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Showing posts with label Working Dogs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Working Dogs. Show all posts
Monday, May 10, 2021
Shout-It-From-the-Rooftops Amazing? No. Engrossing and Enjoyable? Yes!
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Jazz Ramsey is crazy about Nick Kolesov, her cop boyfriend. His mom? Not so much. Kim's not only a lousy mother, but she's also an alcoholic with a flair for the dramatic. So, when Jazz answers a phone call in the middle of the night to hear Kim raving about how she's just killed a man who was trying to break into her home, Jazz isn't sure what to think. There's no evidence of trespassing at Kim's house, nor a body in the drunk woman's yard. Most likely, her wild bender caused her to hallucinate the whole sordid affair. The fact that Wally—the human remains detection dog that Jazz is training—finds no evidence of human decomposition on the property confirms it.
Then, a body is discovered in a local park. Murder isn't uncommon in Cleveland, but what is weird is the photograph the dead man had in his pocket. The snapshot clearly shows Kim holding an infant Nick. Although Kim swears she doesn't know Dan Mansfield and had nothing to do with his death, Jazz can tell she's lying. Who was Dan? Why was he killed? Although Nick insists Jazz stay out of it, she's not about to back down now. She can't rest until she finds out what happened, why, and what exactly Nick and his mother aren't telling her.
I've enjoyed all the books in the Jazz Ramsey mystery series by Kylie Logan and A Trail of Lies (available May 12, 2021), the third installment, is no exception. While the main characters are kind of ho-hum, they're definitely likable. Jazz's warm, strong bond with her family is palpable and is one of the highlights of the series. The working dog aspect is my other favorite element, although I never feel like the canines get enough stage time. As far as the mystery in this one goes, it's actually a lot twistier than I expected it to be. I did not see the killer coming at all. So, while there's nothing super original or shout-it-from-the-rooftops amazing about the book, A Trail of Lies is still an engaging, engrossing read that I enjoyed. I'm excited to see where the series goes next.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of other books in the Jazz Ramsey series, including The Scent of Murder and The Secrets of Bones as well as A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and sexual innuendo
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of A Trail of Lies from the generous folks at Minotaur Books (an imprint of St. Martin's Press) in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Saturday, April 04, 2020
Second Installment of Cadaver Dog Mystery Series Not Quite As Enjoyable As First
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
(Note: Although this review will not contain spoilers for The Secrets of Bones, it may inadvertently reveal plot surprises from its predecessor, The Scent of Murder. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)
Although Jazz Ramsey makes her living as an administrative assistant at St. Catherine's Preparatory Academy for Girls, her real passion is training cadaver dogs. As the school embarks on its annual career day, in which local women visit campus to teach the students about their jobs, Jazz is asked to showcase her work with the animals. To give the girls an exciting demo, she hides a bone in an unused attic space. Her audience is delighted when Gus finds it easily; they're all shocked, however, when he scents human remains that were not hidden by Jazz. When a skeleton is recovered from its hiding place in the attic, Jazz gets an even bigger surprise—the bones appear to belong to a fanatical religion teacher who mysteriously resigned from her job three years ago.
Bernadette Quinn was almost universally disliked by St. Catherine's student body, administration, and presumably everyone who knew her. Still, who would murder the pious teacher? When the police zero in on Sister Eileen, Jazz refuses to stand by and let her beloved boss's name get dragged through the mud. If the authorities are too inept to find the real killer, she'll launch her own investigation. The more she digs, the closer Jazz gets to shocking secrets someone doesn't want revealed. It soon becomes obvious that someone will stop at nothing to stop her from digging. Can Jazz find the murderer before she becomes the next victim?
I enjoyed The Scent of Murder, the first installment in Kylie Logan's Jazz Ramsey mystery series, so I was eager to read the second, The Secrets of Bones (available May 5, 2020). While I ended up enjoying the former more than the latter, I still found The Secrets of Bones to be intriguing and entertaining. Jazz is a likable character, as are her canine companions. It's always interesting to see working dogs in action; in fact, I wanted more of that in this installment. As far as the mystery goes, I saw some of the plot twists coming, but not all of them. There were a few plot holes that didn't get tied up satisfactorily to me. In addition, I wanted more personality from Nick, Jazz's love interest. Overall, then, I didn't love The Secrets of Bones. Still, it was engaging and entertaining enough to convince me to keep with the series. I just hope the next installment is a little tighter, with a stronger emphasis on Jazz's work as a cadaver dog trainer.
