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Phyllis Entis
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THE CHOCOLATE LABRADOODLE CAPER: A Damien Dickens Mystery (Damien Dickens Mysteries Book 3) Kindle Edition

by Phyllis Entis (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 43 ratings
A dodgy travel business

A journalist in danger

Tainted chocolates


Hotel/casino magnate Derek Turpin is flexing his muscles in Atlantic City. Even the cops are not immune to his influence. Can Damien and Millie thwart his unsavory plans?

The Chocolate Labradoodle Caper. A Damien Dickens Mystery
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  1. Book 3 of 6
    Damien Dickens Mysteries
  2. Print length
    305 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publication date
    October 5, 2016
  5. File size
    2.4 MB
  6. Page Flip
    Enabled
  7. Word Wise
    Enabled
  8. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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There are 6 books in this series.

From the Publisher

The Nielsen Professional Building

The Nielsen Professional Building, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California

Courtyard offices of the Dickens Detective Agency
The Carmel Years - Offices of the Dickens Detective Agency

In 1983, Damien and Millie move to the peaceful coastal town of Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, and set up their agencies in a courtyard office suite at the southern edge of the downtown district.

As their reputation grows, they are drawn into high-stakes cases that threaten their partnership, their marriage, and their very lives.

The Dickens Detective Agency

The early years

The Dickens Detective Agency was established in the early 1970s by Damien Dickens, an ex-cop with the Atlantic City Police Department. Located in a small office suite above a restaurant, the agency also employed Millie Hewitt, who had the unenviable job of keeping Damien organized, while keeping the bill collectors at bay.

Damien and Millie marry, and she becomes a full-fledged licensed PI and an equal partner in all of the agency's cases.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A]n intense and exciting sleuth mystery...thrilling and addictive." - Reviewed by Susan Sewell for Readers' Favorite.

About the Author

Recipient of the 2019 Top Female Author award in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category, Phyllis Entis is the author of the Damien Dickens Mysteries. Her debut novel, The Green Pearl Caper, was a Library Journal SELF-e Selection. She is currently working on her fifth mystery.

Born and raised in Montreal, Phyllis is a free-lance writer and retired food safety microbiologist with degrees from McGill University and the University of Toronto. In 2007, ASM Press published her non-fiction book, Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives. Phyllis lives in Victoria, British Columbia with her husband and their Australian Cobberdog, Shalom. When she's not writing, Phyllis usually can be found walking around town, browsing in the local library, or enjoying her garden.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01LYFJBB3
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Quintzy Press
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 5, 2016
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 2.4 MB
  • Simultaneous device usage ‏ : ‎ Unlimited
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 305 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 3 of 6 ‏ : ‎ Damien Dickens Mysteries
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 43 ratings

About the author

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Phyllis Entis

Phyllis Entis

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Recipient of the 2019 Top Female Author award in the Mystery/Suspense/Thriller category, Phyllis Entis is the author of the Damien Dickens Mysteries. Her debut novel, The Green Pearl Caper, was a Library Journal SELF-e Selection.

Born and raised in Montreal, Phyllis is a free-lance writer and retired food safety microbiologist with degrees from McGill University and the University of Toronto. In 2007, ASM Press published her non-fiction book, Food Safety: Old Habits, New Perspectives. Phyllis lives in Victoria, British Columbia with her husband and their Australian Cobberdog, Shalom. When she’s not writing, Phyllis usually can be found walking around town, browsing in the local library, or enjoying her garden.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
43 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers enjoy the book's plot, describing it as an engaging story that moves swiftly to a clever conclusion, making it an entertaining read for cozy mystery fans. The characters receive positive feedback for being believable.

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9 customers mention "Plot"9 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the plot of the book, describing it as an engaging and entertaining mystery that moves swiftly to a clever conclusion, with one customer noting it's based on actual events in real life.

"...This book has every element that a good mystery should include and I was completely satisfied with the conclusion...." Read more

"...the wide variety of characters created by Phyllis Entis and following their adventures...." Read more

"...and Millie Dickens are back for their third adventure in this fun cozy mystery set in 1980 Atlantic City and Montreal...." Read more

"An engaging story with a solid protagonist in the grand old tradition of American detective fiction, this book was enhanced at the end by the..." Read more

3 customers mention "Character development"3 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, noting that the characters are believable.

"...I very much enjoyed meeting the wide variety of characters created by Phyllis Entis and following their adventures...." Read more

"...It was an entertaining read, and I liked the characters and the way the detective and his wife's marital issue was woven through the story, and the..." Read more

"This is a good book; the characters are believable and the plot runs smoothly...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Maurice Noel Lyons
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Complete Mystery... Great book!!!
    Reviewed in the United States on August 25, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    As this is my first read of The series, I am sorry that I was tardy to the party. I was a little confused in the beginning but things started to click after some further reading. Great story telling and I was drawn in for investment for every page. This book has every element that a good mystery should include and I was completely satisfied with the conclusion. I cannot wait to read the other books of The series. What I liked most about this book is the inclusion of culture but yet at the same time it never once mentioned "race". It makes you re-think about we, ourselves, look at life and how our own perspective can be jaded at times because of stereotypes.
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  • Linda Brendle
    4.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining read for cozy mystery fans!
    Reviewed in the United States on June 21, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    The ChocolateLabradoodle Caper was my first venture into the world of Damien and Millie Dickens, but it won’t be my last. I very much enjoyed meeting the wide variety of characters created by Phyllis Entis and following their adventures. Dick and Millie, partners both in marriage and a detective agency, attempt to find out who tried to murder their journalist friend. In the process, they endanger their lives and their marriage and take the reader on a wild ride from the U.S. to Canada and back again. I want to go back and read the first two Damien Dickens Mysteries, and I look forward to future offerings from Entis.
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  • Alison Henderson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Another fun Damien Dickens Mystery
    Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2017
    Verified Purchase
    Husband and wife team Damien and Millie Dickens are back for their third adventure in this fun cozy mystery set in 1980 Atlantic City and Montreal. This time, they find themselves mixed up in a tangled web of seemingly unrelated frauds and other crimes, up to and including attempted murder, in which all threads ultimately lead back to arch villain Derek J. Turpin. I enjoyed the local flavor in the descriptions of Montreal and found myself longing for an old-fashioned Montreal smoked meat sandwich with fries and a root beer. I'm looking forward to the next installment in this series and Damien and Millie's new puppy Hershey.
    One person found this helpful
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  • T. Ormiston-smith
    3.0 out of 5 stars and I liked the characters and the way the detective and his ...
    Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    An engaging story with a solid protagonist in the grand old tradition of American detective fiction, this book was enhanced at the end by the addition of a cute puppy. The crimes that formed the book's main material were both complex, and were evidently based on actual events in real life. It was an entertaining read, and I liked the characters and the way the detective and his wife's marital issue was woven through the story, and the way the two crimes interleaved.

