cover image Collared

Collared

L.A. Kornetsky. S&S/Gallery, $15 trade paper (320p) ISBN 978-1-4516-7164-3

Fantasy writer Kornetsky’s charming first mystery introduces an enterprising heroine in Ginny Mallard, the owner of a fledgling concierge business in Seattle, Wash., and a supporting cast that includes a couple of four-footed friends. While having a drink in Mary’s, a neighborhood pub, Mary overhears realtor Walter Jacobs worrying aloud to the bartender, Teddy Tonica, about his uncle, Joe, and a batch of important papers, both of which are missing. Hoping to gain a new customer, Ginny volunteers to find Walter’s uncle and the documents, recruiting Teddy to help. Aiding in their search are the bar’s resident “mouser,” a gray tabby cat named Mistress Penny-Drops, and Georgie, Ginny’s half-grown puppy. Meanwhile, the two amateur human detectives trade banter and strike up a wary friendship. Vivid descriptions of Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood are a plus in a cozy tale that will draw in even those normally skeptical of animal-centered stories. Agent: Jennifer Jackson, DMLA. (Nov.)