Murder on Valentine’s Day by P. Creeden

Murder on Valentine's Day by P. Creeden
Series: Ridgeway Rescue Mysteries #2
Published by the author on February 14, 2018
Source: Purchased
Genres: Mystery, Short Story
Pages: 48
Format: eBook
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It's Valentine's Day and 20-year-old Emma Wright just wants her crush to take notice of her. But Colby Davidson, the K9 search and rescue deputy only thinks of her as a kid sister. How will she get him to take her seriously?

When her veterinarian boss calls her to pick up a cat at a potential crime scene, she finds herself at the house of the richest woman in Ridgeway. Her father—the sheriff—and Colby are there. They both dismiss the untimely death as a heart attack, but Emma finds clues that it might be something more. Did the software billionaire die of a natural causes, or was it murder?

I have to assume that I’m not the only person out there who’s perfect read for Valentine’s Day includes a murder, right? “Murder on Valentine’s Day” was a good choice. Emma, our amateur sleuth, is sent to the home of the richest person in town to pick up a cat, even though she tends to be allergic to them. I sympathize with her; I love cats but they make me sneeze and my eyes itch and swell. The cat’s owner is dead, apparently of a heart attack, but of course it was actually murder.

This is a short story, so we only have a couple suspects, but the author does a good job at planting the clues, even if the motive was a little weak for me. Emma manages to put the clues together, and convinces her dad, the sheriff, whose house he needs to search, but she does put herself in a bit of unnecessary danger. I like Emma. Like any good sleuth, she’s smart and observant, but she also loves animals, works for the local vet occasionally, and has an adorable foster Saint Bernard puppy.

Of course it wouldn’t be a good Valentine’s read without a touch of romance. And who doesn’t like take-out with your crush and his dog after some mystery-solving?