What do you think?
Rate this book
Claire Malloy #6
Roll Over and Play Dead
Murder is going to the dogs. . .
Bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy has donned another hat (or is that a collar?)-as a petsitter extraordinaire. Her furry charges are Miss Emily Parchester's beloved basset hounds, Nick and Nora, and two very good dogs they are. Everything is just ducky...until they vanish. Other neighbors' pets have also disappeared, and no doubt a dognapper is on the prowl. . .
Switching to her sleuthing chapeau, Claire quickly locates the shabby abode of Newton Churls, who runs a black market in stolen animals. But instead of a pen filled with purloined pooches, Claire finds one very dead Newton-and it appears his own pit bull terriers did him in. Or did they? Claire smells a human rat behind the brutal murder. And mysteriously, Nick and Nora are still missing. Now Claire is doggedly determined to find them...and run a killer to the ground.
Bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy has donned another hat (or is that a collar?)-as a petsitter extraordinaire. Her furry charges are Miss Emily Parchester's beloved basset hounds, Nick and Nora, and two very good dogs they are. Everything is just ducky...until they vanish. Other neighbors' pets have also disappeared, and no doubt a dognapper is on the prowl. . .
Switching to her sleuthing chapeau, Claire quickly locates the shabby abode of Newton Churls, who runs a black market in stolen animals. But instead of a pen filled with purloined pooches, Claire finds one very dead Newton-and it appears his own pit bull terriers did him in. Or did they? Claire smells a human rat behind the brutal murder. And mysteriously, Nick and Nora are still missing. Now Claire is doggedly determined to find them...and run a killer to the ground.
208 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1991
20 people are currently reading
293 people want to read
About the author
Joan Hess
115 books337 followersJoan Hess was the author of both the Claire Malloy and the Maggody mystery series. Hess was a winner of the American Mystery Award, a member of Sisters in Crime, and a former president of the American Crime Writers League. She lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
Joan Hess also wrote a mystery series under the pseudonym of Joan Hadley.
Series contributed to:
. Crosswinds
. The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories
. Malice Domestic
. Deadly Allies
. Sisters in Crime
Joan Hess also wrote a mystery series under the pseudonym of Joan Hadley.
Series contributed to:
. Crosswinds
. The Year's 25 Finest Crime and Mystery Stories
. Malice Domestic
. Deadly Allies
. Sisters in Crime
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
February 12, 2019
I love the subtle humor-and sometimes not subtle-of Joan Hess in the Claire Malloy series. She always has interesting characters that she describes well. In this installment, she has agreed to be a pet sitter while a friend goes on a trip. She had to go and feed Nick and Nora, two bassets, daily and "talk" to the African violets. When Caron, her daughter, begs for the money for a concert ticket, she decided to trade the ticket for Caron to take care of Nick and Nora. Then they disappear along with the neighbors dog and cat. Her hunt for the animals leads her to discover illegal dog fights among other things.
December 13, 2009
I generally enjoy Claire Malloy Mysteries more. This one had such a hostile portrayal of pit bulls with no balancing perspective, that I was offended. Other than her lack of good judgment in this, it was a passable story.
June 27, 2023
Dog gone it, Newton Churls is dead. It appears his bulldogs chewed him into eternity.
Bookstore owner Claire Malloy reluctantly agrees to watch her neighbor’s basset hounds while the neighbor explores the intermountain west with a bus tour. Malloy’s teenage daughter, Caron, desperately needs 20 bucks for a concert ticket. How quaint and nostalgic is that! She could see a rock group for 20 bucks. Anyway, Claire figures she can get this girl to be more useful. She tasks Caron and her mousey friend, Inez, with feeding the two basset hounds, Nick and Nora. That works well for a few days until the girls come home with the news that someone left a gate open, and the dogs are missing.
