The Beastly Bloodline
A Delilah Doolittle Pet Detective Mystery
By Patricia Guiver 

      Delilah Doolittle is a widow who makes a marginal living as a finder of lost pets. It's what this lady from England does best. Now she lives in Surf City, California, with her female Doberman, Watson, her cockatiel, Dolly, and a wild, three-legged, ginger-colored tom cat named Hobo.

      Delilah was between assignments when she got a call from her best friend, Evie Cavendish. Evie was staying with her distant cousin, Hilda Dorsett-Bragg. Hilda owns Dorsett Farms, stables that breed show horses. She also owns the Lazy D Guest Ranch. Her prize show horse, the Duke of Paddington, has been poisoned. Hilda wants Delilah to find out who did it and why, but she doesn't want anyone else at the dude ranch or the farm to know who Delilah is or why she is there.

     Reluctantly, Delilah accepts the job. When she arrives she finds that Hilda is not forthcoming with details of the Duke's death. She says she wants Delilah to form her own opinions. Delilah immediately seeks out the vet, who says he suspects an accidental drug overdose. But who administered it and why, he doesn't know.

     Before she can get much further with her investigation, the farm's manager, Hank Carpenter, is found dead at the foot of the bell tower of the old mission near the dude ranch. Can Delilah solve both murders before anyone else dies?

     This is Delilah Doolittle's sixth outing. She may seem a bit of a bungler, and jumps to a few wrong conclusions, but she does figure it all out in the end. She is a most charming character, and she has some definite views on how animals should be treated. She isn't off the mark.

     Enjoy The Beastly Bloodline. You'll be glad you did.