Sniffing Out Murder

When murder disturbs the quiet town of Crosbyville, IN, Priscilla “Pris” Cummings and her bloodhound, Bailey, set out to find the culprit, launching this cozy series by Benjamin (author of the “Mystery Bookshop” series, as V.M. Burns). After the outstanding success of her children’s book series, “The Adventures of Bailey the Bloodhound,” Pris has quit her teaching job and moved back to her hometown. Now Pris is irritated to learn that the new school board president (and former high school mean girl), Whitney Kelley, wants to cut the school district’s “frivolous” expenses, including the pet-assisted reading program that Pris is a strong believer in. Later, Bailey finds Whitney’s corpse during a morning walk, inspiring Pris to use her knowledge of Crosbyville to help solve the murder. Benjamin’s series starter is a cozy listen with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Perfectly capturing Crosbyville’s small-town charm, Dara Brown narrates Pris and the large cast of quirky townspeople as they search for the killer among them. Pop culture references, both old and new, are sprinkled throughout, making for a broadly appealing novel.