by Sunny Frazier
We’re in the “dog days of summer,” and three authors in the September spotlight feature dogs in the pages of their mysteries.
Gnarly, the kleptomaniac German Shepherd who got a dishonorable discharge from the military, once again wrecks havoc in Lauren Carr’s Mac Faraday mysteries. This time he spoils ex-policeman Mac’s plans to elope with computer whiz Archie when he sniffs out a body in the church office. A Wedding and a Killing is set in Maryland and is the 8th offering of the series.
Another puppy on the prowl is Mal, co-conspirator of Allie McMurphy in To Fudge or Not To Fudge. This is #2 in Nancy Coco’s A Candy-Coated Mystery series. The little Bichon-Poo participates in the lilac festival on Mackinac Island, Michigan, by digging up a bone under one of the lilac bushes. There’s also foul play when Allie takes part in a reality cooking show. Recipes included. Yum!
Jan Dunlap, author of Saved by Gracie, the story of a rescue dog, goes to the birds in Swift Justice. It’s a chilly Minnesota winter when birder Bob White discovers a colleague caffeinated to death in a pool of coffee. And, flocks of Chimney Swifts are disappearing as chimneys become fewer. This the sixth Bob White Birder Murder Mystery. Feel free to tweet about this one!
It’s a flock of a different sort who gather at a ranch to see a newly born buffalo in Margaret Coel’s Night of the White Buffalo. Arapaho attorney Vicky Holden and Father John O’Mallory aren’t surprised at the pilgrims showing up because the white buffalo is the most sacred creature in Native American mythology. But neither expected to find the ranch owner shot to death in his pickup and the disappearance of three cowhands. Margaret Coel has been cited as the heir to Tony Hillerman’s legacy. This is #18 in the Wind River mystery series.
Joanne Pence follows up One O’Clock Hustle with Two O’Clock Heist. This time San Francisco homicide investigator Rebecca Mayfield steps out of her jurisdiction and out of her comfort zone when her investigation into the death of her friend draws the attention of Russian mobsters. She also can’t escape charmer Richie Amalfie who seems to know a little too much and is a little too willing to help.
Collectors is the second in the Bill Dix series by C.L. Swinney. Again, detectives Dix and Petersen just want a bit of vacation time to see a baseball game. And again they are pulled into a murder investigation when they get caught in the middle of a shoot-out on the way to the ballpark. Joining forces with local law enforcement, they find themselves touching bases with drug and gun smuggling by terrorist cells. Proceeds from book sales are being donated to the family of Swinney’s mentor, who recently died.
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They all sound like great reads, but I have to tell you, I’m still chuckling with the cute description given in the summary for Swift Justice. Bob White discovers a colleague caffeinated to death in a pool of coffee? Too funny, but gives the reader a good feel for this story. Or coffee-flavored feel for the story (I’m still chuckling).