Still Waters (FBI K-9, #7) by Sarah Driscoll – Review

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4 stars, Book Review, dogs, mystery, romance, Sara Driscoll, search-and-rescue, series, service dogs

Review of Still Waters

A dog on a book cover is one way to get me to check out a book.  Still Waters revolves around the story of FBI agent Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner Hawk.  Along with their partner team of Brian and his dog Lacey, they are taking part in a weekend challenge for search-and-rescue teams.  Combined with the challenge is a series of water rescue training exercises. 

The primary appeal of this book is the dogs, the training and the details of K-9 centered search-and-rescue.  The secondary draw is the partnership bond between human and dog.  Dog lovers will enjoy the book for just these two elements.

On top of all that, though, there is a mystery.  The weekend challenge is supposed to be a friendly competition.  But it turns out to be not so friendly when the body of one of the competitors is found in the water.

The fact that the victim had lodged a lying complaint against Meg, makes Meg look guilty.  Law enforcement jurisdiction, the history of the contestants, and some very intuitive dogs all add complexity and interest to the investigation.

The solving of the mystery relied on suppositions and intuition.  And not nearly enough hard clues for my taste.  Also, one of the major suppositions relied on a previous complaint from the victim and everyone, including Meg, believed it to be true.  Even though the victim had lied about Meg. So, three stars for the mystery.

But five stars for the dog aspect.  Averaging out to 4 stars.  This book is for dog lovers.  Still Waters was my introduction to the FBI K-9 series.  The book stands very well on its own. 

I won an advance copy of Still Waters from the publisher.  My review is my honest opinion.

About Still Waters by Sarah Driscoll

A training session in the Minnesota wilderness becomes a fight for survival for FBI handler Meg Jennings and her K-9 partner . . .

Keeping their search-and-rescue skills honed isn’t just a job requirement for FBI Special Agent Meg Jennings and her Labrador, Hawk—it’s essential to saving lives. A water search training weekend in the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota has attracted participants from all levels of law enforcement, each vying to win. The races are challenging, the rivalry is intense, and Meg is already under pressure when Hawk alerts to a scent in the water—and discovers the fresh body of one of Meg’s fellow competitors.

The contest is called off, but Meg’s still feeling the heat. The victim had made an unfounded complaint about her, one that could cost Meg her job and see Hawk removed from her care. The field of suspects is daunting, and all of them are experts in throwing others off the trail. And though Meg’s team flies out to Minnesota to help uncover the truth, they’re on unfamiliar territory, pitted against a killer with the skills, and the motivation, to stay hidden in plain sight.

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The Wedding Plot (Mercy Carr, #4) by Paula Munier – Review

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5 stars, Book Review, contemporary, dogs, mystery, Paula Munier, romance, series

Review of The Wedding Plot

The Mercy Carr series is one of my favorites in contemporary mystery.  It features former Army MP Mercy Carr and her retired bomb-sniffing dog Elvis. They have retreated to beautiful Vermont’s Green Mountains to heal their invisible wounds after the death of Martinez, Elvis’s handler and Mercy’s fiancé.  When U.S. Game Warden Troy Warner and his canine search-and-rescue partner Susie Bear meet Mercy and Elvis, the four form a partnership as they solve mysteries in Vermont while quoting Shakespeare.

The Wedding Plot is book four in the series.  You can read it as a standalone.  But I was glad to know the background of these characters going into this mystery.  Why?  Because there are soooo many characters.  Blame it on the wedding, I guess.  Remembering who is who proved to be a challenge.  That is my only complaint though.

The complex plot is packed with twists and turns which leads to much guessing about who the bad guys or gals are.  Favorite characters from the series each played substantial roles, not content with being relegated to the background.   And the dogs are always in the thick of things, uncovering bodies, evidence, and untrustworthy individuals while they zero in on all the dog lovers at the wedding.  I admit, the dogs are why I read this series.  Trust a good dog to sniff out villainy while helping us find the best in people.

