It’s wedding week and big changes are in the air.And since change has never been one of Suzy’s strong points, she’s on edge and often grumpy until Josie and Chef Claire sit her down for a little chat. One of the major changes, apart from those her upcoming nuptials will create, is the fact that Chef Claire and Josie are moving down the street into a new house.Just when it appears that Suzy has dealt with her moodiness and melancholy, during the moving process, they discover the body of the ninety-two-year-old man Josie bought the house from. At first, Charlie Merrihew’s death appears accidental, but when Suzy and Chief Abrams start piecing things together, it soon becomes apparent the old man, an avid collector of antiquities and war memorabilia, was murdered.Suzy and the Chief flounder at first given the apparent lack of a motive. But when an antique, priceless dagger is discovered, along with the old man’s will, the list of suspects grows in a hurry. Charlie’s two kids, both childhood friends of Suzy, are in town for her wedding, and many others from the Merrihew clan are also in Clay Bay for a family gettogether. There’s no love lost between most of them and their contempt for Charlie was strong. As such, there is no shortage of suspects, including Suzy’s lifelong friends, a possibility that threatens to send her into another tailspin. The investigation continues as the wedding creeps closer and Suzy does everything she can to balance both without sending her mother into orbit.

It's Memorial Day weekend, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the opening of C's, the restaurant Suzy and Josie are starting with Chef Claire. And on opening night, Suzy and Josie are surprised to find out that Suzy's mother has invited the mobster Jimmy Calducci and his entourage to have dinner with them. When Suzy and Josie find Calducci's dead body on his houseboat the following day, along with his dog, a gorgeous Norwegian Elkhound with some serious health issues, Suzy and Josie embark on a mission to save the dog's life as well as figure out how the mobster died. Along the way, they're forced to deal with a dangerous and unusual group of possible suspects including Fatal Franny, a contract killer who worked for Calducci, and the mysterious Rocco, a former criminal who has entered their lives in a rather suspicious way. And when the mayor of Clay Bay disappears, events take another strange turn as things get even more complicated and Suzy and Josie try to unravel the mystery of who killed Jimmy C. 

As Clay Bay gets ready for its first annual dog show, Chef Claire's Golden Retrievers, Al and Dente, get kidnapped and appear to be long gone. As she, along with Suzy and Josie, embark on a mission to find and rescue them, a new murder case opens up that has everyone scratching their head. And when someone tries to kill the woman who's in town to judge the dog show events take a turn for the worse. The situation gets even stranger when a reporter with a penchant for doing hit pieces arrives in town at the invitation of Suzy's mother. And when Suzy and Josie find themselves in her direct line of fire, they are forced to fight back in an attempt to protect their reputations as well as remind the reporter that they are two women not to be messed with.

While enjoying a cold but relaxing afternoon of early winter fishing just before Christmas with her good friend, Rooster, things suddenly change when they discover a rare Otterhound that has been caught in a trap. And when they find the dog’s deceased owner nearby, things get even stranger when they’re forced to make a very cold and dangerous trip through frozen marshland and icy water to save the dog and then get home before they and the dog freeze to death. In addition to dealing with a broken leg and the onset of hypothermia, the Otterhound is also pregnant, and Suzy and Josie decide to postpone their departure to the Cayman Islands and do everything they can to save the mom and her unborn puppies.While trying to piece together exactly what is going on with the dog, Suzy learns that the Otterhound’s owner was the patriarch of an odd family that lives in the middle of the woods without running water or electricity. She also stumbles onto a black-market dog breeding enterprise operating in the area and is shocked to discover that Rooster’s cousin, previously banished to Florida, has returned to the area and is now working for the dog breeding operation in a rather unique role.To further complicate things, Herman Billows, a representative working for a large energy company, is in the area and doing everything he can to obtain drilling rights to a newly discovered deposit of natural gas. Unfortunately for him, a lot of the land he’s trying to secure the rights on is owned by Rooster and Suzy’s mom, and they’re determined to do whatever it takes to keep Billows from ever getting his hands on it. But Billows, a man who doesn’t like to take no for an answer, has other ideas and is soon making life uncomfortable for everyone except the Friendly family who is more than willing to listen to what he has to offer.With their trip to Grand Cayman on hold until the Otterhound has recovered, Suzy finds herself in the middle of a strange series of events as well as in the middle of deep snow that continues to fall as winter arrives in full force. Instead of walking the beach, she ends up with various bruises and nineteen stitches, trudging through deep snow on skis, exploring dark caves, and dealing with a unique cast of characters that leaves her grumpy and has her neurons racing.