Claire’s hunt for the dogs takes her through the mean streets of her town to the doors of the animal shelter. Alas, the two dogs aren’t there. But rumor has it there’s a guy in town who steals dogs and even cats and sells them to laboratories. It is to his house Claire goes next accompanied by a ragtag army of neighbors, all of whom have experienced pet loss in recent days. He begrudgingly grants permission for them to see his kennels, and they recover a box of missing pups, but the two basset hounds aren’t there.
One of the neighbors whose dog is missing is a somewhat dissipated ex-military guy who romanticizes doing a search-and-rescue mission of sorts to get better reconnaissance of the property to see whether the group missed a place in the original visit. No one tells Claire about this; they know she’ll point out how foolish they are. But Claire figures out enough to snag a cop to go with her. That’s when they find Newton Churls chewed to eternity and bits. It’s murder because once Churls entered the kennel, someone from the outside locked him in with the bulldogs.
Alas, the basset hounds never materialize. It’s up to Claire to determine who killed Churls and determine whether she’ll ever get those pesky dogs back.
You absolutely need not have read any other book in this series to enjoy it. It is the height of cozy mystery art form. These characters and their antics will give you reasons to laugh out loud and love every page. There’s no way I figured out the ending early, and it’s unlikely you will either.
One of the book’s highlights for me is the extremely lovable and somewhat shrill 16-year-old Caron. I don’t recall any of my daughters being quite that shrill during those years, but I can identify with at least some of the melodrama poor Claire experiences. That’s part of the charm of this book and the entire series.
Bookstore owner Claire Malloy reluctantly agrees to watch her neighbor’s basset hounds while the neighbor explores the intermountain west with a bus tour. Malloy’s teenage daughter, Caron, desperately needs 20 bucks for a concert ticket. How quaint and nostalgic is that! She could see a rock group for 20 bucks. Anyway, Claire figures she can get this girl to be more useful. She tasks Caron and her mousey friend, Inez, with feeding the two basset hounds, Nick and Nora. That works well for a few days until the girls come home with the news that someone left a gate open, and the dogs are missing.
Claire’s hunt for the dogs takes her through the mean streets of her town to the doors of the animal shelter. Alas, the two dogs aren’t there. But rumor has it there’s a guy in town who steals dogs and even cats and sells them to laboratories. It is to his house Claire goes next accompanied by a ragtag army of neighbors, all of whom have experienced pet loss in recent days. He begrudgingly grants permission for them to see his kennels, and they recover a box of missing pups, but the two basset hounds aren’t there.
One of the neighbors whose dog is missing is a somewhat dissipated ex-military guy who romanticizes doing a search-and-rescue mission of sorts to get better reconnaissance of the property to see whether the group missed a place in the original visit. No one tells Claire about this; they know she’ll point out how foolish they are. But Claire figures out enough to snag a cop to go with her. That’s when they find Newton Churls chewed to eternity and bits. It’s murder because once Churls entered the kennel, someone from the outside locked him in with the bulldogs.
Alas, the basset hounds never materialize. It’s up to Claire to determine who killed Churls and determine whether she’ll ever get those pesky dogs back.
You absolutely need not have read any other book in this series to enjoy it. It is the height of cozy mystery art form. These characters and their antics will give you reasons to laugh out loud and love every page. There’s no way I figured out the ending early, and it’s unlikely you will either.
One of the book’s highlights for me is the extremely lovable and somewhat shrill 16-year-old Caron. I don’t recall any of my daughters being quite that shrill during those years, but I can identify with at least some of the melodrama poor Claire experiences. That’s part of the charm of this book and the entire series.
June 30, 2019
Snatched it up when I saw the basset hounds and the cat on the cover. From the library card in the very back, I believe this is an original print copy.
Claire Malloy runs/owns a bookstore. She is a single mom (her husband passed away). Her daughter is a sophomore in high school and opinionated and written really well as a teenaged character. These two are often at odds with one another.
