Customer Reviews

Creature Discomforts (Dog Lover's Mysteries)

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

When she regains consciousness, Holly Winter has no time to worry about not knowing who she is or the names of the two malamutes standing nearby that she knows is hers. Her first concern is to find a way back up from the side of the mountain that she apparently fell from. After escaping her harrowing situation, Holly learns that she is in Maine's Acadia National Park as the guest of Gabrielle Beamon.

Holly finds out that another guest Norman Axelrod also fell off the same cliff at around the same time she did, but he died. Holly knows that the killer will want to complete the job by murdering her. As she struggles to regain her memories, Holly and her two canines Kimi and Rowdy begin to investigate the accidents.

CREATURE DISCOMFORTS is an engaging canine mystery that focuses on the charcaters. The story line clearly has GONE TO THE DOGS and Holly as they investigate the two accidents while hiding her amnesia from everyone. Susan Conant does not clutter her tale with litter as she concentrates on her stars and their relationships with other characters. RUFFLY SPEAKING, amateur sleuth fans and canine lovers will relish this tale and trace the BLOODLINES of the Dog Lover,s mysteries.

Harriet Klausner

How does she do it? How does Susan Conant keep turning out such entertaining mysteries with great characterizations? I don't know, but thank you, Ms. Conant! These books are a boon to dog lovers and mystery lovers, especially those who are both!

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't wait to see how the mystery came out -- and I *really* couldn't wait to see how the relationship part came out. No, I'm not going to spoil the surprise. Let me just say that I hope the next book comes out very soon!

When Booklist says "It's easy to find faults with Conant: her stilted descriptions of Maine's Acadia National Park sound as though they were lifted from an old Fodor. Likewise, the indigestible trivia about breeds and training she drops into the text land like stale dog biscuits on the basement floor," well, the heck with that publication. I liked the descriptions and I **loved** the bits on dogs, because they ring of truth -- and great love for all dogs.

It's a delight to read this stuff. It's also given me some obedience ideas. Hmmmm . . . Katie, come!

I have read every one of Susan Conant's books in the last two weeks, so maybe that's why I am so disappointed with her latest effort. Rowdy and Kimi are as intelligent and beautiful as ever but what happened to Holly? I understand that she's had head trauma but what's with the bitterance she seems to be displaying? I miss her old dog absorbed happy self. I also miss the old Steve. That whole Steve storyline just isn't believable, it's too farfetched for his in control character. I found myself wanting to reread her first book so I could remember the good times.

I am always on the lookout for Susan Conant's latest "Dog Lover's Mystery," and in Creature Discomforts, she has produced another howling good time. This time, the mystery is set in Maine's Acadia National Park rather than heroine Holly Winter's usual Cambridge, Mass., milieu, a change of venue I found refreshing. There, Holly faces an even greater challenge than usual: solving the murder of an environmental curmudgeon as she struggles with amnesia resulting from an accidental (!?) fall while hiking in the park with her beloved Alaskan malamutes, Rowdy and Kimi. Poor Holly doesn't recognize or remember most of the people she comes into contact with, and must carefully navigate a web of deceit to not only uncover the murderer but also reveal some financial shenanigans as well. As always, I was deeply impressed by the author's ability to weave together topical subject matter (this time, environmentalism) with loads of dog-related tidbits, and a barking good mystery! Loyal followers of Holly, Rowdy, and Kimi's adventures will appreciate the character development of Holly's warming relationship with her father and a rather shocking development in her ongoing romance with Cambridge vet Steve Delaney. One caveat: Some fans may miss some of the usual supporting cast of characters they've come to love, such as Holly's neighbor Kevin the cop and her upstairs tenant Rita the psychologist. All in all, I can't wait for the next Susan Conant "Dog Lover's Mystery"!

While I am still a Susan Conant fan and eagerly anticipate every new Holly Winter adventure, the last one I truly enjoyed was "Animal Appetite". I miss the familiarity of the Cambridge scene and rich characters such as Kevin, Rita, Leah, etc. I appreciate Ms. Conant's attempts to change scenery, and being a Maine enthusiast, I enjoyed the recent attention to Acadia, but I felt that I needed a GPS to understand portions of the text (similar to my feelings about the cemetary scene at the end of "Evil Breeding"). Even though I am not a dog show expert, I continue to relish Ms. Conants exuberant "dog person" attitude. I liked seeing more of Buck Winter in this book, and seeing more interplay between him and Holly, but I do miss the old "gang". Even though I must admit to being drawn in by the other characters in this newest book, I have deep concerns about a major returning character. All Holly Winter fans should read this book; the ending could be read as foreboding (?), and I will wait for the next to see if there are further developments!

While I still enjoy reading the latest story from Susan Connant, I find her most recent work lacks the skillful and entertaining writing of her earlier efforts.

From the beginning of this book I found the entire set-up unbelievable: why anyone with amnesia would continue on with their life as if nothing had happened all the while having a deep fear of personal injury is beyond me. As the story unveiled itself the impossibility of it all continued to taint the storyline for me. This was not, in my opinion, one of her better books. If you find that you must read it, I suggest waiting for the paperback version to reduce your losses.

I have been a Susan Conant fan for several years and eagerly await her books. However, the latest, Creature Discomforts, does not seem to be up to her usual efforts. Holly seems to be very bitter and less of a "real" person than in previous books. I would have liked some explanation of why previous relationships have changed. The situation with her father also has lots of unanswered questions considering Holly's feelings (grief) over her mother's death many years ago. This book was not the usual well-told tale I've enjoyed in the preceeding books.

Susan Conant has done it again! Another book that I could not put down until I finished it. I did miss more references to dog shows, but Rowdy & Kimi were delightful as usual. Can't wait until the next one comes out.

Holly may have gotten the case of amnesia, but I wish I could forget this book. I rarely give up on a book, but I couldn't make myself finish this one. Evil Breeding and Creature Discomforts is a killer combo for my appreciation of Susan Conant's abilities.

I've always looked forward to a new Susan Conant book - this was no exception. However, I was disappointed in its mediocrity.

The the dogs were the best, the relationship with Buck great, the change in setting was interesting, , the plot was acceptable, Holly's memory loss was palatable, but the resulting relationship with Steve Delaney was unacceptable. It's okay to end relationships, but ....... This was not Ms. Conant's best work.