Suzy and Josie are featured speakers at the Animal Entrepreneurs Expo in Ottawa and having to deal with Joshua Middleton, the CEO of the largest pet store franchise corporation in North America. He's also someone Josie went to vet school with, and their shared history is anything but good. And when Middleton is found poisoned in a storage room during a cocktail reception attended by several hundred people, the list of suspects quickly begins to grow. As Suzy attempts to work her way through a complicated web of motives and suspects, she and Josie meet the Jack Russell terrier Middleton has been using as his company's mascot and brand representative. And as soon as they learn that the dog isn't being treated well and his spirit is broken, they do everything in their power to figure out a way to take possession of the dog then do everything they can to make sure they don't have to give him back. But when they learn that the head chef at the hotel they're staying at is one of Chef Claire's ex-boyfriends, things take a bizarre turn when it becomes apparent that he is still having a hard time letting her go and just might pose a threat. Further complicating Suzy's ability to focus on who killed Middleton is a dog toy business opportunity that has the potential to be the biggest thing since Beanie Babies. Along the way, they're forced to deal with an odd mix of people including Roxanne, Middleton's gold-digger fiancee who Josie previously stabbed in the hand over dinner one night, the obnoxious and hard-drinking COO of Middleton's company who is suspect #1, and a banker who's been playing a little fast and loose with a lot of the rules. Working with a pair of lovebird Canadian cops, Suzy's neurons are pushed to the limit before this immensely satisfying installment of this increasingly popular series wraps up.

Clay Bay is celebrating its annual Parade of Pirates festivities, and Suzy and Josie have all the dogs from the Inn involved. But when one of the local banks is robbed, and a mysterious man is found dead in the bank vault, a series of events unfold that brings Suzy face to face with the bizarre Winters family. And if dealing with the members of the Winters family weren't enough to stretch her to the limits, the arrival of the dead man's psychotic girlfriend along with Josie's relationship problems have Suzy beginning to question her own personality and personal demons.From the cankerous matriarch to the obnoxious brothers to the Goth Geisha Girl, Caspian, an artist with a list of personal demons that leaves Suzy scratching her head and thanking her lucky stars, the Winters family proves to be a force to be reckoned with. Along with the newly installed chief of police, Suzy is determined to figure out what's going on as well as find a home for the gorgeous French Bulldog who's been forced to deal with a few demons of his own.

As the launch date of their new dog toy company approaches, Suzy, Josie, and Chef Claire are in Ottawa to do a photo shoot with their dogs as part of the initial marketing campaign. But the photographer, who moonlights for the tabloids, is a young man with a very bad public image and a reputation for being a bit of ladies’ man. And when his assistant is found dead in his downtown loft, the photographer is the number one suspect.Suzy soon finds herself working with two Canadian detectives she met the last time she was in town and right in the middle of a bizarre case that includes some rather scandalous photographs, blackmail, and, quite possibly, a case of mistaken identity. Further complicating things is a huge early winter snowstorm that has everyone on edge and more than a few people severely under the weather.As Suzy digs into the case, she comes face to face with a diverse group of potential suspects including The Black Widow, a socialite with five dead ex-husbands, a mining magnate who has inexplicably signed up to be husband number six, a couple of famous models, and the aunt of Suzy’s new boyfriend, Max, whose career ended abruptly when she was caught in an embarrassing situation, quite possibly by the very same photographer they’re using for the dogs’ photo shoot. Despite her latest resolution to take a step back and let the police do their thing, Suzy’s neurons are soon on fire, and, once again, she finds herself up to her neck in the case, and up to her waist in snow before she can get a good handle on exactly what’s going on.

One wedding, two murders, three of the most adorable Labrador puppies Suzy and Josie have ever seen, and a wide variety of suspects provide the foundation for The Case of the Lovable Labs. It's wedding time for Sammy and Jill, two of the Inn's most important staff members, and it should be a joyous time for them as well as their friends and families. But when the boyfriend of Jill's mother drops dead while giving his toast during the rehearsal dinner, things take a turn for the worse in a hurry. And when a second body is found after the reception, it becomes clear that the two murders are definitely connected, and a whole host of suspects are soon lined up directly in Suzy's sights. At the top of the list are Jill's sister, her maid of honor who's taking her responsibilities way too seriously, and her mother, a woman with a few serious issues of her own. Also on Suzy's list are two of Jill's aunts who have a fondness for Kamikazes, and like the maid of honor and her mother, were previously romantically involved with the first victim. And just when Suzy and Chief Abrams begin to narrow their search for the killer, the second victim is discovered, and it's back to square one. Further complicating things is the tension between the maid of honor and Josie, as well as between Suzy and her mother who is convinced that her daughter has finally gone off the deep end. And when Suzy puts herself in an extremely dangerous situation, she provides her mom, along with everyone else, with more than enough ammunition to prove the point.