Claire feels she is a wishy-washy person who would love to have the wherewithal to say "no" - case in point, at the beginning of this book, she is taking care of a friend's two elderly, fat basset hounds, Nick and Nora (get it?) and her violets, both of which require a particular care. As Claire bribes her daughter, Caron, to take care of the dogs and plants, she misses her boyfriend, who is a detective with the local police department. But when Caron comes to the shop to say the dogs are missing, Claire gets wound up in a series of missing pets in the neighborhood - not to mention a possible pet thief who is selling animals to both a local lab and dog fighters.
When the chief suspect for having the missing pets dies a rather gruesome death, Claire has to up her game to get Nick and Nora back safe and sound.
A fun cozy. I didn't read any previous book of this series that I am aware of. Claire and her interactions with her daughter are pretty hysterical, though Claire seems awfully bemused by teenagers in general. This is pre-everyone having a cell phone, so there are mentions of needing to "hike somewhere to a phone" which didn't throw me but might younger (than me) readers.
Claire Malloy runs/owns a bookstore. She is a single mom (her husband passed away). Her daughter is a sophomore in high school and opinionated and written really well as a teenaged character. These two are often at odds with one another.
Claire feels she is a wishy-washy person who would love to have the wherewithal to say "no" - case in point, at the beginning of this book, she is taking care of a friend's two elderly, fat basset hounds, Nick and Nora (get it?) and her violets, both of which require a particular care. As Claire bribes her daughter, Caron, to take care of the dogs and plants, she misses her boyfriend, who is a detective with the local police department. But when Caron comes to the shop to say the dogs are missing, Claire gets wound up in a series of missing pets in the neighborhood - not to mention a possible pet thief who is selling animals to both a local lab and dog fighters.
When the chief suspect for having the missing pets dies a rather gruesome death, Claire has to up her game to get Nick and Nora back safe and sound.
A fun cozy. I didn't read any previous book of this series that I am aware of. Claire and her interactions with her daughter are pretty hysterical, though Claire seems awfully bemused by teenagers in general. This is pre-everyone having a cell phone, so there are mentions of needing to "hike somewhere to a phone" which didn't throw me but might younger (than me) readers.
Read
May 28, 2021Very funny mystery.
The characters are entertaining and the story moves along smoothly. Each book has a fresh story of misadventure for our bookseller, her daughter and daughter's friend.
The characters are entertaining and the story moves along smoothly. Each book has a fresh story of misadventure for our bookseller, her daughter and daughter's friend.
May 25, 2017
This is a fun, frolicking, Cozy style mystery. The author is known for her fine since of humor, and she is at the top of her game in this book.
August 1, 2019
I really love this series. Such great characters and I never see the end coming.
July 23, 2021
2 - Didn't Like the Topic; Not a Cozy Mystery
June 8, 2023
Continue to enjoy this series!
November 22, 2023
As a dog lover there was a lot of triggers!
February 8, 2024
Readable, but just.
March 28, 2011
Opening Sentence: “…One of these days I am going to take a three-day seminar in assertiveness training …”
The reason Claire Malloy wants assertiveness training is because she has been unable to say no to a retired school teacher and has ended up agreeing to care for Emily’s African Violets and two Basset Hounds. It is the second part of the chores that has Claire up in arms – she is not a dog person. Nothing personal against dogs of course, as she isn’t really what you could call a cat person either. Come to think of it she is not sure how she feels about African Violets! However she has to get over her lack of interest a few days later because the two dogs disappear along with a couple of neighbourhood pooches and a bad-tempered cat. Claire goes to the local animal shelter and learns that an unscrupulous animal dealer, Newton Churls, is in the area and while he is licensed to obtain animals for medical research, he is known to mostly obtain them illegally and run a dog fighting ring.
Claire and her motley crew of daughter, friends and neighbours drag the local sheriff out to Churls’ property to find the missing animals, however there are no sign of them, the general feeling is that they have been hidden, but Claire refuses to return without the back up of the police. A day later Claire’s motley crew turn into a makeshift ‘commando’ group and do a midnight raid only to find Churles is dead – he has been ripped apart by his pit bulls. Trouble is Churles is inside the cage and the cage has been locked from the outside, not an accident at all, this is murder. Now Claire not only has to find the missing animals, she has to find out who the killer is as her daughter and new friends are now suspects.
