The plot was quite interesting as you had to know what was going on. They felt real and warm and it was just the kind of person she was. I liked how she was polite to everyone and the relationships she built with her assistant/partner, the homeless, Frankie, even the dogs were quite touching. She grew up rather rurally so, perhaps she didn't exactly appreciate how more difficult life could be in a bigger city, but still she took everything as it came with dignity and courage and humor.

I liked how she realized the danger on some level, even if she didn't acknowledge it. She was such a sweetheart, without being too 'saintly'. And as Darwin keeps closing in on the murderer even through sheer luck and determination, she realizes that maybe her life is at danger. She knew Mad Dog was sober and she knew he had no desire to kill himself, so she embarks on an investigation on her own tracking leads and being reckless.In this quest she is aided (even if they didn't exactly realize they were helping her) not just by the homeless, but also by Frankie, a homeless-turned-millionaire after she won the lottery. She keeps believing that even when a suicide note turns up and she has difficulty convincing the detective leading the investigation, Will without actually disclosing her secret.īeing kind and charitable as she is, she is friendly with the whole homeless community in the area and it is there, through helping the, that she seeks for answers. As she is new there and quite softhearted, she befriends a homeless man, Mad Dog, who eventually ends up dead in a lake with an expensive bottle of rum nearby.ĭarwin, has a unique gift, she gets psychic visions from animals and Mad Dog's dog, Karma, 'tells' her that this was no suicide or accident. It follows Darwin, a 28-year-old woman who moves to Florida and opens a pet boutique, along with Sylvia, who takes care of the grooming. Karma's a Bitch was such a delightful book. The biggest shock however was the ending and what befell our protagonist.įull of cute poochies and more than a few observational laughs this was a surprise package that left me begging for more! (And yes, I have downloaded the next book. I'll admit I had tears on more than a few occasions, but then I am a bit of a sook. This story revolves around the many homeless, some with PTSD, and the great violence they live with, both inside their 'city' and from the police. Now the part that's serious and very un-cozy like. Although the 'messages' she receives from the poochies can be serious, how she has to deal with the psychic flash is funny as!! There is also a smidge of romance to heighten the tension and Darwin (yes, that's her name!) is also a pet psychic. It does have elements of the cozy genre in that an amateur sleuth is invested in finding the killer and that you have to dispense with a bit of reality. This was one supposedly 'cozy' mystery that completely surprised me - in a good way.

Karma's A Bitch by Shannon Esposito