Corgi detectives Sherlock and Watson solve yet another case in Case of the Muffin Murders by Jeffrey Poole. Pomme Valley gets hit with a rash of murders, and Zack Anderson’s corgis get called in to do their magic yet once again. First, someone dies of arsenic poisoning, and then the next day, another citizen dies of carbon monoxide poisoning. When a third resident dies the third day, the dogs become Pomme Valley’s best hope for solving the murders.
I had a good time listening to this fifth book in the Corgi Case Files series. The dogs are a delight, and I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing Zack evolve from someone who doesn’t care about dogs to becoming the staunchest of dog lovers and defenders. The characters are very familiar by now, but even to a neophyte to the series, they will come across as round and soon become friends. The mystery is intriguing, but it seems almost secondary to the life that Zack has built around him after suffering the bereavement of his wife in a car accident two years earlier and moving to Pomme Valley, Oregon from Phoenix to start a new life. My single complaint is that this book concludes with a massive cliffhanger, just as the previous book did. Anyone familiar with my reviews knows my scorn for that literary device, which I feel is used to manipulate the readers into wanting to purchase the next book in the series. Just for that cliffhanger, I have to remove one star from my rating.
Bob Johnson performs the audio version of Case of the Muffin Murders, and he embodies Zack perfectly, making me believe that I am listening to Zack himself speak. He has fun with the wry humor and somewhat cynical wit of Zack, and that joy transfers itself to us listeners. Johnson makes me connect to this audiobook especially effectively.
I appreciate getting to listen to Case of the Muffin Murders and enjoyed getting to visit again with the corgi detectives. The audio of this book added to the positive listening experience. It’s a shame that it was hurt by the dramatic cliffhanger, giving it four stars.
Disclaimer: I received this book for review purposes, but that had no effect on the content of my review.
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