Book Title: THE DOG ACROSS THE LAKE
Character Name: Holly Miller
How would you describe your family or your childhood?
I have a big, wonderful family, but it hasn’t always been that way. For starters, my parents were still in high school when I arrived. At the start, no one except my mom and dad were excited about me. I’m told I was everyone’s little princess when I was born, though. How could the first grandchild on both sides not be everyone’s favorite?
Years later, my parents divorced, married other people, and had more children. That was a tough time for me. I spent most of my holiday vacations in airports, trying to fly across the country from one family to another. And I had half siblings whom I barely knew. I was older and never spent much time with any of them. It was awkward at best, and I was usually uncomfortable because I felt like an outsider.
On the other hand, when I was a child, my parents sent me to spend my summers in Wagtail with my maternal grandmother, whom I call Oma, German for grandma. Those summers were the best. My aunt sent my cousin, Josh to Wagtail, and Oma put us to work, along with her best friend’s grandson, Holmes Richardson. They were wonderful times. A mixture of roaming Wagtail, swimming, and working at the family inn.
What is your greatest talent?
I don’t think I have a great talent, but my Jack Russell terrier does. She has a nose for trouble. More specifically a nose for murder. Dog noses are a hundred times more sensitive than ours, and there’s something about murder that lures her. Unfortunately, she has found several people who died under suspicious circumstances. Of course, that means I’m dragged into murder investigations. I don’t really mind. It means there is a killer among us, and no one wants that!
Significant other?
That would be Holmes Richardson, the first boy I ever kissed. When I moved to Wagtail, I had been seeing Dave Hathaway, a lawyer in Washington, DC. I was in a bad situation at the time. I had lost my job-because I did the right thing! Ben texted me a pity proposal. Texted! Can you imagine anything less romantic? Even worse, he wanted me to give up my Jack Russell terrier and my calico kitten. No way would I give them up! Ben still comes to Wagtail far too often. I have tried to make it clear to him that I’m not interested but he keeps coming back anyway.
Biggest challenge in relationships?
I suppose I’m shy about marriage. My friend Zelda says I back away from commitment because I watched my parents’ marriage fall apart. She might be right.
Where do you live?
I live in Wagtail, which is in the mountains of Virginia. Once it was a popular spot for people who wanted to partake of the springs or to escape the summer temperatures. As tourism dropped off, Wagtail went to the dogs and cats, literally. It is now the premier vacation resort for people who want to travel with their pets. Wagtail offers everything a pet could want. Dogs and cats are allowed in restaurants, which offer menus designed for them, as well as for people, of course. The stores offer everything from treats to beds, and loads of fun things for people as well, like matching pajamas for people and their pets!
Do you have any enemies?
Gosh, I hope not! Although there have been a few murderers who wanted to get rid of me. Most of them are in prison, though.
How do you feel about the place where you are now? Is there something you are particularly attached to, or particularly repelled by, in this place?
I love living in Wagtail. It feels like home to me. I have a two-bedroom apartment on the top floor of The Sugar Maple Inn. My living room overlooks Dogwood Lake and there’s a secret stairway that allows me to sneak down to the private kitchen without running into any guests!
Do you have children, pets, both, or neither?
Trixie, my Jack Russell terrier adopted me. She was all alone, living outside a gas station where I stopped. A muddy mess, she jumped into Ben’s car and promptly helped herself to nacho chips, spreading the yellow powder over everything! Oma says Twinkletoes, my calico cat, showed up to the inn a couple of days before I arrived and hung out in my apartment as if she was waiting for me!
What do you do for a living?
I run The Sugar Maple Inn with Oma. She’s now the Mayor of Wagtail, so more of the day-to-day management of the inn has fallen to me.
Greatest disappointment?
We all have disappointments. I try not to dwell on them.
Greatest source of joy?
Trixie and Twinkletoes! I love spending my days with them and having them by my side most of the time.
What is the most pressing problem you have at the moment?
Oma is celebrating a milestone birthday, so a lot of family is coming. I hadn’t seen my cousin, Josh, in over a decade and was trying to keep his presence a secret. He was camping across the lake from the inn. But when I went over to bring his dog, Radar, to him, he and his girlfriend were nowhere to be found. But a guest of the Sugar Maple Inn was dead in Josh’s tent!
THE DOG ACROSS THE LAKE by Krista Davis
Holly and Trixie meet a strange new dog in Wagtail that leads them right into murder.
Holly Miller is looking forward to finally taking a few days to relax. Enjoying an early morning on her terrace, she spots an unfamiliar reddish-gold pooch across the lake. She’s intrigued, but never expects to find the very same dog smiling at her in bed when she wakes up the next morning! Trixie and Twinkletoes appear to accept this cute stranger, but Holly doesn’t know to whom he belongs.
Oma thinks the dog looks familiar, and it turns out the wayward pooch belongs to Holly’s cousin Josh. Holly knew her cousin well as a child, but she hasn’t seen him in over a decade. He’s camping with his girlfriend across the lake. Holly returns the cute dog to Josh’s campsite twice, but the second time, Josh and his girlfriend are nowhere to be found. Instead, a guest of the Sugar Maple Inn is dead in their tent. Now it’s up to Holly and Trixie to suss out a sneaky killer.
Mystery Amateur Sleuth [Berkley, On Sale: January 2, 2024, Mass Market Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780593436974 / eISBN: 9780593436981]
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About Krista Davis
Krista Davis is the New York Times bestselling author of the Domestic Diva mysteries, the Paws & Claws mysteries, and the Pen & Ink mysteries. Several of her books have been nominated for the Agatha Award. Krista lives in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia with two cats and a brood of dogs. Her friends and family complain about being guinea pigs for her recipes, but she notices they keep coming back for more.
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