Into the Fire

Heather Day Gilbert has three novellas in the Belinda Blake Exotic Pet-Sitter cozy mystery series. The first one, Belinda Blake and the Snake in the Grass, cleverly introduces us to Belinda and her current "pet", a ball python she's watching for "Reginald" after moving into her new "apartment", the carriage house on the Carrington estate in Greenwich, Connecticut. The opening scene is both cringe-worthy and hysterical. 

After only being partially settled into her new place, while enjoying the attached patio, she notices an expensive high heel in the garden behind her abode. Upon further investigation she discovers it's attached to a foot and leg of a chic young woman around her age who's not moving and appears to be dead. 

From that moment on she is introduced to the life of the wealthy Carrington family, their house secretary, their gardener Jacques, the handsome son Stone and his avant-garde friends, their cook Lani, their driver Red, and their gatekeeper Val. At some point everyone becomes a suspect except Belinda as she does her best to assist Stone as he conducts his own investigation. Attempting to figure out possible motives becomes an exercise in futility until some hidden secrets emerge before there's yet another murder.

With all the typical pieces in place for this cozy mystery, Heather does a fun job of creating an interesting character in Belinda Blake who is still in the process of discovering who she really is as a young woman who, besides sitting for exotic pets, is a gamer who writes articles for other gamers after testing new ones, all the while wondering about being enamored with the charming Stone Carrington the fifth.  

Book Two in the series, Belinda Blake and the Wolf in Sheep's Clothing, opens with Belinda saying goodbye to Stone as he takes off on a faraway retreat to further his own discovery of who he really is and what he wants to do in his life. Belinda needs a new pet to watch because of her dwindling income when she gets a call from the owner of a wolf preserve who needs to hire her for eight days to assist with the preserve's duties while the owner takes a trip out of town. Belinda must address her fears of the wolves before agreeing to sign the contract which gives her added trepidation because of the clause about not holding the preserve liable should she die while working there. 

On her first day at work, she is pleasantly surprised to learn the head tour guide on the White Pine Wolf Preserve knows and admires her from her gaming articles. 

It doesn't take long before mayhem strikes and it seems no one at the preserve can now be trusted, possibly even law enforcement. Belinda's family and a close male friend she's known for years (Jonas), who lives on the farm next to her parents' place back in her small hometown in upstate New York, all want her to quit, but slowly she's growing attached to the wolves, especially a battered, rescued female who's shown her nothing but affection. The Carrington's driver Red, who seems more like a bodyguard than a chauffeur, makes it clear he's there for her if she needs his assistance. 

Belinda Blake is no quitter and wants this mystery solved before any more tragedy strikes. With plenty of quirky characters and lots of unexplained conduct, this story keeps the reader guessing while exploring the quiet attraction behind the scenes of Belinda's old friend Jonas and her. 

This is a general market cozy mystery series with a few silly laughs, some real drama, and plenty of suspects.

Father, you've given Heather plenty of talent and stories to tell. Please continue to bless her in your abundance and provision. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.