Maggie recently relocated from the East Coast to Pacific Cove on the West Coast for several reasons. Her job had recently come to an end when the stock market crashed, her Great-Uncle Ernest needed a caregiver, and a bookkeeper job came open with a cruise line that recently opened a new port in town.

Ernest fired his day nurse because she didn’t like his bookie and she wouldn’t let Ernest (Grunkly) smoke.

Maggie’s sister ran a business consisting of a wine bar that catered to dog owners and their dogs. Maggie received a text from her sister letting her know Rachel was going out of town and asked her to cover the wine bar while Rachel was gone. Maggie heard no more from her, and friends were telling Maggie that Rachel eloped.

When Dan Walters, the manager of Del Vecchio’s, was found dead in Rachel’s bar, Maggie searched for possible clues as to who might have killed him. She found a note on his person that listed customer complaints at Rachel’s bar, and also showed Dan was trying to shut her down.

The police decided Rachel killed him to prevent that from happening, and then she took off and left her sister to run the bar.

Yappy Hour, a mystery by Diana Orgain, is a fun cozy that features a small-town bar with a unique cliental – both canine and human.

From the beginning, this fast-paced romp will grab cozy mystery fans and keep them entertained until the unexpected end. The story opens with a cranky great-uncle and ends with the possibility of another fun escapade for us to enjoy. I can see a series of stories featuring the lovable characters living around Pacific Cove, California.

The characters are well-rounded and believable, the dialogue natural and true to life, and a setting many of us would enjoy. Definitely looking forward for the next offering from this author.

If you are interested in Yappy Hour: A Mystery, it is available at Amazon.com.

A special thank you goes to Minotaur Books for providing us with a complimentary copy of this novel for our review.