  |
Howling Bloody Murder is an immense story, one that has the presence of being a great mystery in an almost otherworldly way. I love how Ms. Wright incorporates Elsie’s everyday routine with her dog, her life, her daughter, and her friendship with Skip in this tale. The missing shoes and powder mystified me and my mind kept thinking of Scooby-Doo shows and how the culprits were in disguise. You will enjoy this tale whether you are a fan of Ms. Wright, Cruiser, Elsie, or just a cozy mystery. Rating: 4 cups (Outstanding Great Read) Reviewed by Matilda, Coffee Time Romance & More
Skip Cassidy is trying to stay ahead of this killer but it is proving to be a challenge. Soon after a wealthy matriarch falls prey to the killer, Elsie’s good friend, Rose, becomes a victim. Even though this killer is hitting close to home, Elsie enlists herself to help out law enforcement. Threatening emails are not enough to stop Elsie and friends, but will she and Cruiser finally meet their maker before the case can be solved? And, just who has that much to lose if the dog park is placed? Sirius About Murder is another great story from Sue Owens Wright featuring the entertaining Elsie MacBean and her sidekick, Cruiser. If you are a dog lover, mystery lover, a fan of Sue Owens Wright or none of the above, you will enjoy this latest adventure into doggy land. Fun and quirky characters and an amusing storyline are awaiting you. Rating: 4 cups (Outstanding Great Read)
Sue Owens Wright's third adventure with mystery writer/tabloid reporter Elsie MacBean and her basset hound Cruiser, known locally as Beanie and Cruiser. Elsie has been helping out Sheriff Skip Cassidy on a couple of cases before this one and they have become good friends. So, it is no surprise that he and Elsie's daughter Nona want to celebrate Elsie's 50th birthday in style with a Fourth of July dinner cruise on Lake Tahoe. But this is one celebration that is will be forever imprinted in Elsie's memories. Not only does the Dixie Queen paddle wheeler seem to get rammed a few times by some unknown critter, but Ivy Diggs, the young wife of an elderly local entrepreneur vanishes and Elsie suspects foul play. While Elsie and Skip begin to investigate a suspected homicide, attractive British professor Crispin Blayne who has come to study the legend of the Tahoe Tessie, the lake's own Loch Ness monster, enters the picture. He enlists Elsie's help by romancing her, much to her friend Skip's discomfort. Adding to this romantic complication is Elsie's daughter Nona who is trying to bring her mother into the twenty-first century by giving her a cell phone and gifting Cruiser with a canine collar equipped with a GPS. She's also trying to update Elsie's look with a complete makeover at a local spa and keep her mother from nattering after her because she's dating one of the prime suspects, the youngest son of the widower Diggs. Wright creates a fun cozy mystery with plenty of red herrings and surprises to keep the reader turning pages. Elsie and her curious dog Cruiser are a great sleuthing pair and friend Skip Cassidy is a great side-kick who just happens to be the law in Tahoe. It is an infectious mix that will keep readers coming back for more. Reviewed by Gay Toltl Kinman, Crimespree Magazine, Issue 32 A Beanie and Cruiser Mystery, featuring Elsie MacBean aka Beanie, a reporter for the Tahoe Tattler and also a P.I., and her basset hound, Cruiser. The title—emphasis on bark—refers to the paddle wheeler trip, which opens the story. A Fourth of July dinner cruise on beautiful Lake Tahoe in California—what could be nicer? Nicer would be a trip without someone going overboard and possibly lost forever. Not only that, Tessie, a mythical Loch Ness-type monster, may be involved! Elsie and Cruiser help their friend, Sheriff Skip Cassidy to find Ivy Diggs, the woman who went overboard. Ivy was the much younger wife of Frank. His family feels her disappearance is no great loss. The other strand of the story is Tessie. Elsie meets Professor Crispin Blayne, a dashing Englishman, who is studying the lake for Tessie and may have proof that she exists. An old-timer, who lives near the lake, is missing and Elsie takes in his dog. She's in the rescue dog business (as is the author), which is how she acquired Cruiser (or vice versa). Dog lovers will love it!! Reviewed by Chris Speakman, Chrischatreviews.com Monsters, treasures or bodies, Lake Tahoe keeps its secrets. Beanie, aka Elsie MacBean, is celebrating her 50th birthday. A cruise on Lake Tahoe having dinner with her daughter