 Renée Gardner's books
And the Dog Took the Cat: A Sutton Place Mystery
PublishAmerica
ISBN 1-60703-369-0
Read an excerpt (PDF)
What would you do if your husband dumps you, your dog dies, your friends shun you and your son and daughter flee home rather than eat your rotten cooking? Well, if you are Carla Miller, you will swap your dull suburban life for an exciting new life in a co-op apartment high above Manhattan's Upper East Side. But the excitement that Carla finds could be the death of her.
In the second book in the Sutton Place Mystery series, Carla must juggle her new job with Kitty Larsen at Career Steps - The Agency with a Heart with hunting for things that she never thought could disappear, like the body of her obnoxious realtor, the stash of jewels in her kitchen air vent plus her supply of toilet paper and tuna fish. She is also baffled by the frequent sneezing attacks that she suffers in her rarely used kitchen.
Romance enters Carla's life when dashing Tony Vitale rescues her from a stalled elevator. Though he wants to know everything about Carla, Tony is evasive about his current profession, his marital status and the reason why he disappears whenever she is in trouble. Only after much prodding by Carla, does he reluctantly reveal that a vengeful religious statue had something to do with his wife's embarrassing death.
Carla suspects that an elusive scent in her kitchen is tied to the killer, and she sets out on a "scent finding" mission all over New York City to sniff the colognes worn by her male friends and relatives. She fears that she's close to finding the killer when she is stalked in Bloomingdale's, is mugged in the park and, as And the Dog Took the Cat races to its surprising conclusion, she comes dangerously close to being tossed off her terrace.
Carla's load of problems grows heavier and heavier as she learns that her second best friend is having an affair with her best friend's husband, her mother also may be having an affair, her daughter is going to brush a boar's teeth at the CIA and her brother is about to trade in Bunny IV for a newer model.
"Friends have secrets to tell...Danger, grave danger surrounds you...Beware of a man close to you..." are the all-too true warnings delivered to Carla by Kitty's husband, Charlie Blumenfaux, the world-famous Seer to the Stars.
Learn more about The Tap-Dancing Gorilla, the first book in the Sutton Place Mystery series.
What they are saying about And the Dog Took the Cat
I smiled, I giggled, I laughed out loud. I gasped, I moaned, my heart stopped. And I never guessed the wonderful ending. Carla is a great character and I learned more about where to shop than I can afford. I absolutely loved Renée Gardner's And the Dog Took the Cat.
Lee Harris
author of the New York Mysteries series
Sutton Place has always been the swankiest address on Manhattan's Upper East Side. Now it's the wackiest, thanks to Renée Gardner and her Sutton Place Mystery series. You've just got to love middle aged divorcee and amateur sleuth Carla Miller, whose troubles have to do with a murdered real estate agent. Oh, and then there's that cache of jewels stashed in her kitchen air vent. Carla heads to the shoe department at Bloomingdale's to plot her next move. After all, what sensible Upper East Sider wouldn't want to get in a little shopping when contemplating murder?
Sara Williams
author of The Don Juan Con and The Serenoa Scandal
Lots of intrigue, with fantastic and familiar Manhattan locations. And the Dog Took the Cat is a thrilling read from start to finish. A must read!
Suzanne Barr
author of Fatal Kiss and Sight Unseen
Fashion, friends, and murder all rolled into one fast moving story.
Elizabeth Becka
author of Trace Evidence and Unknown Means
Ms. Gardner's accurate and detailed descriptions of Sutton Place, New York, makes this cozy mystery come alive with realism. Reminiscent of an Agatha Christie whodunit conclusion, the author very cunningly blends the erstwhile chaos and comedy of a New York divorcee's life into a well-paced mystery. Charlotte Williamson
author of Switched and Say Aloha to Murder
Both books may be ordered through the PublishAmerica.com, amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com, booksamillion.com
|
|
