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108th out of 119 books
—
316 voters
Collared (Gin & Tonic #1)
by
L.A. Kornetsky (Goodreads Author)
They rely on animal instincts…
Meet “Gin” and “Tonic.” She’s a dog person. He’s a cat person. But when these two friendly rivals team up to solve a mystery, you can bet their pets aren’t the only ones getting collared…
Ginny Mallard and her shar-pei, Georgie, are about to run out of kibble and cash, unless she digs up another client for her private concierge business. So sh...more
Meet “Gin” and “Tonic.” She’s a dog person. He’s a cat person. But when these two friendly rivals team up to solve a mystery, you can bet their pets aren’t the only ones getting collared…
Ginny Mallard and her shar-pei, Georgie, are about to run out of kibble and cash, unless she digs up another client for her private concierge business. So sh...more
Paperback, 304 pages
Published
November 13th 2012
by Gallery Books
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I was SO excited when I first discovered this book. A dog mystery? Featuring a Shar Pei, one of my favorite breeds? "YES!!" However once I started reading the book, I was really.... disappointed. Despite the title ("Collared: A Gin & Tonic Mystery"), the tag line ("They're putting a leash on crime!") and the cover art (a cat and Shar Pei)... this is NOT a mystery where animals are important characters. In fact, I was disappointed to find out the Gin & Tonic are Ginny, a bar fly who happe...more
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Dec 30, 2012
Starr Reina
added it
Subtitled A Gin and Tonic Mystery, this Seattle mystery marks the debut of an unlikely pair. Gin is Ginny Mallard, a personal concierge. Tonic is Teddy Tonica, a bartender who could be much more, Ginny thinks. Their initial connection is through the Tuesday Trivia games at Mary’s, the bar where Tonica works. The two are on rival teams (tied for second place at the moment) and, as fierce competitors, don’t think they like each other much.
Ginny is approached at the bar where Tonica can overhear th...more
Ginny is approached at the bar where Tonica can overhear th...more
Collared may be written under a new pen name, but the author's previous experience shines through. The first of the Gin and Tonic mysteries -- that would be Virginia "Ginny" Mallard, private concierge and Tony Tonica, bartender -- is a thoroughly enjoyable read, establishing an excellent foundation for what will hopefully be a long series.
Self-employed Ginny is always on the lookout for a new job handling the little details that her clients just don't have the time or energy to deal with. Runnin...more
Self-employed Ginny is always on the lookout for a new job handling the little details that her clients just don't have the time or energy to deal with. Runnin...more
Ginny Mallard is a personal concierge who has a half-grown Shar-pei named Georgie, and likes to drink at an out-of-the-way neighborhood bar called Mary's. She has a routine and is a problem-solver. Teddy Tonica pretty much runs Mary's, the bartender an empathetic, yet slightly mysterious, soul who knows when to cut off a patron without ruffling any feathers. His (not his) cat, Mistress Penny-drops, has the run of the bar - as long as she stays out of the way.
A long-time customer of Mary's shows...more
A long-time customer of Mary's shows...more
This book is a study of human nature as much as a mystery. Two distinctly different personalities discover they mesh in inexplicable ways as they attempt to carry out a seemingly innocent business transaction.
Ms. Kornetsky portrays a very strong female protagonist as well as an equally strong male protagonist. I like the fact that Ms. Kornetsky can portray a strong female without having the need to demean her male counterpart. As much as I like strong female protagonists, I have seen where some...more
"Collared" is a mystery novel. The mystery was to find a missing man and to discover exactly why he decided to hide (along with some important business papers) from his nephew. They weren't investigating a murder, which was a refreshing change. It wasn't really a puzzle-mystery but following along as they uncovered the trail and decided what to do with what they learned. The suspense was from potential danger to them and the missing man.
The characters were engaging, and Ginny and Teddy both act...more
The characters were engaging, and Ginny and Teddy both act...more
This is the first of a new series and features 2 people who join together to find a missing person. The 2 people are acquaintances, not friends, not lovers, not even attracted (at least at this point) and it seems like a very unrealistic pairing. One has a dog, the other a cat and the animals talk to each other. Their conversations seem superfluous and totally unneeded. The man is a little more defined than the woman whose personality sends mixed signals. I never really got a read on her at all...more
The bartender at Mary's, Teddy Tonica, doesn't much like Ginny, a blonde know-it-all, but he respects her. Ginny regards Teddy as a smart-mouthed bartender, but he's undeniably tough-looking. When Ginny, an independent concierge, is hired to find a missing man (just another form of research, right?), she persuades Teddy to help her. It doesn't hurt that Ginny's lovable pup Georgie is friends with Miss Penny, the cat who definitely doesn't belong to Teddy or anyone else. The plot seemed a bit con...more
I have been waiting for this book since the first time I heard about it. LA Gilman writing mysteries? Could it be anything but good?
The Seattle that Ms Kornetsky described, felt like it was written by a Seattlite. It managed the fine balance of being detailed enough to be believable, yet not so detailed that the description bogged down the narrative.
The characters were deliciously snarky, but what I especially liked was how Gin and Teddy complemented each other. Ginny was good at finding informa...more
The Seattle that Ms Kornetsky described, felt like it was written by a Seattlite. It managed the fine balance of being detailed enough to be believable, yet not so detailed that the description bogged down the narrative.
The characters were deliciously snarky, but what I especially liked was how Gin and Teddy complemented each other. Ginny was good at finding informa...more
‘Collared’ is the first book in a new mystery series by L.A. Kornetsky. Virginia Mallard (Gin) is a private personal concierge, which is akin to a freelance administrative assistant. Teddy Tonica (Tonic) is a bartender at Mary’s. One night when Ginny was down at the bar, she offers her services to Walter Jacobs (DubJay) to track down his uncle, Joe. She realizes she’s going to need much more than her fact-finding to discover the truth, so she recruits Tonica to help her pound the pavement. Their...more
Review Copy Provided by Publisher
I’ll be the first to admit that I am both a cat and a dog person – and have not only 3 dogs, but 2 cats in my home (yes, I might be slightly insane…) – so when I came across the ARC for Collared on Edelweiss, I was intrigued. I wasn’t sure if it was going to fall into the Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown kind of theme – which I didn’t really enjoy (maybe because I picked up book 5 in the series…but that is a story for another day). I like it when dogs act as...more
I’ll be the first to admit that I am both a cat and a dog person – and have not only 3 dogs, but 2 cats in my home (yes, I might be slightly insane…) – so when I came across the ARC for Collared on Edelweiss, I was intrigued. I wasn’t sure if it was going to fall into the Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown kind of theme – which I didn’t really enjoy (maybe because I picked up book 5 in the series…but that is a story for another day). I like it when dogs act as...more
L.A. Kornetsky is an alias for Laura Anne Gilman, who writes urban fantasies and under the name of Anna Leonard writes paranormal romances. I love her urban fantasies and I love mysteries so I was excited to hear about this book and have been waiting for it impatiently.
The cover makes it look like a cozy mystery but it's not nor is it cutesy. The latter was a possibility given the addition of the animals as part of the investigative team. Kornetsky plays it straight, not endowing the animals wi...more
The cover makes it look like a cozy mystery but it's not nor is it cutesy. The latter was a possibility given the addition of the animals as part of the investigative team. Kornetsky plays it straight, not endowing the animals wi...more
This was very enjoyable. An evenly paced drama that explodes with suspenseful tension as to what's going on and will they be able to find a resolution. A chance job brings a new crime solving duo into the cozy genre and I like it, and I especially like the "human owners" element in this story. The banter among the duos was fun and the chance to see the protectiveness of Miss Penny and Georgie was very nice. Gin and Tonic make a great team and I can't wait to see what new job they tackle in this...more
Spritely mystery with a not too complicated mystery. The charm is in the characters and witty banter between the two-- or should I say four--main characters. Dog person or cat person, you should enjoy this.
A new series under a new name from the ever-interesting Laura Anne Gilman, this is a fast-paced, humorous and gripping read with strong protagonists and a wonderful sense of place.
Nov 16, 2012
Hope
marked it as to-read
Dude, this is the wrong time of year for me to be adding to the books I must read, especially when my library doesn't have it. the Favorite Bit article itself was excellent :)
Fast moving and attractive characterizations. Good beginning for a new pet based series.
Good story especially the inter action between the dog and the cat.
Enjoyed story and action which kept moving from scene to scene. Use of animals was not distracting & added another dimension. Will be reading this author in future.
This is one I would read again. Interaction between pets was believable & added to a captivating story. Will be reading this author again.
serviceable, but animals too incidental.
The pets talk....
Collard by L.A. Kornestsky. Ginny needs some hard cold cash if is she is going to keep her Shar Pei Georgie in kibble, she lands a gig tracking down a businessman’s missing uncle and some legal documents. In order to solve the case, Ginny has to enlist the aid of the local bartender, Teddy Tonica, one smart dude. Of course Georgie and Teddy’s cat, Mistress Penny have to get into the act. Set in Seattle, this is an engaging mystery with unique characters.
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More like 3.5 stars for me, really, but I enjoy the author's other books (Laura Anne Gilman) and suspect that as a series this will get better, so I'm giving it 4 stars for the moment. It was slow beginning, picked up speed and interest about half-way through, but the ending didn't really end. It's like the pieces aren't quite clicking yet. But it was still a fun read and I will read at least the next instalment.
Apr 28, 2013
Kate
marked it as to-read
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