and their long time friend, Sheriff Skip Cassidy, sounded great until Skip nearly drowned and someone else did. Just because the victim, trophy wife Ivy, was seen and heard arguing with her much older husband and his angry older-than-her children doesn't mean anyone pushed her overboard. Is Beanie's reporter mind or writer's imagination playing with her or was Ivy really murdered? Then there's Professor Crispin Blayne. He's gorgeous and Beanie's caught his eye, wonder what Skip thinks about that? Blayne is studying Lake Tahoe and the secrets of her depths, maybe he will uncover the strange creature that's been spotted; maybe he'll find Ivy's body. Embarking on Murder is my first Beanie and Cruiser mystery and there's something charming about this widow and her basset hound, Cruiser. Embarking on Murder is definitely a cozy mystery; think along the lines of Murder She Wrote. Beanie is part Washoe and her memories of her great-grandmother, along with Beanie's love of the Lake Tahoe area, makes the environment a living character. This enhances the setting of the book as well as gives Beanie a history without boring information dumps. Embarking on Murder's dialogue opens after Beanie's adventure has concluded—picture yourself sitting over coffee with a friend as she tells you of her latest trip, all the while reliving it so you're right there with her. If you don't know Beanie, check her out, you may discover a new cozy mystery friend. A Fun, Frothy Mystery For Elsie "Beanie" MacBean's big 5-0 birthday, "cruise" is the word of the day. There's the brand-new Inferno Red PT Cruiser she just bought for herself, there's her constant, loyal basset hound companion Cruiser, and finally, there's the Fourth of July Lake Tahoe dinner cruise on the Dixie Queen with her daughter and best friend Sheriff Skip Cassidy. Not among her birthday presents is witnessing a confrontation between 23-year old child bride Ivy Diggs and her old-enough-to-be-her-very-rich-father Frank Diggs. Shortly after the fight Frank reports his wife missing, presumably haven accidentally fallen overboard. Needless to say, Beanie suspects murder and she puts her reporter skills to use as she discovers that there were a number of suspects all too willing to give Ivy a boost overboard, including some very unremorseful adult stepchildren. Working as a freelance reporter for the Tahoe Tattler, Beanie meets the intriguing professor Crispin Blayne, a British paleontologist, geologist, and cryptozoologist studying new fissures at the bottom of Lake Tahoe...and the possibility of Tessie, Tahoe's version of the Loch Ness Monster. Beanie's fragile relationship with her daughter is rocked by her once again having the worst taste in men and dating Frank's son, and Skip seems to be acting unusually jealous in the presence of Crispin. Getting chased down in her car seems minor in comparison to the confusion in the rest of her life. Wright continues to display her talent in creating highly entertaining, very funny mysteries that still maintain focus on the plots. Stronger than the previous entry in this series, Embarking contains very humorous elements, all centered around the very likable protaganist Beanie and her GPS'd canine. Feisty, engaging, and still realistic, Beanie is a character strong enough to carry a series. Never too over-the-top despite its unrealistic element, this is a very fun mystery that will have readers loyally clamoring for more. Reviewed by Dori Cocuz, Mystery Scene In Embarking on Murder, Sue Owens Wright's slightly batty buttinsky, Elsie "Beanie" MacBean turns 50, gets involved in a murder investigation, claims she's seen the legendary Tessie (the Lake Tahoe version of Loch Ness' Nessie) and adds to her eclectic lineup of professions when she accepts a job as a private detective. Embarking on Murder is chockablock with personality and word play. Beanie's vibrant persona practically leaps off the pages of the book and each page drips with "punishing" turns of phrase. But in spite of the sometimes overused and groan inducing puns, Beanie's antics are a good way to while away an afternoon. The reader just never knows what crazy hijinks Beanie and her Bassett hound sidekick Cruiser will get into next. Wright cleverly interweaves the murder whodunit with the mystery of the lake's mythological denizen and I was just as eager to find out the truth behind Tessie as I was to discover the bad guy's identity. Embarking on Murder is a fair play mystery in the truest sense. Wright liberally sprinkles the novel with clues, and though a few