

I will be looking for the next book in this exciting series. ( )

amateur-sleuth, pets, cozy-mystery, murder-investigation, animal-welfare, animals, family-dynamics, friendship, situational-humor****
I have to admit to feeling behind it because I hadn't read any of the previous series books. That did not mean that I didn't enjoy it! Fascinating characters and creative sleuthing by humans and intriguing pets alike. Good read for a chilly afternoon.
I requested and received a free ebook copy from Berkley Publishing Group via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )