Customer Reviews

Dead Canaries Don't Sing

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This is one of those books that you understand as you're reading it that it's really not very good in some respects but you keep on reading it anyway because it's not so bad, either, and entertaining. But -- the characters are stereotyped, the detective-heroine is not so much spunky as reckless to the point of stupidity (refusing to take seriously the numerous signs that she's making a murderer very unhappy with her), there are some technical errors in the veterinary part (which really are extraneous to the plot anyway), and it's all so improbable.

But -- Baxter is a skillful enough writer that it's a pleasant read -- great for an airplane -- escape reading. The plotting is fairly good, but the series of interviews detective method is improbable and the main character has virtually no reason to get involved in finding the killer. When citizens get involved in murder investigations, I think it works best when there is a plausible reason why (like brother has been falsely accused, that sort of thing).

The plot involves Dr. Jessie Popper, mobile veterinarian (she has a traveling vet clinic), who discovers a body on her way to make a house call on a horse. There's a dead canary beside the body. For reasons that never are clear, Jessie decides to solve the murder and proceeds to do so by presenting herself (using various lies) to anyone she can find who knew the deceased. Her ex-boyfriend is a private investigator, although all he does is try to protect her. There's a fair amount of romance and a couple of very amusing scenes involving the men in Jessie's life.

There's also a lot that should have been edited out, like all the stuff about her landlord neighbor, which never quite works, and the vet visits, which have nothing to do with the plot. Given the way she uses her vet status to lie her way into interviews, Dr. Popper should be worried about losing her license.

I think Baxter has some good writing skills, but this mystery is clearly a first. I hope she will improve over time.

I like amateur sleuths and regional mysteries; throw in the fact that the hero is a vet with a menagerie of animals seemed like a perfect match. Then again, while Jessica Popper may be good with animals, she's definitely not a people person. And I don't mean that in a good way. Instead of eccentricities that would make her an entertaining character, Jessica packs so much emotional baggage she needs to see a shrink. I have no clue what her ex-boyfriend sees in her neurotic behavior; then again, I have no clue what Jessica sees in him, either.

The mystery elements to the story are fairly good, but the author is heavy-handed about doling out clues. Jessica is a lousy detective; she gathers good information that enables the reader to solve the crime long before she figures it out for herself. There's just the inevitable wait for Jessica to fall into the arms of the murderer and finally realize her mistake. The whole damsel in distress angle. How dull.

All this said, I yet may decide to read the second book in the series. I like amateur sleuths and regional mysteries...

Veterinarian Jessica Popper has a very unique practice called Reigning Cats and Dogs. She has a clinic on wheels and travels allover Long Island meeting her clients in their homes. She just broke off with her boyfriend, a private investigator who she still loves, because he wants to marry her and she wants no part of the institution after seeing all the fights that happened between her parents.

One day while driving along the back road of the Atherton Farm to treat a sick horse, her two dogs find a dead body. When Jessica looks at the murdered victim she sees a canary with his neck broken lying next to the human victim. Jessica wholeheartedly throws herself into the investigation determined to unmask the killer. Although she has never done such a thing before, she gets very close to getting some answers but also almost gets herself killed in the process.

This amateur sleuth novel has plenty of action and enough romance to appeal to readers of both genres. The heroine has two rescued dogs, an arthritic cat and a parrot that repeats back anything he hears. Jessica is a smart, independent and clever woman who works the case as well as a private investigator and readers will find her actions very believable once the audience overcomes the initial doubt that is part of any first time amateur sleuth voluntary involvement in an investigation. Cynthia Baxter's DEAD CANARIES DON'T SING is a mystery lover's delight.

Harriet Klausner

Cynthia Baxter weaves together the disparate worlds of veterinary science, public relations, and Long Island history in a fast-paced, enjoyable mystery that I did not solve until the last chapter. The characters build a constellation of interesting suspects, all of whom look fascinatingly and particularly unattractive as their stories come to light for the amateur sleuth and us.

There's a multitude of minor characters, which might put one off except that nearly every one advances the plot by inches or yards and each, the reader feels, could well become the subject of another investigation. The protagonist's sharp and witty observations, whether attending a funeral or taking a furtive peek at a shrine to an ex-husband, make the many settings memorably distinct. Her descriptions of interacting with her clients (the real clients, not the ones who simply pay the bill) and her own household menagerie caused this decidedly animal-phobic reader to laugh out loud and reconsider her prejudices.

Humor, suspense of several kinds, and information on arcane topics engage readers on almost every page. This is less a mystery to solve than a book simply to enjoy. Unusually, I plan to re-read it before passing it along.

In the 1st book in the Reigning Cats and Dogs Mystery series, we meet mobile veterinarian, Jessica Popper. Jessica runs her own vet service on wheels, and is out making one of her many house calls of the day when her dogs dig up a dead body at a horse farm. Near the body, a dead canary is found buried as well, and Jessica immediately feels she must investigate how she happened on this man's body. Being overly inquisitive, she starts an exhaustive search into the PR mogul's death, and quickly learns that the police don't seem to have much interest in the case. The victim has many enemies, even though he was a widely lauded Long Island businessman, and Jessica must tap into the help offered by a private investigator. This PI is none other than her ex-boyfriend, Nick Burby, who unsuccessfully tries to keep her off the case. And when Jessica is followed, and receives threats, everyone but Jess is convinced that she needs to leave the sleuthing to the professionals.

I gave this series a try even though some of the other reviews on Amazon were not very complimentary. I enjoyed the book, even though I feel that the book was a bit too long. I noticed that all of the books in the series are of similar lengths, even though I felt this one could have been at least 50 pages less than it was. I agree with previous reviewers that I was able to figure out the mystery pretty quickly, but I really enjoyed the character of Dr. Popper (what a funny name), the animals, and her tumultuous relationship with Nick. I definitely will try future books in this series, as I feel the strength of the characters is what make this book interesting. You may want to try this series if you love animals and are looking for a fresh, new cozy series.