    If I had one criticism, it was that I felt there was a little too much 'infodumping'. Readers of a series don't really need to be told what happened in earlier books in the series in great detail, and I prefer to see that information more subtly woven in.
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  • Joni J Mielke
    4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable story, very good narration
    Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2020
    I enjoyed this audiobook - the third instalment in a series that (in my opinion) goes from strength to strength as it progresses. There is continuity between the second book and this one, with the action at the beginning of the book directly following the end point of the last book. At the same time there are fresh twists and turns enough to keep things interesting, and the listener guessing. The narrator handled the material very well, and did an excellent job with all the characters' voices - male or female. A good audiobook and worthy addition to the Damien Dickens Mystery collection.
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  • Donald Rose
    5.0 out of 5 stars Best book yet
    Reviewed in the United States on October 31, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Phillis Entis continues to give us detailed descriptions of places, people and events to keep the reader completely involved with the story. This is her best book yet with Damien Dickens and Millie and a cast of characters, some new, some from her past books that we can relate to. A fun read with twists and turns that kept me wanting more. It was hard to put the book down and after three books I feel like I know the cast better and they come to life on these pages. Can't wait for the next Damien Dickens adventure.
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  • Bobby B
    5.0 out of 5 stars A VERY CLEVER CAPER!
    Reviewed in the United States on October 22, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    This is the third "Caper" featuring detective Damien Dickens and his wife, a duo of sleuths rivaling Nick & Nora Charles.
    Reading the two prior mysteries ( The Green Pearl Caper and The White Russian Caper) is not necessary to enjoy this book but I always like to start at the beginning, to see how the characters evolve and what had happened previously. The book is crafted carefully and the plot moves swiftly to a clever and satisfactory conclusion. Overall, it's very well done and an enjoyable read. I look forward to the next Caper!
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  • Amazon Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars More Complex Mystery Than Most
    Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2017
    This is a fun mystery with just the right mix of intrigue, action, and white-knuckle terror. It also has dashes of humor that I particularly enjoyed, particularly at the beginning with the cruise vacation of a lifetime gone horribly awry. The situational humor was so spot on that for a while I thought I was actually reading a comedic thriller.

    I found the good guy characters very easy to bond with, especially Millie, in part due to a warm narrative voice. But also I enjoyed the white-hat, black-hat character dynamics which makes it easier to pick sides than with stories where everyone is a bit more along the grey scale.

    Recommended for fans of cozy mysteries, but not necessarily for pet lovers as the dog doesn’t feature heavily into the story as you might think from the cover. The male and female duo of the detective agency had a bit of that Bogart and Bacall charm. The story was set in the 70s and I appreciated that the author conveyed sufficient period-appropriate detail, suggesting she did her research. The author also does a good job tying seemingly separate investigations together at the end, giving us a tale with a bit more complexity than most.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars A wondetful story
    Reviewed in Australia on April 5, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Newlyweds and P.I.'s Millie & Dick go on a cruise ship for their honeymoon, which sets the start of an adventure spanning two more countries. I loved this adventure story.
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  • A. Lockwood
    4.0 out of 5 stars An escape to a different era
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 16, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This is the third book in a series, but having not read the previous two I didn’t feel that I missed anything vital; the book stands on its own. There are some references to previous events and they explain the relationships between some of the characters. The book is set in 1980’s America and Canada especially Montreal. It also fits with the style of the book which reads like an old fashioned crime novel (I use old fashioned in a positive sense, as in familiar and wholesome.) There are some good plot twists and turns and the private detective duo of Damien (Dick) and Millie are likable and gutsy. Wouldn’t mind reading the previous books for an escape to a different era. A little disappointed that the Labrador in the tittle didn’t feature in the crime, but that didn’t take away from an enjoyable book.
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  • Rare Reviewer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great vintage feel good mystery book .
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 27, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    Thoroughly enjoyed this, my second by the author. Is this what is classified as a cozy mystery ? I'm not sure, but I really liked it. The characters are great, there is action, and tension but nothing too alarming. No swearing, nothing really nasty. I really did enjoy dipping back into the not so distant past. Kept me reading far longer than I planned each time I picked up the kindle !
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  • Dab Reader
    4.0 out of 5 stars An engaging cosy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 24, 2018
    Verified Purchase
    An engaging cosy mystery set in the 1980s in the United States and Canada. A really good cosy mystery that flows nicely with enough intrigue to keep you reading. The characters are interesting and engaging. I haven't read any of the others in the series but this stands alone nicely. It has made me want to read the others. My only reservation is in the title because I was expecting a dog to play a key role in the book. Having said that, I enjoyed the book and would read more by this author.
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