About the Book

Book: Off the Chain

Author: Janice Thompson

Genre: Christian Fiction / Mystery

Release date: July 1, 2022

The Town of Brenham, Texas, Has Gone to the Dogs!

Curl up with your pup and sink into a delightful small-town mystery as riddles and rescues stack up in book one of a new cozy mystery series.

Marigold Evans’ first attempt at rescuing an abandoned pooch lands her in a drainage pipe in Brenham Texas. . .and almost in jail, until Parker Jenson comes to her rescue. Then a bad day only gets worse as the Lone Star Vet Clinic, where they both work, is vandalized and the list of suspects starts to climb. With the help of her fellow employees, Marigold sets out to simultaneously solve the crime, rehab the rescued dog, and help more dogs in crisis. But why would anyone continue to work against all their good efforts?

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About the Author

Janice Thompson, who lives in the Houston area, writes romantic comedies, cozy mysteries, nonfiction devotionals, and musical comedies for the stage. She is the mother of four daughters and nine feisty grandchildren. When she’s not writing books or taking care of foster dogs you’ll find her in the kitchen, baking up specialty cakes and cookies.

More from Janice

Dogs, dogs, and more dogs! My world is full of dogs. If you follow me on social media you’re probably overwhelmed with dog photos, but I simply can’t help myself. I’m in love with pooches of all shapes and sizes.

My fascination with dogs began when I was six years old and I got my first pup, Spunky. He was a mixed breed terrier. From that day until now I’ve had the pleasure of owning many, many pups—some purebreds, some street dogs that needed a safe place to stay, some elderly with chronic or acute health issues. I can’t get enough. They offer unconditional love, after all!

A few years back I was asked to foster for a local rescue, My Chi and Me. The rest, as they say, is history. For a quick glimpse at some photos, follow this link. You’ll see that I’m mostly enamored with small dogs. (Hey, I live in a tiny townhome and have limited space!) That said, I’m always willing to take on one more.

My most recent rescue ventures landed me squarely in the middle of a book idea: Why not use a dog story as the basis for a cozy mystery? My editor at Barbour Publishing wanted something dog-themed and I was happy to oblige. That’s where the idea for Off the Chain(and the whole Gone with the Dogs series) came from—a simple idea involving dogs and crime.

I took the opportunity to focus solely on rescue dogs as the idea developed. These days (especially post-Covid) the need for homes for these pups is great. I linked arms with my BFF, Kathleen Y’Barbo, and together we set our series in Brenham Texas, not far from our stomping ground in the Woodlands. I felt strongly that we should merge two separate dog worlds: rescue and veterinary. (Hey, Brenham is close to A&M and they know a thing or two about veterinary training!)

Thus, the Gone with the Dogs series was born. And writing the first book, (Off the Chain), was a blast! I hyper-focused on one primary point of view character, a vet tech. (As the owner of three dogs I feel like I’m always in the vet’s office!) My stories, which is written in first person, took me back to my writing roots. I love, love, love writing in first person because I “become” the character. Fun, right?

My editors loved the book and it got some fun endorsements, so I’m excited to see what my readers think. I can’t wait to get their feedback. I hope it’s not too “Ruff!”

But, seriously. . .I’m hyped! And I’m feeling so blessed to merge my worlds—dogs and writing!

MY REVIEW

From the moment I read the first page, I could feel the author’s personality shine. She has a gift for writing funny stories that are nothing short of pure and clean entertainment with a clever wit and characters that I want to be best friends with. I love the setting of the story since I am very familiar with it. I was thrilled about the storyline and how the author incorporated a passion she has for rescuing dogs into a book that I couldn’t put down.

Mari is everything you would want in a friend. She is kind, sweet, caring, faith filled and has a special compassion for animals. It does not go unnoticed by her friend Cassidy that Mari has this gift of cheering up others . Being friends has helped both of them come to rely on each other. Who better to take on a rescue than your best friend? After their first rescue I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s not everyday you crawl into a drain pipe and find an officer waiting on you as you exit with a sad and stinky looking dog. The more Mari tried to explain what was going on the more the officer was convinced she was homeless. The circumstances did seem a bit questionable but it only gets better as the clinic she works at has just been broken into. The author gives us a very honest look at how a veterinary clinic operates as all types of animals are seen. There are the aggressive animals that no one is thrilled to see and then there is this sweet little rescue named Beau Jangles that melted my heart.

The suspects start adding up as the break in at the clinic starts to reach a danger for some. Is it the cranky man next door who is a CPA? He is not nice and is not shy about letting people know that he is not a fan of animals. Could it be the ex boyfriend of someone who works at the clinic? My interest was piqued as more strange things started happening.

My review would not be complete without mentioning Grandma Peach. Mari has a special relationship with her grandmother and I loved when they would get together and share about their lives. Grandma Peach has this knack for saying what needs to be said and she is always encouraging Mari with her dream of opening a rescue shelter. Mari is still grieving the death of her mother and being around Grandma Peach helps her in moments of remembering the good memories of her sweet mom.

The author gives readers a look at characters who have big hearts for animals. It was easy for me to picture myself visiting the clinic and become part of Mari’s rescue group. There are some funny moments in the story and a taste of Texas that made me want to grab a Dr. Pepper and a big bowl of Blue Bell Ice cream. What I really enjoyed about the story was the group of characters that came to depend on each other and reach out to a few that needed friendship. The theme of trusting God flows throughout the story. I am thrilled to know that there is a new book coming in this series because I feel like I have found a new family to follow and grow spiritually with.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.