Dogs, Murder, and Private Investigation!!! Reviewing The Barking Detective Mysteries

The word of the day is Chihuahua!!! In case you don't live in El Paso, or just haven't heard, but we have a new Triple-A baseball team...and the team name is: El Paso Chihuahuas. So consider this my way of welcoming the Chihuahuas to the Sun City.

These three books (Dial C for Chihuahua, Chihuahua Confidential, and The Big Chihuahua) are all part of a series, known as Barking Dog Mysteries. I ended up with them by accident, but I'm very happy to say that all three were very enjoyable!! I really liked them and hope that lots of other people will read and enjoy them too. I had never heard of them before and to be completely honest, I've never been too into mysteries (aside from the occasional episode of Scooby-Doo...which also features a dog....maybe I just like mysteries when they include canine characters). These I like quite a bit.

Each of these books revolves around Geri Sullivan and her dog Pepe. Pepe is a chihuahua who speaks both English and Spanish. Geri first adopts him in the first book. Geri's life hasn't been too great lately, considering she was recently divorced and is trying to find a better job.





Dial C for Chihuahua

Author: Waverly Curtis
Genre: Mystery
Year of Publication: 2012

In this book, Geri becomes a Private Investigator and investigates a murder. She also meets Felix, a dog trainer. Geri and Pepe learn a lot about each other and have to adjust to each other's lifestyle needs. 








Chihuahua Confidential

Author: Waverly Curtis
Genre: Mystery
Year of Publication: 2013

Geri is still a private investigator with her partner Pepe. There is another murder that must be investigated and solved. This time we're heading off to Hollywood and there are lots more dogs!!! There is a surprise appearance by Pepe's previous owner and we find out just where Pepe's loyalties lie when all is said and done.





        The Big Chihuahua

Author:
Waverly Curtis

Genre: Mystery
Year of Publication: 2013

In this book, Geri and Pepe find themselves at the Dogawanda headquarters. Money is in question and just as Geri is onto a trail, someone has been murdered and its up to the great team of Sullivan & Sullivan to solve the case. A money grabbing scheme involving a sort of prophet, where dogs are the greatest living things that should be looked up to. There are ideas that dogs know best and people should aspire to be more like them in the way their lives are led. 



I would rather just review all three books at once. It seems much more effective in this case.

Throughout the books, we get to see a lot of Pepe and Geri. In each one its pretty easy to see how their bond increases from one adventure to the next. They are fantastic characters to read about! Pepe is really funny and incredibly charming. He often drips Spanish into his sentences at times, which is effective and entertaining to say the least.

Also, as each book progresses, we meet more and more characters, many of whom appear from book to book. Felix (Geri's love interest) is present in all three books and a client from Dial C for Chihuahua becomes a key character again in Chihuahua Confidential. Also, some loose plot lines from the very beginning come into play all throughout the series. Its very interesting and I'm hoping that there'll be another book published soon. I'm starting to miss Pepe a lot. I can't pick a favorite book, although I kind of liked books one and two better than three. Although The Big Chihuahua really gave Geri's boss Jimmy G some agency that was much needed. He also shined in Chihuahua Confidential a bit, but not as much as in The Big Chihuahua.  However, book three does put a bit more focus onto Geri's relationship with Felix, which is definitely intriguing to read about.

Furthermore, the covers. I have to say something here because, let's be honest, these covers are just so adorable. It would be a crime to not point out how cute Pepe is and how fun the books look! The bright colors are catching and each cover is a great reflection of what will be found within the pages. I give major props to the cover designer!

The characters are fun and well developed, the plots are thick and entertaining (they don't allow you to predict what's going to happen easily, but they definitely make the prospect of guessing fun), and the settings are pretty neat too. Overall, these books are good all around and I'm excited for more. I really hope there will be more because there just hasn't been enough for me to be satisfied as a reader just yet. There is plenty of drama, but not the kind that drives a person crazy. Another positive point is that each book can pretty much be on its own, even though they're obviously better read in sequence. There are events mentioned from in the past, but its nothing too distracting and all the gaps are filled in well. They'd be good individually but ultimately belong in a series and just go great together. I love the way each book plays off of the last.

I would definitely recommend these books to fans of mystery and especially to dog lovers!!! Wouldn't you just love to know what dogs are thinking or saying sometimes??

HERE ARE THE RATINGS:
Dial C for Chihuahua                                                  ✯✯✯
Chihuahua Confidential                                               ✯✯✯
The Big Chihuahua                                                    ✯✯✯

The Barking Detective Mystery Series gets a 4 out of 5.

Thanks for reading my review!!! Please come back again for the next review.

Also, best of luck to the El Paso Chihuahuas in their inaugural year!!!!!!

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