cover image Trigger Yappy

Trigger Yappy

Diana Orgain. Minotaur, $25.99 (256p) ISBN 978-1-250-06912-2

Murder once again strikes Pacific Cove, Calif., in Orgain’s cutesy sequel to 2015’s Yappy Hour. When Rachel Patterson, who owns Wine and Bark, a wine bar catering to dogs and dog owners, is hospitalized with salmonella poisoning, her sister, Maggie, takes over running the bar, where the editor of Doggie Day magazine is due to make an important visit. Meanwhile, Maggie is dismayed to overhear a loud argument between business owners Yolanda and Fran. On a subsequent visit to Fran’s shop, Chic Chickie, Maggie and Yolanda discover Fran’s body in a pool of blood on the floor. Maggie’s efforts to solve Fran’s murder reveal the tangled relationships among the women who make up the Roundup Crew, who meet at Wine and Bark and drink Salty Dogs and Muttgaritas while their pets eat Arf d’oeuvres. Maggie’s attraction to both restaurateur Gus DelVecchio and hunky police officer Brad Brooks provides some romantic heat in this saccharine offering. Agent: Jill Marsal, Marsal Lyon Agency. (Dec.)