THE BARK BEFORE THE DAWN

Georgie Johansen and her supernatural spaniels find themselves embroiled in another murder.

Back from her trip to Florida with her boyfriend, former major league ballplayer Callum McQuade, Georgie’s more than happy to settle into her familiar routine at her aunt Olivia’s animal sanctuary in Twilight Cove, Oregon. But things quickly get weird: Genesis, her local barista, reports that a strange woman has been in the coffee shop asking questions about Callum, and someone seems to be lurking in the bushes behind Georgie’s house at night. When Genesis sends her a picture of the nosy redhead, Georgie recognizes it as a woman who bumped into her at the Florida airport. Later, that same woman is found dead in the Sea Breeze Motel. Georgie is well acquainted with the strange side of life, since her dogs, Flossie and Fancy, have magical abilities, including opening locks and turning invisible. But Fox’s novel is more enjoyable for its ordinary, not its extraordinary, moments. Georgie’s relationships with her neighbors, her care for the animals at Aunt Olivia’s farm, and the trust she builds with Callum as she gradually reveals her dogs’ secret to him form the core of a narrative that underscores the enduring appeal of cozy mysteries. The solution to the puzzle of the stranger’s demise offers few twists, turns, or jolts, but reveals itself gently, with due assistance from Flossie and Fancy. The ability of the dogs to communicate with their human companion is as special as any of their supernatural powers.

Murder at its most pleasant.