Reviews

Killing Trail by Margaret Mizushima

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ekloretto's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

cutenanya's review against another edition

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3.0

Killing Trail is a mystery novel featuring Mattie Cobb, a K-9 officer, and her dog partner Robo. They investigate a series of murders in a small Colorado town, where they encounter danger, secrets, and romance. Robo is the star of the book, a loyal and intelligent German shepherd who helps Mattie solve the case.

The cutest thing about this book is Robo. I always enjoy stories with animal companions, especially a tough alpha male like Robo. He's so confident, smart, and adorable. The other fluffy character, Belle, is also a lovely soul and the duo make the story so much more readable. As for the plot itself, it's one of those stories where you just see the story unfold itself. There's not much guessing though there are some clues which let you know straight away the identity of the murderer (K-9 are way smarter than the police force). Robo just steals the show making Mattie, whilst likable, seems flat and uninteresting. There is no proper romance in this book, maybe a hint of what a romance in the future between Cole, the vet and fresh divorcee at this moment, and Mattie but we'll see what fate await them (though I'm doubting I'll read a sequel soon).

This should be one of those forgettable books but the smart Robo and sweet Belle makes it more than tolerable. I'm giving a 3/5 for this one.

crafalsk264's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Mattie Cobb is the first Timber Creek K-9 officer in the mountains of Timber Creek, Colorado. Mattie and her K-9 partner, Robo, a big German Shepherd, first have to prove themselves to the members of the Timber Creek police force, the county sheriff, Fish and Game officers and other law enforcement personnel in the area. When Robo finds the body of a missing teenager, they become committed to finding the murderer. When a lead detective sent in from the State Investigative agency is a woman, we have a strong team who can outperform many of their colleagues. A budding romance between Mattie and the local veterinarian is an interesting subplot.

This book is a good mystery suspense novel and I find the team refreshing. The characters are well developed and since this is the first book in a new series and is from an extensive backlist, I am looking forward to reading more books soon. The author has done a good job describing the training and the work of a successful K-9 team. The setting is a good one for this series and is well written as almost a separate character. Altogether this is an enjoyable book and I recommend to readers interested in mystery-thrillers, crime, police procedurals and stories about animals.

theplantlady's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

5.0

This book was so AMAZING! I ENJOYED it throughly:) The plot and storyline was on point and held my attention from page 1 all the way to the last page! It was never dull, it was never boring and I look forward to my next read!!! It is very rare to read a book like this and Mrs. Misuzhima writing style is superb! The characters were so well developed and I was able to connect with each one, none of them were over dramatic or over the top. Pure perfection!!!

The only downfall of this book was, it was not hard at all to guess who the bad guy was, I had it down to 2 people and of course I was correct, BUT!!! that did not destroy or take away from this book!!!

I LOVED IT!!!!!!