Dogcatcher in the Rye

Bought-the-Farm Mystery, Book 1

By: Ellen Riggs

Narrated by: Jennifer Stoneking

Turning a hobby farm into a country inn is a piece of cake compared to solving a murder.

Ivy Galloway may not know an alpaca from a llama, but nothing’s going to stop her from pursuing her dream of opening a farm-themed inn in her hometown of Clover Grove. Not after what she went through to flee the big city with her brilliant rescue dog, Keats.

However, when Keats finds someone pushing up daisies in Ivy's rye field, murder puts a blight on her plans to welcome guests. Worse, Ivy's high school boyfriend—now the chief of police—considers her a suspect.

To clear her name, Ivy starts digging up clues. The former HR exec is no stranger to interviewing, and Keats is a dog who loves a job. Every step takes them closer to a secret that could rock her ambitions to the core and put her big, quirky family at risk.

Solving the case is the only option, especially when the killer strikes even closer to home.

Join novice hobby farmer Ivy Galloway and sheepdog Keats as they wrangle rescue animals and ruthless killers in the first book of this clean cozy mystery series for animal lovers. Bought-the-Farm Mysteries are perfect for listeners who love heartwarming hilarity with a hint of homicide.

©2020 Ellen Riggs (P)2023 Ellen Riggs

Love Keats!

Love the development of the mystery and the story telling! Hero dog! Good read for dog lovers.

Engaging Cozy Mystery with Great Narration

This thoroughly enjoyable story had me alternating between laughter and edge-of-my-seat suspense. Between Jennifer Stoneking’s narration and Ellen Riggs’ writing, I felt I was watching a movie in my head. Each character was easily believable and distinctive. Love Ivy and Keats, and can’t wait to continue the series.

Boring

Don’t bother. Not funny and not interesting. I only finished it because I bought it

Maybe a 3.5 star.

3.5 stars due to the narrator.
The story was good but, this is book one in the in the series? They kept referring to Ivy's head trauma but never explains what exactly happened. All we know is that she suffered it while rescuing Keats, the do, and that whatever she did caused her company to let her go. I wish the author had given a little bit more of a flashback to what happened.
Started out slow but did pick up. And the ending did surprise me.
The narrator was just okay. I found her voice kind of annoying. I may read others in the series but not in a rush to do so.

Murder mystery, strong female character and a dog. What more could you ask for?

Fun story. I always like it when there is a dog and a tough female.