The Fashion Hound Murders: Josie Marcus, Mystery Shopper

Elaine Viets' THE FASHION HOUND MURDERS tells of a mystery shopper, mother and sleuth who finds danger in the world of canine fashion puppies when she's hired to check out a pet store's involvement with puppy mills. Danger evolves from a seemingly simple investigation. A top pick for any mystery library's paperback section.

Elaine Viets, author of two popular series, brings back Josie Marcus in this fifth entry in the Mystery Shopper series. Josie, a St. Louis "mall moll," is employed by Suttin Services, whose latest assignment brings her to doggie boutiques, a category of stores I am embarrassed to say I didn't know existed. In the process, Josie, and the reader, gets an unwelcome view into the world of puppy mills, an apparently thriving and big-money enterprise catering to those seeking "celebrity dogs," cheap pedigreed [and abused] pups sold for high prices, often providing nothing more than accessories for their owners. No sooner does Josie get information regarding just such a local mill from Edna, an employee of the store she is mystery-shopping, than Edna is run down and killed in a hit-and-run 'accident.' But there seems little doubt that it was no accident. Josie can't help feeling a small measure of guilt: "did her amateur meddling kill an innocent woman?" Josie describes herself as "not much of a bargain in the marriage market . . . a thirty-one-year-old single mom [with] no money, a lot of debt, and a ten-year-old daughter with a smart mouth." But she is also an endearing protagonist, and her mother, Jane [Josie's landlord and live-in babysitter], her daughter, Amelia, and best friend Alyce no less so. Her relationship with her clueless boyfriend, Stan, is going nowhere, but she is unsure what to do about it. As she observes: "delusions . . . they're the only way to survive dating." When Josie's mother is attacked by a vicious dog, things take a more personal turn. Suspects in that attack and Edna's death, among others, include 'millers,' as those who run the puppy mills are called, and those with more intimate motives. By the end of the novel, Josie [and the author] become advocates for a stricter puppy mill code and more thorough inspections of breeding facilities, and the reader cannot help but feel strong support for such measures. The novel is enlightening as well as thoroughly entertaining, and is recommended.

I have enjoyed all of the previous Josie Marcus mysteries and this one is no exception. The book had a great mixture of romance, humor, and mystery. I found the scenes where Josie dealt with her jealousy toward her best friend, Alice's new dog-obsessed fried to be amusing. The mystery involving the use of puppy mills was very well utilized in educating and sending a message about the abuse of breeding pure dogs, without being overly preachy.

Elaine Viets does it again in this latest Josie Marcus installment. Oh and that scene between Josie and Stan where she gets excited about his surprise (he tells her to dress for a "special" night), PRICELESS! Great read. Great job, as usual, Elaine.

It was so great I read it in three days! Josie really gets into a bit trouble here. Every mintue is a joy to read.