Bush Poodles Are Murder

Lou Allin is a native of Toronto who was raised in Cleveland and returned back to her beloved Canada after earning a Ph.D. in English Renaissance literature. She writes of Belle Palmer, who is a noticeable alter ego to Lou, as Belle inhabits the same area around meteor crater lake in Sudbury, Ontario. BUSH POODLES ARE MURDER is her third mystery.The reader finds comfortable real estate operator/sometime sleuth belle Palmer in the midst of yet another series of crises: it is the middle of yet another Canadian winter with more snow than anyone can deal with; Miriam, Belle's office manager is accused of murdering her erstwhile boyfriend (who also happens to have bamboozled every widow out of their money for miles around; business is horribly slow and the bills are piling up; and finally, Belle's buddy Steve, her cop friend who helps her out whenever a mystery beckons, is out of commission on a trumped up drug charge. Then there is Strudel, Miriam's temporarily orphaned and spoiled rotten puddle whom she is left caring for, much to the chagrin of her own dog. Oh, yes, and someone is trying to kill Belle. Is it the spurned Brian Dumontelle, whose advances Belle spurned after an exotic luncheon? After a few tries the would-be killer misses and hits Miriam's ex-husband Jack:"'I'm the one in season. Remember our reluctant buyer Brian Dumontelle? I didn't tell you the conclusion of our business relationship because things had finally quieted down, and you had your own problems.' After recounting the stalking and vandalism, she clasped her hands in an informal prayer. 'Next time, he won't miss. If I had any money, sense or a rich aunt in Vancouver, I'd leave town.'"Lou Allin has really outdone herself in BUSH POODLES ARE MURDER. Her characters are rich and diverse, and poor Belle has danger constantly yipping at her heels, if not a hyper Strudel. But in the end, both Belle's innate sense of survival and Strudel's kick in for a fine denouement and a satisfying conclusion to a madcap mystery. Allin makes fine use of the gorgeous and deadly scenery of the North Canadian landscapes to add danger and a sense of urgency to her story. In the end, our heroine and her friends manage to cheat death and lock up the villains, and all is once again copasetic in icy Canada. A fine winter read.Shelley GlodowskiReviewer

Belle Palmer is a realtor in Canada. Her best friend, Miriam, is dating Melibee Elphinstone. Belle doesn't know much about him. Miriam talks Belle into joining them for dinner at Mel's. Then Miriam finds Mel dead. She calls Belle, who rushes over. Unfortunately Miriam touched the Inuit sculpture that turns out to be the murder weapon. Belle calls her friend Steve, a police detective, over. Since Miriam has gone into shock, instead of arresting her, she is placed in a sanitarium to recuperate. Belle takes in Miriam's apricot mini-poodle, Strudel, until Miriam comes home and can take care of him herself. Her own dog, Freya, a shepherd, enjoys having a companion to play with.Belle discovers that Mel had invested many women's money and most of them had lost their life savings. Knowing that Miriam too had invested money, she got Jesse, another dear friend, to arrange for a lawyer for Miriam. But, Belle wasn't sure that young Celeste could handle a murder trial if things should come to that. Then Steve is unavailable because he is under suspicion of taking bribes in drug investigations.Belle is outraged. She thinks Brian, another detective, is behind these outlandish charges against Steve. Belle had scorned Brian's amorous attempts. So, Belle begins investigating on her own. Belle meets Dorothy Grasslin at the sanitarium. She is a volunteer who comes to chat with the patients. Dorothy's late husband was a P.I. so she asks to help Belle investigate Mel's death. Miriam's ex-husband Jack comes back to town to help with the investigation as well. The only thing I had some trouble with was the terminology. It reminded me of some of the British mysteries. I could usually figure out what was meant, but I didn't exactly know what they meant.The other thing that I found to get a little old, was Belle's referencing most things to an old movie she'd seen. I hadn't seen many of them so the references didn't mean much to me.They get into many predicaments in their investigation. I like the various characters she has created. Belle is very believable and likeable. This being the first book I've read in this series, I only had the descriptions from this book to base my information on. Jack was well described and I thought he fit into the story well. I also like Jesse a lot.I recommend this book and look forward to reading others in this series.

Despite the raves Miriam MacDonald is giving to her new boyfriend, realtor Belle Palmer has her reservations. Melibee Elphinstone's investment company has no fixed address, he's younger than Miriam, and he makes big promises on investment returns. As it turns out, Belle is right to worry about Miriam. It is she who discovers Mel's body, and it is Miriam who has her fingerprints on the murder weapon. When Miriam suffers a breakdown and ends up hospitalized while under police suspicion, Belle finds herself not only investigating but inheriting Miriam's new miniature poodle as well as the ex-husband who's just come to visit. Belle soon discovers that there is a surplus of those who were willing to do Mel in, as he had a history of defrauding clients and has left a trail of victims who lost their savings. As Belle tracks down those with the most reasons for killing Mel she is saddled with an arrogant attorney who never lost a case - she's never tried one - as well as her own personal stalker. When Miriam suddenly disappears while on bail Belle is driven towards a conclusion that has her fighting for her life and facing the most frightening winter conditions imaginable.The middle-aged Belle is an engaging character who puts her friends' welfare before her own and alwyas tries to think the best of them. After she gave up teaching following years of frustration Belle now struggles to keep her business alive while caring for her father who is slowly failing in a nursing home. While the investigation itself is low-keyed and Belle pretty much stumbles over information, it is the scenery that stands out in this mystery. Frozen septic tanks, treacherous roads, and the life-threatening risk of hypothermia all exist in Belle's world, yet she confronts each challenge with humor and common sense. Allin has created a very likeable character in Belle and readers will look forward to the next in this enjoyable series.