(Readalikes: The Scent of Murder by Kylie Logan; also reminds me of A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bombs), violence, innuendo, and disturbing subject matter
Friday, December 20, 2019
Forward Action in Search and Rescue Novel Gets Bogged Down by Details, Details, and More Details
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
When a woman goes missing in the Colorado wilderness, Sheriff Colm McCormac calls on skilled and capable Pru Hathaway to find her. An archaeological law enforcement ranger for the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the 42-year-old is also the handler of the only search and rescue dog in the county. If anyone can find the missing hunter, it's Pru and her dog. Despite few clues and worsening weather, Pru is determined to find the woman, no matter what the risk. The more she learns about Amy Raye Latour, a 32-year-old wife and mother, the more determined—even obsessed—Pru becomes with solving the mystery of Amy Raye's disappearance. Can she find the woman before exposure kills her? Or is she already on the hunt for a corpse?
I've mentioned before that I'm a fan of exciting search and rescue stories set in remote places where danger lurks around every corner. That explains why I picked up Breaking Wild by Diane Les Becquets. Did it satisfy my craving for riveting action/adventure reading? Kind of. The novel definitely tells a compelling story. Problem is, the plot gets bogged down by details. Lots and lots and lots of details. If you're looking for adrenaline-fueled action with shocking twists and turns to keep you burning through pages, you're not going to find them here. This is a straight-up survival/ search-and-rescue story, told from the alternating perspectives of the woman doing the surviving and the one doing the searching. As we get to know both, their secrets and backstories are slowly revealed, making the book more character- than plot-driven. Except for Amy Raye, who's kind of hard to take, the cast is likable and interesting. The prose is capable, just way too detailed for me. For all these reasons, I liked Breaking Wild but didn't end up loving it. Looking back, I had the same complaints with The Last Woman in the Forest, so maybe Les Becquets just isn't for me.
(Readalikes: The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets and The Lovely and the Lost by Jennifer Lynn Barnes)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a couple F-bombs, plus milder expletives), sexual content, violence, blood/gore, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of Breaking Wild from Barnes & Noble with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Plot Holes and Unsatisfying Ending Make Teen Search and Rescue Novel a Disappointing Read
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Kira Bennett knows what it means to be a kid lost and alone in the wilderness. The memories of her earliest years as a feral child doing whatever it takes to survive still haunt her, even though she was rescued at five years old and adopted into a loving family. Now 17, Kira finds purpose in helping her adoptive mother train Search and Rescue dogs, so no one—especially a child—has to live the way she once did.
When Bales Bennett, Kira's estranged birth father, comes to her adoptive family asking for help locating a child who's gone missing from a campsite, Kira wants in. Along with her adoptive mother, foster brother, and two of their friends (including the hot, but possibly dangerous Gabriel Cortez), the group of handlers head to Sierra Glades National Park with one goal: find 9-year-old Bella Anthony. As the search grows increasingly dangerous, Kira is pummelled with crushing memories of her own past, especially as secrets about her birth parents and her new family start coming to light. Can Kira clear her head enough to find little Bella? What truths will she learn about herself along the way?
Books about search and rescue operations in remote wilderness settings always intrigue me, so naturally, I was drawn to The Lovely and the Lost, a YA novel by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. It's peopled with characters who are likable, but not original or really memorable. The teens don't speak like real kids, nor are they really treated as such since they have little adult supervision throughout the novel and are basically left to do whatever they please. This, as well as the fact that the teens are even involved in a search and rescue operation of this kind, makes the plot seem far-fetched. The purpose behind Bella's disappearance also seems illogical. The story is fast-paced, though, as well as compelling, even if it doesn't always make sense. I appreciate that The Lovely and the Lost is a clean YA novel with no annoying insta-love, but for me, there are some big holes in its construction. Add to that a weird, unsatisfying ending and, meh, this read just didn't do it for me. It was propelling enough that I finished the book, but I certainly didn't love it. Bummer.
