Bad to the Bone

By Linda O. Johnston

Veterinary technician Carrie Kennersly, owner of the Barkery & Biscuits bakery for dogs, is reluctant to sell her recipes to pet food manufacturer VimPets. Jack Loroco, a VimPets representative, assures Carrie that it would be a great opportunity to grow her business. His promising new relationship with Carrie's friend Billi Matlock doesn't hurt his cause.

But the budding romance takes a bad turn when Wanda Addler, another VimPets employee, sets her sights on Jack. After threatening to ruin Jack's career if he doesn't give her what she wants, Wanda is found dead. Jack and Billi are put at the top of the suspect list, and Carrie is doggone determined to rescue them from a life behind bars.

Includes delicious recipes for pets and people!

Praise:

"Veteran Johnston has her formula down."—Kirkus Reviews

"This cozy will appeal to fans of Susan Conant's Dog Lovers' series and is also reminiscent of Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen novels."—Booklist

"Dog lovers (not to mention lovers of great mysteries) will be thrilled to see this third book in the fantastic series...A whole lot of fun and the animals who are all about spreading warmth and friendship come alive on every page."—Suspense Magazine

• Language: English
• Publisher: Llewellyn Worldwide
• Release date: May 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9780738751825

Linda O. Johnston

Linda O. Johnston loves to write. While honing her writing skills, she worked in advertising and public relations, then became a lawyer…and enjoyed writing contracts. Linda’s first published fiction appeared in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine and won a Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for Best First Mystery Short Story of the Year. Linda now spends most of her time creating memorable tales of romantic suspense, paranormal romance and mystery. Visit www.LindaOJohnston.com.

Reviews for Bad to the Bone

[harley0326 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I have enjoyed reading this series. Carrie is a great character and I live the two shops she owns. What a treat for customers to get goodies for themselves and go next door and grab some great healthy treats for their dogs. The author makes the shops sound so inviting and I would love to try one out for my little dogs. Carrie has been approached by a big company to add her treats to their line of products. It would be a great boost for her company but she is just a bit hesitant to say yes . I liked her brother Neal and her boyfriend Reed. They seemed to be protective of Carrie. If you have read the first two books in the series, you know Carrie seems to find herself embroiled in murder and "helping" the police catch the killer. When one of the employees from the company that wants to carry Carrie's product is found dead, the book starts really delving into several people who could easily have killed the poor murder victim. I wasn't surprised that the woman killed was not well liked. She was pushy, mean and down right unfriendly. I really got a great laugh out of the murder weapon used. I though the author was genius using a poop scooper as a way to kill someone. Carrie can't seem to stay out of the investigation and soon finds herself with a list of suspects. I know there were hints throughout the book of who the killer was, but for some reason I was still a little surprised at who it was. The story was good and I'm glad we got to know more about Carrie and Reed's relationship. I wonder if there will be wedding bells soon for these two? I received a copy of this book from The Great Escapes Book Tour. The review is my own opinion.

