Customer Reviews

The More the Terrier (A Pet Rescue Mystery)

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Lauren Vancouver, manager of the HotRescues animal shelter, hasn't heard from her former mentor Mamie Spelling in almost seven years. Then, out of the blue, Lauren receives a hysterical phone call from Mamie who tells Lauren someone is threatening her, but then abruptly hangs up. Lauren decides to pay a visit to Mamie's Beach Pet Rescue to make sure she is okay and is shocked at Mamie's haggard appearance and what she finds inside Mamie's home. It seems Mamie has become a pet hoarder and her home is filled with hundreds of cats and dogs - all filthy and malnourished. When the person who has been threatening Mamie is found shot, Mamie finds she herself facing charges of pet hoarding and murder!

While this book is a mystery and is about the murder of pet shelter network CEO Bethany Urber, the book is centered on the topic of animal hoarding. While animal hoarding is a serious offence, I like the way the author addresses the issue by having Lauren show conflicting feelings about Mamie's hoarding. While she hates the conditions in which Mamie was keeping the animals, she can't help but pity the obviously disturbed woman.

It is clear the author loves animals and is very knowledgeable about animal rescue efforts. The many details about running an animal shelter are included throughout the book and are an integral part of the story. This book is the second Pet Rescue mystery and I have the same complaint with this book as with the prior Beaglemania (A Pet Rescue Mystery). Lauren manages a large shelter, and she oversees every aspect of its management. In addition to all the paperwork, budgeting, PR, and security of the shelter, she personally interviews every applicant that wants to adopt an animal, as well as makes several home visits, announced and unannounced, before and after the pet adoptions. I don't know how she has time to do her job, run her household, have a romantic relationship with Matt Kingston of LA Animal Services, and still find time to investigate crimes!

With the exception of her micromanaging, Lauren is a likeable character. She has a good relationship with her college-age son and daughter who make a brief appearance in the book. She is a good manager to her employees and volunteers and deals with a situation in which animals are being anonymously dropped off at her shelter with understanding and compassion. She is also a good friend to Mamie and gets involved in the murder investigation to protect Mamie even though she is appalled at the way Mamie was neglecting the animals under her care.

Lauren's friendship with vet and host of cable TV animal health show Dr. Carlie Stellan is interesting, although we don't really get to know Carlie. Lauren and Matt's romance has potential, and while Lauren says she isn't ready for a relationship, she seems to spend a lot of time with the handsome animal services captain.

Unfortunately, the mystery itself isn't as interesting as the parts of the book dealing with the animal shelter. Lauren talks to a lot of different shelter owners in trying to find out who killed the domineering Bethany. Part of the reason so many people disliked Bethany was the way she forced people to join her network of pet shelters, but I was never clear as to why Bethany takes such extreme measures to get new members. Lauren eventually solves the mystery after an unbelievable scene in which she escapes from the murderer.

While the mystery and depth of most of the supporting characters is lacking, animal lovers will enjoy the many details about animal shelters and enjoy meeting some of HotRescues furry residents. If you enjoy Cynthia Baxter's Reigning Cats and Dogs mysteries, then you may want to give "The More the Terrier" a try.

This review was originally written for The Season E-Zine. The book was provided to me in exchange for an honest review.

I like a good 'cozy' mystery and one with dogs or dog trainers/pet sitters is always a plus with me, but this book is just very poorly written with a very bland boring style. The characters are uninteresting, I don't care about the (obnoxious) murder victim or the (pitiful) prime suspect, etc. I'm halfway through, and having trouble working up the enthusiasm to finish it.

When her old mentor is accused of murder, Lauren is determined to help her out despite what she is doing to the animals in her care. The topic of animal hoarding was very interesting and I liked how it was woven with the plot. It was a good mystery with a strong heroine who knows what to do to right a wrong. This was an enjoyable read and I look forward to the next book in this adorable series.

You've heard of hoarders? You know those people who obsessively gather STUFF until their homes are hazardous mazes of clutter? According to the Mayo Clinic, "[s]ome people also collect animals, keeping dozens or hundreds of pets often in unsanitary conditions".

This is what Lauren Vancouver, manager of a private, no-kill animal shelter discovers when she visits her old friend and mentor Mamie Spelling after receiving a panicked call from her. Mamie is afraid of Bethany Urber, the ambitious and aggressive CEO of a shelter network, who threatened the older woman when she refused to join the network.

Lauren feels that the only thing she can do is contact Animal Services, who move the animals to their own shelters, and arrange for psychological evaluation for Mamie.

Shortly after Mamie is released, Bethany is found in her office, shot. Unfortunately, Mamie finds the body, and having vocally castigated her in public, she becomes the main suspect.

Lauren is aware that Mamie is unstable, but still certain that her friend is incapable of murder, and takes it upon herself to prove it.

With the Pet Rescue series, Johnston has found a palatable way of conveying information about issues that are unpleasant but very real. (The first installment of the series was about another serious problem, puppy mills.)

Linda O. Johnston also writes the Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mysteries. She volunteers at no-kill shelters in Southern California, and become a dog adoption counselor.

*FTC Full Disclosure: Many thanks to the publisher, who sent me a copy of the book for review purposes.

The story is exciting with a very current topic of hoarding. I have to admit until I read this book I never thought about someone hoarding pets and it really opened my eyes.

This series is really packs more of a one-two punch, they stories are fun and entertaining but they also make us aware of a huge over population of pets in the United States. I almost feel we should have a Bob Barker moment to remind ourselves "to have your pets spayed or neutered". I also feel that adopting and giving pets "forever homes" is an uplifting experience. We have 3 rescued kitties under our roof. If you are looking for a pet to love, start out at a shelter and save a life that will love you unconditionally immediately.

Like cozy mysteries, like animals, you will love this book! Your invisible tails will be wagging with delight!!!!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Berkley Prime Crime. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of this book. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255 : "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Dante De Francisco owns national HotPet Stores. He hires Lauren Vancouver to be the director of HotRescues no kill animal shelter. The complex will be one of the biggest of its kind once construction is completed. When Lauren's former mentor, Mamie Spelling, frantically calls her; Lauren is concerned and rushes over having not seen her friend in a long time. Lauren is appalled at the condition of Mamie's house, and poor quality of the animals from overcrowding as if this is a run down ghetto. Mamie fears she faces prison time for animal cruelty; something that would not have occurred if Bethany Weber, CEO of The Pet Shelter Network, had not tried to blackmail her.

Bethany made a lot of enemies inside the industry with practices including blackmail and extortion of other shelter owners. The police believe Mamie killed Bethany as she had the motive and the opportunity having been at the victim's home when the latter was dead. Other evidence condemns Mamie further. Lauren does not believe her mentor would kill, so she doggedly investigates the homicide; unaware the killer watches her every move.

The second Pet Rescue Mystery (see Beaglemania) is an exciting cozy that sub-genre readers, especially animal lovers, will enjoy. Dante and his lover Kendra make cameo appearances that connect this series to the author's Pet Sitter amateur sleuth novels. There are plenty of suspects as the victim was almost universally loathed. Although having an amateur sleuth investigate the murder of a queen of mean while the killer observes her actions is an overly used technique, readers still will enjoy the entertaining The More the Terrier.

Harriet Klausner

Someone reviewing book 1 of this series called its characters and animals «cardboard.» Nothing has changed in #2. Plus, it is a boring, sluggish read. The author's pet-sitter series started with zip and wit, though it has faltered; this one never got out of bed.