Monday, November 11, 2019

Tracking Game by Margaret Mizushima


First Line: Tonight, the stage had been set for love.

When a bomb explodes and the body of outfitter Nate Fletcher is found shot through the heart outside a community dance in Timber Creek, Colorado, Deputy Mattie Cobb and her K-9 partner Robo are part of the investigation.

The investigation takes them to the ranch of Doyle Redman, whose daughter is Nate's widow, but before they get much further, they receive an emergency call from a man who's been shot in the mountains. Mattie and Robo are first on the scene, and both are disconcerted when they hear the ominous growl of a large predator they've never heard before. What on earth is roaming the mountains around Timber Creek?

The animal must be tracked and caught before anyone is hurt, and as new players emerge, Mattie begins to understand the true danger that involves everyone in Timber Creek.

Margaret Mizushima's Timber Creek K-9 mysteries set in the high mountains of Colorado continue to impress me with their strong mysteries and charismatic main characters. She certainly knows how to set her stage: the tracking scenes in the high country had me on red alert, listening for the deep-pitched, rumbling growl of something that wanted me for dinner as I turned the pages.

The two main characters, Deputy Mattie Cobb and veterinarian Cole Walker continue to grow and change. Mattie lived through some traumatic incidents in her childhood and she's still working through the aftermath. In Tracking Game, Cole's two daughters are learning more than they want to know about the confusing and often devastating illness of depression. The secondary characters are solid, and I like the way the entire community reaches out to help others.

There are some excellent twists and turns in the plot of Tracking Game, so if you're in the mood for a strong mystery with three intelligent, likable lead characters (Mattie, Cole, and Robo) who live and work in a vivid high country setting, pick up a copy of Mizushima's latest Timber Creek K-9 novel.


Tracking Game by Margaret Mizushima
eISBN: 9781643851358
Crooked Lane Books © 2019
eBook, 320 pages

Police Procedural, #5 Timber Creek K-9 mystery
Rating: B+
Source: Net Galley


5 comments:

  1. I have to say that the setting impresses me a lot, Cathy. And, of course, I love dogs, so, a series that includes a dog is great. It also sounds like Robo acts, well, like a dog. I get my fill of series where pets are anthropomorphized.

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  2. Replies
    1. I think it's one of the most realistic portrayals of working with a police dog.

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  3. I enjoy this series - so glad to hear there's a good new entry! I'm off to see if I can add it to my library hold list ...

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