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

Bad to the Bone by Linda O. Johnston is the third book in A Barkery and Biscuits Mystery series. Carrie Kennersly is the owner of Barkery and Biscuits a bakery that caters to canine clientele in Knobcone Heights, California. She also owns Icing on the Cake in the adjoining space that has delectable delights for humans. Carrie creates her own recipes so she can offer healthy treats for dogs. Jack Loroco, a rep for VimPets (a pet food manufacturer), has been trying to get Carrie to sell one of two of her unique recipes to VimPets. Carrie knows this would provide good promotion for Bakery and Biscuits, but she is reluctant to sell. Jack who is dating Billi Matlock, friend of Carrie’s and city councilwoman, has return to town and invited Carrie and friends to dinner. Jack brings an additional guest to dinner. Wanda Addler works at VimPets with Jack, and she is very ambitious. Wanda has set her sights on Jack’s job, and she will do whatever it takes to achieve her goal. Early one morning Carrie receives a call from Jack. He was out walking his dog when they discovered Wanda stabbed behind his apartment building. Jack and Billi end up prime suspects in Wanda’s murder. Carrie knows that neither of them would harm a person, and she starts exploring other suspects. Once Carrie starts her investigation, she is like a dog with a bone—she does not give up.Bad to the Bone is easy to read, and I like the various dogs in the story. Each person in the story seems to own a dog (I am not exaggerating). Bad to the Bone is the third book in A Barkery and Biscuits Mystery series, but it can be read alone. You would not be lost if you started with Bad to the Bone. I give Bad to the Bone 3 out of 5 stars. The murder mystery is straightforward. I wish, though, that more of the sleuthing had taken place in the book instead of the reader’s being told about it at the reveal. I wanted more mystery in this cozy mystery (instead of food descriptions). You must pay sharp attention to find the clues, but I thought the killer’s identity was obvious. I did love the unique murder weapon. It goes perfectly with the story. I did get tired of people constantly telling Carrie to stay out of the murder investigation (and to be careful if she did not listen). It was repeated over and over. The story focuses more on Carrie’s shops, her work as a vet tech, her love life, friends, and the pets. A significant amount of time is spent on Carrie thinking and her internal questions (book written in the first person with Carrie as narrator). I wish there had been more focus on the mystery than on Carrie’s life. Bad to the Bone is an easy breezy type of story (light and fluffy). I felt it lacked substance and depth. There are two recipes at the end of the book (one for humans and one for dogs). I kept hoping that the series would improve, but, for me, it has not. I will be skipping future books in A Bakery and Biscuits Mystery series.

[thegenreminx · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Bad to the Bone is a cozy mystery that is pet oriented and the third story in the Bakery & Biscuits Mystery series. This story is written in first person with Carrie Kennersly being the narrator. There is lots of puppy love throughout this story and I mean that literally. With each character in this story there is inevitably a doggy companion. This is a must read for dog lovers!The main protagonist, Carrie, works as a part-time veterinary technician and is owner of a bakery that caters to an animal clientele. Working at a clinic she has developed a truly unique line of dog treats and has been in talks with VimPets representative Jack Loroco about possibly adding her treats to one of their inventory lines. Carrie and Jack have gone out on a few dates in the past but in this book their relationship is purely professional. In fact, her new friend Billi seems to being developing quite a romance with Jack.Or so it seemed until Wanda, another VimPets rep, came into town. She came in like a whirlwind alluding to having an intimate relationship with Jack and making her own deal propositions to Carrie. Wanda was trying to cut Jack out of the deal and possibly out of his job. She also appears to have been stepping on the toes of others as well, not a very popular woman. So, when she winds up dead there are quite a few suspects but the police have their sights set on Jack and Billi.Due to Carrie’s previous experience with sleuthing, everyone is questioning her as to whether or not she is going to get involved. After all she has friendships with both Billi and Jack. Her love interest, Reed Storme, is dead set against Carrie’s involvement. He feels it is too dangerous. Carrie is not sure herself if she wants to get involved but as the questions pile up, she finds that she needs to find out the truth. She needs to know if her friends could be capable of…duhn, duhn, duhnnnnn…murder.This story has elements of mystery, romance, and suspense. For me though, I was not really impressed by the main character, it seemed that everything revolved around meals, wine, or where they were going to eat. She was not unlikeable per se but she was, to me, unappealing as a sleuth character. I felt that there was too much focus on her everyday life and not enough on the mystery. In addition, the killer seemed pretty obvious once the character had been introduced. Then it was the killer who outed themselves. I prefer more of a reveal than that. I am an animal lover though and that gave this story its “cute” factor that I enjoyed. It is also sweet that there are actual recipes at the end of the story for both dogs and their owners!This review is based on a complimentary book I received from NetGalley. It is an honest and voluntary review. The complimentary receipt of it in no way affected my review or rating.