Caro Lamont-pet therapist-and her cousin Melinda Langston-owner of The Bow Wow Boutique-pamper the kitties and pooches of Laguna Beach's elites. Unfortunately, their human clients keep turning up dead.
"We were at an art exhibition at The Montage," I told the detective, "and Kitty asked me to take her cats home because something had come up. Something urgent. It seemed strange, but then the whole evening was strange with dogs and cats. Ones that paint, I mean. And Kitty would never leave her cats, but she did, so it must have been really urgent . . ."
Detective Judd Malone looked past me. "Are those the cats?"
I nodded.
"What kind are they? They're huge."
"They're Bengal cats. Bengals are a hybrid. A cross between a domestic cat and an Asian Leopard Cat. It's a relatively new breed. Most have . . ." Malone's face said TMI. Fair enough, more info than he'd been looking for.
"I imagine you know I'm here about Ms. Bardot?" Malone was suddenly all business.
"Yes." I held my breath and hoped for good news.
"Caro." He paused. "She didn't make it."
"She-" I felt my throat close, and I swallowed hard trying to get control of my emotions. "Too many injuries?" I finally asked. Whatever her emergency had been, it had seemed to upset her. She'd been shaken, and Kitty was never shaken. I remembered her voice as she'd asked me to take care of Tobey and Minou and get them home. The cats. What would happen to the cats now? "Was she driving too fast?"
"Not exactly." Malone's voice was serious and grim. "We won't know until we have a lot more information from the crime lab. It's too soon to tell, but it may have been a case of road rage. Kitty Bardot was shot."
Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The Pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets - Sparkle (Mary Lee's cat) and Abbey (Anita's dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day, with either an iced tea or a margarita. Visit them at www.sparkleabbey.com.

"Fifty Shades of Greyhound gives 'roll over and play dead' a whole new meaning "
-Ethel Merman & Ella Fitzgerald, canine companions to award-winning author, Holly Jacobs
It was a killer party.
Caro Lamont, Laguna Beach's favorite pet therapist, is thrilled to support the elite fundraising gala for Greys Matter, a SoCal greyhound rescue group. All the guests in the couture-attired crowd are clad in varying shades of grey, the champagne and donations are flowing, and there are fifty gorgeous greyhounds in attendance. But before the evening ends, a stranger in their midst is dead.
Caro sets out to help the rescue group find the identity of the mystery guest but soon finds herself in the doghouse with homicide detective, Judd Malone-oh, and federal agent, John Milner. When there's a second death, Caro is convinced she's on the track of someone who wants a secret to stay buried, but it's a race to see whether Caro can uncover the truth before the killer decides she's next.

One of Laguna Beach's best-known plastic surgeons may need a new leash on life. Unless he's just taking a very long nap on the bench outside Melinda Langston's Bow Wow Boutique . . .
Dr. O'Doggle continued to give us the silent treatment. Fluffy eyed him intently. I studied him too. Tova Randall wasn't my BFF, to say the least, but I didn't wish her boyfriend any bad luck.
My neighbor, Darby, relaxed her grip on Fluffy's leash. The big Afghan lunged toward Dr. O and knocked him over.
Tova's handsome hunk rolled off the bench and dropped with a thud at our feet.
Darby gasped. My stomach knotted. "No, no, no." I shook my head. "Not again."
I knelt down and shook his shoulders. "Dr. O'Doggle?" I grabbed his suit lapels and yelled, "Jack?"
No response. No, "I'm fine." No, "Stop yelling in my face." No, "Get your hands off me."
No, no, no.
I checked his throat for a pulse. Nothing. But he was still warm. My fingers brushed against something knotted around his throat, and I'm not talking about his tie. I pulled back his shirt for a better look. I sucked in a breath, my nose filled with a light female perfume I didn't recognize. A thin dog leash was wound tightly around his neck. Identical to the kind I sold at the shop.
This was not an accident.
"Is he . . .?" Darby asked softly.
I looked up at her. "Dead. No more late night walks for him."
Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The Pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets - Sparkle (Mary Lee's cat) and Abbey (Anita's dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day, with either an iced tea or a margarita. Visit them at www.sparkleabbey.com.

"A mystery worth barking about." - Linda O. Johnson, author of THE MORE THE TERRIER, Berkley Prime Crime
Disgraced Texas beauty queen, Melinda (Mel) Langston, owns Laguna Beach's Bow Wow Boutique. Mona Michaels, Mel's most despised client, owns a star dog, Fluffy, who's worth millions. When Mona is found whacked in the head with Fluffy's Daytime Emmy, everyone wants Fluffy, but someone won't stop at murder to get the pooch.
Secrets. Blackmail. Mel tackles the case like a dog with a bone. But can she dig up the truth before the killer buries her?
I stumbled through the doorway into a mini-palace fit for a movie star. Fluffy's palace. A white sheepskin rug in front of her personal fireplace, a king-sized sleigh bed and a dressing screen (why a dog needed a dressing screen was beyond me). Fresh, filtered water dripped into her Wedgewood doggie bowl.
The room looked like it had been ransacked.
Mona was sprawled on the floor as if posing for a men's magazine. It was almost picture-perfect, except for the blood matting her five-hundred-dollar haircut and the gold statue stuck in her head.
I hesitantly moved closer. Fluffy nuzzled Mona's cheek. When she didn't move, Fluffy pawed her shoulder, still whining.
"I don't think she's getting up, girl," I said softly.
Mona was deader than a stuffed Poodle.
Sparkle Abbey is the writing team of Anita Carter and Mary Lee Woods. Visit the authors at http: //sparkleabbey.com

In posh Laguna Beach, murder has gone to the dogs.
""You'll be howling with laughter" " Kathy Bacus, author of "Calamity Jayne"
When Caro Lamont, former psychologist turned pet therapist makes a house call to help Kevin Blackstone with his two misbehaving German Shepherd dogs, she expects frantic dogs, she expects a frantic dog owner, she even expects frantic neighbors. What she doesn't expect is that two hours later the police will find Kevin dead, his dogs impounded; and that as the last person to see Kevin alive (well, except for the killer) she is suddenly a person of interest, at least according to Homicide Detective Judd Malone.
"Detective Judd Malone scanned my living room, his baby blues taking in my overstuffed couch, easy chairs and crowded bookshelves. My cats, Thelma and Louise, perched in the window sill, replete with tuna. Each opened an eye and then, unimpressed, went back to their beauty sleep. Dogbert climbed from his doggie bed, trotted over for a sniff, but then also dismissed Malone and went back to his nap.
"Can I get you something to drink?" I asked. Some hospitality is automatic. Even when you have an unannounced guest. Even a guest who might arrest you.
He shook his head and continued his scan.
"Well, then. What can I help you with, Detective?"
"I understand you visited Kevin Blackstone today?"
"Yes, I did. I'm the behavioral counselor for his German shepherds. What about Kevin?"
I had a really bad feeling about this. Malone arched a brow. "Kevin Blackstone is dead.""
Sparkle Abbey is the pseudonym of two mystery authors (Mary Lee Woods and Anita Carter). They are friends and neighbors as well as co-writers of the Pampered Pets Mystery Series. The pen name was created by combining the names of their rescue pets - Sparkle (Mary Lee's cat) and Abbey (Anita's dog). They reside in central Iowa, but if they could write anywhere, you would find them on the beach with their laptops and depending on the time of day either an iced tea or a margarita.) Visit the authors at www.SparkleAbbey.com.