The wedding background inspired the author to start each chapter with a quote about love. It also had Mercy’s family hinting that she and Troy might be ready to get married themselves.  I have enjoyed watching Mercy and Troy get to know each other while they navigated their own personal demons.  Maybe, the time is just right for them?!

Through NetGalley, the publisher provided a copy of this book.  My review is my honest opinion.

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About The Wedding Plot by Paula Munier

Love never dies a natural death…

When Mercy’s grandmother Patience marries her longtime beau Claude Renault at the five-star Lady’s Slipper Inn, it promises to be the destination wedding of the year. Just as the four-day extravaganza is due to begin, the inn’s spa director Bodhi St. George disappears—and Mercy’s mother Grace sends Mercy and Elvis to find him. But what they discover instead is a stranger skewered by a pitchfork in the barn on the goat farm where St. George lived.

As Mercy tries to figure out who the victim is and where St. George is hiding, the bride and groom’s estranged relations gather for the first of the pre-wedding festivities. Long-buried rivalries and resentments surface—and Mercy realizes that they’re all keeping secrets that could tear both families apart. When Elvis interrupts the escalating melodrama to alert Mercy to an intruder on the estate, she finds a wounded St. George in the cottage where she and Troy are staying. St. George is not who he says he is—but when he escapes from the hospital and disappears again, Mercy thinks he’s gone for good. With the wedding imminent and the families at each other’s throats, she decides finding St. George will have to wait.

The big day arrives—but the danger is far from over. With the families and the festivities still under threat, it’s up to Mercy and Elvis together with Troy and Susie Bear to stop the killer and save the bride and groom—before death do they part.

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Chained by Memory (Razor’s Edge Chronicles, #6) by Celine Jeanjean – Review

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5 stars, Adventure, Book Review, Celine Jeanjean, dogs, magic, paranormal, series, urban fantasy

About Chained by Memory by Celine Jeanjean

The plan is simple. Get to the weretiger realm where a wise woman will be able to help Sarroch and I get a mating bond in place, thus saving me from execution.

Easy peasy, lemon squeasy.

Of course it ends up going more like difficult, difficult, lemon difficult.

Which is why right now I’m standing in the stunning forest of the weretiger realm, facing Sarroch in tiger form.

Except that it’s not Sarroch any more. Something has taken control of him. Something that for some reason doesn’t like me one bit and is clearly determined to destroy me.

Little old me with my weak magic, facing off against one of the oldest and most powerful weretigers in existence.

Anyone care to place a bet on the outcome?

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Review of Chained by Memory

Apiya and weretiger Sarroch are on a mission to form a mating bond.  Which is going to prove very difficult because of something in Sarroch’s past.  Centuries past.  The longer you hold onto something, the harder it is to get rid of.  Sarroch didn’t even know he was holding on.  You may wonder what he is holding on to, but I will let you read the story to find out. 

In order to complete the mission, Apiya and Sarroch will go globetrotting: from Panong to Bhutan to London to somewhere not on any map.  With a traveler’s eye for detail, the author sets the story in exotic and wonderful places.   In London, the reader will meet Pree, Apiya’s friend, who is an absolute stitch!

There are many things I like about this book and series: the quirky barber to magical beings (Apiya), her artist friend (Chai), the Asian influence and setting, the magic, and Apiya’s nerdy father are just a few of them.  But my favorite thing has to be Hunter, Apiya’s dog.  Hunter is barely in Chained by Memory.  But, at a crucial time, Apiya needs the ability to forgive and love.  In order to do this, she thinks of Hunter and his unfailing unconditional love.  Oh my, this moment touched my heart so!

Chained by Memory is a short novel at about 200 pages.  I have been gobbling up the Razor’s Edge Chronicles as soon as I can get my hands on each book.  I recommend you start at the beginning, but if you really want to jump in here with #6, that’s okay too.

Many thanks to the author who provided a copy of her book in exchange for my honest review.

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