Customer Reviews

Rapid Fire (Raine Stockton Dog Mysteries, Book 2)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If you like dogs and mysteries, you will love this book by Donna Ball. I delighted in every page. I enjoyed the setting. The Smokey Mountains are one of my favorite places on earth. The author knows her subject matter. I enjoyed the parts about the dog show. I also enjoyed her descriptions of the "manhunt." I recall several years ago visiting the mountains when a well known national fugitive was hiding out there. G men were all over the place. Her story line was very believable.
Thank you for an entertaining evening!

This is a first-rate mystery. The series is shaping up to be a worthy succesor to the late Virginia Lanier's bloodhound series. Unlike many so-called "dog mysteries" the dogs are actually integrated into the story. Rainey Stockton is an interesting, fully developed character. The secondary characters are also three dimensional. The mystery doesn't amount to much,but the well developed characters, interesting interrelationships,and dog lore more than compensate. I think those who like Conant, Berenson, Benjamin,or Kelly will find this a rewarding book.

Great new author for dog lovers with a little dog training thrown in for good measure. The backdrop of the Great Smokie Mtn's is an added bonus.
A quick delightful read. Those who like the Lanier bloodhound books and the Susan Conant Mal books will enjoy the Goldens!!

Raine Stockton is employed (part-time) with the Forest Service and has her own kennel business, Dog Daze Boarding and Training Facility. Business is booming and her free time is spoken for when her 'on-again, off-again' husband, Deputy Sheriff Buck Lawson, arrives at her home with a big problem, and accompanied by the FBI.

Raine's old boyfriend, Andy Fontana, has been on the run from a ten-year-old bombing charge, and it seems he's back in the area. It's suspected that he's trying to retrieve a huge cache of diamonds hidden in the wilderness. Andy may also be responsible for a recent crime spree in the area.

Raine believes in Andy's innocence but must (with the help of her golden retriever, Cisco) find the killer in order to help the man she once loved.

This is the first Donna Ball mystery I've read and I enjoyed it tremendously. Anyone who likes dogs, the outdoors, a good solid plot, interesting characters and a fast-paced plot will enjoy Rapid Fire. I'm waiting for her next title and will check out her other novels.

Armchair Interviews says: A highly satisfying and fun read.

If you love dogs and very few people don't, this new series by Donna Ball is a treat. In this the second book in the series, Raine Stockton is still employed as a part time "consultant" and search and rescue officer with the Forest Service. Her own kennel business, Dog Daze Boarding and Training Facility is doing well and her free time is spent at various dog competition events. Her life is disrupted when her almost ex- husband, Deputy Sheriff Buck Lawson, visits her home with the FBI.

Raine's old college boyfriend, Andy Fontana, is wanted by the FBI as a known terrorist and has been on the run for 10 years fleeing from a bombing charge. The FBI insists he's back in the area and they suspect that he's trying to retrieve a huge cache of diamonds that he once hid in the vast forest area surrounding Raine's house. They also feel that Andy is responsible for the recent eco terrorist crime spree and the murder of a Mexican construction worker who was working for the construction company hired to clear part of the forest for a huge resort.

Raine is loyal to her memories of Andy being a good man, and she firmly believes in his innocence no matter what Buck and the FBI tell her about his criminal history. In order to prove his innocense she must (with the help of her golden retriever, Cisco) find the real killer in order to help the man she once loved. Her determination causes a rift between her and Buck, and the FBI begins to suspect she is helping Andy.

This is a great Donna Ball mystery. Anyone who loves dogs, wonderful descriptions of the Great Smokie Mts., an interesting plot and well developed characters will enjoy Rapid Fire. Raine and Buck are people you will want to continue reading about and I'm eagerly waiting for the next title in the series.

second on this series, this had a pretty good twist to it; kept me reading late...i think this will be a good series

In this second book of the series I definitely did not like Raine. It seemed like she was just plain stupid in her thoughts and her actions besides definitely hiding her head in the sand. As far as I'm concerned, the dogs were the only thing that saved this scenario.

I enjoyed the first book in this mystery series featuring search-and-rescue dogs, Smoky Mountain Tracks, so I picked this one up. I just ordered the third book in the series, Gun Shy.

Rapid Fire brings the mystery a little closer to home for kennel owner, dog trainer, and search-and-rescue officer Raine Stockton: her college boyfriend, Andy Fontana, is back in the area, wanted by the FBI as a known terrorist and suspect in recent eco-terrorism crimes.

He'd disappeared ten years ago when he was suspected of bombings, but Raine's never believed he's guilty. Now they think he's back, looking for his payment for that job--a cache of diamonds.

Raine's faith is tested, however, when she keeps finding rainbows--Andy's nickname for her, and the symbol of the eco-terrorism group he's suspected of heading. Still, she believes in him and it's a race to find him before the authorities.

Rapid Fire is a more intense book than its predecessor, both because of the personal connection and emotions and because the issue isn't black-and-white. Raine has to reevaluate her former and present relationships, and has to decide where she draws the line between her views on the environment and the law.

And of course there are the dogs. One subplot involves Raine entering a dog in an event for which he's unsuited. The dog training echoes and clarifies larger issues in the plot and in life in general.

The first book was simply entertaining. This one is deeper. I'm looking forward to finding out where the series goes from here.

I personally liked the book as I could relate to the main character's issues with dog training and tracking. Sometimes, dogs just don't do what's expected but "trust the nose, as the nose knows". If a reader likes dogs and mystery together, then the reader will find this a good read. The ending was unexpected which is always good in a mystery. Characters in the book were well rounded and made the reader care about the trials and tribulations they went through.

Since I had enjoyed the first Raine Stockton book, I was looking forward to this second installment, but unfortunately was disappointed. First of all, there were so many errors in the book I actually stopped reading it three times, it was so irritating. I liked the dog antics, many of these were hilarious, and Raine's meeting with Andy was heart-breaking. While overall it was a pretty good story line, I especially didn't like Buck's character and Raine's continued involvement with him really made me want to shake her, especially at the end. I think the author has the talent but needs a new editor and Raine and Buck's relationsihp need closure.