red herrings might throw the reader off course, chances are you'll have figured out whodunit, and why, before Beanie does. Reviewed by Natalie Wyant, Armchair Interviews Celebrating her big 5-0 is bad enough for Elsie “Beanie” MacBean, but toss in getting tangled up in a murder investigation and nearly becoming another victim to the body layer of the frigid waters of Lake Tahoe (the “body layer” is the layer of bodies that never seem to be found–where the bodies get hung up under the water)–and it really takes the proverbial birthday cake! To make matters worse, among the passengers of this Fourth of July dinner cruise is the wealthy, demanding and very irritating Ivy Diggs. Ivy and her much older husband are aboard for their anniversary, and by the loud voices emanating from their table, it becomes obvious that it is a not-so-happy occasion. Ivy treats her pampered pooch better than her newlywed husband and soon finds herself swimming with the fishes. Everyone is quite content to accept the event as an accidental drowning. Everyone that is, except Beanie. Beanie has doubts and sets her sails to discover what really happened. She and her beloved slobbery basset hound, Cruiser, track the case with a bit of help from her devoted and somewhat overprotective friend, Sheriff Cassidy. Things really heat up and get downright distracting for Beanie when she meets the strikingly attractive blue-eyed Professor Crispin who is studying some mysterious lake events of his own. Together, Beanie and Cruiser find that there is more than one mystery lurking below the deep and dangerous waters of Lake Tahoe in this puzzling adventure. Dog lovers will find Cruiser and his other canine cohorts a delight to read about. Beanie is a woman surpassing mid-life and is very comfortable with her four-legged companion and with herself, well, maybe not quite. Both characters are very likable and easy to relate to. Don’t let the author’s smooth writing style and her ability to lull you with the imagery of the lapping lake waters fool you. She provides a twist or two in this cozy quest that will keep you guessing! Kudos to Sue Owens Wright on this third book in the Beanie and Cruiser series, Embarking on Murder. I shall certainly be on the lookout for the next in this enchanting series. Armchair Interviews agrees.
The summer is a good time to relax and read entertaining books. If you are looking for a good murder mystery book, I highly recommend Sue Owens Wright's Sirius About Murder. It's Halloween and some of South Lake Tahoe's prominent supporters of a proposed controversial dog park are being threatened and even murdered. Thankfully, Elsie MacBean (Beanie) and her loyal companion Cruiser, a Basset Hound, are on the case along with Elsie MacBean's daughter, Wenona, and Sheriff Skip Cassidy. Evidence in the case seems to point to Madame Pawline, an animal communicator, as the prime suspect, but Elsie isn't convinced that she did it. Until the murderer is caught, several people, and their dogs, are in danger. Sirius About Murder is an enjoyable murder mystery for dog lovers. Another very good murder mystery featuring Beanie and Cruiser is Howling Bloody Murder (recently re-released by Dog-Eared Books. Controversy is created when a resort and casino is proposed for Cave Rock, which is sacred ground to the Washoe Indians. When people associated with the proposed resort and casino start being murdered, Beanie and Cruiser get involved to solve the case. Besides creating interesting plots, Wright includes information about dog care and issues pertaining to dogs in her stories. While I haven't read many mystery stories, I thoroughly enjoyed Sirius About Murder and Howling Bloody Murder, and I'm looking forward to the next book featuring Beanie and Cruiser! Reviewed by Heike Westermann Even if you've heard me say it before, here, once again, is another one of my beloved dog crime stories from the USA. And this one is totally engaging and replete with many funny wordplays. It turns around "madame Pawline," celebrates "Howloween," and shopping occurs in the "Petropolis." Nevertheless, it is a realistic action story, and the dog is the "top dog." The main characters are Elsie McBean (Beanie) and her basset, Cruiser, and the background is set at Lake Tahoe in California. Members of a dog park activist group [receive] a threatening email [from dogsbody] signed "Sirius about murder." Soon the first victim is found strangled, with a leash... The author lives near Lake Tahoe, and keeps Bassets. Her first award-winning book was entitled