High Jinx

October 19, 2015
In this amiable series opener from Esposito (Karma’s a Bitch), pampered pooches and their owners meet at the Pampered Pup Spa & Resort, on the Florida Gulf Coast island of Moon Key, where “doga” instructor Elle Pressley leads dogs and women in simple yoga exercises, until murder upsets their cozy routine. The victim, Celeste Green, is found face down on the floor of the mud-bath room and appears to have traced the letters B and O in the mud—clues that possibly point to plastic surgeon Ira Craft, whose Botox treatments are a popular option on the island. Elle, the best friend of Ira’s wife, Hope, is keen to prove Ira’s innocence. She goes in search of other suspects, starting with Celeste’s ex-husband, Robert, and Robert’s new girlfriend, Zebina. Handsome PI Devon Burke provides romantic tension as well as detection. An exotic setting compensates only in part for a routine mystery.

December 1, 2015

Elle Presley teaches "doga" (yoga with your dog) at Moon Key's Pampered Pet Spa & Resort. Accompanying her in her class is her 80-pound bulldog mix, Buddha. When client Cecilia Green is murdered by an injection of Botox to her neck, Elle is drawn into the investigation to help her best friend Hope, whose plastic surgeon husband was the last person to see Cecilia alive. Throw in a sexy Irish private investigator and an adorable doggy ghost, and presto, a fresh cozy series is born. VERDICT The author of the self-published "Pet Psychic Mystery" series makes her hardcover debut with this tale of a distinctly downscale yoga instructor working in a decidedly upscale resort near Miami. Elle is an absorbing, amusing character with a lot of love for her rescue dog. A strong pick for fans of cozies set in Florida such as Elaine Viets's "Dead End Job" mysteries or any of the plethora of canine-related series.

Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 1, 2016
Elle Pressley teaches doggie yoga at a posh pet spa on Moon Key island. The humans are not as well behaved as the canines, and she intervenes often among quarrels. When one of her students, Celeste, is found murdered in the mud-bath room, with the letters B O etched near the victim's hand, Elle is determined to find the killer. It turns out that Celeste died from an injection of Botox to the neck, and Elle's best friend's husband, a plastic surgeon, is the prime suspect. Elle attends a Botox party, a ritzy fund-raiser, and other unusual events in her attempt to clear the doctor's name in this humorous, well-paced story. She also enlists hunky PI Devon, reminiscent of J. D. Robb's Roarke, to help her, with flirtation between the two sparkling off the page. Devon raises the heat, but Elle has reasons from her past for keeping things slow. The killer may be readily apparent, but the motive and red herrings will keep fans of both light mysteries and romance interested in this fun new addition to the pet cozy genre.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

June 1, 2016
Doggie-yoga instructor Elle Pressley returns in this unique amateur-sleuth series. First she is told that there is a curse on her by one of her clients at Pampered Paws spa. Then she finds a body at a swanky Halloween party, that of the mansion's owner, Michael Beckley. His daughter, Cali, was arguing with him at the party, and his wife, Selene, was often in the company of a hunky trainer. Elle and her boyfriend, PI Devon, agree to help the maid at the mansion, who is charged with the murder. Michael's son, MJ, and his charming girlfriend provide Elle and Devon with background on the family. Voodoo, money, and affairs all play roles in the crime, with the killer revealed in a nail-biting sea scene. Esposito uses the pet-spa frame to bring a fresh perspective to the animal-mystery genre, and Elle and Devon continue to grow as appealing sleuths.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)

Doga yoga instructor Elle Pressley's latest high-maintenance client turns out to be the least of her worries when she's the last to see a dead man alive.Of all the drawbacks you might imagine to being a doga (dog yoga) instructor, getting involved in murder isn't the most likely--except for Elle Pressley, who's hired to give lessons to Athena, the dog of Selene Beckley's grandmother Flavia. Following a session with Flavia and Athena, Flavia takes a shine to Elle and warns her about the dangers of the evil eye, filling her with Greek lore that makes Elle worry she'll be cursed if she exits a house incorrectly. But Elle feels nothing but good vibes now that she and her pup, Buddha, are staying with her handsome private-eye boyfriend, Devon, and his dog, Petey. Maybe it was lucky that her place was damaged in a fire. Though Elle knows that Devon will leave town when he solves his parents' murders, she's happy to have time to accompany him to Selene and Michael Beckley's Halloween bash, a must for the Moon Key socialites who are Elle's clients, if not her friends. While she's at the party running an errand for Flavia, Elle finds Michael murdered in a horrible prank gone wrong. The police question Elle, the last person to see him alive, and wonder if she may have inside information, though she seems to have precious few answers. In addition, the young woman accused of the murder reaches out to Elle for help. As Elle starts to investigate, the stumbling blocks she hits make her wonder if she hasn't been cursed after all. Too many new ancillary characters and an incongruously violent climax only muddle the second installment in this series, which will hopefully return to form next time. COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

May 16, 2016
At the outset of Esposito’s quirky, charming second mystery featuring dog-yoga instructor Elle Pressley and her bulldog mix companion, Buddha (after 2015’s Faux Pas), Elle conducts a “doga” session for Athena, a plump Chihuahua in need of exercise that belongs to Michael and Selene Beckley, at their $30 million mansion on the private Florida Gulf Coast island of Moon Key. After the session, Elle accepts Selene’s invitation to a Halloween party that she and Michael are giving the next night. During the party, which Elle attends with her PI beau, Devon Burke, she goes to the kitchen in search of a drink. There she sees Michael in an Elvis costume hanging by his neck from the kitchen rafters. At first she thinks it’s a prank, but on closer inspection Michael is dead. When the sister of one of Elle’s friends is arrested for the murder, Elle begins her own investigation. Those who like their pet-assisted crime-solving cozies a bit more action-packed than usual will be satisfied.