Lexie Lightfoot and her oh-so-pious sister Lucy Parnell are up to their sleuthing antics again. Actually, Lexie's doing the detecting while dragging along her older sister. After a friend who's been helping at the café the sisters co-own fails to show up for work, they go looking for her at her house. Unfortunately, with the help of Lexie's recently acquired dog, they find her buried in her own garden.

Lexie doesn't understand why someone would have killed Eleni Andros. Since her detective friend Gabe Stevenson is out of town, a rather brass young detective has been assigned to the case. Since he doesn't seem to be getting very far, Lexie decides to do some investigating of her own to prevent Eleni's murder from going unsolved.

Who killed Eleni and why? Was the reason jealousy from members of the garden club she presided over? Was it Eleni's no-good nephew Nik? Or was it one of Eleni's other myriad family members? Will Gabe ever return from his vacation? Is Lucy's son really gonna marry a stripper? In Las Vegas, no less? As time goes on, it becomes apparent that someone will kill to protect themselves from discovery. Will Lexie be next on their list?

PAWS-ITIVELY GUILTY is a definite improvement over the first book in the Saucy Lucy series. Still, Lexie seems rather naïve for a woman who lived in California for more than a decade. And she acts twenty years older than her actual age of about forty. But old-fashioned cozy fans should enjoy Ms. Reynders' second novel. I think most people will be surprised by the identity of the culprit. Be forewarned that there are numerous spoilers for the first book in the series, so one should read the books in order for the most enjoyment.

Book Summary

After a difficult divorce, Lexie Lightfoot moves home to Moose Creek Junction, Wyoming, to start a new life with her daughter, Eva, and opens the Saucy Lucy Cafe with her sister, Lucy. Lucy, a staunch, churchgoing woman, believes her sister must remarry in order to enter the kingdom of heaven, but Lucy isn't having much luck in that department. Eventually Lexie decides to live her life without a man and without her sister's interference. Too bad she can't decide to keep her nose out of police business, too.

When a friend goes missing and Lexie and Lucy find her buried in their garden, Lexie is devastated, and Moose Creek Junction's inept sheriff, Lucy's husband, Otis Parnell, is no help. With the handsome--and single-- Gabe Stevenson on vacation, the Westonville police are having a hard time finding the murderer.

Impatient, Lexie decides to lend a hand. With Lucy's assistance, they begin their investigation. But when things really start to cook, the sisters find themselves in a heap of hot water!