Stud Rites (Paperback)

by Susan Conant (Author) "Late in the evening on a narrow street in Providence, Rhode Island, the handsome woman catches a stiletto heel in the antique-brick sidewalk..." (more)
Key Phrases: Sherri Ann, James Hunnewell, Timmy Oliver (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Kirkus Reviews
The ninth in a series (Black Ribbon, 1995, etc.) directed toward passionate dog fanciers--and if the audience seems a narrow one, meditate on the number nine. Detective/journalist Holly Winter covers the Alaskan Malamute National Specialty Show at a Hawaiian- theme hotel in Danville, Conn. She hangs out with her two canine contenders, Rowdy and Kimi; her cousin Leah, a handler; her boyfriend, a vet; her ex-boyfriend, a traveler in dog sex aids; oodles of her girlfriends, all fighting over dogs--and, as it turns out, a murderer. An elderly judge is killed, and the prize lamp bearing the fur of an ex-champion seems to have been the weapon. Though Conant is capable of a decent quip (``their noisy, smelly wedding was going to ruin our lovely dog show''), she specializes in ironic metaphors teased through run-on sentences of indecent length. She belabors her jokes, in other words, while revealing a steely-eyed and humorless determination to pack her prose with more dog lore than it can gracefully accommodate. The murderer was not a good dog person and is no loss. But, meanwhile, Conant risks losing mystery readers who might like warm puppies okay but who think happiness requires a wider worldview and a lighter wit. -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Description
Groomed for a comeback: sixth in the dog lover's series.

After two killings at the Alaskan Malamute National Specialty Show, the one-of-a-kind murder weapon is traced to Holly Winter's ex-boyfriend--and the stakes become more personal than she ever dreamed.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berkley (March 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0425201597
• ISBN-13: 978-0425201596
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #322,078 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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• This is item 9 in The Dog Lover's Mystery Series.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars one of my favorite Conant mysteries, February 21, 2003

By	bothellbuyer (WA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stud Rites (Dog Lover's Mysteries) (Hardcover)

I'm not a mystery lover. I'm not an Alaskan Malamute lover. But I'm really enjoying these books! So far, this has been my favorite. The author has a great way of making dog-show talk accessible. I admit I'm constantly confused over Best of Winners vs Best Opposite Sex etc etc and avoid the conformation ring myself at all costs (PAY someone else to try to run a straight line down and back). Clever dialogue. Characterization that may be a bit over the top, but amusing. And I keep muttering under my breath that if the author only would admit that Siberian Huskies are 'better' than those hulking, dog-aggressive Malamutes her books would be even better <G> (yeah....I'm biased!).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good Fight, May 23, 2000

By	Ann E. Nichols (Sierra Vista, AZ United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Stud Rites (Paperback)

Never mind the Kirkus review. The dog facts weren't boring and I'm a cat lover who merely likes dogs. I liked the analogies that the author used in order to help those of us who aren't dog fanatics to understand the feelings of those who are. I chuckled and cringed over Holly's reunion with the man who had captured her heart when she was but a girl (and mother was right). Actually, I did a lot of chuckling and cringing during this book. It's a pity that no one thought to enter an unedited version of the final judging video to one of those amateur video shows because it probably would have won a prize. (Heaven knows that the donated lamp probably would have made a worthy entry in the Ugliest Lamp contest.) The bride's father probably would have envied the lucky dad in book/film version(s) of "Father of the Bride." I'm suprised the poor man didn't have a heart attack before it was all over. (Got a good chuckle out of Holly's unspoken appraisal of the groom, not to mention her opinion of a woman who would marry a man who's allergic to dogs.) I would have been more upset about the nasty way two fat characters were depicted if I hadn't already known from the author's e-mail response to my complaint to her publisher [over *Bloodlines* and *Black Ribbon*] that she was horrified when a friend pointed that out to her, apologizes, and hopes that her three latest books are not offensive. I stayed up until 11:30 to finish this book. I could have been in bed an hour earlier if I hadn't kept looking up at the TV to see if Scully and Mulder were doing anything exciting for the "X-Files" 2000 season finale. That was a mistake.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bitingly clever, May 17, 2000

By	Kasia Szpakowska (UK) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Stud Rites (Paperback)

This was one of my favorite Conant books. The prose is particularly well written, and bitingly sarcastic at times. I particularly appreciate S. Conant's emphasis on breed rescue, and how wonderful those dogs can be. The characters in her book are all just exaggerated enough so you can really get a feel for their personalities, and her descriptions of the back-biting and gossip that goes on at dog shows had me in stitches! If you like this series, I think you will love this one!