Death on Torrid Ave

Finished November 12

Death on Torrid Ave. by Patricia McLinn

This is the second book in the Secret Sleuth series and the first with the main character Sheila Mackey in her new home in north west Kentucky. She has adopted a rescue dog, collie Gracie, who is about a year old, and Sheila is intent on being a good dog owner. She goes regularly to a dog park near here, one that has four different areas all accessed by gates from a central area. Two are intended for small dogs and two for larger dogs. There are a lot of people who use the park, and among them are two men who have a longstanding disagreement regarding proper dog training, Bob Coble and Dwight Yagos. They argue a lot and both have a group of followers. There are also many people that try to avoid those two factions. 

Sheila has made a friend, Clara, who has a dog Lulu that Gracie loves to play with. She is also working on repairs and changes to her older house. She's looking for a contractor now to add shelving in a couple of rooms, but has been disappointed in the lack of professionalism in the ones that she's contacted, who either come late to appointments or don't show up at all. 

To avoid being outed as the famous author she previously pretended she was, she has come up with a backstory of being an English teacher in upstate New York who has received a small inheritance allowing her to retire. 

When the two women befriend another new arrival in town Teague O'Donnell and his dog Murphy. He's a substitute teacher and a tutor. Sheila worries about whether him also being a teacher might jeopardize her cover story, and he does ask a lot of questions. But when he turns out to be handy, she hires him to do the shelving project in her home. 

Soon, though, there are more things to worry about, when one of the regulars at the dog park turns up dead in the park without their dog. With Sheila and Clara making the discovery, the local law enforcement seems to focus on Sheila as a newcomer. She and Clara decide to do a little investigating on their own. 

I liked the characters, including the details that gradually came out as the story unfolded. I liked the dogs and how the different breeds and individual dogs had their own quirks. The plot worked well, and didn't feel contrived. I like this series.