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence, scenes of peril, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of The Lovely and the Lost at Barnes & Noble with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
Thursday, August 22, 2019
Appealing Heroine and Twisty Mystery Make Series Debut an Engaging Start
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Although Jazz Ramsey has a job she enjoys as an administrative assistant at St. Catherine's Preparatory Academy, a girls-only school in Cleveland, her real love is training cadaver dogs. One night, while running drills with a clever canine in an abandoned building, Jazz is shocked when Luther discovers a dead body. The remains are those of a young woman wearing Goth clothes and makeup. Underneath all the camouflage, Jazz is stunned to see a girl she recognizes. Kind of. Florentine "Florrie" Allen had a much more subtle appearance while she attended St. Catherine's, but there's no doubt it's her. What was she doing in the old, deserted building? Who hated the girl enough to strangle her to death? And what happened to Florrie to cause such a dramatic change in her appearance?
Jazz's ex-boyfriend, Detective Nick Kolesov, warns her to let the police handle the investigation, but she can't get Florrie out of her mind. She has to know what happened. While her amateur detecting brings her closer to the truth, it also puts her own life in danger. Can Jazz crack the case before the killer strikes again? Or will Luther be sniffing out her corpse next?
Kylie Logan has authored several cozy mystery series; The Scent of Murder is her first foray into more serious crime fiction. I'm glad she made the jump as this novel features an appealing heroine, a twisty plot, and dynamic prose, all elements I very much appreciate. It's an engaging whodunit that's compelling and fast-paced, but remains PG-13 in content, an unusual feat for books in this genre. I enjoyed Logan's descriptions of Cleveland's vibrant Tremont neighborhood as well as the warm relationships she creates between Jazz and her family. I'm also interested to see what happens between her and Nick. The Scent of Murder is the first book in the Jazz Ramsey series; I can't wait to see what happens in the next one!
(Readalikes: Reminds me of A Borrowing of Bones by Paula Munier)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (no F-bombs), violence, and innuendo
To the FTC, with love: Honestly, I can't remember where I picked up my copy of this book. Sorry, FTC.
Wednesday, June 19, 2019
Family Secrets Novel Engrossing and Enjoyable (with a Giveaway!)
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
With a degree in criminal justice and a job producing a true-crime podcast, Ryan Gracey is no stranger to solving mysteries. She's never had one touch her own life, however, until she receives a frantic phone call from her older sister. Wendy Wainwright refuses to divulge any details, but she begs Ryan to return home to Seabank, Florida, to watch her young girls while their father is deployed and Wendy is away. Although the last thing Ryan wants is to uproot her life in Delray and go back to the place where she screwed up all her most meaningful relationships, she can't let her nieces down.
Playing mom is tougher than Ryan could have imagined. Especially when her nieces hint that their mother is not what she seems. Wendy's mysterious, prolonged absence propels Ryan to start digging into her sister's perfect-looking life. The more she finds, the more she tends to agree with the girls—there's trouble lurking behind Wendy's flawless facade. As unsettling clues continue to turn up, Ryan will be forced to face some shocking truths about her sister, her family, and herself.
A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards (available June 25, 2019) starts with an intriguing premise, which leads to a compelling plot. The story gets a little long, but it kept my interest with its mix of mystery/suspense, family drama, and romance. While I saw some of the big reveals coming, others caught me by surprise, which made for an engrossing, enjoyable read. I would definitely spend more time with these characters if I could and I will for sure read more by the talented Emilie Richards.
(Readalikes: Hm, nothing is coming to mind. You?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, mild sexual content/innuendo, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of A Family of Strangers from the generous folks at HarperCollins via those at TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
**
Want more opinions on A Family of Strangers? Follow along on the book's Instagram/blog tour by clicking on the links below:
Instagram tour:
Monday, June 17th: @tbretc
Tuesday, June 18th: @hollyslittlebookreviews
Wednesday, June 19th: @sweethoneyandbrei
Thursday, June 20th: @readwithjamie
Friday, June 21st: @novelgossip
Saturday, June 22nd: @jessicamap
Sunday, June 23rd: @readingbetweenthe_wines
Review tour:
Monday, June 17th: The Baking Bookworm
Tuesday, June 18th: Girls in Books and @girlsinbooks
Wednesday, June 19th: Girl Who Reads
Wednesday, June 19th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books
Thursday, June 20th: Helen’s Book Blog
Monday, June 24th: @my_book_journey
Tuesday, June 25th: Bewitched Bookworms
Wednesday, June 26th: Write Read Life
Thursday, June 27th: Book by Book
Thursday, June 27th: @crystals_library
Friday, June 28th: Run Wright
Monday, July 1st: Audio Killed the Bookmark and @
Tuesday, July 2nd: Treestand Book Reviews
Wednesday, July 3rd: @beauty_andthebook
Friday, July 5th: Booked on a Feeling
Friday, July 5th: @angelareadsbooks
Monday, July 8th: I Wish I Lived in a Library
Tuesday, July 9th: Lori’s Reading Corner – spotlight
Wednesday, July 10th: The Meganerd Blog and @meganthemeganerd
Wednesday, July 10th: @cassies_books_reviews
Thursday, July 11th: Books and Bindings
Friday, July 12th: Books and Cats and Coffee and @bookncatsncoffee
Monday, July 15th: @one_more_paige
Tuesday, July 16th: @sarahandherbookshelves
Wednesday, July 17th: The Lit Bitch
Thursday, July 18th: Books Before Bedtime and @
Friday, July 19th: The Pages In-Between and @
**
Want to win a copy of A Family of Strangers for your very own? Use the Rafflecopter below to enter my giveaway. U.S. addresses only, please.
