Trouble Afoot at The Three Hounds Bakery by Julie Titterington, the first book in the Doxies and Donuts Mystery series, is a wonderful treat for fans of cozy mysteries, crime dramas, and detective novels. Wilhelmina Lattner, or Willa, arrives at Humboldt Cove in Northern California to inherit her late Aunt Mina's Victorian house, a bakery, and three dachshunds named Kyle, Wags, and Killer. Soon, Willa learns that Humboldt Cove's mayor, Ian McKinley, covets her new house. Willa, a mystery author, is unsure whether she can handle the three dogs and run a bakery even if her business partner is the handsome Brian Harrison. But Mina's shocking letter urges Willa to stay in Humboldt Cove and discover what happened to her aunt. It's a challenging task because Mina antagonized many locals. The town guards its secrets, Sheriff Gary Poole looks at Willa suspiciously, and her book in progress requires her undivided attention. Can she solve the mystery of Mina's death?

Julie Titterington's Trouble Afoot at The Three Hounds Bakery is a hilarious, heartwarming, whimsical, and full of surprises story of self-development. While investigating her aunt's death, Willa undergoes stages of inner growth, and some of them are quite painful. Willa is a great main character, and I could not help but root for her out loud when the narrative got especially intense. Willa's friendship with older people, like Daniel Pilkington, Mina's brilliant attorney, is very touching. There are also the three amazing dogs, each having an outstanding personality. Dog lovers like me will immediately want to adopt a dachshund and name him Kyle. Julie does a tremendous job of creating a puzzling tangle of intrigue and a cast of well-defined secondary characters, like the intimidating Sheriff Poole and his enigmatic deputy B. J. Anderson. The book has a lot of twists I didn't see coming, and the recipes at the end are a delicious bonus. I highly recommend it and look forward to the next installment in the series.

Julie Titterington brings us true mystery in Trouble Afoot at The Three Hounds Bakery. Willa Lattner has just inherited a pink Victorian house and 3 dachshunds from her great-aunt. Willa herself is a mystery writer and needs to finish her latest book, but first, she heads over to Humboldt Cove on the Californian coastline. Just after her great-aunt passed away, Willa received a letter that made her think the death might not have been accidental. Possible suspects lurk everywhere in the small town of Humboldt Cove and it’s up to Willa to uncover the truth. How many toes did her great-aunt step on? Is something in the past so brutally horrible that someone needs to kill to keep it quiet? Will Willa be the next victim?

Author Julie Titterington has created a world of genuine intrigue and mystery. Right from the beginning, the pace is set with beautifully structured chapters. Like a treasure hunt, bits and pieces of information are given about each character that makes you curious to discover the next. Written in the third-person narrative from the perspective of our protagonist gives this mystery a unique voice. The characters are interesting, relatable, and likable. Trouble Afoot at The Three Hounds Bakery will have you on the edge of your seat, giggling, and unable to stop reading. Filled with sensory stimulation, this book is suitable for all ages. It even has some recipes which I will definitely be trying. I look forward to the next Doxies and Donuts Mystery Series book.