Customer Reviews

Wolf in Sheep's Clothing (Annie O'Hara & Claudius Mysteries)

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

 

 

I have enjoyed the first two books in what I hope is a long series with Annie and Claudius. I can't wait for the next one. Ms Campbell if your reading this,I want you to know that I'm sorry that I missed you when you were at Borders in Shrewsbury. I would have asked you then when is the next book coming out? The story was light enough to escape our everyday world and let you have an adventure that you wouldn't really want to take yourself. I couldn't stop turning the pages. If you own dogs you will understand Claudius and what goes on with Annie.

In the newest addition to the series, Annie O'Hara is back at home in New England. She is just about broke, still stuck with her sister-in-law's dog, and the only thing keeping her solvent is her two boarders. One of them is killed in the charity corn maze behind the tavern, and her brother is the main suspect. Annie and Claudius do not have much faith in the detective in charge, and it's up to them to solve the crime.

I enjoyed the mystery and the story. The author has gotten more of a grip on the dog angle of the story. It won't outrage the dog lovers among us. I assumed that the mistakes made in the last book were due to the main character's inexperience with dogs, but am happy to see the errors mostly remedied. Claudius isn't left in hot cars or left to run loose in this story.

This is the first book in this series that I've read. I would have liked to give it a higher rating because it was a fun chase, but there were elements that kept whispering in my ear, "No higher than a three."

Annie O'Hara is in a real fix. She is just about making ends meet, dealing with Claudius, the dog her soon to be ex sister-in-law dumped on her, and now on the slippery slope of being accused of murder, and of one of her roomers no less. What in the devil is Annie going to do? The dog is destroying everything and eating her out of house and home, he's chasing away customers of the antique shop on the first floor of her house and now the victim's nasty brother is bossing her around like he owns the place. Like I said, lots of fun elements.

Here's where I had some problems. First of all, as an author of funny mysteries myself, some basic elements that will cause agents and publishers to go into cardiac arrest are painfully present. The point of view is very muddled. Ann Campbell jumps from one head to another fast enough to make your own head spin. Sometimes even in the same paragraph. That's a no no. Also we are constantly put into the dog's inner monologue. I would rather have had his expression causing Annie to ponder about what he's thinking.

Next, per my title, that dog would have either been in the hands of a trainer or back to his real owner, willing or not, if I had one that acted like that. My god. The animal is a destruction derby and Annie lets him constantly get away with it. But then she does that with almost everyone she comes in contact with. They run all over her and she lets them. By the end of the book it seems like she's finally finding a bit of her backbone, and I hope it materializes in the next book.

The other thing I noticed is that occasionally it seems like Claudius is trying to warn Annie about something, but she never pays any attention to him and puts him in the bathroom. Okay, he's a pain in the you know what, but if I was as on edge as Annie and my temporary dog was barking at the door or some other typical doggie warning behaviour, I think I would check it out. But then, I'm me and Annie is Annie.

Despite all of this, the twist at the end is a pretty good one although I'd already figured out part of it about half way into the book. Still, the rest of it rounded out the plot. I give it three stars for a fun, quick cozy read by the fireplace. You want to find out what finally happens and hope Annie will survive to star in another novel in the series. Think I'll read the next one.

MORGAN ST. JAMES
www.silversistersmysteries.com
A CORPSE IN THE SOUP
Best Mystery Audio Book 2007 - USA BOOK NEWS
COMING SOON: SEVEN DEADLY SAMOVARS

I BUY A TON OF MYSTERIES. BUT THIS BOOK WAS FUSTRATING. ANY PET OWNER WOULD NOT TOLERATE A PET DESTROYING HOME OR NOT TRAINING.. MOST OF MY FRIENDS THAT READ THIS SAID THAT THEY THOUGHT THE SAME.. WHY DID ANNIE KEEP THE DOG OR BE FORCED INTO A POSITION TO KEEP IT.. NO BACKBONE?? I NEARLY SENT THIS TO USED BOOKS HALF WAY THRU.. I AM GLAD I DIDNT PAY FULL PRICE AND WOULDNT BUY THIS SERIES FOR MYSELF...
THE MAIN CHARACTER ISNT A STRONG WOMAN LETS EVERYONE PUSH HER AROUND AND DOESNT STAND UP FOR HERSELF..

Somehow I missed the first book in this series, WOLF AT THE DOOR, probably because I really don't do books with wolves (of whatever variety) within the pages. I do not intend to go find it now, either. Nor would I recommend this one to anyone, unless they like to read rather silly stories with more holes in than a sieve.

Well before Chapter 3 (page 27) I was grinding my teeth. Why doesn't she take this dog and herself to obedience school? I wondered. I continued to wonder this for the entire duration of the book. I do like dogs, but a little discipline exerted by both Annie and Claudius would go a long way toward solving most of the problems encountered by either of them, not to mention the rest of the townsfolk.

I found the continued viewpoint of the dog a bit too cute and more than a bit too confusing, mixed in with Annie's as it usually was. It also isn't fair to the reader to hold out clues to the perpetrator of the crimes, as was done here, either. In my opinion, the characters were very stereo-typed, almost farcical, but then, any town lumbered with a police officer like Gus Jackson deserves whatever it gets. I will say, however, that Annie must be an absolutely superwoman who has figured out how to get more minutes into an hour than the rest of us, in order to accomplish all the things she does in such very short spaces of time. Very confusing. I sincerely doubt I'll read any more of this series.