One murder is bad enough …
But two murders in a month on the same strip of Worth Avenue in Palm Beach is enough to whip Samantha Armstrong into a frenzy.
When Samantha relaxes into her new role as a dog mom, finds a circle of friends in her new hometown, and sees her new dog bakery Canine Confections barking up business, she’s thrilled that things are going so well … until she hears a bloodcurdling scream from the pastry shop two doors down and runs over to find a dead body on the floor.
Suddenly Samantha finds herself in a race against time to find not only the thief who is stealing from the upscale shops, but a murderer, too. Samantha’s Lab-Mix Sweet Pea wags her tail through all of the clues, suspects and shenanigans. Both Samantha and Sweet Pea are aided in their amateur investigation by the other shopkeepers on the elegant Worth Avenue, and Samantha finds the suspect list growing at every turn.
To make matters worse, Samantha’s old boyfriend arrives in town, and mysterious people start showing up at the Sophisticated Pet and New Age stores nearby. Samantha soon finds that things are not what they seem, and she must figure out what’s going on—or become the next dead body on a bakery floor.
Includes an original recipe from the world-famous Three Dog Bakery!
Mudpie was very excited to have the opportunity to interview Sweet Pea, the canine star of this series. Make sure you leave a comment for Sweet Pea with your email address because we have a digital copy of Paws for Alarm to give away to one lucky winner!
Welcome, Sweet Pea! Thank you so much for chatting with me today. Could you start by telling us a little about yourself and how you came to live with Samantha?
Sher and thank u 4 ledding me vizit. (Hold on a secind. I haf to get help with my speling frum a frend...)
OK I am back and hav a frend helping me now. He is a dog frend and I'm not shur if he knows how to spell better than me but he is nise for trying.
My new mom Samantha adopted me becauz my mom I had for one week got killed frum someone not very nice.
Canine Confections must be heaven on earth for a pup like yourself! Do you get to snack on samples all day?
YES!! It iz so much fun! We hav PawCakes and PupTarts and so much more!
Does Samantha ever plan to expand to baked goods for kitties like me?
Funnee you should ask. A cat showz up in Book 2 and I wooldnt be surprized if my mom starts adding a cat treet to Canine Confections bakery but I'm not too wurried abowt too many becauze the name is CANINE Confections.
What's a typical day like for you?
I wake up in the king size bed with Mom-Samantha. Sometimez she iz up practising new resipes in the kitchen or drinking coffee (blech!) and doing crossword puzzles. Then we go 4 a walk around Aunt Mary's estate or around the block, come home, eet brekfast, and we go to Worth Avenue and spend the day meeting peeple and dogz and I am the taste tester for new resipes. I am very helpful becauz I say hi to the customerz and cleen the floor if a crumb drops. We go home to our cottage on Aunt Mary's estate, then go to Aunt Mary's mansion next door and ride up the elevator to the second floor where we hav coktail half hour. I drink bottled water and get a snack. Then it's dinner in Aunt Mary's cozy kitchen nook or in the cottage and evening is full of snuggle time with Mom-Samantha. We squeeze in running on the beech, chasing birds on the sand and other fun stuff in between and on days off we go to Jupiter Dog Beach or someplase fun.
Tell us about Paws for Alarm, the new Canine Confections Mystery you star in.
Oh! You no I am the star? I thawt onlee I new that. Wait, I am turning on spellchek if I can get my paw to do it... Okay, I am back... Paws for Alarm is the second in the series. The first is Paws for Concern. And Book 3 is called Paws of Death and is coming out this summer! In Paws for Alarm there is another recipe from that famous Three Dog Bakery in the back and in the story a cat shows up. That's the most interesting parts about it, that there is food and a cat. Oh wait, author Amy just came in the room and she said to tell you that you might be interested to know there is another murder and more shopkeepers that we meet and more people not to trust. But I like my explanation better--food and a cat, that's really all you need to know.
Do you help assist Samantha in any way in solving the mystery?
I am a BIG help. I am there for moral support. And I kiss almost everybody.
Can you give us any clues as to what's next for you two?
Like I mentioned, a cat shows up in Book 2 Paws for Alarm. So I think maybe he is going to be involved more in the books which, if he was nicer to me maybe it'd be okay but so far, he doesn't want to be my friend. I think Canine Confections will finally start doing good business if no more dead humans show up for awhile. And we have new friends we have met and will continue to meet. A florist, a stamp seller, a new age lady, a pastry woman, Mom-Sam's old friend from back home who she says she doesn't want to see anymore (but her eyes got all funny when he showed up, and her eyes get the same way with Rick that man from the pet store plus she smiles for about half an hour after he leaves which is sort of weird). And we'll maybe play in the pool and tennis courts on Aunt Mary's mansion estate and we'll go to the beaches and walk around the shops on Worth Avenue and maybe Mom will sneak me into the glamourous Breakers Hotel or maybe that quaint little Chesterfield Hotel with the old-fashioned lobby and library and rooms and secluded pool and snack bar. And also probably I'll get lots more belly-rubs and treats.
Thank you for letting me visit!
About the author:
Amy Hueston writes mini-mysteries for Woman’s World magazine when she isn’t writing mystery and suspense novels. The first 3 books in her Canine Confections mystery series have an abundance of dogs and pastries, two of her favorite things, and will be available in 2021. Amy is also a professional singer who has performed nationally and internationally. A sought-after singer in South Florida, Amy draws on these experiences when writing.
Author Links
