Peg and Rose Solve a Murder

Peg and Rose Solve a Murder Laurien Berenson (2022) (Senior Sleuths #1)

Peg and Rose haven’t really spoken for decades.

Animosity had sizzled between the two women since Peg became engaged to her beloved, and now dearly departed husband, Max, more than four decades earlier.

But Rose has decided it’s time to set aside past grievances, and so asks Peg if she’d like to join a bridge club.

Looking around at the assembled company, Peg realized there was a reason why the members of this club played bridge the same way that she’d originally learned the game. There wasn’t a single person in the room under the age of sixty.

But just as the women are starting to (slowly) work out their differences, a member of the bridge club is murdered, and Peg wants to help discover the murderer.

“I see.” Peter sat back down in his chair. “Did the police ask for your help?”

“Not in so many words.”

“Do they want your help?”

“They would if they stopped and thought about it,” Rose said firmly.

Peg is a dog trainer and breeder and judge, so there are many dogs and dog shows in the story.

Rose used to be a nun, so she is unbelievably naive about some things.

“She also told me that she was ready to end things, too, and that their parting was mutual.”

Peg snorted. “As if anyone would believe that. That’s how every rejected woman in history has ever described a breakup.”

This is a spin-off from another cozy series, so there were a lot of references to characters from that series, and events from that series. There are also a LOT of details about Poodles and dog shows and dog training, much of which could have been trimmed with zero harm to the story–probably to the benefit of the story, as there were a LOT of words spent on dog shows and judging.

Still, it was a fun cozy and I immediately started the next book.

Characters: Peg Turnbull, Rose Donovan, Peter Donovan, Detective Rodney Sturgill, Marnie Clark, Harvey, Joe Klein, Rina Jacobs, Carrie Maynard, Lacey Duvall, John Severson, Violet, Florence and Franny Grover, Stanley Peters, Mick Doran, Sue Richey, Bennett Jones, Jerry Watkins, Mae, Paige Greene, Reggie Greene, Henry Stillman, Maura Nettles, Ivy, Crawford Langley, Terry Denunzio, Officer James

Publisher: Kensington Books

Rating: 7.5/10

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