Howling Bloody Murder. By Sharon Katz, ReviewingtheEvidence.com Elsie MacBean and her fellow dog-loving friends would like to have a dog park built in their town. The dogs would be safe there and can run and play with their friends. Unfortunately, not all the people in the town would like the park to be built. In fact, someone is killing the park supporters one by one. The first to be killed is Abigail Haversham who owns the property where the park is set to be built. Abigail is murdered at a fundraiser for the park after she was seen arguing with pet psychic, Madame Pawline. Soon other dog lovers are being murdered and Elsie and her Basset Hound, Cruiser are hot on the trail. Their investigations lead them to interview the many people who had received an email from the so-called Sirius Murderer How are they ever going to find the killer? Have no fear, Elsie is an old hand at solving murders even if the local sheriff isn't happy about her interference. But at the same time the sheriff's pretty enthusiastic about rescuing her whenever she needs it. Once again author Sue Owens Wright has crafted a top-notch cozy filled with lots of humor and love. The characters are a delight and even though South Lake Tahoe seems to have more than its share of murders, any reader would love to live there and join in on the inhabitants' escapades. The mystery might not be too mysterious but who cares when you're once again visiting this wonderful series. I've read quite a few of the books and I enjoy them for the very likable characters, the humor, and especially the love that is shown for everyone and every pet. Wright is a pro at writing about people and their relationships with their animal companions. These books are a pleasure to read. You do not have to be a dog lover to enjoy SIRIUS ABOUT MURDER, just a lover of great cozies. By Harriet Klausner, Nov. 9, 2005 Value for money 10/10 Sue Owens Wright Five Star, Jan. 20, 2005, $25.95 ISBN: 1594143641 In South Lake Tahoe, the residents debate development of Alpine Paws Park on valuable shorefront property; some people feel the lakeside land should be used to develop expensive housing that will bring plenty of new income to the town. One person opposed to the land going to the dogs has been sending threatening email signed off as SIRIUS ABOUT MURDER. When affluent matriarch and sponsor of the dog park Abigail Haversham is murdered, the police immediately assume the anti-canine Sirius committed the homicide. They investigate that path while Elsie "Beanie" MacBean and her canine Cruiser wonder if the land controversy hides a different motive. She follows leads down another path, but she and her Basset Hound could become the next two victims, as SIRIUS ABOUT MURDER has no qualms about killing again. This interesting amateur sleuth stars a fine protagonist who's at home with the dogs probably more so than with people, except for her best friend Rosie Clark, a canine lover of course. Though the killer and the motive come out of nowhere, Beanie outthinks the pros in solving the case while endangering herself, Rosie and their dogs. SIRIUS ABOUT MURDER is a treat for pet lovers. Sue Owens Wright is back with another captivating canine cozy featuring the sweet and shrewd Elsie MacBean and her fellow sleuth, the lovable basset hound, Cruiser. This richly entertaining mystery, set in the great good place that is Lake Tahoe, brims with charming and eccentric characters, surprising revelations, and, yes, murder most foul. Sirius About Murder is a humorous and engrossing examination of human frailty, and an exhilarating read. Two paws up! Love dogs? Enjoy a good mystery with as many twists and turns as an agility course? This book has it all—a battle over a dog park at South Lake Tahoe, a murderer who uses leashes as a weapon, a decaying house with a secret, and a suspicious pet psychic. The plucky sleuth, Beanie, and her trusty basset, who has the instincts of Lassie, take us on a journey with plenty of action and suspense. Get a bowl of popcorn and settle down for a good read with your best four-legged friend. Sue Owens Wright's love and knowledge of all breeds of dogs shines through the pages of her mysteries. You'll chuckle and maybe shed a tear or two as Beanie and Cruiser deal with a doggie séance, a psychic, a Howloween party, and murder in this entertaining and riveting story. Mystery buffs and dog lovers will enjoy Sirius About Murder. Murder! Romance! Intrigue! Like a hound on a mission to find the bone, I couldn't put this book down until I found out who done it!
