Ellen Hart - Murder in the Air (Sophie Greenway Mystery)

PRAISE FOR
Cynthia Baxters

REIGNING CATS AND DOGS MYSTERIES

Should be on your [summer reading list].

Newsday

A cleverly constructed mystery chock-full of dysfunctional characters all hiding motives for murder Readersand particularly pet lovers[will] savor this delightful cozy.

Publishers Weekly

A fun romp through Long Islands east end If you love good mysteries or love animals or mysteries with animals, youll love Baxters Putting On the Dog.

Long Island Times-Herald

Dead canaries dont sing, but you will after reading this terrific mystery!

Rita Mae Brown, New York Times bestselling author

A little bird told me to read this mystery which is awfully good. For the record, I would shred any canary who insulted me.

Sneaky Pie Brown, New York Times bestselling cat

Baxter excels at the telling detail: Her dogs wake up in the morning as if theyve already hit the espresso pot, and a scene with Jessica dancing with the movie heartthrob of the moment is so real it offers a vicarious fantasy.

Romantic Times

A truly refreshing read that moved the plot right along. Im looking forward to more in this new series.

Rendezvous

In a similar vein to that of Susan Conant, Ms. Baxter does an excellent job of creating hysterical characters and providing plenty of descriptions of their four-legged companions A great book to read while curled on the couch with your own four-legged friends.

TheBestReviews.com

Cynthia Baxter has done it once again, and created an extremely enjoyable, laugh-out-loud-funny mystery that would please anyone Sure to be an absolute hit with all.

California Community Bugle

A light read when you totally want to tune out the educational stuff. Two paws up.

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Loads of fun! Baxters veterinary sleuth and her menagerie of animal companions are a great way to spend an afternoon. So pull up a chair and dive in.

T. J. MacGregor, Edgar Award winner and author of Category Five

Dead Canaries Dont Sing is top dog, the cats pajamas, and the paws that refresh all rolled into one un-fur-gettable mystery entertainment.

Sarah Graves, author of the Home Repair Is Homicide series

Also by Cynthia Baxter

Reigning Cats & Dogs Mysteries

DEAD CANARIES DONT SING

PUTTING ON THE DOG

LEAD A HORSE TO MURDER

HARE TODAY, DEAD TOMORROW

RIGHT FROM THE GECKO

WHOS KITTEN WHO?

MONKEY SEE, MONKEY DIE

Murder Packs a Suitcase Mysteries

MURDER PACKS A SUITCASE

TOO RICH AND TOO DEAD

To Fabienne Bouler,
mon amie en France

The greatest fear dogs know is the fear that you will not come back when you go out the door without them.

Stanley Coren, dog psychologist

D o you, Jessica, take this man, Nicholas, to be your lawfully wedded husband

Every woman wants her wedding day to be perfect, and so far mine had been exactly that.

The setting couldnt have been loveliera sprawling estate on Long Islands North Fork that had been the home of a prosperous sea captain back in the 1800s. These days, it was available for private events, which meant that today Nick and I had the charming three-story Victorian mansion, the expansive lawn, and the exquisite gardens all to ourselves.

The day couldnt have been more pleasant, either. The delightfully warm June sun shone down on my soon-to-be husband and me as we stood beneath a graceful wooden archway decorated with gauzy white fabric and colorful wildflowers. Behind us, more than a hundred friends and family members looked on. Off to the left was a large white tent set up for the wedding feast, complete with a three-tier cake.

And I was certainly dressed like the heroine in a storybook, the type that ends and they lived happily ever after. My wedding dress was straight out of a fairy tale, made from flowing ivory silk and cut in a flattering empire style. One of my closest friends, Suzanne Fox, had applied my makeup in a way that made me look as if I were glowing. Shed also twisted my straight, dark blond hair into an elaborate updo, leaving a few loose strands to frame my face. The finishing touch was the cluster of white flowers shed fastened to one side of my head.

As for the groom, he looked positively debonair, thanks to a well-cut tuxedo that made him look as if he were dashing off to the Academy Awards. And while Id grown used to the lock of dark brown hair that was constantly falling into Nicks eyes, for this special occasion hed apparently used some magic potion to tame it.

True, a few butterflies had been doing the hokey-pokey in my stomach before the ceremony. Yet everything was going exactly as planned until the moment I found myself standing in front of the judge.

I could feel the eyes of my guests boring into me as I clutched a bouquet of the same white flowers as my hair ornament. At the moment, I desperately hoped the profusion of petals hid the fact that my hands were trembling.

For better or for worse, to love and to cherish Not that I had any doubts about marrying Nick. Not at this point. He was the love of my life, and looking back over the years wed been together, I realized that even though wed had our share of ups and downsor possibly more than our shareId never stopped feeling that he and I simply belonged together.

It was just that there was something so momentous about actually uttering those two wordsI do. While I could picture myself being married to Nick, I was still having trouble getting over that one last hurdle

From this day forward, the judge intoned, for as long as you both shall live ?

It was time. This was it. So I opened my mouth, prepared to say those life-changing syllables, when the peaceful scene was shattered by a piercing scream.

A-a-a-ah!

Instantly, everyone froze.

Nick turned to me, wearing a puzzled look. Jess? he asked questioningly.

It seemed he just assumed that the desperate cry for help had come from me.

A-a-a-ah! we all heard again, the horrible cry cutting through the warm June day like a bolt of lightning. No! No!

Maybe its because as a veterinarian Im used to handling emergencies, but before I had a chance to mentally form the phrase ruining your own wedding, I whirled around, hiked up my long skirt, and raced back down the aisle. I was only vaguely aware of the chaos erupting around me as guests rose from their seats, glancing around with worried looks.

Its coming from the house, I said to Nick.

The fact that he was right beside me, racing toward the house so speedily that his tux could have been made of Spandex, assured me that I was doing the right thing. It sounds like somewhere on the first floor, he said breathlessly.

Even though I was wearing heels, I managed to reach the front door just seconds after Nick. The two of us rushed inside, exchanging a look of concern over the unmistakable sound of gasps and sobs.

The kitchen! I cried, sprinting down the hall.

I wondered if Id be able to move faster if I kicked off my silly Barbie shoes, especially since I was now dealing with polished hardwood floors instead of the back lawns velvety-green grass. But I didnt want to waste any time. Instead, I skidded around the corner toward the kitchen doorway, not knowing what Id find.