[.ca] The Beastly Bloodline (ISBN 1880284693)

Charming and sophisticated cosy:
British ex-patriate Delilah Little has made a good life for herself in the United States living in Surf City, California and sharing her abode with her beloved Doberman. She even has a beau in homicide detective Jack Mallory although at the moment the pair is not speaking to one another because of an argument they had while bird watching. She earns a living as a pet detective tracing lost animals and returning them to their own owners. Delilah gets a call from her best friend Eve asking her to come to Dorsett Farms and the Lazy D. Guest Ranch, which is owned by her cousin Hilda Dorsett-Bragg. Hilda believes her horse the Duke of Paddington was poisoned and she wants Delilah to work under-cover to find out who the culprit is. During her time on Hilda's property, two men are killed and a fire burns down the office where the business records were kept. Delilah believes the incidents are connected and with a little help from his friends, she sets out to prove it. Place an English village mystery in the middle of a California Dude ranch and readers will have a sense of what THE BEASTLY BLOODLINE is all about. The heroine will immediately endear herself to readers because of her love of animals and for making a home for herself in the U.S. without betraying her British heritage. Readers will find the Delilah Doolittle Pet Detective mysteries charming and sophisticated cosies. Harriet Klausner