I have enjoyed all of the books that I have read in this series so far, and ROLL OVER AND PLAY DEAD is no different. I find I can relate to the heroine, Claire Malloy, on so many levels. She deals with her teenage daughter’s dramas without batting an eyelid, is witty but not mean, and has mastered the art of being sarcastic without the intended victim being aware of it. As with the other books in the series this story is light and fluffy; but has an edge. In this story the edge is maltreated animals and illegally obtained animals being used for scientific experiments; subject’s that tear at people’s hearts but handled well by Joan Hess. The result is a story that packs an emotional punch, makes you aware of animal testing issues in the USA and has you laughing at the same time.
The reason Claire Malloy wants assertiveness training is because she has been unable to say no to a retired school teacher and has ended up agreeing to care for Emily’s African Violets and two Basset Hounds. It is the second part of the chores that has Claire up in arms – she is not a dog person. Nothing personal against dogs of course, as she isn’t really what you could call a cat person either. Come to think of it she is not sure how she feels about African Violets! However she has to get over her lack of interest a few days later because the two dogs disappear along with a couple of neighbourhood pooches and a bad-tempered cat. Claire goes to the local animal shelter and learns that an unscrupulous animal dealer, Newton Churls, is in the area and while he is licensed to obtain animals for medical research, he is known to mostly obtain them illegally and run a dog fighting ring.
Claire and her motley crew of daughter, friends and neighbours drag the local sheriff out to Churls’ property to find the missing animals, however there are no sign of them, the general feeling is that they have been hidden, but Claire refuses to return without the back up of the police. A day later Claire’s motley crew turn into a makeshift ‘commando’ group and do a midnight raid only to find Churles is dead – he has been ripped apart by his pit bulls. Trouble is Churles is inside the cage and the cage has been locked from the outside, not an accident at all, this is murder. Now Claire not only has to find the missing animals, she has to find out who the killer is as her daughter and new friends are now suspects.
I have enjoyed all of the books that I have read in this series so far, and ROLL OVER AND PLAY DEAD is no different. I find I can relate to the heroine, Claire Malloy, on so many levels. She deals with her teenage daughter’s dramas without batting an eyelid, is witty but not mean, and has mastered the art of being sarcastic without the intended victim being aware of it. As with the other books in the series this story is light and fluffy; but has an edge. In this story the edge is maltreated animals and illegally obtained animals being used for scientific experiments; subject’s that tear at people’s hearts but handled well by Joan Hess. The result is a story that packs an emotional punch, makes you aware of animal testing issues in the USA and has you laughing at the same time.
July 25, 2011
This was an OK book, but not necessarily what I was expecting. I'm used to reading these dog-related mystery novels where every one in the series is about dogs, but this one just happens to be a dog mystery in a series otherwise devoid of them. Therefore, I didn't feel the bond I often do with the dog books, and felt the author, having limited canine expertise compared to the other authors, left a little lacking.
The main character/sleuth is a bookstore owner who hates dogs yet somehow agrees to watch a customer's basset hounds while she goes on a long vacation. Hating the experience so much, by the second day, the bookstore owner has bribed her teenage daughter to care for the dogs instead, who then bribes the little brother of a friend to do the job so she can hang out with his big sister after school. Some time during this continual hand-off of care, the dogs go missing, as do the pets of some of the dog owner's neighbors.
Most of the book is taken up by the main character searching for the two dogs before the customer gets home, and her battles with local law enforcement, who doesn't have the same vested interest in finding a few missing animals. The neighbors are featured often too, as they plot their own ways to get the animals back once they discover there is a man in the next town who illegally sells stray animals for research purposes. Even after this dog broker is found dead, his death seems very suspicious and they suspect whoever caused his death may have taken the pets. Or maybe he never had them in the first place...
