A mountain resort where four-legged guests are welcome everywhere, an inn run by a German grandmother and a death looking anything but accidental. Murder, She Barked by Krista Davis is the first Paws and Claws Mystery. Berkley published it on December 3, 2013, and it became a New York Times bestseller.
On Goodreads the book holds 3.94 out of 5 from more than 5,400 ratings. Below: the premise, the cozy question, the reviews and the series order.
What Is Murder, She Barked About?
Holly Miller’s life has gone to the dogs. She has lost her job, and she heads to Wagtail, Virginia, to visit her grandmother. On the way, she rescues a scruffy Jack Russell terrier and sees a car explode. The little terrier stays with her and becomes Trixie. It is the start of a partnership that carries the whole series.
Her grandmother, Oma, runs the Sugar Maple Inn in Wagtail. The town is the country’s premiere vacation hot spot for pet owners who can’t bear to leave their furry friends behind. Restaurants serve meals for people and pets, and the inn has its own calico kitten, Twinkletoes.
Then Holly learns that one of the employees at the inn has been killed in a hit-and-run. The police call it an accident. Holly is not so sure, and with a nose-to-the-ground dog at her side, she starts to dig.
Is Murder, She Barked a Cozy Mystery?
Yes, a classic one. It has everything the genre promises: an amateur sleuth and a small, friendly town. There is also a warm family inn and no graphic violence. The murder happens off the page. The animals do not talk or solve the case on their own, but their sharp noses point Holly in the right direction more than once.
Our Review: A Place Built for Four-Legged Guests
The setting is the star, an idyllic setting where every hotel, shop and café welcomes four-legged guests. It is easy to see why fans want to book a room at the Sugar Maple Inn. Oma, Holly’s grandmother, adds warmth and a firm hand. She is proud, practical and quick to put her granddaughter to work, and their easy back-and-forth gives the book its heart.
Trixie and Twinkletoes steal their scenes, and reader after reader names them as the best part of the book. The mystery holds up too: most people did not guess the killer early.
The weak spots come from the first chapter onward. The book introduces a lot of characters at once, and it can be hard to keep the suspects apart. Some also found Holly’s choices about her boyfriend back home hard to follow. These are first-book problems, and the cast settles as the series goes on.
The Paws and Claws Mystery Series in Order
This is book 1 of ten. The series begins like this:
- Murder, She Barked (2013)
- The Ghost and Mrs. Mewer (2014)
- Murder Most Howl (2015)
The newest is The Wagtail Murder Club (2025).
Our Paws and Claws Mysteries page has a short note on each book.
Who Is Krista Davis? Her Other Books
She is a New York Times bestselling author, and several of her books have been nominated for the Agatha Award. She lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with a brood of cats and dogs. The fictional setting is written by someone who knows animals well.
Her first series is the Domestic Diva Mysteries, about an event planner in Old Town Alexandria. She also writes the Pen & Ink Mysteries. More on our author page.
Similar Books: More Mysteries With Dogs and Cats
For more animals with your mystery, try Linda O. Johnston’s Pet Rescue Mysteries (see our Oodles of Poodles review). Cat lovers can go back to the classic that started it all, The Cat Who Could Read Backwards by Lilian Jackson Braun.
Where to Buy the Book
The book is available as a mass market paperback and an ebook. The print edition includes recipes for people and their pets, and many public library branches carry the series.
Quick Facts
| Series | First of ten |
|---|---|
| First published | December 3, 2013, Berkley |
| Setting | Wagtail, Virginia |
| Sleuth | Holly Miller |
| Animals | Trixie (Jack Russell terrier), Twinkletoes (calico kitten) |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is there a real Wagtail?
No. The town of Wagtail is fictional, set in the mountains.
Do the pets solve the crime?
Not on their own. Trixie and Twinkletoes find clues, but Holly does the detective work.
Is it a clean read?
Yes. Reviews describe it as free of graphic content, a good pick for a gentle read.