sheilabookworm3369's review against another edition
3.0
A decent mystery with decent characterization. This one hit a pet peeve, though, to do with red herrings. There's only one way to do it right, and that's to do it well, so the reader doesn't see that it's being done.
jordanthebiblipohile's review
3.0
Overall: ☆☆☆(3.4)
Writing style: ☆☆☆☆
Entertainment :☆☆☆
Characters:☆☆☆
Plot:☆☆☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆
Writing style: ☆☆☆☆
Entertainment :☆☆☆
Characters:☆☆☆
Plot:☆☆☆☆
Ending:☆☆☆
ncrabb's review against another edition
4.0
Thirteen-year-old Candace Banks is dead when Mattie Cobb finds her. To be technical, it was Mattie’s dog, Robo, who found the girl. It looked like she suffocated while fighting for her life. She died not far from the high school on an ignominious place called Smoker’s Hill.
As law-enforcement officials in Timber Creek, Colorado investigate, they learn that Candace was well and widely known to the local high-school boys despite her junior high status. Football players even made jokes about putting deposits in Candace Banks. The list of suspects runs high and youthful, but Mattie and the dog can’t find any trace of anyone who was with Candace the night she died.
The drama picks up big-time when almost-nine-year-old Sophie Walker disappears. Her dad is the local vet, and Sophie never made it to the house after she got off the school bus one night not long after they found Candace Banks.
The last thing Cole Walker did before he endured the nightmare of Sophie’s kidnapping was take her to the local feed store and buy some baby chickens for her upcoming birthday.
This is a seriously compelling book. You’ll crank through it because you desperately want to know whether Sophie Walker comes home alive. You’ll likely get interested in the book early on, and that won’t falter as you read it.
I had some minor quibbles. I’m not sure the motive of the kidnapper made sense, and I got tired of hearing about Mattie’s angsty sleeplessness because of her own troubled past. I don’t need my cops to be perfect, but I’m not sure they should be as damaged as she seems to be. But that’s not a deal breaker. It’s best if you’ve read the first two books in the series, but it’s not necessary.
As law-enforcement officials in Timber Creek, Colorado investigate, they learn that Candace was well and widely known to the local high-school boys despite her junior high status. Football players even made jokes about putting deposits in Candace Banks. The list of suspects runs high and youthful, but Mattie and the dog can’t find any trace of anyone who was with Candace the night she died.
The drama picks up big-time when almost-nine-year-old Sophie Walker disappears. Her dad is the local vet, and Sophie never made it to the house after she got off the school bus one night not long after they found Candace Banks.
The last thing Cole Walker did before he endured the nightmare of Sophie’s kidnapping was take her to the local feed store and buy some baby chickens for her upcoming birthday.
This is a seriously compelling book. You’ll crank through it because you desperately want to know whether Sophie Walker comes home alive. You’ll likely get interested in the book early on, and that won’t falter as you read it.
I had some minor quibbles. I’m not sure the motive of the kidnapper made sense, and I got tired of hearing about Mattie’s angsty sleeplessness because of her own troubled past. I don’t need my cops to be perfect, but I’m not sure they should be as damaged as she seems to be. But that’s not a deal breaker. It’s best if you’ve read the first two books in the series, but it’s not necessary.
michellemacd's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
onanotherplanet's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
belle505's review
4.0
Really enjoyed this one. She hasn’t disappointed me yet. Can’t wait for the next one in this series.
yetanothersusan's review
4.0
Detective (Mattie) Cobb is in love with the town vet, Cole Walker. But he is still in love with his ex-wife. That means little when his daughter goes missing days after another young girl is found dead. Though very much too personally involved, Cobb and Robo, her amazingly awesome and gorgeous canine partner, pull out all the stops to help track down the missing girl. Like the previous 2 books in this series, Ms. Mizushima infuses the story with information about animal care and dog training. Not so much that it gets boring, but enough to feel realistic. Unlike the previous 2 books in this series, it wasn't as easy to discover who was taking the girls. Ms. Mizushima's plots are getting deeper and more evolved, and her characters' lives are getting more complicated, but her writing style still remains straight forward and a refreshing change from all the twists and turns so overly used in most books today. I have enjoyed reading these cozies and look forward to the next one!
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.
A copy of this book was provided by NetGalley and Crooked Lane Books in exchange for an honest review.
longtimereader's review
4.0
I do love books with animals, and dogs are special animals! This book was an enjoyable read, one that makes me want to read the series. Wrap that up with a good murder mystery, and I have a happy read to devour.
My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.
My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.