Fangs a Million

The Circus of Unusual Creatures #3

by Tammie Painter

IT'S NOT EVERY DAY YOU MEET AN AMATEUR SLEUTH WITH FANGS. * "...a charming tale of dragons, deception, and dastardly deeds, and I loved every minute of it." * "...an excellent read...[a] hilarious series" * "Once I started reading it, I couldn't put it down...it was that good!" * "Light and fanciful with a darn good mystery woven in. What fun!" If you like fantastical mysteries that mix in laughs with murderous mayhem and mythical beasts, you'll love the Circus of Unusual Creatures Mysteries. HEY EVERYONE, CORDELIA HERE. Duncan (aka "Deadliest Dragon in the West") has finally finished typing up the third sleuthing adventure he got us tangled up in. It's the one that involves booze smuggling, dragon matchmaking, too much lemonade, and a unicorn having a very bad hair day. I'm not sure about Duncan calling it a "masterpiece of mystery," but trust me, it's a good one. Especially when that unicorn has a wardrobe malfunction and Duncan becomes a victim of his own matchmaking. Of course, things aren't all fun and games at Zin's Circus of Unusual Creatures. We've got some pesky trainees driving us all batty, a police raid that threatens to shut the show down permanently, and yes, a couple of confounding murders to solve. Now, while I go see what Pepper's cooking up in the Cantina, why not make a dragon's day by grabbing your own copy of Fangs a Million ? And if you haven't started The Circus of Unusual Creatures series yet, I'm pretty sure you'll love, not only this tale, but also Duncan's first two Hoard It All Before and Tipping the Scales .

Genres: Fantasy

308 pages, Paperback

Published December 20, 2022

About the author

THE RAMBLING BIO AND OFFER OF FREE STUFF
Many moons ago I was a scientist in a neuroscience lab where I got to play with brains and illegal drugs. Now, I take wickedly strong tea and turn it into comic fantasy whodunits full of mythical misfits and magical mishaps that I hope give you a giggle.

My tales run the gamut from the ever-expanding  Cassie Black Trilogy with its wryly humorous paranormal mysteries to the comical fantasy whodunits in The Circus of Unusual Creatures , and from light-hearted novellas celebrating my love of books to short fiction in which I really flex my myth-loving and humor-craving muscles!

When I’m not creating worlds or killing off characters, I can be found gardening, planning my next travel adventure, concocting some sort of mess in the kitchen, or working as an unpaid servant to three cats and a guinea pig.

Want to learn more and get free stuff? Then be sure to pop by TammiePainter.com to see everything I'm up to and to grab your free copy of "Mrs. Morris Meets Death," a humorous tale of mortality, time management, cruise ships, and romance novels.



THE QUICK AS YOU CAN STORY BEHIND MY BOOKS...
My fascination for myths, history, and how they interweave inspired my two historical fantasy series, The Osteria Chronicles and my second series, Domna (you can grab your free series starters for those HERE and HERE).

But all those ancient myths and angst-ridden heroes got a bit too serious for someone with a strange sense of humor and odd way of looking at the world. 

So, while sitting at my grandmother’s funeral, my brain came up with an idea for a contemporary fantasy trilogy that’s filled with magic, mystery, snarky humor, and the dead who just won’t stay dead. That idea turned into The Cassie Black Trilogy, which has turned into a fan favorite.

Then, because writer brains are weird, a simple elephant story I had in mind somehow morphed into a "hilarious" cozy fantasy series featuring a detecting dragon. So, if you like comic fantasy whodunits that mix in laughs with murderous mayhem, mythical beasts, and a staggering variety of omelets, you’ll want to check out my Circus of Unusual Creatures mysteries!


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Reviews

[Kim Watt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each book in this series is more fun than the last, as the lead characters become more established and the many eccentric side characters in Zin's Circus of Unusual Creatures get their own chance to enter the centre ring (so to speak). And while every story is delightful, candy-floss-flavoured (or maybe omelete-flavoured would be more accurate) escapism, there's also a murder to be solved, and the sense of a greater threat to our characters growing behind the scenes. I'm already looking forward to the next one.

[Jonathan Pongratz · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Duncan and his whimsical adventures, and this book was such a fun continuation of his epic journey.

After the events of the last novel, Zin's circus has temporarily joined forces with Prince's in an effort to mentor the less-experienced business owner. But with Fergus's antics concerning a beauty product, mysterious men lurking around the grounds, and an act that goes terribly wrong, it looks like Duncan has his hands full again.

Every now and again, you need a lighthearted read to cleanse your palate. Painter is always a great choice if that's what you're looking for, and this book was especially puntastic. I couldn't help but smile throughout this read and I loved how easily immersed I was in this fantasy world.

Duncan and his handler Cordelia take the spotlight once again, and their banter has never been better. There were so many great funny moments between the two of them, and it really made the book flow flawlessly. Duncan had some surprising developments (not telling!) that added extra dimension to his character, and I hope Painter focuses on these going forward.

Fergus's antics were hilarious, and I love how he kept drawing others into his issues only to make things worse, especially when a date with a beautiful unicorn is on the line.

The mystery element was also pretty darn great. It started out subtle, then slowly gained prominence as things developed and more information was gathered.

All in all, I had a great time with this new release, and I hope Duncan's adventures are far from over. I need more!

[Timothy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe this would get that fifth star if I didn't start reading the series at the third book. I was confused by so many of the first and last names starting with the same letters, eg: Duncan the Dragon,; Finnegan, Frida, Franz, or any of the other Flynns.
This funny mystery has the trio of Duncan, who narrates the story with the help(?) of others, Boris, and Cordelia "detectivating" a mystery while the Circus of Unusual Creatures is forced closed by the police. The circus had apparently violated, by a lot, the recent ban on alcohol and was raided.
Fergus the unicorn makes a poor decision in preparing for a date and ends up having a bad hair week as things go from bad to worse for him. Zin is in a panic because the shutdown means no ticket sales and could force him to sell the circus. Prince Swan hires Duncan and Cordelia to do some dragon matchmaking which ends up getting Duncan punched.
Can the mystery be solved before there are any more deaths? Or before Duncan accuses everyone of being the culprit? Can the circus crew survive the deal the cantons got on lemons. You'll find out when you read Tammie Painter's latest novel.

[T.M. Baumgartner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duncan the dragon is back! Everyone's favorite omelette-eating not-exactly-the-brightest-bulb detective returns with his friends for another cozy mystery set in a 1920s circus.

Alas, prohibition is now the law of the land and a police raid uncovers so many bottles of hooch that Zin's Circus of Unusual Creatures is shut down. Duncan has noticed a few strange goings on and springs — well, lumbers — into an investigation of the suspicious activity and it all rolls along from there.

But not everything is sweetness and light. In addition to the usual backdrop of performer drama and fledgling romances, we also get hints of how Duncan ended up at the circus, and his legitimate fear about what will happen to him if Zin's circus is taken over by the evil Ratcher.

The breaks in the narrative fourth wall are as funny as ever, with Duncan and Cordelia arguing about events set forth on the page. All in all, this is an entertaining addition to the series and should delight readers of cozies who enjoy a dash of oddball flavor.

(I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.)

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Sleuthing Dragon, Duncan, better know as the Deadliest Dragon in the West for those who visit Zin’s Circus of Unusual Creatures, finds himself in another circus mystery that will get your head spinning for a number of reasons. Actually Duncan and company get themselves involved in more that just one little mysterious slight of hand, or perhaps slight of bottle. Booze smuggling gets Zin’s Circus in a wild uproar with the law and gangsters. Then, Duncan finds himself involved with dragon matchmaking that also leaves his head spinning. Now that booze has been outlawed, lemonade takes center stage and becomes an over abundance of drank-age because there so many lemons around. Topping all this off is a unicorn who has more than a bad hair day when he tries to improve his looks to woe that special unicorn he’s had his eyes on for a long time.

