Customer Reviews

Gone to the Dogs (Dog Lover's Mysteries)

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"Gone to the Dogs" is the 5th installment in the Holly Winter Mystery Saga, but the first with a new publisher. I like what this publishing change has done for the quality of these books. Conant, always a good writer, has expanded her typical story length by a good hundred pages. This allows her to fill her stories out a little more making the pace and flow of the plotting better.

Diehard mystery fans might be disappointed with the level of mystery in these books. There is a mystery but it isn't that intricate, nor is it approached like a typical mystery novel.

The strength of these books is the information, research, and history given of dogs and show events. When I started this series I never though a dog mystery could be interesting in any way. But like any good author, Conant is able to fuel her passion into her writing getting you caught up in the enthusiasm. I've learned a lot about dogs reading these books, and I've enjoyed every minute of it.

The 5th book in the Dog Lover's mystery series follows Holly Winter, dog lover/owner, on her next case. It seems that Holly and her two Malamutes, Kimi and Rowdy, are always finding themselves in the middle of investigations! This case involves missing vet, Oscar Patterson, and Holly cannot seem to let the mystery go. She asks mutual friends for information regarding the vet, and soon learns that another acquaintance has vanished, supposedly with the vet. Have these two run off together or was it murder? Can Holly and her two canine companions solve this case?

I have enjoyed the four previous books in the series and was a bit surprised by this installment. The author has signed with a new publisher, and I noticed right away that this book was much longer than the previous four. Even though her books were always pretty cerebral, this one seemed much more so to me. I enjoy the fact that I have to "think" I bit more when I am reading Conant's books, but at times I found the storyline a bit hard to follow. However, I love all of the aspects involving the dogs, and I believe that these books offer a wealth of information regarding dogs. As the author has done in the past, in this book she focuses on one topic of pet ownership that she feels strongly about. In this book, the author speaks strongly about harsh training methods, and the "unprofessional" trainers that practice them. If you are interested in dogs and like mysteries (albeit not the "simple" variety) this is a good series for you!

The first book in this series is "Paws Before Dying". Enjoy!

A Cozy Lover

if not the best. Also as someone pointed out, a great Christmas mystery. Conant writes about dogs with love. About people less so. But this is a satisfying mystery, both for dog lovers and mystery lovers in general. Cozy mysteries don't get much better than this.

Although it's not Christmas, I enjoyed this Christmas mystery, as I have enjoyed all the books so far in this series aimed at dog fanciers everywhere. This was an excellent story, as well as a chance to see Rowdy and Kimi again. I am getting quite fond of Rowdy and Kimi. The book is about disaappearances and an "anal retentive" vet. Steve has finally given in to Lorraine and accepted that he requires another vet to help run his burgeoning practice. So Lorraine hires a new vet and he and his wife come to Cambridge. Althought the vet seemes competent, Holly has a few misgivings. The book is a little different as no bodies turn up, but that doesn't spoil the mystery. This is a very enjoyable series, and I can't wait to read the next one.

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

Ms. Conant once again outdoes herself with this one. I have read all of her books and this is one of my favorites. This is an excellent read for mystery buffs as well as dog lovers.