The Dead Dog Day by Jackie Kabler

The Dead Dog Day by Jackie Kabler was published in October by. On publication day Jackie was kind enough to answer my Author in the Spotlight questions, which you can read by clicking here. I have just finished reading the book so here’s my review.

Cora Baxter is a reporter on a breakfast show and has just been very unexpectedly dumped by her boyfriend. Her morning lead story featuring a hero dog has turned into a non-story as the dog has most inconveniently died! And to round the morning off, her tyrant of a boss Jeanette, has been found dying on the ground under the window of their building. The police quickly conclude it’s murder but are struggling for any leads. Cora’s ex-boyfriend has mysteriously disappeared, only sending her cryptic and slightly worrying messages via Twitter.

I thought this was such an entertaining book. With its short chapters it was fast-paced and it was temptingly easy to read just one more! I warmed to the character of Cora who seemed very down-to-earth despite her fame as a breakfast tv presenter. She had a great group of friends who kept her grounded and provided lots of very funny moments throughout the story. I also liked the part of the storyline where, despite her recent break-up. Cora finds herself attracted to two very different men: Benjamin, the gorgeous-and-he-knows-it travel show presenter and quiet Adam, the detective investigating the case. I had no clue who the murderer might be right up until the reveal. There were so many characters who seemed to have motive to bump Jeanette off but no real evidence. I thought it was clever the way Jackie Kabler included the thoughts of the murderer in many of the chapters as they plan a second murder, yet you are given no clues as to who it might be or even whether they are male or female.

Jackie Kabler has used her insider knowledge from her years working in on GMTV to create a totally believable insight into behind the scenes of a tv show. Apparently all the stories relating to the tv shows are based on real events, though not the murder I hope! It was interesting and very entertaining to read about the chaos that often goes on in the background before the viewer sees the finished, generally more polished performance. As a murder-mystery, it will keep you guessing and there are plenty of unexpected twists right to the end. I really enjoyed it and am pleased that Jackie is working on a second Cora Baxter mystery which I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for.

The Dead Dog Day

When your Monday morning begins with a dead dog at 4 a.m. and a dead boss by ten, you know it’s going to be one of those days. And breakfast TV reporter Cora Baxter has already had the weekend from hell, after the man she was planning a fabulous future with unceremoniously dumped her.

Now Cora’s much-hated boss has been murdered, and Cora is assigned to cover the story for the breakfast show – but as the murder enquiry continues, the trail of suspects leads frighteningly close to home. Why is Cora’s arch-rival, glamorous, bitchy newsreader Alice Lomas, so devastated by their boss’s death? What dark secret is one of her camera crew hiding? And why has her now-ex-boyfriend vanished? The race to stop the killer striking again is on…

You can buy the book via Amazon UK by clicking here.

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