The next book in the series is called "Putting on the Dog". Enjoy!

Veterinarian, Dr. Jessica Popper heads off to a house call to a local horse farm. She ends up going a back way to the farm and has trouble with her van on the dirt road. Her two dogs take off into the woods and are soon barking. When she goes to investigate, she finds they have discovered a half buried corpse. Max, her Westie, digs up a dead canary which had been planted near the body.

Jessica feels compelled to discover who killed Tommee Frack, a PR mogul. She enlists the aid of her on-again off-again boyfriend Nick Burby, P.I.

At Tommee Frack's funeral, she ends up befriending his ex-wife. This opens the door for her to talk about Tommee. Jessica being a veterinarian opens the door with many other people in Tommee's life. She is able to find out quite a bit about his personal and business life by talking to these people.

To complicate Jessica's personal life, she begins dating a policeman. Where does her heart lie? She is very confused and this complicates her investigation as well.

Jessica's neighbor and good friend Betty is threatened. Jessica is concerned she is being followed, but can never get any information on the vehicle to have it traced. She doesn't let any of this stop her in her quest for the truth. Will she be able to discover that truth without anyone else being hurt or killed, herself included?

I really enjoyed this book. Jessica is a terrific character and so likeable. I like the premise of her being a traveling veterinarian. The author did a great job of weaving this into the story and making her connections with people be more believable. I would love to have Jessica treat our dog!

I hope there will be many books in this series. I highly recommend it!

Dr. Jessica Popper follows all the paperback mystery character stereotypes with none of the charm.

1. She has the easily confused name - Dr. Popper not Dr. Pepper. (See Lacey Smithsonian.)

2. She has an on again-off again relationship with a sexy crime experienced man. (See Janet Evanovich's Joe Morelli and Ranger.) I felt far more empathy with Nick than I did Jessica! She's such a drama queen, run Nick, RUN!

3. She's all confused about life, but somehow can get the most damning details out of people.

All this would be fine, if she wasn't so *irritating*. She's shrill and childish with her ex -- far more so than any woman over 17 should be.

She has the capacity for compassion of a wading pool and her snoopy habits are grating, not amusing.

And while the veterinary details are fun, any moron can tell you that a dog who humps your leg is establishing dominance, not his sexual attraction for you.

All in all, skip this series. There are too many other books out there for the animal loving mystery lover!

As Veterinarian, Dr. Jessica Popper, sets out on an early house call to a horse farm, her nosy dogs, the one-eyed Dalmation, Lou, and the tailless Westie, Max, stumble upon an unexpected surprise, the corpse of a dead man, half buried in a secluded part of the woods. The two dogs bound around the body, and little Max digs up a dead canary, located right next to the mysterious body. Jessie quickly realizes that this particular corpse was about to spread his wings and sing, but about what, she's not sure of. Now, with the help of her on-again, off-again boyfriend, PI Nick Burby, Jessie begins investigating the crime, which just happens to be dotted with a menagerie of suspects. But her investigation has touched a tender spot, for now, someone wants Jessie off the case bad enough to strike again.

In this wonderful new mystery by newcomer Cynthia Baxter, we are introduced to exciting Dr. Jessica Popper, DVM. Jessica and her menagerie of pets are fun new characters, who have a nose for truth, and the curiosity to go along with it. With bits of pop culture dabbed throughout almost every page of DEAD CANARIES DON'T SING, readers will be able to relate easily with situations and characters, and feel as if they are in the story themselves. Filled with various characters who could very likely be the murderer, readers will enjoy the chance to try pinpointing who he (or she) could possibly be. Overall, this was an exciting, intrepid new mystery to hit the market, and I look forward to reading PUTTING ON THE DOG, when it is released.

Erika Sorocco

Book Review Columnist for The Community Bugle Newspaper

In the 1st book in the Reigning Cats and Dogs Mystery series, we meet mobile veterinarian, Jessica Popper. Jessica runs her own vet service on wheels, and is out making one of her many house calls of the day when her dogs dig up a dead body at a horse farm. Near the body, a dead canary is found buried as well, and Jessica immediately feels she must investigate how she happened on this man's body. Being overly inquisitive, she starts an exhaustive search into the PR mogul's death, and quickly learns that the police don't seem to have much interest in the case. The victim has many enemies, even though he was a widely lauded Long Island businessman, and Jessica must tap into the help offered by a private investigator. This PI is none other than her ex-boyfriend, Nick Burby, who unsuccessfully tries to keep her off the case. And when Jessica is followed, and receives threats, everyone but Jess is convinced that she needs to leave the sleuthing to the professionals.

I gave this series a try even though some of the other reviews on Amazon were not very complimentary. I enjoyed the book, even though I feel that the book was a bit too long. I noticed that all of the books in the series are of similar lengths, even though I felt this one could have been at least 50 pages less than it was. I agree with previous reviewers that I was able to figure out the mystery pretty quickly, but I really enjoyed the character of Dr. Popper (what a funny name), the animals, and her tumultuous relationship with Nick. I definitely will try future books in this series, as I feel the strength of the characters is what make this book interesting. You may want to try this series if you love animals and are looking for a fresh, new cozy series.

The next book in the series is called "Putting on the Dog". Enjoy!

I loved this book. The author really knows how to tell a good story and has a love of animals. It really is a good read. I could identify with the lead character except for the medical details. I look forward to reading other books in this series. There are not many books that address both animals and detective work. I would highly recommend it. Also, the language is really clear, as if she were talking directly to you.