"Playing Dead"

After losing their home during a California wildfire, Peggy Rothschild and her husband moved to the beach community of Los Osos along the central coast. When not at her desk or out walking, you can usually find her in the garden. Rothschild is a member of Sisters in Crime National and Sisters in Crime Los Angeles.

She applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Playing Dead, and reported the following:

From page 69:

“We train, then hangout. It’s only once a week now. I think Lupe likes having a set day because it guarantees she gets some social time, and since we call it a training session, it gives her an excuse to leave work on time. You know how she usually stays late—except on cooking class days. And now dog-training days.”

His brow furrowed.

“Don’t worry—I’m not charging her.”

“Oh. No, I didn’t think…” He cleared his throat. “I still can’t believe she and Andy didn’t know their dog was deaf until you told them.”

Surprised he was bringing up old news, I shrugged, then rose and took my empty plate to the kitchen.

Miguel’s phone burred. He checked the screen. “Sorry. Gotta take this.” He cleared his throat. “Vasquez here. Uh-huh. Uh-huh.” After a long pause, he spoke again. “Okay. Be right there.” He tucked his phone inside his pocket and grabbed his jacket. “Gotta go. Got a lead on a stolen Maserati.”

The tension in his jaw was gone—as were the furrows crossing his forehead. Maybe pressure from the mayor was why Miguel seemed on edge. I set the plate in the sink and rounded the counter. “At least we did the uncivilized thing early.”

He bent down and gave me a quick kiss. “It’s no ‘We’ll always have Paris,’ but I can live with that.”

I snort-laughed and walked him to the door. The three dogs roused themselves to follow. “You be careful.”

“Always.”

After he’d left, the house felt empty—in spite of the dogs. I rinsed our plates and tucked them into the dishwasher. Drying my hands, I grabbed my laptop and sat cross-legged on the sofa. Harlow hopped up, followed by Noodle. Buster settled nearby on the floor. Surrounded as I was by canine goodwill, I still missed Miguel. Even if he’d been acting squirrelly tonight.

While the Page 69 Test does give the reader a taste of Molly’s personality and hints at her growing concern that her boyfriend is hiding something, there is no mention of the main mystery. (I was curious and checked the first book in the series, and found page 69 there was also more about the character than the mystery—so I’m consistent!)

The mystery begins when Molly and her two dogs attend Playtime Academy for their very first time and find a dead body. It doesn’t take long before Felicity, a fellow agility participant, is arrested for the murder and she asks Molly to take in her dog. Molly agrees, but that doesn’t make Felicity any more willing to explain what was behind a very public fight she had with the victim. In spite of Felicity’s stonewalling, Molly doesn’t think her new friend is a killer.

Molly’s friendship with her agoraphobic neighbor is growing—along with her canine family and dog-training service. Between looking after J. D., a variety of dogs, and a lost kitten, Molly delves into the victim’s life hoping to find a motive for murder. She also tries to pry the story behind the fight out of Felicity. As Molly talks to more people, she learns the victim was almost universally despised. The victim’s husband doesn’t seem to miss her and neither does her dog. As unlikeable as the woman may have been, Molly can’t give up until she’s cleared Felicity’s name.

Visit Peggy Rothschild's website.

Q&A with Peggy Rothschild.

--Marshal Zeringue