|
Elsie MacBean and her basset hound, Cruiser, are a part of the cause for a shorefront dog park. They have many followers as well as a few who are vehemently against it. Someone will do anything, even kill, to stop the development of the dog park.![[cover]](images/EmbarkingOnMurderFront.jpg)
![[cover]](images/SiriusAboutMurder_150.jpg)
|
From: Murder
and Mayhem Book Club Elsie McBean (Beanie), a widowed part-time newspaper reporter and her
adorable companion Cruiser, a basset hound with a sense of humor, make
their debut in this absolutely delightful new book. As Beanie and Cruiser
prepare for a lonely Thanksgiving at their home in an alpine valley
near Lake Tahoe, she is excited to get a call from her daughter Nona,
telling her that she will be home for the holiday. But a cloud appears
in Beanie’s happy sky when she and Cruiser stumble upon the remains
of the CEO of the Tallis Corporation. Thanks to Tallis, a development
company embroiled in a bitter battle with the Washoe Indians over developing
Cave Rock, an area considered Sacred Ground to the Native Americans,
hostilities between the Washoe and the company are heating up. Beanie,
half-Washoe herself, is often at odds with the more radical members
of the tribe on these issues, but when a Tribal Elder is accused of
murder and Beanie and Cruiser are asked by Sheriff Skip Cassidy to help
prove his guilt or innocence, Beanie who is As the body count rises, Beanie and Cruiser rush to find the killer
(well, Beanie rushes, Cruiser waddles) while trying to convince her
daughter that her new boyfriend, Medwyn, is the wrong man for her. The
action races to a surprising finish like an avalanche down the side
of the mountain. Filled with breathtaking scenery, wonderfully eccentric
characters and truly evil villains, Wright will capture your attention,
your heart and most importantly, your funny bone. From: Publishers Weekly Genre: Detective/Mystery --Medwyn Abercarn is every mother's nightmare. Tall, muscular, and deeply tanned, he has the mesmerizing eyes of a wolf and the deadly charm of a cobra. It's a combination of traits sure to stir the blood of any estrogen-driven female, including young Nona MacBean. But Elsie "Beanie" MacBean isn't impressed by the Adonis in designer clothes. She sees nothing but trouble in store for Nona when her daughter brings Medwyn home to wintry Lake Tahoe for the Thanksgiving holidays. Cruiser, Beanie's lovable basset hound, isn't too happy with Medwyn either. He shows his displeasure by greeting Abercarn with a bite to the hand. While this lands Cruiser in the doghouse with Nona, his unusual behavior only confirms Beanie's suspicions concerning the handsome stranger. Medwyn is not a man to be trusted, but how can Beanie prove that to headstrong Nona? Beanie has more on her mind than just Nona and Medwyn. The day before their arrival, she and Cruiser stumbled upon the mutilated body of a local land developer while hiking through the woods. Robert 'Chick' Robson was an executive of the Tallis Corporation, a company that plans to build a casino and rock climbing facility at Cave Rock. Because the Tallis proposal has come under fire from the Washoe Indians who consider the rock to be a sacred place, Robson's death puts half-Washoe Beanie in an uncomfortable position. As a stringer for the Tahoe Times, Beanie must cover the murder as objectively as possible. But as a member of the local tribe, Beanie feels obligated to help Deputy Sheriff Skip Cassidy find the killer before the Washoes are blamed for the crime. When a second Tallis executive is found murdered in his mansion, his body as mutilated as Robson's, the only clue seems to be the sighting of a huge dog near the dead man's property. The body count continues to rise after a meeting between Tallis executives and leaders of the Washoe. Tahoe Sheriff Mike Stoddard quickly arrests a Washoe tribal leader, but Beanie is convinced that the politically minded sheriff has fingered the wrong man. Hot on the trail of the killer, Beanie has little time to worry about Medwyn and Nona until her daughter suddenly disappears. Finding the girl becomes Beanie's primary concern, but when she and Cruiser set out to track down Nona, they run into more trouble than they bargained for. HOWLING BLOODY MURDER marks the debut of mystery writer Sue Owens Wright. Featuring a nicely crafted plot and a beautifully described setting, the book glows with snappy dialogue and tummy-tickling one-liners delivered by both Beanie and her pal in crime, Deputy Sheriff Skip Cassidy. Adding to the fun of the book is Wright's portrayal of Cruiser, Beanie's overweight but adorable basset hound. It's easy to see that Wright is a fan of the breed. She describes Cruiser's habits and idiosyncrasies with undisguised affection and a familiarity that speaks of her close relationship with these dogs. For a cozy without cats, mystery fans and dog lovers alike should try this first offering by West Coast author Sue Owens Wright. I guarantee you won't be disappointed. "Howling Bloody Murder" takes Indian legend and modern corporate
crime and weaves them into a compelling mystery that makes for good
summer reading." What other authors are saying about Howling Bloody Murder... --"Sue Owens Wright creates a great sense of wintery
Lake Tahoe in HOWLING BLOODY MURDER. An appealing basset hound
named Cruiser is one of the --"Make yourself comfortable, friend, you're in for a
treat. HOWLING BLOODY MURDER will remind you of why you started
reading in the first place. Cuddle up with a warm drink on a
cold night. Wright's delightful first novel is a book you won't
put down. It's filled with endearing and unforgettable characters,
sinister villains, and one surprise after another. It's a romp!
This is a world you will not want to leave. I only hope we'll
get to visit Elsie and Cruiser in many more thrillers down the
road." --"Sue Owens Wright offers a wonderful portrayal of the bond between human and canine in her first book, HOWLING BLOODY MURDER. Reading this book I smiled, I nodded, I gave my own dog a pat. Beanie and Cruiser make a welcome addition to the ranks of dog-loving detectives." - Laurien Berenson, author of The Melanie Travis Mysteries --"Sassy and funny. If dogs and mysteries are your thing, you'll enjoy HOWLING BLOODY MURDER." - Susan Wittig Albert, author of The China Bayles Herbal Mysteries --"Beanie and her basset hound, Cruiser, make their debut in a delightful mystery. The story is lively and humorous, with an entertaining puzzle at its heart." - Margaret Chittenden, author of The Charlie Plato Mysteries --"Humorous, witty and engaging Elsie MacBean (Beanie) and her lovable basset hound, Cruiser, face riveting intrigue against the dark beauty of Lake Tahoe in this exciting new mystery by Sue Owens Wright. It's a winner!" - Joanne Pence, author of To Catch a Cook --"Author Sue Owens Wright paints landscapes with her words and leaves you positively panting for Beanie's and Cruiser's next adventure!" - Judi Becker, editor Good Dog! Magazine Delightful as a Beggin' Strip, June 18, 2001 |
Click the cover to order. |
||||
|
Click the book cover to order Howling Bloody Murder... Sue Owens Wright's fabulous tale of Beanie & Cruiser's first daring adventure. |
|||||
