Muzzles and Motives
(2026)(The second book in the Leashes and Lies Mystery series)
A novel by Hailey Hartley
When Emma Carson's neighbor calls in a panic about her missing Pomeranian, it should be a simple case of find-the-dog-and-go-home. But when Emma's German Shepherd Rook leads her into the woods behind the neighborhood, she discovers more than just a frightened Pomeranian—she finds a dead body, and suddenly her quiet dog training business is caught up in a murder investigation. The victim is Derek Winters, a real estate developer who'd been pressuring half the neighborhood to sell their homes for a luxury condo project, and it turns out just about everyone had a reason to want him gone. With a detective who thinks she's interfering and a growing list of friends and neighbors under suspicion, Emma finds herself doing what any sensible dog trainer would do: investigating a murder to protect the people she cares about.
As Emma juggles puppy kindergarten classes by day and amateur sleuthing by night, she uncovers a web of gambling debts, financial desperation, and simmering resentments in her peaceful small town. The charming neighbor who might be hiding serious money problems. The accountant who knew too much about the victim's shady business dealings. The yoga instructor whose dramatic breakup left her owed thousands of dollars. Everyone had motive, everyone had opportunity, and everyone is lying about something. With Rook's nose for finding evidence (whether Emma wants him to or not) and her own stubborn determination to see justice served, Emma follows the clues from her training center to the woods where it all began, piecing together a puzzle that someone is desperately trying to keep her from solving.
In the cozy town of Maplewood Grove, where gossip travels faster than a German Shepherd on a scent trail, Emma Carson is about to learn that solving a murder is nothing like training dogs. There are no treats for good behavior, no second chances to get it right, and the stakes are a lot higher than a failed recall command. Someone in her neighborhood is a killer, and they're watching her investigation very closely. Emma will need all her patience, Rook's sharp instincts, and maybe a little bit of luck to catch a murderer before threatening messages turn into something far more dangerous. Because in a town where everyone knows everyone's secrets, the deadliest secret of all is the one someone killed to protect.
Genre: Mystery
As Emma juggles puppy kindergarten classes by day and amateur sleuthing by night, she uncovers a web of gambling debts, financial desperation, and simmering resentments in her peaceful small town. The charming neighbor who might be hiding serious money problems. The accountant who knew too much about the victim's shady business dealings. The yoga instructor whose dramatic breakup left her owed thousands of dollars. Everyone had motive, everyone had opportunity, and everyone is lying about something. With Rook's nose for finding evidence (whether Emma wants him to or not) and her own stubborn determination to see justice served, Emma follows the clues from her training center to the woods where it all began, piecing together a puzzle that someone is desperately trying to keep her from solving.
In the cozy town of Maplewood Grove, where gossip travels faster than a German Shepherd on a scent trail, Emma Carson is about to learn that solving a murder is nothing like training dogs. There are no treats for good behavior, no second chances to get it right, and the stakes are a lot higher than a failed recall command. Someone in her neighborhood is a killer, and they're watching her investigation very closely. Emma will need all her patience, Rook's sharp instincts, and maybe a little bit of luck to catch a murderer before threatening messages turn into something far more dangerous. Because in a town where everyone knows everyone's secrets, the deadliest secret of all is the one someone killed to protect.
Genre: Mystery
Used availability for Hailey Hartley's Muzzles and Motives