Friday, April 19, 2019
Sluggish "Thriller" Not Really ... Thrilling
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Biologist Marian Engström has always been better with animals than humans, so it's no surprise when she finds her life's calling as a dog handler. During training, she falls in love with charismatic Tate Mathias, who regals her with tales of his many adventures. While he's not one to settle down, Marian hopes the two of them will have a bright, happy future together. That dream shatters when 35-year-old Tate dies after being savagely mauled by a bear while on a job in Washington State.
Stricken with grief, Marian ruminates on all her interactions with Tate, only now freeing some of the misgivings she had about her enigmatic boyfriend. One of his stories, very vividly told, had him heroically discovering the body of a murdered woman. With more killings happening since that one, Marian can't help but wonder, did Tate have more to do with the victim than just discovering her corpse? Enlisting the help of a retired forensic profiler/psychologist, Marian vows to figure out just who Tate Mathias really was. Was he simply an adventurer who enjoyed exaggerating his exploits for entertainment value? Or was he a compulsive liar turned serial killer? She will not rest until she knows the truth.
Although The Last Woman in the Forest by Diane Les Becquets is billed as a mystery/thriller, it really ... isn't. It's more of a literary suspense novel, just without a whole lot of suspense. The story unfolds very slowly, weighted down by lengthy descriptions of nature and dog handling. It's a character-driven novel for sure; the plot only really only gets "thrilling" toward the end. As you can imagine, this makes for a sluggish read that gets dull at times. Overall, I found the book compelling enough to finish, but also easy to put down. For all these reasons, The Last Woman in the Forest turned out to be just an okay read for me.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for language (a few F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, sexual content, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of The Last Woman in the Forest from the generous folks at Penguin Random House via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
Saturday, December 29, 2018
Mystery Opener A Little Disappointing Despite Positive Buzz
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
After being wounded in Afghanistan a year ago, retired U.S. Army Corporal Mercy Carr is back home in Vermont to recover. She's also mourning her fiancé, who was killed in action. The 29-year-old is not alone in her sorrow—she's adopted Martinez's bomb-sniffing dog, a PTSD-laden Belgian shepherd named Elvis. Together, the pair spend their days hiking off their grief in the Green Mountains. Their peace is interrupted one day when they find a crying infant alone in the wilderness, perched not far from where Elvis alerts to the presence of both explosives and human remains. Shocked by the discovery, Mercy calls the authorities.
Troy Warner, a U.S. game warden, is called to the scene. Immediately intrigued by both the situation and the beautiful corporal, he enlists Mercy's unofficial help with the investigation. Along with his patrol dog, Susie Bear, the four make a powerful team. Together, they uncover an intriguing mystery featuring a missing mother, an endangered infant, and a possibly explosive situation at the town's Fourth of July celebration. It's up to the four of them to get to the bottom of the situation before it gets horribly—fatally—out of hand.
Despite the positive buzz I've heard about A Borrowing of Bones, a debut novel by Paula Munier and the start of a series, I actually found the book to be a bit of a disappointment. Although it stars a quartet of appealing characters, the humans are not very well developed. The minor cast members suffer from the same problem, so much so that I had a hard time keeping track of who was who. The plot is interesting enough, but it's bogged down by detail-heavy overwriting. I did enjoy the small-town setting, as well as the fact that A Borrowing of Bones is unusually clean for a crime novel. Overall, then, I liked the book enough to pick up the next volume in the series, but I'm not exactly chomping at the bit.
(Readalikes: Hm, I can't really think of anything. Can you?)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and innuendo
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
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