The Case of the Invisible Dog — Diane Stingley

In the start of a charmingly imaginative cozy series sure to delight fans of Carolyn Hart and Diane Mott Davidson, Diane Stingley introduces a blundering detective who believes herself to be the great-great-granddaughter of the legendary Sherlock Holmes.
 
After failing to launch her career as a Hollywood actress, Tammy Norman returns home to North Carolina, desperate for a regular paycheck and a new lease on life. So she accepts a position assisting Shirley Homes, an exceptionally odd personage who styles herself after her celebrated “ancestor” -- right down to the ridiculous hat. Tammy isn't sure how long she can go on indulging the delusional Shirley (who honestly believes Sherlock Holmes was a real person!), but with the prospect of unemployment looming, she decides to give it a shot.
 
Tammy's impression of her eccentric boss does not improve when their first case involves midnight romps through strangers' yards in pursuit of a phantom dog -- that only their client can hear. But when the case takes a sudden and sinister turn, Tammy has to admit that Shirley Homes might actually be on to something. . . .

Praise for The Case of the Invisible Dog
 
“A protagonist with panache stars in a delightful twist on the Sherlockian tradition. This dazzling series debut is sheer fun.” -- Carolyn Hart, bestselling author of the Death on Demand series and winner of the Agatha, Anthony, and Macavity awards

“Crazy-like-a-fox Shirley Homes is the funniest sleuth I've read in years, and she's sure to steal the reader's heart as she did mine. In Diane Stingley's fresh, fabulous, and fast-paced The Case of the Invisible Dog, the game's definitely afoot!” -- Sarah Graves, bestselling author of the Home Repair is Homicide series

“Hold on to your deerstalker as Shirley Homes channels her great-great-grandfather and leads you and her own Watson on a crazy ride -- that is, investigation -- looking for both an invisible dog and a murderer. Woof!” -- Marty Wingate, author of The Garden Plot