Customer Reviews

All Shots (Dog Lover's Mysteries)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

What happens when a dog-walker loses the blue malamute that has been entrusted to her and refuses to tell anyone the name of the owner because she finds out that the woman--Holly Winter--was murdered?

To add to the dog-walker's dilemma, a dog rescuer--a second Holly Winter--shows up to help her find the lost dog.

As if that weren't enough, a third Holly Winter emerges to protest the theft of her identity. Mayhem ensues when a Harley-riding stranger who mistook Holly Winter the dog rescuer for the dead Holly Winter shows up at her house looking for...guess what! It's a good thing the dogs know one Holly from another because they become the human rescuers.

Susan Conant weaves this who's-who mystery around interesting people and places with catchy names--like dog owners named Yappel and Woofenden (do their dogs yap and woof a lot?), the LaundroMutt (a self-service dog wash), and the Loaves and Fishes supermarket. She also gives us some insight into dog shows, dog trainers, and folks who rescue dogs. Aren't dogs lucky that there are people who are so dedicated? There's also some history thrown in about Massachusetts and Maine.

This story has it all--murder, mystery, drug dealers, identity thefts, dog rescues, and a pack of out-of-the-ordinary characters. Sometimes I was confused, but maybe Conant meant for that to happen with the identity thefts of people and dogs alike. Still it's a delightfully convoluted plot made even more so by all of the sub plots.

So, curl up in your favorite chair--with your favorite furry friend if you have one--and enjoy.

by Doris Anne Roop-Benner
for Story Circle Book Reviews
reviewing books by, for, and about women

I have been an avid fan of this series since I discovered it, but the latest installment- All Shots- left me confused. I honestly had to check to see if I had taken cold medicine while I was reading it. Part of it is that for what I believe is the first time, (the third person point of view is used sporadically) and the plot us unclear.

The protagonist of the series, Holly Winter, stumbles across another crime scene in the progress of her daily activities. This time there is a strange factor in that the victim has the same name. There is a missing malamute involved and apparently another Holly Winter right there in Cambridge, who is right out of central casting for smug intellectual Yuppie. The usual supporting cast characters is diminished, as Holly's husband Steve and tenant Rita are away on separate trips, leaving only annoying cousin Leah and upstanding police officer neighbor Kevin as back up.

I really did not have a sense of why exactly the first person was killed and why, other than a vague something to do with drugs. The usual meticulous characterization and plotting are just not there this time.

I've been a fan of Susan Conant's books since the beginning and I don't understand why some long time fans seem so disapointed by this.

It's the usual mix of cheery off topic discussions, odd characters and dog training. What's not to like.

What I especially liked was that the husband wasn't around. I think he's a bore, I don't know why Holly married him and I can't imagine how the author is going to use him in the future.

If you're a fan of the series you'll enjoy this, and if your not a fan, but want a funny, light murder mystery with dogs, you can't miss with this one.

Not quite as sharp as some earlier series books, but better than some later volumes (e.g., Holly's amnesia), and still more engrossing than most recently published mysteries. I absolutely loved Bride and Groom and Barker Street Regulars, as well as some whose names I've forgotten. Each new volume has big paws to fill.

I first began the series before I owned a dog. Now I read between the lines. Even Holly has trouble getting her dogs to do everything right. Even Holly's dogs steal food from the counter. Makes me feel a little better about my own adopted mutt.

Here Holly stands alone, without her usual supporting cast of Steve the hunky vet and Rita the therapist tenant. We do get brief appearances of Kevin, the cop next door, and Holly's colorful father. We get some insider views of dog shows.

At first I thought the introduction of a second Holly Winter was a little too coincidental, but the author does create a thoroughly plausible plot. Many of us share our names with strangers. My favorite section comes when Holly tracks down an anonymous dog's identity. I'm partial to sleuthing scenes and I loved the way Holly deduced clues from the dog's behavior. I had no idea show dogs don't know "sit."

But I'd like to see a little more, well, bite to the story. More conflict. More threats. And more of Holly's own crime-solving talents.

Let's face it: mystery readers are like dogs. Once we've tasted the good stuff - the treats and canned foods - we keep asking for more, even though our fare is already far above average.

I love Holly Winter and her dogs, and this book shows everyone to their best advantage. This is a wonderful series for those who love dogs, and now I'm sad because I have to wait awhile before I can read another. We don't have Steve and Rita, or even much of Leah, but we have Holly, Rowdy, Kimi and Sammy and that's enough! This is a book of mistaken identity, and a book about how Holly got wrapped up in a case of identity theft as well as murder. Holly finds herself in a peck of trouble, and she has to rely on her big malamutes to get her out. This is the best book for awhile in this dog lovers' series, and I really enjoyed it.

Dog lover Holly Winter trains malamutes. When she walks into her Cambridge, Massachusetts home, she finds a strange man sitting inside. He introduces himself as Adam and asks her if she has something for him and if she heard from Calvin. She assumes he meant to contact the other Holly Winter living in the university town, so she gives him direction to her place.

Later that same day she is asked to go to Mellie's house in reference to finding a missing Siberian husky. Her search leads her to the yard of Dr. Zach Ho. She peaks through a glass door and sees a dead woman and a trashed room. A police friend informs Holly that the deceased had bills and receipts from the other Holly and that the dead female was trying to steal their identity. Inside the house was also a picture of a blue malamute. A short time later, Holly receives a call from a stranger that they have her blue malamute with tags identifying her as the owner. She picks up the canine, who is not her dog; unaware that the dog is the key to finding the killer, identity theft, dog smuggling and kidnapping, meth labs, and the three Holly Winters of Cambridge.

Dog lovers will thoroughly enjoy this amateur sleuth because of the antics of the many canines including the hero doggedly steals the show. Likable Holly (the malamute trainer - not the other) is the center of the tale as she investigates a missing canine case that leads to a homicide inquiry. Although some of leaps of faith seem very risky, readers will appreciate her efforts as she tries to take a bite out of crime.

Harriet Klausner

Having read all of Susan Conant's dog lover mysteries this was a real disappointment. The mystery portion of the book could have been covered in two chapters. The rest of the book consisted of long maundering information on dogs (which I already knew), sloppy praise for malemutes and what seemed like sales pitches for several dog toys. I really wish I could return this book and get my money back.

I have read and loved this entire series, but was a little worried about this one. Many series authors seem to tire of their characters after a while, and later books are not as good as the early ones. Not true here. This may be the best of the series: a good plot, well developed, just enough danger, great characters.

Holly's hunky veterinarian husband and his oddly matched pair of furkids are absent, on a trip to the wilds, throughout the book. I missed him a bit, but their presence would only have complicated an already complicated plot. As always, Holly's two Malamutes are a delight, busy being big, charming, strong-willed
creatures, and a Malamute puppy adds charm.

Some interesting new characters are introduced, and are well-developed.

This novelist should get down from her soapbox and put her energy into her writing skills. What a superior attitude! She concentrates more on preaching to the converted(who else would read these novels?)than character and plot development. How many blue dogs of the type she seeks(Siberian huskies or Malemutes)are running the streets of Cambridge? Holly Winter the expert, has not a clue she found the missing dog she seeks? From reading some of the other reviews, Ms Conant's earlier books were much more enjoyable...I am not willing to take that chance.

Susan Conant has done it again another great adventure that dog lovers everywhere will enjoy. I couldn't put it down.