Mixing Up Murder

Written by Emmie Lyn

Narrated by Vanessa Daniels

Murder wasn't supposed to be on the menu at the Little Dog Diner, but that's exactly what we got served anyway.



Hi, I'm Dani Mackenzie and I'm the unfortunate soul who owns said diner. Looks like business is going to be slow for a little while as the whole town scrambles to find whodunnit.



At first I just needed something to keep me busy while on my forced vacation, but now as the clues stack up, I'm caught in the middle of this crazy mixed-up murder. And I'll do anything to get to the bottom of what really happened and why it happened in my kitchen.



Too bad the only known witness to the crime is the victim's terrier, Pip, and no one believes she bludgeoned her owner to death. But if not her . . . then who? And, perhaps more importantly, who's next?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Mar 31, 2020
• ISBN: 9781705207222

Reviews for Mixing Up Murder

[joannefm2 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Dani Mackenzie is attending the funeral of her best friend Lily's husband when suddenly, Ray sits up in the casket...it turns out the entire thing was planned in order for Ray to convince his soon-to-be ex-wife that she really loved him and not to divorce him. Stunned, Dani hurries herself and Lily out the door back to their restaurant, the Little Dog Diner. Dani lives above the restaurant, and while they're changing clothes, she starts to get some of the story from Lily -- such as, Lily knew about the fake funeral beforehand. Lily also might still be in love with her cheating spouse.

When Ray wants to meet Lily, she convinces him to come to the diner. But when they go downstairs and find the body of Ray sprawled on the floor, everything changes. Lily bolts, and Detective AJ Crenshaw now has her in his sights as a suspect. But that's not all -- Dani's high school boyfriend, Luke, has returned from California and he was also in the diner and might be a suspect. What can a girl do except try to prove the innocence of friends?...

This is the first book in the series and I must say that it was quite entertaining. I do like Dani, and the fact that she shares clues with the police as soon as she finds them. This is a plus in itself. She can also cook (there are so many cozies out there where the protagonist doesn't know what a spatula is for). And the big plus is she takes in the poor terrier whose owner was killed.

When Dani starts looking for clues, she comes across them quite naturally, without having to probe people too much, so conversations don't get uncomfortable; and her friend Lily (we should call her weak Lily) gives up information sporadically. While I'd like to spend time with Dani, Lily seems too wishy-washy for me. Ah, well.

The plot is well done and the writing is done well, so this makes for a good first book in the series. The clues are there (I knew the murderer before Dani, but then again, I read a lot of mysteries) and it was still fun watching her put everything together and get that final clue in an 'aha' moment.

In the end, the reason for the murder seemed a little sad, but murder is still what it is; everything else came together nicely, and I will definitely read the next in the series. Recommended.

[kris_anderson-1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Mixing Up Murder by Emmie Lyn is the first novel in A Little Dog Diner series. Dani Mackenzie co-owns Little Dog Diner with her best friend, Lily Lemay in Misty Harbor, Maine. Lily’s louse of a husband ends up dead in their kitchen, closing their restaurant for the foreseeable future. With extra time on her hands and worried about her best friend, Dani begins looking into the murder. Mixing Up Murder is a lighthearted cozy mystery with quirky characters and a quaint small town. The mystery has a variety of suspects along with a red herring or two. I like that the author took the time to introduce the main characters of Dani, Lily and Rose (Dani’s grandmother). We meet several townspeople including Detective A.J. Crenshaw and Luke Sinclair. My favorite character was Pip, the Jack Russell terrier, who is smart and a sweetie. I enjoyed the interactions between Dani and Pip. I thought Mixing Up Murder was easy to read, it progressed at a nice pace, and it was just the right length. I did find Dani to be loyal to her best friend especially when she would overlook some of Lily’s questionable behavior (I would not have been as forgiving). Mixing Up Murder has murder, romance, friendship, mayhem, family, and humor. Mixing Up Murder has Pip the pooch, a clueless best friend, a fake funeral, a dashing MG, stunning seaside vista, and a curious cook.