The Fright of the Iguana (Kendra Ballantyne) (Paperback)

by Linda O. Johnston (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The petnapping of a puppy and an iguana leads Kendra Ballantyne to her Southern California pet-sitting club, where she learns of other foul play. Then a fellow pet-sitter turns up bludgeoned to death. Kendra has her suspicions, but it soon appears she's barking up the wrong tree.

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (October 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425218023
• ISBN-13: 978-0425218020
• Product Dimensions: 6.6 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #484,869 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

• This is item 5 in The Kendra Ballantyne, Petsitter Mystery Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Predictable, November 29, 2007

By	A Reader - See all my reviews

I didn't care for this installment of the series as much as the others. The book was very predictable with the culprit's identity obvious from the first time they appeared in the book.

While Kendra is not a character I care much for, I found her unlikeable in this story. The ambivalence towards Jeff didn't seem to have any basis since his ex-wife is now out of the picture. I also got really tired of seeing the word "sexy" -- his sexy eyes, his sexy shoulders, his sexy jeans, the "sexy bites" Kendra took out of her sandwich. The character came across like she was in heat or something, and I found myself caring less and less about the whole relationship as the book progressed.

I also found the dialogue to be rather juvenile in this book. And, I'm no fan of cliffhangers as a gimmick to get me to buy the next book. If I want to buy it, I'll buy it.

Finally, I thought the author went a bit overboard with Lexie. I'm a dog lover and I used to take my Cocker Spaniels lots of places with me. But the author almost seems to be trying to force us to remember this is a series about pets (as if we could forget). Kendra brings Lexie with her to brand new petsitting clients, not knowing how these huge dogs might react to her dog. She takes her along to visit heartbroken owners whose own pets have been petnapped. She questions why on a first date with her vet, he didn't select a restaurant where she could bring her dog. It just seemed another gimmick to get her dog (who, according to the back cover, is actually Lexie) into the story as much as possible, to the point of overkill.

I hope the next installment is better.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars not a good as the others, October 25, 2007

By	4fabfelines "Lesa" (Shelbyville , TN) - See all my reviews

This was not as good as the others. It seems to drag on and i got real tired with the constant boyfriend problems. Make up your mind already!
Other than that it was a cute mystery.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Small Print, be warned!, March 17, 2008

By	Angela F. Dobson (York, PA, USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Kendra Ballantyne is a pet sitter extraordinaire until one of her best client's pet comes up missing on her watch. The ransom note found on the iguana cage says don't contact the police, but Kendra needs help and calls in her favorite homicide detective, and her ex-boyfriend Jeff, a PI. While her goal is to stay out of his arms while they find the pet-napper, she also wants to stay alive. When she is attacked physically she knows she must find the villain.

This is the fifth in a cute and cozy series, Linda O. Johnston has created the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter Mystery Series, and as always this one is funny and intense. Kendra may be a lawyer but when it comes to animals she focuses her attention on keeping them safe. Kendra's fast thinking, witty comebacks and a cast of cute animals and characters make this an enjoyable read.

This reader's biggest problem with this mystery was the amount of romance. Kendra spends a lot of time trying to stay out of the arms of both Jeff and her vet, Tom. This left this reader feeling like this one might be a cross-over into the romance field.

One warning to readers: The print in this book is TINY... Be prepared for eye strain, even while laughing at Kendra's antics this reader could not get past the small typeface used.

Review Courtesy of LoveRomancesandmore