Lady Vanishes (Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries) [Hardcover]

Carol Lea Benjamin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1999 | Series: Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries

Lady, a mop-coated puli, disappears from the Greenwich Village nursing home where she served as a therapy dog. This is the perfect setting for sleuth Rachel Alexander, and her own therapy dog, the intrepid pit bull terrier, Dash.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The Shamus Award-winning author of This Dog for Hire is back with a fourth frisky adventure for dog trainer/PI Rachel Alexander and her canine sidekick, Dash. The duo have previously worked together both solving mysteries and providing therapy. Now they get the chance to demonstrate their complete skills at Harbor View, a small Greenwich Village residential treatment center for the developmentally challenged. Rachel is approached by Venus White, who asks her to look into the seemingly accidental death of one of Harbor View's owners, Harry Dietrich. The home's therapy dog, a puli named Lady, has disappeared, and Venus worries that nefarious doings are afoot. Rachel and Dash begin their respective work, but Rachel feels stymied by Venus's slow doling out of the information she needs to get results. The various residents of Harbor View, meanwhile, begin to respond to Dash's special brand of therapyAdoing tricks, comforting patients, bringing them out of their silenceAwhile Rachel works as quickly as possible to ferret out the murderer. Then Venus is badly injured in a freak accidentAand Rachel suspects further foul play. Benjamin writes with great sensitivity about the plight of the residents of Harbor View, who are neglected by their families and unable to lead independent lives. Though the plot moves slowly, canine fans will relish the insights of an author who writes realistically about dogs and their relationships with people. Agent, Brandt & Brandt. (Sept.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Rachel Alexander and her dog, Dash (A Hell of a Dog), work undercover in a Greenwich Village residential treatment center when one of its owners dies "accidentally" and its therapy dog goes missing. Especially good for canine fans.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Walker & Company (September 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802733352
• ISBN-13: 978-0802733351
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,205,889 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Rachel and Dash at their best, July 8, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Lady Vanishes (Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries) (Hardcover)

In Manhattan's Greenwich Village, Venus White manages Harbor View, a treatment center where individuals who need around the clock caretaking reside. Venus desperately needs two different types of assistance. She needs the services of a private investigator to keep her safe from an unknown assailant and to find her missing therapy dog. She also needs the help of a new therapy dog because her "children" provide her with occasional "miracles" with the help of special canines. Venus asks private investigator Rachel Alexander and her therapy dog Dash to help her.

As Rachel and Dash make the rounds, the canine quickly becomes a patient favorite and those little miracles occur. However, Venus struggles with telling Rachel why she feels her life is in danger. Turning it into a miniseries over a few days, Venus relates why she believes someone plans to kill her as they did Harry Dietrich, an owner of the treatment center. Even as Rachel and Dash work with the patients, they begin to make inquires into Harry's death. She wants to protect Venus, but also worries that the assailant might think one of the patients witnessed the incident.

The Rachel and Dash mysteries are some of the more interesting novels on the market. The latest tale, LADY VANISHES, is a unique story that will touch readers' hearts. The audience will gain an understanding of the need for small miracles when dealing with mental health problems. The investigation is entertaining, but clearly a subplot of the canine therapy that Dash provides to the residents of the center. Carol Lea Benjamin brings much insight and passion to a terrific tale that redefines the boundaries of the mystery genre.

Harriet Klausner

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining, February 27, 2002

By 

Erika Sorocco (Southern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Lady Vanishes (Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries) (Paperback)

When Rachel Alexander and her sidekick Dash find out about a missing therapy dog, better known as Lady, they are immediatley on the case. Soon Rachel and Dash are uncovering secrets and trying to help innocent victims before it's too late.

I found this to be another excellent book by Carol Lea Benjamin, and recommend it to all fans of the Rachel Alexander and Dash book series.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An intensely entertaining tale, January 13, 2002

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lady Vanishes (Rachel Alexander & Dash Mysteries) (Hardcover)

Carol Lea Benjamin is an expert dog trainer, and has written several books on the subject. She has taught dog training seminars in the U.S. and Canada. She wrote her first Rachel and Dash novel, This Dog For Hire, in 1996, followed by The Dog Who Knew Too Much and A Hell Of A Dog. Her first Rachel and Dash novel won the Shamus Award from Private Eye Writers of America. Ms. Benjamin is a resident of Greenwich Village, New York.

In her fourth Dash and Rachel mystery, Rachel Alexander and her pit bull Dash enter the world of autistic, or "throwaway" people. Lady, the resident therapy dog at Harbor View has disappeared, and the owner and main benefactor, Harry Dietrich, has been killed in a bizarre hit-and-run bike accident. Venus, the current administrator of Harbor View, contacts Rachel for her skills as a dog therapist. But it quickly becomes evident that Venus needs Rachel's expertise as a detective, but she is reticent about explaining the reasons why she is so frightened:

"If Venus had been so lonely, where had it come from--the married man she met online? And why was I hearing about him anyway? What did he have to do with a missing dog, a dead old guy, a bunch of witnesses who don't speak and couldn't tell you the time of day if they did, and this gorgeous, mysterious black woman who hires me because she thinks her life's in danger, then won't tell me why?"

Ms. Benjamin manages to grab the reader with this low-key tale about dog wisdom, autism, and murder. From page one there is a wistful tone of whodunit, mixed with the obvious love the author holds for dogs, training, and dog-to-human therapy. We are quickly ensconced into Rachel and Dash's world, and their own particular talents. The mystery is almost a background issue, but nonetheless it is a real corker.

Ms. Benjamin uses wit, rigorous observational skills, and just plain old common sense to endear the reader to her characters. She spares no detail about autism, so that the reader comes away from this intensely entertaining tale both satisfied and a little wise. Rachel is a down-to-earth character who has the uncanny ability to bring out the innermost secrets in virtually everyone she meets. She is a real find as a crime solver, and is a true humanitarian to boot.

Shelley Glodowski, Reviewer