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Ruffly Speaking [Hardcover]

Susan Conant (Author)
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)


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Book Description

March 1, 1994
The bizarre behavior of a hearing guide dog and the accidental poisoning death of a local bookseller embroil Dog's Life writer Holly Winter and her two Alaskan malamutes in a mystery. By the author of Gone to the Dogs.

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Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Holly Winter, writer for Dog's Life magazine, spends most of her waking hours immersed in her subject, so dog aficionados and series fans take heed. Dog talk of all sorts abounds, from obedience training, shows, and breeds to temperament, grooming, and antics. Even a "hearing" dog appears as companion to a deaf female Episcopal priest. The possible wrongful death of a middle-aged dog lover in Cambridge, Massachusetts, definitely slips into the background because Holly alone seems suspicious. A wonderful romp for canine lovers and others.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Kirkus Reviews

What's the matter with Morris Lamb's house off Cambridge's Brattle Street? First, gay bookseller/caf‚keeper Morris himself died after a dinner of ill-chosen plants from his garden, and now Ruffly, the hearing dog assigned to Episcopal priest Stephanie Benson, who's renting the house from Morris' partner and lover Doug Winer, has begun to have inexplicable seizures. Fortunately, Stephanie's son Matthew is seeing the cousin of Dog's Life staffer Holly Winter, who's almost as interested in getting to the bottom of Morris' death as she is in the greater glory of Dog. Holly's canolatrous adventures (Gone to the Dogs, Bloodlines) have been pitched at all dog-lovers, but you really need to love dog shows, or at least show dogs, to appreciate their full bouquet. (Lilian Jackson Braun's Cat Who books don't include the addresses of real-life wholesale suppliers and support groups.) If you think the conflict between criminals and victims is reducible to the difference between dog fanciers and ``atheists'' who ``do not believe in dogs,'' you'd better go fetch this. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 261 pages
  • Publisher: Doubleday; 1st edition (March 1, 1994)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0385470371
  • ISBN-13: 978-0385470377
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.8 x 1 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,426,982 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in the Merrimack Valley of Massachusetts. The best friends of my childhood were pointers named Stuffy and Nonny. I had imaginary companions as well: a cat named Thirsty Melirsty Medrinkable, a family of dogs, and parents called Mommy and Daddy Suh. Thirsty and the dog family slowly faded away. The Suhs, however, perished suddenly; they ate fish guts and died. My career as a mystery writer thus began in early childhood: I invented animals, and I killed off fictional human beings.

Now, many decades later, I live just outside Boston. My husband is a clinical psychologist with a private practice in Cambridge. Our daughter, Jessica, who is also my coauthor, lives in New Hampshire with her husband and their young son. My husband and I have an Alaskan malamute, Django (pronounced 'Jango') and two Chartreux cats, Kansas City (K.C.) and Shadow Celeste. The malamutes in my Holly Winter books are composites, but the cats in Scratch the Surface, Edith and Brigitte, are portraits of my own Chartreux.

 

Customer Reviews

9 Reviews
5 star:
 (5)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:
 (3)
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Average Customer Review
3.9 out of 5 stars (9 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars at last a dog hero with a real job, April 8, 1998
A dog in the story is no longer a "gimmick". Conant has presented a dog serving a real purpose, and the usefullness of this task is an integral part of the story. I have passed on copies of this book it is so relevant, and a darned good read, too
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A very good read!, April 21, 1998
Ms. Conant once more brings a tale of suspense and murder. As well as bringing into play another purpose for dogs in Ruffly the hearing aide dog. Thouse of us who love dogs appreciate her efforts to help educate people who thing "Rover" is just a pet!
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars Roughly written., April 22, 2005
Morris Lamb dies suddenly of what appears to be plant poisoning: his plants. When his house is sold to an Episcopalian priest and her deaf dog companion starts to have seizures, Holly Winter, dog writer and lover, starts to investigate.

I have enjoyed this series that takes place in Cambridge, Ma.
I'm definitely a dog person and these are definitely dog lovers books, filled with all kinds of tips and tidbits on dog companions.

I was extremely disappointed in this one, however. The writing is choppy. The characters that haven't already been introduced in previous books are underdeveloped. Conant often seems to babble. I didn't really understand how her opening statements about aliens and ufo's had anything to do with dogs.

The Dog Lover's Mysteries have been a favorite of mine so I'm going to give it another chance and read the next one, but I wish someone had told me earlier not to waste my time on this one.

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