I felt that by the end of the book, there was an obvious line drawn where you could put all of the characters on either the 'good guy' side or the 'bad guy' side, and the plot was just too predictable and weak.
Glad this author does not write dog crimes as a rule or I might be tempted to try another, whereas now I can return the book to the book swap where I got it and allow someone else to see if it's to his or her liking.
The main character/sleuth is a bookstore owner who hates dogs yet somehow agrees to watch a customer's basset hounds while she goes on a long vacation. Hating the experience so much, by the second day, the bookstore owner has bribed her teenage daughter to care for the dogs instead, who then bribes the little brother of a friend to do the job so she can hang out with his big sister after school. Some time during this continual hand-off of care, the dogs go missing, as do the pets of some of the dog owner's neighbors.
Most of the book is taken up by the main character searching for the two dogs before the customer gets home, and her battles with local law enforcement, who doesn't have the same vested interest in finding a few missing animals. The neighbors are featured often too, as they plot their own ways to get the animals back once they discover there is a man in the next town who illegally sells stray animals for research purposes. Even after this dog broker is found dead, his death seems very suspicious and they suspect whoever caused his death may have taken the pets. Or maybe he never had them in the first place...
I felt that by the end of the book, there was an obvious line drawn where you could put all of the characters on either the 'good guy' side or the 'bad guy' side, and the plot was just too predictable and weak.
Glad this author does not write dog crimes as a rule or I might be tempted to try another, whereas now I can return the book to the book swap where I got it and allow someone else to see if it's to his or her liking.
March 30, 2016
SUMMARY: Murder is going to the dogs. . .Bookstore owner and amateur sleuth Claire Malloy has donned another hat (or is that a collar?)-as a petsitter extraordinaire. Her furry charges are Miss Emily Parchester's beloved basset hounds, Nick and Nora, and two very good dogs they are. Everything is just ducky...until they vanish. Other neighbors' pets have also disappeared, and no doubt a dognapper is on the prowl. . .
Switching to her sleuthing chapeau, Claire quickly locates the shabby abode of Newton Churls, who runs a black market in stolen animals. But instead of a pen filled with purloined pooches, Claire finds one very dead Newton-and it appears his own pit bull terriers did him in. Or did they? Claire smells a human rat behind the brutal murder. And mysteriously, Nick and Nora are still missing. Now Claire is doggedly determined to find them...and run a killer to the ground.
REVIEW: Some of Joan Hess' mysteries are better than others. I felt this one contained several extremely silly characters. The premise for the plot was a good one. Dogs and cats being kidnapped in order to sell them to laboratories for use in medical experiments or for dog fights. It was nice to see a focus on pet rescue. I also felt that the who's who cast of characters did keep me guessing as to whom the culprit was. It also was filled with Hess' typical humor and scarcastic wit. Overall an OK read.
Switching to her sleuthing chapeau, Claire quickly locates the shabby abode of Newton Churls, who runs a black market in stolen animals. But instead of a pen filled with purloined pooches, Claire finds one very dead Newton-and it appears his own pit bull terriers did him in. Or did they? Claire smells a human rat behind the brutal murder. And mysteriously, Nick and Nora are still missing. Now Claire is doggedly determined to find them...and run a killer to the ground.
REVIEW: Some of Joan Hess' mysteries are better than others. I felt this one contained several extremely silly characters. The premise for the plot was a good one. Dogs and cats being kidnapped in order to sell them to laboratories for use in medical experiments or for dog fights. It was nice to see a focus on pet rescue. I also felt that the who's who cast of characters did keep me guessing as to whom the culprit was. It also was filled with Hess' typical humor and scarcastic wit. Overall an OK read.
July 25, 2016
The Claire Malloy series is a step above a Cozy, mainly because you actually LIKE the characters. Claire is the single mother of Caron, a teenaged daughter who's at the age of speaking in ALL CAPS. Claire is also the proprietor of a bookstore (which she doesn't seem to spend much time in, on account of solving murders and trying to calm Caron down to at least italics). Peter is Claire's detective boyfriend whom she's lucky to have, otherwise she'd spend the majority of her time in a holding cell for interfering with crime scenes.