This is a very entertaining book that has a lot of hidden mystery threads woven into the tale. Sometimes things don’t appear to be what they are, so Duncan and his sleuthing team have their work cut out for them to figure out the why, where and who-did-it in this latest romp of Zin’s Circus of Unusual Creatures. This is a good read.

[Neil · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the third book in The Circus of Unusual Creatures series, I have read both the first two "Hoard It All Before" and "Tipping the Scales", I loved them both. This book is even better in my opinion. In this book there are murders and an alcohol ban, Duncan does not mind the murders so much as it gives him the opportunity to do some detecivating to try and solve the murders, but he hates the alcohol ban as he needs something to wash down the omelettes that he loves eating. This book is both hilariously funny and an unpredictable whodunnit - highly recommended

[Tsippi Jelingold · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 3rd installment of Duncan's and Cordelia's series involves Duncan falling in love (which he denies), Fergus the unicorn having a really bad fur day, and Conrad the centaur a bad arm day. It's the start of Prohibition and this causes murder and mayhem, while getting the circus mixed up with bad guys. While the book doesn't exactly end on a cliffhanger, there is still some worry for Duncan's future safety that will have me awaiting the next part while munching on my fingernails. The series is getting better. I love the inside comments.

[Bella]

I'm really enjoying this series. I wish Duncan had been ace/aro (or maybe he could be ace?), just because there aren't that many ace/aro characters around, and he seems a good choice given he's a dragon, and there are lots of other romantic entanglements around the place. Still, I enjoyed this latest adventure.

Duncan, Cordelia and the rest of Zin's crew are dealing having the Swan's show around while Prince gets up to speed on circus management. However, some of the new people might not be quite as they seem, and someone closer to home may be hiding a deadly secret ...

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Guys, I gobbled this book up like Duncan (the main character) gobbles up omelets! It was so entertaining, so laugh-out-loud funny, I finished it in two days!!! There is tragedy (both the comical kind and the murderous kind), there is mystery, there are all of your favorite characters from the first two novels, there’s romance, and so much more! You don’t want to miss this story!

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

[Lynda Hendershot Newman · Rating 5 out of 5]

So imaginative and fun!

This book was so original and fun. It was told from the dragon's perspective (with a little oversight from some of his friends, to keep him honest.) Circuses, dragons, unicorns, oh my. So fun and interesting to get a glimpse of the prohibition era and the shenanigans that ensued. It kind of ended with a situation that will need to be addressed. I am definitely looking forward to it.

[Teddi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good entry in the series. Great pace and interesting characters. I've got the rest of the series on my "to find" list.

Just a warning that there are a LOT of extra pages at the end of these books. You think there's a lot of story left then it ends and you get some author explanations, ads for more books, a chapter from the next book, etc.

[Robyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duncan the Dragon is a great main character, taking comments literally which are very entertaining. The asides between him and Cordelia, his handler, are hilarious. This series is so much fun to read!

[Charlene Mattson · Rating 5 out of 5]

And now I wait impatiently for Book 4. This has been a wonderful series!

[Carla · Rating 5 out of 5]

fun series

all three books in the series have been a lot of fun, would enjoy reading more about Duncan and the gang

[Ken Robson · Rating 5 out of 5]

The circus is in town. But there has been a ban on alchol and the troop is missing it.
A police raid finds lots of booze, who would have guessed?
Another murder and the amateur sleuths try to investigate.
Follow the bumbiling trio as they "detect" and try to find the killer.

Loads of laughter in this as usual, love the one liners scattered about the book.
Get a copy you will enjoy it.

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 5 out of 5]

Murders, hybrid peanuts, tentative dragon romance... what more could you ask for? Laughs? Check. Omelets? Check. And lots and lots of lemons! And if life gives you lemons...

An amazing third entry in the series. I look forward to the further adventures of the Circus of Unusual creatures!

"I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review"