Josie and Chef Claire are at La Bella Vita, a villa in Northern Italy near Lake Garda where they’re attending a cooking school run by Marco and Rosa Columbo, the couple she studied under at culinary school. Also attending are an Italian couple thinking about opening their own restaurant, a trust-fund, surfer-dude who is considering a career as a chef just to get his parents off his back, a retired Russian spy they know from Las Vegas, and a Canadian woman who has spent a lot of time at C’s, their restaurant in Clay Bay. But it’s Georgio Russo, an inventor with a reputation as a ladies-man and a sketchy past, who has everyone on edge.What begins as a relaxing week soon turns deadly when Bronwyn, the wife of industrialist, Emerson Kingsley, is found dead right after dinner. Without any visible wounds or blood, everyone, including the local cops, initially wonder if the woman died of natural causes or from a case of severe food poisoning. But things change when the local police learn she was poisoned by an unknown, deadly substance. And the heat gets turned up even further a few days later when the industrialist is found dead on the golf course.Josie and Chef Claire, now caught up in the mystery reach out to Suzy, who offers some assistance from the comfort of home. They also turn to Agent Tompkins, an FBI agent they’ve crossed paths with in the past. Soon, it becomes clear that both the dead industrialist and the mad inventor have been on the FBI’s radar for a long time. And when Marco divulges to Chef Claire his financial difficulties as well as the fact that Georgio is one of his major investors, she is left wondering if her mentors might somehow be involved in a situation with major international implications.

Suzy, along with Josie and Chef Claire, is back in the Cayman Islands for the winter. With a new restaurant and an animal shelter about to open, their goal is to make sure both of the new enterprises get off to a good start while still being able to relax and enjoy the sun and sand. But when they head down the beach toward her mother's house on Christmas morning with the dogs, things take a major turn for the worse when Captain spots a woman and her dog clinging to an upended kayak and about to drown. And when the Newfie embarks on a rescue mission to save them, Christmas Day is dramatically altered. Fortunately, Captain performs a miraculous rescue, but soon after being discharged from the hospital, the woman disappears, and the task of caring for her dog falls to Suzy's mom. And when Rocco, their bar manager from C's in Clay Bay, who's in town helping them get ready for the opening of the restaurant, falls hard for Sylvia, the manager of the new animal shelter, he decides that perhaps a permanent move to the islands might be in order. But when Sylvia's ex-husband, who's recently been stalking her, is found dead in his car in the back of the restaurant, Rocco is suspect number one. As Suzy embarks on her efforts to find the mysterious woman and return her dog, as well as do everything she can to find out who put two bullets in the back of the ex-husband's head, she finds herself in the middle of a complex land scheme that has her, and everyone else, baffled. And as she works her way through a maze of questions and contradictions, she also learns a few things about family and making amends, as well as the importance of keeping one's pants on.

When Suzy and Josie find a beagle perched on a channel buoy in the middle of the River, soon followed by the discovery of an unknown drowned woman, Suzy soon decides that the only logical thing to do is to bring the circus to town.Feeling overwhelmed having to dealing with her mother’s endless and elaborate plans for her and Max’s wedding, the construction of their new animal rescue center, and Chef Claire’s announcement that she needs an extended break and is planning to take at least a year off, Suzy realizes that the world she has created and come to love is about to implode.But since nothing takes Suzy’s mind off her problems like a good murder investigation, she soon finds herself distracted dealing with the victim’s mother and her caretaker and a unique group of circus performers who all have interesting and often sordid pasts. And as she and Chief Abrams do everything they can to figure out who threw the troubled woman and her pet beagle off a boat, Suzy comes face to face with her own insecurities and selfishness, not to mention a weapon she just can’t seem to keep her hands off, a couple of clowns, an elephant, and a wild animal trainer she hates at first sight.By the time it’s all said and done, Suzy is bruised and battered and more than ready for the next chapter in her life to reveal itself. But one thing she does know for certain; a career in the circus is definitely not in the cards.

It’s 147 time in Clay Bay, a water-based triathlon Suzy’s mom has organized to help extend the tourist season a bit longer. And while Suzy and Josie are more than comfortable enjoying the event as mere spectators, Chef Claire is determined to participate in the grueling event. But as her training regimen accelerates, she soon finds herself agreeing with both of them that she’s lost her mind.When they find a Maltese stranded on a paddleboard in the middle of the River during one of Chef Claire’s training sessions, they’re able to rescue the dog and soon reunite her with her owner. But Suzy is convinced that the dog being out on the water all by itself was no accident and certain that Maria, the dog’s owner, was being sent a message. And when one of the participants is shot during the race, the stakes are raised in a hurry as Suzy begins her search for clues.But before Suzy can even begin to find her bearings regarding who might have killed the kayaker, she is banished from the investigation by Chief Abrams, who is following the mandate laid down by her mother that she refrain from doing what comes naturally. Miffed and petulant about being cut out of the case and sent to the sidelines, the Snoopmeister sets out on her own investigation, and is soon up to her neck in the middle of a mystery that involves a diverse cast of characters who work for the company that is organizing the 147, a few of their corporate sponsors, and an ex-gangster bookmaker from her mother’s past.Forced to cut a deal with her mother, Suzy agrees to focus on her personal life in exchange for her mother’s agreement to mind her own business. And when Suzy and Chief Abrams find themselves in Mexico trying to track down the killer, along with her mother and her new boyfriend, Suzy has a chance encounter with a stranger who just might be a ‘keeper’ and bumbling through a series of adventures that will hopefully lead her and the Chief down the trail they need to put the pieces together in a very strange and funny puzzle.