Review: Traitorous Toys (Cozy Corgi Mysteries #2) by Mildred Abbott

It’s Christmas in Estes Park, Colorado: cozy fires, twinkling lights, soft snowfall, and… murder.

The winter holidays in charming Estes Park lulls Winifred Page and her corgi, Watson, into thoughts of spiced chai and gingerbread as they settle into their new home. Fred’s dream bookshop is becoming a reality, and with Christmas only days away, her only concerns are spending time with family, enforcing Watson’s diet, and finding the perfect gifts.

The toy store beckons Fred and her friend Katie, who dash in out of the cold, during a shopping spree to discover handmade toys, cuddly stuffed animals… and a dying man on the floor.

When Katie’s desperate attempts to save the man ends in her being taken in for his murder, Fred once again dons her detective hat. She puts aside her Christmas list and—with Watson sniffing around—begins a list of suspects. But as quickly as clues point to one person, new discoveries shift the spotlight to another.  

With Katie’s freedom in the balance, Fred has little time to think about gifts or to enjoy the holiday lights and music. A killer is on the loose, one who became violent in a picture-perfect Christmas toy shop, and Fred and Watson can’t begin to predict what might happen next… ~ Goodreads

Source: KU

Read for: The #DDoS Reading Challenge hosted by La La in the Library & Jo’s Book Blog Dog Days of Summer 

Review:

I’m getting a kick out of this series.

Fred is settling into her new town of Estes Park, Colorado, getting her new bookstore ready to open and meeting the quirky neighboring shop owners.

This is a cozy mystery, and as such, it follows a predictable formula. A body is discovered by our plucky heroine and she dives in to clear a close friend accused of the murder. In this installment, the victim is the gorgeous owner of the local toy store, and the accused is her best friend, Katie.Watson and Fred are reluctantly drawn into the case, since she managed to clear her step father in the previous book.

This mystery kept me on my toes a bit longer than the first (which I figured out right away) but it also didn’t make a ton of sense to me. I mean it did…but it was unnecessarily convoluted to get there maybe? 

I love Fred, Watson and the Estes Park community enough to roll with it though. Fred makes a few new friends (including two additional corgi’s!) and continues being flustered by two romantic suitors.

I hate love triangles but I’m not overly concerned in this case. One of the dudes is ringing all sorts of red alarm bells for me and Watson has clearly chosen - so I’ll just say – I’m on team Watson on this one.

I also like how Fred is a bit reserved – having been burned by a cheating spouse and a business partner who betrayed her. She is also still deeply affected by the loss of her father even though it was years ago. Her mom has since remarried and she loves her step dad and his extended family but she’s got a bit of an edgy side. She can be a bit judgmental. She lets people in but is cautious about it. She’s loyal as hell but trusts her own instincts and won’t do anything just to make someone else feel better and I really like that about her.

These are such quick reads and are available on KU so they’re the prefect palate cleanser read for me.