If you're looking for a mystery series where you actually LIKE the characters (I love Christie, but spent much of my extracurricular time plotting the death of the sanctimonious bitch Ms. Marple), start on the Claire Malloy series. Likewise, if you're wondering whether to have children, pay close attention to Caron. I work with kids and can assure you that all teen girls go through the "I HATE YOU--I NEED A RIDE TO THE MALL" phase. Unless you're saving for boarding school, pay attention.
If you're looking for a mystery series where you actually LIKE the characters (I love Christie, but spent much of my extracurricular time plotting the death of the sanctimonious bitch Ms. Marple), start on the Claire Malloy series. Likewise, if you're wondering whether to have children, pay close attention to Caron. I work with kids and can assure you that all teen girls go through the "I HATE YOU--I NEED A RIDE TO THE MALL" phase. Unless you're saving for boarding school, pay attention.
February 1, 2013
Charming and funny, Joan Hess is my favorite author of witty, amateur sleuth mysteries. In this story it is 2 basset hounds that she is dog sitting that go missing. There are other pets missing as well. Where have they gone? Who left the gates open, who took the animals and for what nefarious purposes? Half the fun here is the dialogue, especially between amateur sleuth and bookstore owner Claire Malloy and her teenage daughter Caron. Such funny dialogue.
If you like light hearted mysteries that aren't stupid I recommend that you read Joan Hess books.
If you like light hearted mysteries that aren't stupid I recommend that you read Joan Hess books.
May 11, 2011
A bit rough around the edges. The protagonist is funny, but the author seems to be trying a bit too hard. The dislike of dogs bothered some people. It was a bit too over the top. The daughter was pretty funny, and the mother-daughter relationship was entertaining, though I wondered about the protagonist could know so little about her daughter...
September 19, 2012
Slightly less than halfway through this book, I wasn't sure I was going to be able to finish it. What does it say that I can happily read about murder, but not about cruelty to animals?
I confess to reading the ending before continuing.
Good plot, great characters, and really hard for animal lovers.
I confess to reading the ending before continuing.
Good plot, great characters, and really hard for animal lovers.
December 18, 2008
I picked this up as a quick read for while I walk on the treadmill. I had not read any of the previous ones in the series. Liked it and may read a couple more in the series to see if I want to continue. A light mystery read.
J
J
April 2, 2013
For a quick little distraction this wasn't bad. Sometimes I felt the dialogue was trying to hard to be hip but Hess has a great way of describing characters. On the shorter side so a good weekend read
November 3, 2015
A pretty good mystery. Perhaps not my favorite of hers, but good.
Read
September 1, 2011Pet and plant sitting leads Claire into a complicated situation. Other than the frogs and Newton Churls, everything turns out well (and the frog situation rather depends on your point of view).
October 28, 2012
Clever and funny without being air-headed! Would read more in the series.
June 29, 2013
Poor portrayal of pit bulls.
August 14, 2014
Ok book. Not as good as her Maggody series. Read this in 1998.
October 2, 2014
Okay mystery, but not for dog lovers. The main characters pretty much hate animals.
Also, the main character's constant drinking in response to stress is overdone.
Also, the main character's constant drinking in response to stress is overdone.
April 2, 2015
Claire Malloy series.
Very light, cute.
She runs the Book Depot and has a teenage daughter.
Pets are missing.
Very light, cute.
She runs the Book Depot and has a teenage daughter.
Pets are missing.
Read
April 18, 2015#115 April 18, 2015
May 29, 2015
Rereading now probably originally read in 1993 (date of my copy). Lots of violence against dogs but hesse's usual deadpan humor
September 12, 2016
I expected to enjoy this book since I usually enjoy Joan Hess, but i just couldn't get into it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews